Lifeboat Foundation

Positive life experiences boost brain mitochondrial health, potentially providing protection against certain brain disorders and promoting longevity.

In @MedicalXpress: https://ow.ly/BNn750SrT3c.

In PNAS: https://ow.ly/wT1e50SrT3b.

Continue reading “Psychosocial experiences are associated with human brain mitochondrial biology” »

Adenosine-to-inosine editing is a form of RNA modification observed in the human brain transcriptome. Here the authors question the accuracy of utilizing postmortem samples to reflect the RNA biology of living brains. This is due to significant differences in adenosine-to-inosine editing between living and postmortem brain tissues, with most sites exhibiting higher editing levels postmortem.

Exposure to extreme temperatures during early life is associated with alterations in children’s brain white matter microstructure, particularly in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods, highlighting potential vulnerability to climate change impacts.

By Julia Robinson 2024–06-24T12:55:00

Researchers are on a quest to outsmart and overcome the sophisticated security system of the brain. Julia Robinson reports on some of the approaches being studied.

The probe also achieved stable neural recordings in rat brains for up to two years, showing excellent biocompatibility and long-term recording stability, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Cheng Heping, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the National Centre for Biomedical Imaging Science at Peking University, told Xinhua that the achievement provided a powerful tool for high-throughput simultaneous monitoring of activity in multiple brain regions, and for exploring the relationships between neural activity and behaviour.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shed valuable light on the nuanced functions and intricate regulatory methods of RNA editing, a critical mechanism underlying brain development and disease.

In a study published June 26 in Nature Communications, the team reported finding major differences between postmortem and living prefrontal cortex brain tissues as they relate to one of the most abundant RNA modifications in the brain, known as adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing.

This discovery will play a significant role in shaping the development of diagnostics and therapies for brain diseases.

Johns Hopkins research sheds new light on how mammals track their position and orientation while moving, revealing that visual motion cues alone allow the brain to adjust and recalibrate its internal map even in the absence of stable visual landmarks.

Their results are published in Nature Neuroscience.

“When you move through space, you have a lot of competing sensory information telling you where you are and how fast you are going, and your brain has to make sense of that,” said study co-leader Noah Cowan, professor of mechanical engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and director of the Locomotion in Mechanical and Biological Systems (LIMBS) Laboratory.

A UCLA Health study explored the traits of resilient individuals, discovering significant neural activities in the brain regions for cognition and emotional regulation, and healthy gut microbiome activities.

The research highlighted differences in microbiome metabolites and gene activity, indicating lower inflammation and better gut health in resilient people compared to less resilient individuals. This comprehensive approach may lead to interventions that enhance resilience to stress, possibly preventing various health issues.

Resilience and Health.

Some thoughts/speculations on panpsychism.

I have long suspected that panpsychism represents the most likely explanation of how consciousness works. My evidence for this claim is laid out below. That said, I am not an expert in philosophy of mind, so take this with a grain of salt. I am certainly open to constructive critiques, questions, and discussion as well!