Deeply fascinating paper wherein Venkataramani et al. describe how synaptic inputs from neurons onto glioma tumor cells induce electrical activity in the tumors and stimulate their growth and invasiveness. This knowledge could lead to new treatments involving inhibition of the synapses onto gliomas which might provide hope for fighting an otherwise largely incurable form of cancer. #neurobiology #oncology #cancer #medicine
Neurons form glutamatergic synapses with glioma cells in mice and humans, and inhibition of AMPA receptors reduces glioma cell invasion and growth.
The psychedelic substances 5-MeO-DMT causes a long-lasting increase in the number of tiny protrusions called dendritic spines in the brain, according to new research published in Neuropsychopharmacology. The study, which was conducted on mice, sheds light on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of 5-MeO-DMT.
Serotonergic psychedelics (such as psilocybin and LSD) have shown promise as potential therapeutics for mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Short-acting compounds are particularly interesting because they require less dosing time, which could improve patient access to treatment. In humans, 5-MeO-DMT produces a short-lasting experience due to its rapid breakdown in the body.
“My lab started research on psychiatric drugs like ketamine and psychedelics about 10 years ago. We were motivated by how basic science and clinical research can together powerfully move a drug forward to become medicine. Specifically I believe there is a lot of potential for psychedelics as therapeutics, and that drives our interest in this topic,” said study author Alex Kwan (@kwanalexc), an associate professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University.
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, said on Thursday it had received a green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to kickstart its first in-human clinical study, a critical milestone after earlier struggles to gain approval.
Musk has predicted on at least four occasions since 2019 that his medical device company would begin human trials for a brain implant to treat severe conditions such as paralysis and blindness.
Scientists have found a way to restore the brain and spinal cord interface, developing an implantable device that enables paralyzed patient to stand and walk again.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) can be debilitating for some people, making it difficult for them to walk normally again. Some individuals may take weeks to recover their ability to walk after an injury, while others may take months or even suffer from paralysis.
This is mainly due to the SCI hindering communication between the brain and the region of the spinal cord responsible for limb movement.
In short blood dilution is very, very good for you.
In this talk, Dr. Irina Conboy discusses the role of repair and regeneration in lifespan and healthspan, contending that these factors, rather than entropy and time progression, truly govern our aging process. She describes the research her team is pursuing, investigating whether improving the efficiency of bodily repair in older individuals could effectively make them younger. She suggests that biological age could potentially be reversed and discusses heterochronic parabiosis and plasma dilution as potential ways to accomplish that. Conboy highlights recent research suggesting that old blood has a greater impact on cellular health and function than young blood. She presents her team’s experimental research on the rejuvenation effects of plasma dilution, demonstrating its significant impact on reducing senescence, neuroinflammation, and promoting neurogenesis in the brains of old mice.
00:00:00 — Importance of repair and regeneration in aging. 00:04:45 — Young blood vs. old blood, heterochronic parabiosis. 00:10:17 — Plasma dilution is key. 00:15:49 — Kiana Aran’s blood heterochronicity on a chip. 00:17:56 — The role of senescence in parabiosis and blood exchange. 00:27:53 — Measurements of biological age. 00:36:57 — Systemic calibration is globally rejuvenative. 00:37:30 — Conclusions.
About the Speaker: Irina Conboy is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Bioengineering. Her discovery of the rejuvenating effects of young blood through parabiosis in a seminal paper published in Nature in 2005 paved the way for a thriving field of rejuvenation biology. The Conboy lab currently focuses on broad rejuvenation of tissue maintenance and repair, stem cell niche engineering, elucidating the mechanisms underlying muscle stem cell aging, directed organogenesis, and making CRISPR a therapeutic reality.
