New research links gut health to Alzheimer’s, using advanced imaging to reveal structural changes and potential early detection clues.
Category: neuroscience – Page 135
Dopamine Drives Aggression Learning in Males
Summry: New research reveals that dopamine plays a crucial role in teaching young male mice to fight, with the chemical’s influence diminishing as they gain experience. In novice fighters, boosting dopamine increased aggression, while blocking it stopped them from fighting.
However, experienced fighters showed no changes in behavior regardless of dopamine manipulation, highlighting the role of experience in shaping aggression. The study identifies the lateral septum as a key brain region for “aggression learning” in males, but no similar effect was observed in females.
Organoid intelligence: training lab-grown mini-brains to learn and compute with AI
Recent research demonstrates that brain organoids can indeed “learn” and perform tasks, thanks to AI-driven training techniques inspired by neuroscience and machine learning. AI technologies are essential here, as they decode complex neural data from the organoids, allowing scientists to observe how they adjust their cellular networks in response to stimuli. These AI algorithms also control the feedback signals, creating a biofeedback loop that allows the organoids to adapt and even demonstrate short-term memory (Bai et al. 2024).
One technique central to AI-integrated organoid computing is reservoir computing, a model traditionally used in silicon-based computing. In an open-loop setup, AI algorithms interact with organoids as they serve as the “reservoir,” for processing input signals and dynamically adjusting their responses. By interpreting these responses, researchers can classify, predict, and understand how organoids adapt to specific inputs, suggesting the potential for simple computational processing within a biological substrate (Kagan et al. 2023; Aaser et al. n.d.).
Some bacteria in the mouth may play a role in memory loss and dementia
As people age, their memory and thinking skills naturally decline. Approximately 15% of older adults experience mild cognitive impairment, a major risk factor for dementia and other forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Since cognitive decline and dementia are growing public health concerns, scientists are working to better understand the risk factors and find ways to reduce them. One emerging area of research suggests that oral health may play a role in brain health.
Now, a new study suggests that the bacteria living in the mouth may influence cognitive function as people age, with some harmful bacteria possibly contributing to the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Could Light Therapy Be the Key to Easing Alzheimer’s Symptoms?
Light therapy is emerging as a promising, non-pharmacological treatment for Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects older adults, leading to memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. It is the most common cause of dementia. The disease is characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, which disrupt cell function and communication. There is currently no cure, and treatments focus on managing symptoms and improving quality of life.
How Your Brain’s Hidden Messaging System Powers Learning
This study highlights how neurons communicate over long distances within the brain, solving a mystery about how signals from distant synapses reach the nucleus to trigger gene expression.
Unlocking the Secrets of Brain Cell Communication
A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience reveals how brain cells transmit vital signals from their outer branches to their nucleus, triggering the activation of genes essential for learning and memory.
How philosophical thinking shapes healthy habits in preschoolers
Teaching healthy lifestyle behaviors to very young children is foundational to their future habits. Previous evidence suggests that philosophical thinking (PT) can help children develop moral values, cognitive skills, and decision-making abilities.
A recent study published in BMC Public Health explores the role of PT in assisting preschoolers to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. Some of these habits include being physically active, eating healthy, washing hands properly, having respect for one’s body, being aware of one’s needs, feelings, abilities, and responsibilities, getting sufficient sleep, and sharing one’s thoughts with others.
Quantum Experiment Reveals Light Existing in Dozens of Dimensions
A paradox at the heart of quantum physics has been tested in an extraordinary fashion, pushing the boundaries of human intuition beyond breaking point by measuring a pulse of light in 37 dimensions.
Led by scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China, a team of researchers developed a method of testing a type of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) paradox according to strict criteria using a fiber-based photonic processor.
Their findings clarify how quantum weirdness operates on a fundamental level, potentially informing future applications in quantum technology. Not to mention reaffirming just how useless our brains are at understanding the operations manual for our Universe’s engine.