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Mount Sinai researchers, in collaboration with scientists at The Rockefeller University, have uncovered a mechanism in the brain that allows cocaine and morphine to take over natural reward processing systems. Published online in Science on April 18, these findings shed new light on the neural underpinnings of drug addiction and could offer new mechanistic insights to inform basic research, clinical practice, and potential therapeutic solutions.

Although schizophrenia can be a very complex illness some new studies show that some major genetic factors could be the cause and then cured much easier through gene therapy.

Summary: Researchers leveraged cutting-edge technology to gain insights into schizophrenia’s neurodevelopmental origins. The researchers grew brain organoids from patients’ skin cells, finding persistent axonal disruptions in those with schizophrenia.

In another study, researchers zeroed in on a schizophrenia risk gene, CYFIP1, revealing its potential role in brain immune cells called microglia and their influence on synaptic pruning – a crucial process for brain health.

The extended mind — For decades, philosophers have debated the borders of personhood: where does our mind end, and the external world begin? On a simple level, you might assume that our minds rest within our brains and bodies. However, some philosophers have proposed that it’s more complicated than that.

When we merge mind and machine, the traditional borders of the self dissipate, says philosopher Dvija Mehta.

Summary: Researchers uncovered how certain brain cells enhance our ability to maintain and focus on short-term memories. Their study highlights a new type of neuron, dubbed PAC neurons, which coordinate the activity of memory-specific neurons without storing any information themselves.

These findings were derived from the brain activity recordings of epilepsy patients during memory tasks, providing novel insights into how working memory functions. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to improved treatments for disorders like Alzheimer’s and ADHD, where such cognitive functions are impaired.

The role of the spinal cord is often simplified to that of a simple relay station, carrying messages between the brain and the body.

New research unveils how spinal cord nerve cells can learn and remember—completely independent of the brain.

I found this on NewsBreak.

According to reports, Japanese scientists have devised a technique for connecting lab-grown brain-mimicking tissue„ like how circuits in our brain work.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo released a study in Nature Communications journal that looked into making a seemingly impossible idea a reality.

Continue reading “Groundbreaking: Japanese scientists develop a technique to connect brain cells grown in the lab” »

I found this on NewsBreak: The spinal cord can learn and remember independently of the brain.

I found this on NewsBreak: How Food Changes Your Brain.

I found this on NewsBreak: Mystery illness ‘slowly chewing’ on brain of healthy dad, 42, began with 1 symptom.