Researchers have discovered that nitrous oxide can safely enhance the delivery of gene therapy to the brain by making the blood-brain barrier (BBB) more permeable when paired with focused ultrasound (FUS).

In recent years, scientists discovered something strange: When mice with Alzheimer’s disease inhale menthol, their cognitive abilities improve.
It seems the chemical compound can stop some of the damage done to the brain that’s usually associated with the disease.
In particular, researchers noticed a reduction in the interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) protein, which helps to regulate the body’s inflammatory response – a response that can offer natural protection but one that leads to harm when it’s not controlled properly.
The neocortex is highly susceptible to metabolic dysfunction. When exposed to global ischemia or anoxia, it suffers a slowly propagating wave of collective neuronal depolarization that ultimately impairs its structure and function. While the molecular signature of anoxic depolarization (AD) is well documented, little is known about the brain states that precede and follow AD onset. Here, by means of multisite extracellular local field potentials and intracellular recordings from identified pyramidal cells, we investigated the laminar expression of cortical activities induced by transient anoxia in rat primary somatosensory cortex. Soon after the interruption of brain oxygenation, we observed a well-organized sequence of stereotyped activity patterns across all cortical layers.
Neuralink’s second brain implant recipient shows the potential advancements in assistive technology for quadriplegics by playing video games.