ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

A research team has discovered that Dlgap2, a gene that helps facilitate communication between neurons in the nervous system, is associated with the degree of memory loss in mice and risk for Alzheimer's dementia in humans. When studying post-mortem human brain tissue, the researchers also discovered low levels of Dlgap2 in people experiencing 'poorer cognitive health' and 'faster cognitive decline' prior to death.

Neuroscience researchers are finding genetic properties of Schwann cells in the cornea that may unlock a better understanding of their role in healing, sensory function, preserving vision, and even nerve regeneration.

Biochemists have proposed that degenerative diseases as varied as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and muscle atrophy occur in two distinct phases marked by protein signaling changes that could result in patients responding differently to the same treatment.

Scientists have discovered that artificially forcing the activity of BNST cells in mice produced an arousal response in the form of dilated pupils and faster heart rate, and worsened anxiety-like behaviors. This helps illuminate the neural roots of emotions, and point to the possibility that the human-brain counterpart of the newly identified population of arousal-related neurons might be a target of future treatments for anxiety disorders and other illnesses involving abnormal arousal responses.

Neuroscientists have found that the longings for social interaction felt during isolation are neurologically very similar to the food cravings people experience when hungry.

Researchers are shining a light on a segment of concussion patients who often go unnoticed in comparison to athletes: performing artists.

Atom-scale models of proteins that incorporate ligands, like drug molecules, shows a strong correlation between minimally frustrated binding sites and drug specificity. Such models could lead to better-designed drugs with fewer side effects.

Researchers have identified the brain activity for the first time in a newborn baby when they are learning an association between different types of sensory experiences. Using advanced MRI scanning techniques and robotics, the researchers found that a baby's brain activity can be changed through these associations, shedding new light on the possibility of rehabilitating babies with injured brains and promoting the development of life-long skills such as speech, language and movement.

Researchers have designed a new Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM) sensor for magnetoencephalography (MEG). The sensor is smaller and more robust in detecting magnetic brain signals and distinguishing them from background noise than existing sensors. Benchmarking tests showed good performance in environmental conditions where other sensors do not work, and it is able to detect brain signals against background magnetic noise, raising the possibility of MEG testing outside a specialised unit.