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Category: neuroscience

New brain atlas offers unprecedented detail in MRI scans

The human brain comprises hundreds of interconnected regions that drive our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Existing brain atlases can identify major structures in MRI scans – such as the hippocampus, which supports memory and learning – but their finer sub-regions remain hard to detect. These distinctions matter because sub-regions of areas like the hippocampus, for example, are affected differently during Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Examining the brain at the cellular level is achievable using microscopy (histology), but cannot be done in living individuals, limiting its potential for understanding how the human brain changes during development, ageing and disease.

Published in Nature, the new study introduces NextBrain, an atlas of the entire adult human brain that can be used to analyse MRI scans of living patients in a matter of minutes and at a level of detail not possible until now.

The creators of the atlas, which is freely available, hope it will ultimately help to accelerate discovery in brain science and its translation into better diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

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Textbook view of NMDA receptor calcium signals upended by new findings

Drugs that act on NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, which are essential for learning, memory and moment-by-moment consciousness, are key for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. These drugs were developed based on the assumption that the proportion of calcium in the current produced by these receptors remains constant. That assumption turns out to be false, according to University at Buffalo research published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Our research reveals that small variations in the brain environment in which NMDA receptors operate can increase or decrease the amount of in the currents fluxed by these receptors,” explains Gabriela K. Popescu, Ph.D., corresponding author and professor of biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. “This, in turn, could mean the difference between normal and impaired learning, memory and cognition, symptoms that accompany many neuropsychiatric conditions.”

Common Sweetener Could Damage Critical Brain Barrier, Risking Stroke

Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar.

But research suggests this widely used sweetener may be quietly undermining one of the body’s most crucial protective barriers – with potentially serious consequences for heart health and stroke risk.

A study from the University of Colorado suggests erythritol may damage cells in the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s security system that keeps out harmful substances while letting in nutrients.

MIT researchers invent new human brain model to enable disease research, drug discovery

A new 3D human brain tissue platform developed by MIT researchers is the first to integrate all major brain cell types, including neurons, glial cells, and the vasculature, into a single culture.

Grown from individual donors’ induced pluripotent stem cells, these models — dubbed Multicellular Integrated Brains (miBrains) — replicate key features and functions of human brain tissue, are readily customizable through gene editing, and can be produced in quantities that support large-scale research.

Although each unit is smaller than a dime, miBrains may be worth a great deal to researchers and drug developers who need more complex living lab models to better understand brain biology and treat diseases.

A breakthrough map reveals how the brain really works

Scientists have shown that brain connectivity patterns can predict mental functions across the entire brain. Each region has a unique “connectivity fingerprint” tied to its role in cognition, from language to memory. The strongest links were found in higher-level thinking skills that take years to develop. This work lays the groundwork for comparing healthy and disordered brains.

Precision medicine intervention found to ease symptoms of a depression biotype

Depression is one of the most widespread mental health disorders worldwide, characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, a loss of interest in everyday activities, dysregulated sleep or eating patterns and other impairments. Some individuals diagnosed with depression also report being unable to pay attention during specific tasks, while also experiencing difficulties in planning and making decisions.

Recent studies have uncovered different biotypes of depression, subgroups of patients diagnosed with the condition that exhibit similar neural circuit patterns and behaviors. One of these subtypes is the so-called “cognitive biotype,” which is linked to a reduced ability to focus attention and inhibit distractions or unhelpful thinking patterns.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System recently carried out a study assessing the potential of guanfacine immediate release (GIR), a medication targeting known to be impaired in people with the cognitive biotype of depression.

Moderate to severe sleep apnea tied to higher risk of brain microbleeds

Research led by Korea University Ansan Hospital reports finding an association between moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and increased risk of cerebral microbleeds.

Cerebral microbleeds appear as small lesions on MRI scans and are regarded as early markers of brain damage. Links with symptomatic stroke and dementia have been well documented, with prevalence ranging from 3% in middle age to 23% in older adults.

Known modifiable factors include smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and cardiocerebrovascular disease. Previous studies probing sleep apnea and microbleeds have yielded mixed results, suggesting the need for more comprehensive study.

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