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Automatic decision-making prevents us harming others – new study
A team based in the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford in the UK and Yale University in the US investigated the different approaches to avoiding pain for the first time. They found that when learning to avoid harming ourselves, our decision-making tends to be more forward-looking and deliberative. The findings, published in Proceedings of the […]
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UofSC research finds trigger that leads to faster nerve healing
A new study published in Current Biology identifies the biological triggers that promote quicker nerve regeneration. From their previous studies, the researchers knew that damaged nerves regrow more quickly when “stress granules” in the site of the nerve injury are broken apart. Now they know what causes those stress granules to disassemble through a process […]
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Astrocytes build synapses after cocaine use in mice
Drugs of abuse, like cocaine, are so addictive due in part to their cellular interaction, creating strong cellular memories in the brain that promote compulsive behaviors. Researchers have tried to understand the formation of these memories in hopes of finding ways to disrupt them as a potential treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). A new […]
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Study Reveals Most Effective Drugs for Common Type of Neuropathic Pain
More than 20 million people in the U.S. suffer neuropathic pain. At least 25% of those cases are classified as unexplained and considered cryptogenic sensory polyneuropathy (CSPN). There is no information to guide a physician’s drug choices to treat CSPN, but a researcher from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and MU Health Care […]
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Reelin-Nrp1 Interaction Regulates Neocortical Dendrite Development
The mammalian neocortex has an orderly and beautiful six-layer structure. Neurons in each layer develop the dendrites and form a normal network. Recently, it has been reported that dendritic abnormalities are found in patients with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Therefore, understanding the mechanism by which dendrites are normally formed is important for […]
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New Study May Reveal Link to Lipids Playing a Key Role in Parkinson’s Disease
In a novel research study conducted by a team from the Neuroregeneration Institute at McLean Hospital, investigators believe they have found key brain cell type changes involving lipids, inflammation, and the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Their findings appear in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United […]
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Study explains the process that exacerbates MS
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) gradually develop increasing functional impairment. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now found a possible explanation for the progressive course of the disease in mice and how it can be reversed. The study, which is published in Science Immunology, can prove valuable to future treatments.
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抑制神经元信号的新方法
位于神经元细胞膜上的离子通道可限制带电离子进出神经元，当有足够多的特定离子涌入神经元后就会促成放电现象的产生，而癫痫患者大脑内的神经细胞正是因为过于容易放电而导致了一系列病理特征的产生。因此，抗癫痫类药物大多会以这类离子通道为治疗靶点，通过与细胞膜上的相关位点进行结合从而对特定离子通道的大门进行封锁，以此来抑制神经元的放电行为。而瑞典林雪平大学的研究团队则于最近找到了一个可用作为新靶点的结合位点。不同于以往那些被液体所环绕的结合部位，该结合位点位于双层磷脂膜结构的内部，是一种极其罕见的脂质结合口袋。鉴于现有的抗癫痫类药物并不十分有效且都具有一定的副作用，研究人员将希望寄托在了这一新发现的药物靶点上，希望有科学家能找到可与之进行结合的化学物质。
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神经元活动反应了我们的自信程度
每天，我们都需要做许许多多的决定，包括早餐吃什么以及选哪种蛋糕来配咖啡。对于其中的一些决定我们非常确定，而对于另一些我们则会犹豫、会纠结。来自波恩大学的一支研究团队则发现，决策行为中的这种确信程度的差异可以体现在脑细胞的活动上。具体而言，颞叶中一些特定神经元的放电频率越高自信度也就越高。由此可见，主要负责记忆存储的颞叶区域不但会记录我们做了哪些决策，还会录入我们在做决定时的确信程度。研究人员认为，这可能是出于一种学习需要，可帮助我们在未来避开那些错误的决定。
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多巴胺和血清素在感知以及决策行为中的作用
多巴胺和血清素是两种可调控多种基础生理功能的神经递质，且与运动类以及精神类疾病的发病具有紧密的联系。有关这两种物质的既往研究大多以动物模型为主，很少涉及到人体实验，而在这项最新的研究中，利用快扫描循环伏安法，实验人员成功记录了2名帕金森病患者以及3名特发性震颤患者在进行决策任务时大脑中这两种神经递质的含量变化。通过对这些数据进行分析，我们就能知晓人类的大脑是如何基于视觉信息来做出决策的，以及多巴胺和血清素在这类感官推理行为中所起到的作用。研究结果显示，血清素主要负责追踪不确定性，其整体水平会随着个体确信程度的上升而有所回落，而多巴胺水平则与预测行为有关，多在决策行使前出现上升。这一结论的发现能帮助我们理解血清素再摄取抑制剂等药物具体是如何对患者的认知功能、决策行为以及精神状态产生影响的。