Compounds in final-stage trials at Eli Lilly and Eisai may halt brain protein buildup linked to cognitive decline.
๐๐ฅ๐ณ๐ก๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐
One of the main features of Alzheimerโs disease is that the ฮฒ-amyloid peptide, a molecule found inside neurons that has many diverse functions, begins to fold incorrectly and accumulates. This process, which ends up causing neuronal death, is linked to a series of other cellular alterations, making it difficult to determine whether they are the cause or the consequence. An example is the case of the deregulation of a type of dynorphin.
Dynorphins are the bodyโs own opioid peptides, which play a key role in many brain pathways. They are located in different areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, amygdala or hypothalamus, and are involved in memory processes, emotion control, stress and pain, and among other processes. In addition, several studies have shown their involvement in epilepsy, stroke, addictions, depression and schizophrenia.
๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ก๐ค๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ง๐ช๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐จ. ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃโ๐จ ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐จ, ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐๐๐จ, ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐จ๐ช๐.
Studies exploring the neural processes involved in cell regeneration are of crucial importance, as they could pave the way towards the development of more effective treatments for many pathologies associated with the mutations or deterioration of cells. Microglia, the brainโs resident immune cells, become active in response to pathologies, sometimes leading to chronic inflammation and the scarring of tissue.
Continue reading “Study unveils neural pathway promoting regeneration after traumatic injuries” »
It was once thought that inflammation and immune responses in the brain were limited; that is was a so-called immune privileged organ. But there is increasing evidence to the contrary. New research has shown that immune cells called mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAITs) can serve critical roles in the brain that reduce the levels of damaging reactive oxygen species, which prevents neuroinflammation, and protects learning and memory. The findings have been reported in Nature Immunology.
In this study, researchers genetically engineered mice so MAITs would no longer be produced. These mice were compared to a normal group and mice and while cognitive function was the same in both groups to start with, difference appeared as the mice approached middle age. The MAIT-deficient mice had difficulty forming new memories.
Love and hate light up most of the same brain regions, say researchers โ but a key difference explains why hate is calculatingly cold.
But even junk has hidden treasures. Studies found variations in these unsequenced regions were intricately involved in human health, from aging to conditions like cancer and developmental disorders like autism. In 2022, a landmark study finally resolved the genomic unknown, completely sequencing the remaining eight percent of undeciphered DNA remaining.
Now, scientists are discovering that some genetic sequences encode proteins that lack any obvious ancestors, what geneticists call orphan genes. Some of these orphan genes, the researchers surmise, arose spontaneously as we evolved, unlike others that we inherited from our primate ancestors. In a paper published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports, researchers in Ireland and Greece found around 155 of these smaller versions of DNA sequences called open reading frames (or ORF) make microproteins potentially important to a healthy cellโs growth or connected to an assortment of ailments like muscular dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease affecting the eyes.
โThis is, I think, the first study looking at the specific evolutionary origins of these small ORFs and their microproteins,โ Nikolaos Vakirlis, a scientist at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center โAlexander Flemingโ in Greece and first author of the paper, tells Inverse. Itโs an origin, he says, thatโs been mired in much question and mystery.
Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have discovered that the energy management of inhibitory brain cells is different than that of excitatory cells in our brain. Why is that the case and what is the link with multiple sclerosis?
Brain cells are connected to each other by axons, the parts of the neuron that transmit electrical signals. To do this efficiently, axons are wrapped in myelin, a lipid-rich material which increases the speed at which electrical pulses are conducted. The importance of myelin becomes apparent in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where myelin is broken down, which has detrimental effects on brain function.
As a result of myelin loss, the conduction of electrical signals is disrupted, which also means that the energy costs of this process become much higher.
It has been shown in epidemiological studies that the immediate postnatal period has a significant influence on the development of our microbiota. A change in postnatal microbiota has long-term implications on neurocognitive outcomes and mental health. Currently, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying critical windows of microbial influence.
About the Study
A recent Brain, Behavior, and Immunity study investigated the role of the early-life gut microbiota in determining neurodevelopmental outcomes. The current study used a mouse model to evaluate the long-term impact of gut microbial disruption during the critical windows of development.
Summary: Study reveals how various brain regions and neural networks contribute to a personโs problem-solving abilities and general intelligence.
Source: University of Illinois.
Scientists have labored for decades to understand how brain structure and functional connectivity drive intelligence.
During deliberation, as we quietly consider our options, the neural activities representing the decision variables that reflect the goodness of each option rise in various regions of the cerebral cortex.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 If the options are depicted visually, we make saccades, focusing gaze on each option. Do the kinematics of these saccades reflect the state of the decision variables? To test this idea, we engaged human participants in a decision-making task in which they considered two effortful options that required walking across various distances and inclines. As they deliberated, they made saccades between the symbolic representations of their options. These deliberation period saccades had no bearing on the effort they would later expend, yet saccade velocities increased gradually and differentially: the rate of rise was faster for saccades toward the option that they later indicated as their choice. Indeed, the rate of rise encoded the difference in the subjective value of the two options. Importantly, the participants did not reveal their choice at the conclusion of deliberation, but rather waited during a delay period, and finally expressed their choice by making another saccade. Remarkably, vigor for this saccade dropped to baseline and no longer encoded subjective value. Thus, saccade vigor appeared to provide a real-time window to the otherwise hidden process of option evaluation during deliberation.
