Your brain can outperform just about any computer out there. So, how come it needs barely any energy to do so?
Category: neuroscience – Page 13
Study maps gene activity linked to neurotransmission in living brains
Researchers have identified a distinct and reproducible gene expression program associated with neurotransmission in the living human brain, offering unprecedented insight into the molecular mechanisms that support human cognition, emotion, and behavior. The findings were published February 19 in Molecular Psychiatry.
Neurotransmission-the electrical and chemical signaling between neurons-is fundamental to all brain function. Until now, most gene expression studies of the human brain have relied on postmortem tissue, limiting scientists’ ability to understand which genes are actively involved in real-time neuronal communication.
In this study, investigators integrated gene expression profiling from the prefrontal cortex with direct intracranial measures of neurotransmission collected from the brains of more than 100 individuals as they underwent neurosurgical procedures. By combining molecular data with real-time physiological recordings, the team identified a coordinated set of genes whose activity tracks with neuronal signaling-a transcriptional program associated with neurotransmission.
FOXJ3 gene variants linked to drug-resistant focal epilepsy
Researchers have discovered that mutations in the FOXJ3 gene act as a “master switch” failure, disrupting how the brain builds its layers and leading to FCD, a primary cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. The study reveals how FOXJ3 controls the formation of brain cortical layers during brain development by regulating the PTEN–mTOR signaling pathway.
The PTEN-mTOR signaling pathway acts as a critical control system for cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and survival. When this system malfunctions, it causes many neurological disorders including FCD, tuberous sclerosis complex and neurofibromatosis. The discovery of FOXJ3, a transcription factor (a protein that regulates gene activity), as a new cause of these “mTOR pathway diseases” (mTORpathies) provides new insight into the biological origins of epilepsy and cortical malformations, as well as potential new treatments.
The research team by studying families with inherited focal epilepsy alongside mouse and single-cell analysis, uncovered how FOXJ3 mutations disrupt how brain cells move to their correct locations and take on their proper roles during early brain development.
“Focal cortical dysplasia is one of the most common causes of epilepsy that does not respond to medication, yet in many patients the underlying cause remains unknown,” said the corresponding author. “Our findings identify FOXJ3 as the critical genetic and molecular link between abnormal brain development and epilepsy.” ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.
Pearls & Oy-sters: Using Susceptibility-Based Imaging in Highly Active Late-Onset Multiple Sclerosis
Central vein sign and paramagnetic rim lesions can aid in an earlier diagnosis of late-onset multiple sclerosis and may circumvent the need for biopsy. Learn more in this Pearls & Oy-sters article.
CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis (41 total nucleated cells [normal 0–5/μL], 98% lymphocytes) and an elevated protein of 89 mg/dL (normal, 0–35 mg/dL) without hypoglycorrhachia. CSF kappa free light chains (KFLC) and IgG index were not elevated, and CSF-specific oligoclonal bands (OCBs) were absent. CSF cytology and flow cytometry were negative for malignancy. Extensive neural antibody testing was negative including serum aquaporin-4-immunoglobulin G, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-immunoglobulin G, and CSF glial fibrillary acidic protein antibody. Extensive rheumatological and infectious testing was also negative. Neurofilament light chain was elevated to 188 pg/mL (normal ≤19 pg/mL for age 60–65 years). Whole body PET was negative, and optical coherence tomography was normal.
Owing to concerns for neurosarcoidosis, lymphoma, or vasculitis, a percutaneous stereotactic biopsy of a right occipital lesion was performed. Pathology revealed a demarcated CD68/163+ macrophage-rich lesion with myelin loss, relative axonal preservation, and a CD3+ predominant lymphocytic infiltrate with rare CD20+ B cells, consistent with active demyelination (Figure 2). She initiated a 5-day course of high-dose oral prednisone (1,250 mg daily) followed by a taper. Within 2 days of treatment, she experienced mild improvement in dysarthria and ataxia, although her EDSS score remained 6 on discharge.
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Infant Heart Surgery Mends Brain Networks Too
Infants born with congenital heart disease (CHD) often have neurodevelopmental impairments that affect them later in life, including their ability to regulate their emotions and movements. As CHD is the most prevalent congenital disorder in the United States, researchers are eager to find new ways to treat it.
To better understand how CHD affects an infant’s developing nervous system, researchers at Children’s National Hospital used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to evaluate how healthy infants and those with CHD differed. They recently reported in the Journal of Neuroscience that babies with CHD had altered brain activity in their sensorimotor and limbic networks, but after neonatal heart surgery, these brain networks looked more like those of healthy children.
“Using fMRI, we can identify brain networks that are vulnerable to altered oxygen and blood flow from congenital heart disease, which could help guide interventions to improve care for children,” said Jung-Hoon Kim, a brain researcher at Children’s National Hospital and a coauthor of the study, in a press release.
In their study, the researchers analyzed rs-fMRI data from 448 neonates. They first analyzed publicly available data from the Developing Human Connectome Project, which contains a large amount infant brain development MRI data.3 They identified 15 different resting state networks, which represented different regions of brain activity, in the healthy neonate brains.
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Babies with congenital heart disease have altered brain activity in regions involved in movement and emotions, but heart surgery restored these brain networks to healthy connectivity.
Exercise Triggers Memory-Related ‘Brain Ripples’, Study Finds
Exercise works wonders throughout the human body, including the brain.
Research suggests an array of neurological benefits, such as reducing the brain’s biological age, enhancing learning and memory, and protecting against dementia.
Now, a new study offers one of the clearest glimpses yet into a suspected mechanism: after a single 20-minute session of light-to-moderate cycling, people showed changes in memory-linked brain activity.
Scientists Create Novel Organism with Primitive Nervous System
In a prospective cohort study involving more than 130 000 US adults followed for up to 43 years, higher intake of caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with lower risk of developing dementia and modestly better cognitive performance, as measured by both subjective and objective tests.
The inverse association was most pronounced at moderate intake, approximately 2 to 3 cups per day of caffeinated coffee or 1 to 2 cups per day of tea, while decaffeinated coffee intake showed no significant relationship to dementia risk or cognitive outcomes.
Question Is long-term intake of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee associated with risk of dementia and cognitive outcomes?
Findings In this prospective cohort study of 131 821 individuals from 2 cohorts with up to 43 years of follow-up, 11 033 dementia cases were documented. Higher caffeinated coffee intake was significantly associated with lower risk of dementia. Decaffeinated coffee intake was not significantly associated with dementia risk.
Meaning Higher caffeinated coffee intake was associated with more favorable cognitive outcomes.
Brain surgeries are opening windows for neuroscientists, but ethical questions abound
Surgeries are increasingly opening patients’ brains to research. But the opportunities that come with this intimate access also raise complex ethical issues.
Learn more during BrainAwarenessWeek.
Invasive treatments give scientists an intimate view of neural activity, but ethicists worry about mixing research and medical care.