Research led by Rutgers suggests there could be significant new possibilities for treating neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries.
Researchers have uncovered how a specific protein supports the stability of connections between brain cells, which are essential for learning and memory.
According to the scientists, their findings, published in the journal Science Advances.
The brain is known to develop gradually throughout the human lifespan, following a hierarchical pattern. First, it adapts to support basic functions, such as movement and sensory perception, then it moves onto more advanced human abilities, such as decision-making.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutes, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Theodore Satterthwaite, recently carried out a study aimed at better understanding how the thalamus, a structure deep within the brain known to be involved in the processing and routing of sensory information, could contribute to the brain’s development over time.
Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that the thalamus is more than a relay station for sensory and motor signals, and also plays a role in regulating the hierarchical pattern and timeline of brain development.
Although life unfolds in a continuous flow, our memories don’t capture it that way. We don’t recall the past as one seamless timeline but rather as a sequence of distinct, meaningful moments—much like how sentences are broken up with grammar and punctuation. This mental structure gives our experiences clarity and helps us understand both what happened and when it occurred.
The brain must devote a lot of space to this herculean task, right?
Wrong! It turns out that a tiny but mighty region pulls far more than its weight.
Found on Google from livescience.com
Researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have developed a new class of programmable nanofluidic memristors that mimic the memory functions of the human brain, paving the way for next-generation neuromorphic computing.
In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists from the National Graphene Institute, Photon Science Institute and the Department of Physics and Astronomy have demonstrated how two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels can be tuned to exhibit all four theoretically predicted types of memristive behavior, something never before achieved in a single device.
This study not only reveals new insights into ionic memory mechanisms but also has the potential to enable emerging applications in low-power ionic logic, neuromorphic components, and adaptive chemical sensing.
For 25 years, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have been studying people aged 80 years and older – dubbed “SuperAgers” – to uncover what makes them stand out.
In a new study, researchers show that these individuals display memory performance comparable to those at least 30 years younger, defying the long-held belief that cognitive decline is an unavoidable part of aging.
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
