Li et al. present a microLED-based mesoscale optogenetic system for centimeter-scale, million-pixel primate cortical stimulation. Optogenetically evoked saccades with accurate retinotopic organization remain stable for over a year, demonstrating precise, robust, and durable neuromodulation and charting a path toward next-generation optical brain-computer interfaces and visual prostheses.
Living organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of cells that cooperate to create the organs and systems that breathe, eat, move, and think. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track how and when cells touch each other to work together in these ways. In a study published in January in Cell Reports Methods, researchers from The University of Osaka reported the development of fluorescent markers for monitoring cell communication under a microscope.
Cells communicate with each other by making cell-to-cell contacts, and fluorescent markers are often used to visualize these contacts. The most commonly used marker for this purpose is green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP can be divided into two halves that are expressed on different cells. When the cells touch, the two halves come together to form a complete GFP, letting off a fluorescent signal.
“Split GFP is useful for detecting the formation of stable connections between cells,” says lead author of the study Takashi Kanadome. “But because it takes time for the rejoined GFP to emit its signal and the association is irreversible, this approach cannot be used to detect dynamic cell–cell interactions in real-time.”
Are we living inside a computer simulation? The evidence is more compelling than you think.
In this deep exploration of the Simulation Hypothesis, we examine the scientific and philosophical arguments that suggest our reality might be code. From Nick Bostrom’s groundbreaking trilemma to quantum mechanics acting like a computer program, from the fine-tuned constants of physics to Elon Musk’s probabilistic arguments—we follow the evidence wherever it leads. Whether we’re simulated or not, the question reveals profound truths about consciousness, reality, and what it means to be human.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 — The Uncomfortable Question.
4:47 — Nick Bostrom’s Trilemma: The Logical Trap.
9:34 — The Ancestor Simulation Scenario.
A neuroscientist, a philosopher and a physicist convene to discuss one of the biggest and most significant questions of all time: human consciousness, what we know and don’t know about it, and whether science will ever be able to understand what makes you, you.
Recorded Oct 16, 2016 at The 92nd Street Y, New York.
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“Despite greater white matter degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, APOE ε4 carriers exhibited preserved deep brain volumes and better self-reported well-being. This study highlights the complex interplay between genetic factors and neurodegenerative processes. Our future research aims to provide more natural history data of EPM1 and correlate long-term phenotypic data with additional geno-phenotypic analyses.”
Read this original article from Epileptic Disorders at doi.org/10.1002/epd2.70112.
Objective Progressive myoclonic epilepsy type 1 (EPM1) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by biallelic variants in the cystatin B (CSTB) gene. Despite a progressive course, phenotype severity varies among patients, even within families. We studied the potential role of APOE ε4 in modifying phenotypic diversity in EPM1, given its established association with neurodegeneration, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease.
A longitudinal study of adolescents from the Chicago metropolitan area found that in female, but not in male adolescents, higher exposure to violence was associated with more severe depression symptoms. In males, depression was associated with the expansion of the salience network of the brain and with increased connectivity of this network. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry.
Violence exposure in this study was defined as experiencing, witnessing, or being repeatedly confronted with acts of interpersonal physical violence, such as being shoved, kicked, punched, or attacked with a weapon. It is a major risk factor for mental health problems, increasing the likelihood of all types of psychopathology.
Childhood adversities such as physical abuse and family violence account for a substantial proportion of psychiatric disorders that emerge during adolescence. This period is especially sensitive because key social and emotional brain systems are still developing. Exposure to violence during adolescence is associated with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as rumination and emotional suppression, which contribute to rising rates of depression.
A blood test, combined with an ultrathin material derived from graphite, could significantly advance efforts to detect Alzheimer’s disease at its very earliest stage, even before symptoms appear.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. For millions of Europeans—and the health services that care for them—it is a ticking time bomb, with still no cure. But EU researchers are developing a simple tool to enable much earlier detection, potentially decades before symptoms appear.
Early detection matters because treatment is most effective when started as soon as possible. This gives people a better chance to slow the progression of the disease and plan for the future. Today, around 7 million people in Europe live with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to double by 2030, according to the European Brain Council.
A new brain imaging study reveals that remembering facts and recalling life events activate nearly identical brain networks. Researchers expected clear differences but instead found strong overlap across memory types. The finding challenges decades of memory research. It may also help scientists better understand conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
A new study found that an enzyme involved in protein translation is essential for circulating immune cells, called monocytes, to mature into tissue-resident macrophages, a specialized population of immune cells that maintain organ health by clearing dead cells and debris. Without this enzyme, monocytes enter tissues but fail to fully differentiate, leading to impaired tissue maintenance and persistent immune cell infiltration that causes inflammation instead of repair.
The research, published in Nature, showed that deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS) is required for both the differentiation and long-term survival of macrophages across multiple organs, including the lung, liver, brain, kidney, heart and peritoneal cavity.
Using a series of mouse models, the investigators demonstrated that DHPS controls a core, tissue-agnostic program that enables macrophages to adhere to their local environment, interact with surrounding cells and carry out the essential functions that maintain tissue balance and organ health.
The researchers traced these defects to the polyamine–hypusine pathway. Analyses of gene activity, protein production and protein-making machinery revealed that DHPS is required for efficient translation of a subset of genes involved in cell adhesion (the ability to stick to their surroundings and to other cells so they can stay in the correct place and function properly), signaling, and tissue interaction. Without DHPS, macrophages failed to express key proteins needed to anchor themselves within tissues and respond appropriately to local cues.
Imaging studies showed that DHPS-deficient macrophages had abnormal shape and positioning within tissues, while functional assays demonstrated defects in the clearance of dead cells and tissue maintenance. In the lung, this impairment led to accumulation of surfactant material, a substance in the lungs that keeps air sacs open, and immune cell infiltration, while in the liver, acute macrophage depletion followed by failed restoration resulted in vascular disruption and tissue damage. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission.