As we move into 2025, mental health continues to be a vital aspect of overall well-being in an increasingly fast-paced and complex world.
- CBT-based exercises that help users manage anxiety, depression, and emotional stress.
- Daily check-ins with an AI chatbot to track moods and thoughts, enabling users to gain insights into their emotional health.
Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023.
Now, researchers from Michigan State University are the first to measure brain activity to make predictions that could help inform enhanced urban planning and design that addresses the well-being of residents and visitors.
Dar Meshi, an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations and director of the Social Media and Neuroscience Lab at MSU, led the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Cities and included collaborators from the University of Lisbon in Portugal. Together, they found that the brain’s reward system can shape human behavior within urban environments and aid in designing cities that promote sustainable living.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have developed a microscopy method that enables detailed three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at cellular resolution in whole intact mouse brains. The new method, called TRISCO, has the potential to transform our understanding of brain function, both in normal conditions and in disease, according to a new study published in Science.
Despite great advances in RNA analysis, linking RNA data to its spatial context has long been a challenge, especially in intact 3D tissue volumes. The TRISCO method now makes it possible to perform three-dimensional RNA imaging of whole mouse brains without the need to slice the brain into thin sections, which was previously necessary.
“This method is a powerful tool that can drive brain research forward. With TRISCO, we can study the complex anatomical structure of the brain in a way that was previously not possible,” says Per Uhlén, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s last author.
In vivo imaging of large-scale neuronal activity plays a pivotal role in unraveling the function of the brain’s circuitry. Multiphoton microscopy, a powerful tool for deep-tissue imaging, has received sustained interest in advancing its speed, field of view and imaging depth. However, to avoid thermal damage in scattering biological tissue, field of view decreases exponentially as imaging depth increases. We present a suite of innovations to optimize three-photon microscopy for large field-of-view imaging at depths unreachable by two-photon microscopy. These techniques enable us to image neuronal activities of transgenic animals expressing protein calcium sensors in a ~ 3.5-mm diameter field-of-view with single-cell resolution in the deepest cortical layer of mouse brains.
Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent calorie restriction leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.
Researchers from China studied 25 volunteers classed as obese over a period of 62 days, during which they took part in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program – a regime that involves careful control of calorie intake and relative fasting on some days.
Not only did the participants in the study lose weight – 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average – there was also evidence of shifts in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, and in the make-up of gut bacteria.
MetaShape’s PNP inhibitor technology aims to restore NAD+ levels to combat LDL cholesterol, cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.
For a very long time, we have been under the impression that memory and learning are solely the brain’s forte. Central to this belief is the fact that our brains, particularly our brain cells, store memories.
However, an innovative team of researchers begs to differ, suggesting that cells in other parts of the body partake in this memory function too.
The ability of non-brain cells to learn and form memories is a riveting discovery.
Model mice treated with extracts and powders exhibit restored cognitive and motor functions. Efforts to develop a breakthrough dementia drug are gaining attention, yet traditional medicinal products may provide valuable insights for preventive care. A research group led by Specially Appointed Professor Takami Tomiyama of Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School…
A study found that male worms’ brains can activate conflicting memories, but behavior is driven by the more beneficial one. This research sheds light on how brains prioritize information, offering insights into conditions like PTSD.
A new study by UCL researchers reveals that two conflicting memories can simultaneously be activated in a worm’s brain, even though only one memory directly influences the animal’s behavior.
In the paper published in Current Biology, the researchers showed how an animal’s sex drive can at times outweigh the need to eat when determining behavior, as they investigated what happens when a worm smells an odor that has been linked to both good experiences (mating) and bad experiences (starvation).
