Lifeboat Foundation

The brain cortex, the outside layer of our brain often referred to as grey matter, is one of the most complex structures found in living organisms. It gives us the advanced cognitive abilities that distinguish us from other animals.

Neuroscientist Professor Pierre Vanderhaeghen (VIB-KU Leuven, Université libre de Bruxelles) explains what makes the human brain so unique: “One remarkable feature of human neurons is their unusually long development. Neural circuits take years to reach full maturity in humans, but only a few weeks in mice or some months in monkeys.”

“This long period of maturation allows much more time for the modulation of brain cells and circuits, which allows us to learn efficiently for an extended period up until late adolescence. It’s a very important and unique feature for our species, but what lies at its origin remains a mystery.”

Columnist Mary Beth Skylis shares some recent research that narrows in on the question of whether Parkinson’s disease is connected to the gut microbiome.

A particularly harmful byproduct of oxidized cholesterol appears to be a primary cause of atherosclerosis and a therapeutic target ripe for the taking. A new review takes a look at 7-ketocholesterol and its role in aging and disease.

A new review exploring 7-ketocholesterol

We recently reported on the launch of Underdog Pharma, a new startup biotech company that was spun off from many years of research at SENS Research Foundation and is focused on the problem of 7-ketocholesterol.

The brain scans of six patients who’ve had half of their brain removed to treat severe epilepsy have left doctors in awe.

Roman citizens came from Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and beyond. The ancient metropolis was a bone fide melting pot.

They found 68,809 cases of anal cancer and 12,111 deaths from the disease.

The vast majority of these cases are associated with the human papillomavirus, but about three-quarters of American adults don’t know HPV causes the disease, a recent study, also led by Deshmukh, found.

He called the findings “shocking.”

Several newly published studies are reporting evidence affirming a growing hypothesis that links inflammation with cognitive deficits. As well as associating inflammation with the cognitive deficits seen in conditions such as bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s, some research is even suggesting low-grade systemic inflammation in healthy subjects can result in mental sluggishness.

For some time patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease have reported mild cognitive deficits in association with their disease. Despite a number of correlational studies finding connections between inflammation and cognitive performance, homing in on any clear causal links has been a little tricky for scientists.

“Scientists have long suspected a link between inflammation and cognition, but it is very difficult to be clear about the cause and effect,” explains Ali Mazaheri, from the University of Birmingham. “For example, people living with a medical condition or being very overweight might complain of cognitive impairment, but it’s hard to tell if that’s due to the inflammation associated with these conditions or if there are other reasons.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RNYCCbCpAlM

A custom-made aerial drone delivered a kidney to a Baltimore hospital, where it was transplanted into a patient who had been on dialysis for eight years.

The notion of wearing lenses over our eyes to correct our vision dates back hundreds of years, with some even crediting Leonardo da Vinci as one of the first proponents of the idea (though that remains somewhat controversial). Material science and our understanding of the human eye have come a long way since, while their purpose has remained largely the same. In the age of wearable computers, however, scientists in the laboratories of DARPA, Google, and universities around the world see contact lenses not just as tools to improve our vision, but as opportunities to augment the human experience. But how? And why?

As a soft, transparent disc of plastic and silicone that you wear on your eyeball, a contact lens may seem like a very bad place to put electronics. But if you look beneath the surface, the idea of a smart contact lens has real merit, and that begins with its potential to improve our well-being.