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A wearable sensor to help ALS patients communicate
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suffer from a gradual decline in their ability to control their muscles. As a result, they often lose the ability to speak, making it difficult to communicate with others. A team of MIT researchers has now designed a stretchable, skin-like device that can be attached to a patient’s face […]
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Researchers Discover ‘Spooky’ Similarity In How Brains and Computers See
The brain detects 3D shape fragments such as bumps, hollows, shafts and spheres in the beginning stages of object vision – a newly discovered strategy of natural intelligence that Johns Hopkins University researchers also found in artificial intelligence networks trained to recognize visual objects. A new paper in Current Biology details how neurons in area […]
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Multiple Sclerosis as the Flip Side of Immune Fitness
About half of the people with multiple sclerosis have the HLA-DR15 gene variant. A study led by the University of Zurich has now shown how this genetic predisposition contributes to the development of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis in combination with environmental factors. The decisive factor is the shaping of a repertoire of immune cells […]
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Cord blood DNA can hold clues for early ASD diagnosis and intervention
A new study led by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers found a distinct DNA methylation signature in the cord blood of newborns who were eventually diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This signature mark spanned DNA regions and genes linked to early fetal neurodevelopment. The findings may hold clues for early diagnosis and intervention. “We […]
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COVID-19 infection may be part of a ‘perfect storm’ for Parkinson’s disease
Can COVID-19 infection increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease? That’s the question posed by a new commentary published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences, which explores three known case studies of people developing Parkinson’s-like symptoms in the weeks following infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. While rare, these cases provide important insights […]
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Researchers Find Gene to be Key Regulator of Progranulin Expression; Modifies the risk of Multiple Neurodegenerative Diseases
Professor Yu Jintai from Fudan University-affiliated Huashan Hospital and his research team recently published a major discovery in the journal Science Advances. In research supported by TCCI®, the team discovered that the FAM171A2 gene is a key regulator of progranulin (PGRN) expression in cerebrospinal fluid and can reduce the risk of multiple neurodegenerative diseases. […]
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New model of human brain ‘conversations’ could inform research on brain disease, cognition
A team of Indiana University neuroscientists has built a new model of human brain networks that sheds light on how the brain functions. The model offers a new tool for exploring individual differences in brain networks, which is critical to classifications of brain disorders and disease, as well as for understanding human behavior and cognitive […]
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Significant link found between air pollution and neurological disorders
Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, in a long-term study of more than 63 million older U.S. adults, led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study, conducted with colleagues at Emory University’s […]
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The right cells in the right spot
Far away, in the periphery of its visual field, a tiny zebrafish larva detects a small dot moving sideways. Is it prey or is it a threat, for instance, a distant predator sneaking up on it? Within the shortest possible time, the fish decides that it must be potential prey. The larva turns toward the […]
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What lies between grey and white in the brain
Traditionally, neuroscience regards the brain as being made up of two basic tissue types. Billions of neurons make up the grey matter, forming a thin layer on the brain’s surface. These neuronal cells are interlinked in a mindboggling network by hundreds of millions of white matter connections, running in bundles, deeper in the brain. Until […]