an MIT graduate student in brain and cognitive sciences and first author on the new paper. he whole hope is to write very flexible models, both generative and discriminative models,
Joining Kulkarni on the paper are his adviser, professor of brain and cognitive sciences Josh Tenenbaum;
Vikash Mansinghka, a research scientist in MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive sciences; and Pushmeet Kohli of Microsoft Research Cambridge.
and cell signaling, for instance, between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. o our knowledge, this is the first transport protein designed from scratch that is,
or skin cells or brain cells. We can use these new stem cells for future research to better understand how embryos are organized and
The results contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying brain functions such as learning and memory.
#An electronic micropump to deliver treatments deep within the brain Many potentially efficient drugs have been created to treat neurological disorders,
Typically, for a condition such as epilepsy, it is essential to act at exactly the right time and place in the brain.
enables localised inhibition of epileptic seizure in brain tissue in vitro. This research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.
which separates the brain from the blood circulation, prevents most drugs from reaching their targets in the brain,
drugs that succeed in penetrating the brain will act in a nonspecific manner, i e. on healthy regions of the brain, altering their functions.
Epilepsy is a typical example of a condition for which many drugs could not be commercialised because of their harmful effects,
when they might have been effective for treating patients resistant to conventional treatments 1. During an epileptic seizure,
the nerve cells in a specific area of the brain are activated suddenly in an excessive manner.
How can this phenomenon be controlled without affecting healthy brain regions? To answer this question, Christophe Bernard team,
have developed a biocompatible micropump that makes it possible to deliver therapeutic substances directly to the relevant areas of the brain.
the researchers reproduced the hyperexcitability of epileptic neurons in mouse brains in vitro. They then injected GABA,
a compound naturally produced in the brain and that inhibits neurons, into this hyperactive region using the micropump.
by allowing very localised action, directly in the brain and without peripheral toxicity. Based on these initial results, the researchers are now working to move on to an in vivo animal model
It may therefore be possible to control brain activity where and when it is needed. In addition to epilepsy
offers new opportunities for many brain diseases that remain difficult to treat at this time a
#Yale scientists apply new tool to explore mysteries of the immune system Why do infected some individuals with the West nile virus develop life-threatening infections
Stanford university and Washington University has discovered that neuronal activity augments the accumulation of amyloid ß that is observed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD).
The accumulation of deposits of a protein fragment termed amyloid ß is thought to be the cause of the development of dementia in AD brains.
Neurons in the brain are connected through junctions termed synapses and function by transmitting electrical activity (i e.,
an important brain region known to be involved in memory, in the brains of AD model mice for five months,
treatment with IVM can potentially lead to severe or fatal brain or other neurologic damage.
#Words That Work Together Stay together How language gives your brain a break. Here a quick task:
says Richard Futrell, a Phd student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive sciences at MIT,
and treat brain cancer, such as gliomas, medulloblastomas, and neuroblastomas; and skin cancer, known as melanoma. More than 22,000 new cases of brain cancer and more than 73,000 new cases of skin cancer and were expected to arise in Americans in 2015, according to the National Cancer Institute.
To reveal when cancer-causing genomic changes occur, a research group led by Harold kipgarner, a professor in the departments of biological science, computer science,
as well as drugs that sequester nicotine in the body to prevent it from reaching the brain,
a compound that deactivates pain receptors in the brain. nzymes make and break molecules, said Stephanie Galanie,
in order to craft a molecule that emerged ready to plug pain receptors in the brain. Engineered with a purposein their Science paper,
and the brain. Since small, early-stage cancers are the most responsive to drug treatments,
and brains of the mice. Analysis of images showed that the contrast used by the research team bound almost exclusively to the fibrin-fibronectin complexes,
Me Four children with life-threatening malformations of blood vessels in the brain appear to be the first to benefit from 3-D printing of their anatomy before undergoing high-risk corrective procedures, according to a new paper.
Cerebrovascular disease often entails complex tangles of vessels in sensitive brain areas. hese children had unique anatomy with deep vessels that were very tricky to operate on,
Pediatrics, the models were based on the children actual brain scans. Data from the scans were used to program a 3-D printer that laid down synthetic resins layer by layer.
and, in some cases, the surrounding brain anatomy. Each print took less than 24 hours to make.
One of them was Adam Stedman, a 16-year-old with an AVM in the visual processing area of his brain.
he. ur brains work in three dimensions, and treatment planning with a printed model takes on an intuitive feel that it cannot
embedded in brain tissue. Image: Katherine Cohen, Boston Childrengreater precision, greater safetythe life-sized and enlarged 3-D models, based on brain magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance arteriography data from each child
, were created in collaboration with the Boston Children Hospital Simulator Program (SIMPEDS), directed by HMS associate professor of anesthesia Peter Weinstock, the paper first author.
#Scientists visualize critical part of basal ganglia pathways Breakthrough could help see pathways that degenerate with Parkinson and Huntingdon disease Certain diseases,
like Parkinson and Huntingdon disease, are associated with damage to the pathways between the brain basal ganglia regions.
The basal ganglia sits at the base of the brain and is responsible for, among other things, coordinating movement.
deep brain structures that imaging techniques have previously been unable to visualize. For the first time, Carnegie mellon University Brainhub scientists have used a noninvasive brain imaging tool to detect the pathways that connect the parts of the basal ganglia.
Published in Neuroimage the research provides a better understanding of this area circuitry, which could potentially lead to technologies to help track disease progression for Parkinson and Huntington disease and other neurological disorders. linically,
it is difficult to see the pathways within the basal ganglia with neuroimaging techniques, like the ever popular MRI,
the pathways that connect the basal ganglia regions are highly susceptible to damage. Because they are important for motor control,
Diffusion MRI measures the movement of water molecules to create a visual representation of the brain axons.
In this study, the research team used two types of diffusion imaging to visualize the major pathways that connect the internal circuitry of the basal ganglia.
Sixty healthy adults had scanned their brains using diffusion spectrum imaging which provided a picture of the orientation of moving water molecules.
The results from both imaging techniques showed that it is possible to detect the small but important fiber connections in the brain.
The researchers also found that by looking at the general patterns of water movement in the basal ganglia,
they could automatically distinguish one small brain region from the other. he pathways that Patrick has been able to visualize are critical to so many functions,
yet we haven been able to see them in the living human brain before. This opens the door to so many research and clinical opportunities
This is not the first brain research breakthrough to happen at Carnegie mellon. CMU is the birthplace of artificial intelligence
and cognitive psychology and has been a leader in the study of brain and behavior for more than 50 years.
an initiative that focuses on how the structure and activity of the brain give rise to complex behaviors m
#Closing the loop with optogenetics Optogenetics provides a powerful tool for studying the brain by allowing researchers to activate neurons using simple light-based signals.
phantom limb syndrome and other nervous systems disorders where the brain has overreacted to the loss of normal inputs.
allowing experiments to focus stimulation on specific areas of the brain or brain cell cultures. The light signals now affect an entire culture
or brain region. e want to precisely control where photons are being sent to activate different cells, Newman said. ptogenetics allows genetic specification
But I don believe that as precise as what will be required to speak the language of the brain
and kidney and neural circuits using larger-scale techniques. uilding functional models of the complex cellular networks such as those found in the brain is probably one of the highest challenges you could aspire to,
#Brain cells get tweaked n the goresearchers from the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (MRC CDN) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (Ioppn),
suggest that the ardwarein our brain is tuneable and could have implications that go far beyond basic neuroscience from informing education policy to developing new therapies for neurological disorders such as epilepsy.
Computers are used often as a metaphor for the brain with logic boards and microprocessors representing neural circuits and neurons, respectively.
They suggest that the brain is a highly dynamic, self-organising system, in which internal and external influences continuously shape information processing ardwareby mechanisms not yet understood,
have shed light on this problem by discovering that some neurons in the cerebral cortex can adapt their properties in response to changes in network activity such as those observed during learning of a motor task.
whose primary role is regulating the activity of the principal cells of the cerebral cortex, known as pyramidal cells.
The cerebral cortex is outer layer of the brain and is associated with cognition, language and memory. ur findings explain the underlying mechanisms behind the dynamic regulation of the identity of interneurons said Nathalie Dehorter of the MRC CDN
Understanding the dynamic mechanisms that lead to the emergence of brain functions through the development and continuous remodelling of neural circuits,
and the constraints that disease and ageing impose to this multi-modal plasticity has important implications that go beyond fundamental neuroscience, from education policies to brain repair.
ur study demonstrates the tremendous plasticity of the brain, and how this relates to fundamental processes such as learning.
#X-ray vision new method to examine Alzheimer disease brain samples Superman has an x-ray vision we all know that.
Researchers at the RIKEN Brain science Institute in Japan created a way to illuminate 3d brain anatomy at very high resolutions using a new transparent tissue.
called Scales, is a real and practical way to see through brain and body tissue. Generating see-through tissue (a process called optical clearing) was a goal for many scientists recently
scientists could create transparent brains with minimal tissue damage. This method works with florescent and immunohistochemical labelling techniques
Created transparent brain samples can be stored in Scales solution for more than a year without damage.
and brain is still firm enough to be cut to micron-thick slices. Scientists note that microscopy is an important challenge as well.
Transparent brain tissue must be viewable by both light and electron microscopy. And Scales managed this task with grace it provides an optimal combination of cleared tissue and fluorescent signals
There are mysterious iffuseplaques seen in the postmortem brains of Alzheimer disease patients that are typically undetectable using 2d imaging.
it can be used to research other brain diseases as well, not only Alzheimer. It provides that kind of x-ray vision we really needed,
seeking to reach a breakthrough in treating major brain diseases t
#New method for modifying natural polymers could help bring lifesaving medications to market In drug-delivery research,
because researchers could not extract sufficient cerebrospinal fluid to perform conventional assays. ith our technology, researchers will be able to perform large-scale controlled studies with comparable accuracy to conventional assays,
In the brain, calcium is used to communicate information within and between neurons and it activates a host of other cell functions,
The brains of people who have autism show signs of hyperexcitability, which is seen also in epilepsy,
While successful against blood cancers such as leukemia, CAR T cells have shown so far less efficacy against solid tumors that effect the colon, breast, prostrate, brain and other tissues.
The differences between a muscle cell and a brain cell are attributable to differences in gene expression; that is, which genes are turned on and off.
In a study published in Cell, Feng Zhang and his colleagues at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Mcgovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT,
says Zhang, the W. M. Keck Assistant professor in Biomedical engineering in MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive sciences.
and to be involved in brain formation, but has now been identified as a key part of photoreceptor proteins the structures that allow organisms to sense
These problems are caused by a loss of retinal ganglion cellshe cells that carry visual signals from the retina through the optic nerve and into the brain.
Cellular analysis of the cerebellum, amygdala and hippocampus three brain regions known to be altered in autism was vaccinated similar in
Surgeons aggressively removing a tumor run the risk of damaging normal brain tissue and impairing the patient brain functions;
on the other hand, incomplete removal of a tumor results in immediate relapse in 90%of patients. Being able to simultaneously see the surgical field
Will brain palpation soon be possible? If there is one technique used by the physician to explore the human body during every medical examination
however, the brain cannot be palpated without using a highly invasive procedure (craniotomy, or opening the skull),
Ultimately, it could be used in the early diagnosis of brain tumours or Alzheimer disease. This work is published in PNAS.
However, this method cannot be applied to the brain, which, doubly protected by the cranium and cerebrospinal fluid, is difficult for externally applied waves to access.
It is therefore impossible to directly or indirectly palpate the brain, something that greatly complicates the work of neurosurgeons.
On the other hand, the brain is the seat of natural vibrations created by the blood pulsating in the arteries and the circulating cerebrospinal fluid.
There remained a significant unprecedented challenge: how to capture this complex field of natural shear waves,
have succeeded in detecting natural shear waves in the brain using computational techniques borrowed from seismologists
thus able to build images of the brain elasticity. f this method can be developed for clinical use,
since making the brain vibrate is quite painful at the moment. Of course, this method will be complementary to those that already exist
multiple sclerosis and hydrocephalus involve changes in the stiffness of the brain tissues. This new technique allows their detection,
and could be used to avoid brain biopsies. This method for palpating the brain could have other areas of application,
such as for analysing the development of neurodegenerative processes, the impact of a lesion from a trauma or tumour, response to treatment, etc e
#Stressed dads affect offspring brain development through sperm microrna More and more, scientists have realized that DNA is not the only way that a parent can pass on traits to their offspring.
professor of neuroscience in Penn School of veterinary medicine and Perelman School of medicine, provides important clues for understanding how a father life experiences may affect his children brain development and mental health through a purely biological and not behavioral means. t remarkable to
a brain region involved in directing stress regulation, suggesting widespread changes in early neurodevelopment. Finally the researchers aimed to determine how the mirs were carrying out this effect after fertilization.
Both cardiac cells in the heart and neurons in the brain communicate by electrical signals,
which so far has been used mainly in brain science. Dr Gil Bub, from Oxford university explained: hen there is scar tissue in the heart or fibrosis,
speed and shape of such excitation waves would mean unprecedented direct control of organ-level function, in the heart or brain,
including those in our own brains and hearts o
#Comet: A supercomputer for the ong tailof science The San diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San diego this week formally launched omet,
Neurosciences, Brain Research: SDSC Neuroscience Gateways project will contribute to the national BRAIN INITIATIVE announced by the Obama Administration to deepen our understanding of the human brain.
Social sciences: Sociologists and political scientists are analyzing newly accessible data sets to study censorship of the press, factors that affect participation in the political process,
aims to use electronics in a way that mimics the way neurons process information in organic brains.
Eana Park/Stony Brook Universityboth cardiac cells in the heart and neurons in the brain communicate by electrical signals,
which so far has been used mainly in brain science. Dr Gil Bub, from Oxford university explained: hen there is scar tissue in the heart or fibrosis,
speed and shape of such excitation waves would mean unprecedented direct control of organ-level function, in the heart or brain,
including those in our own brains and hearts o
#Study reveals new, potent way to boost immunity and fight viruses`Many viral infections, such as the common cold, cause mild illnesses that the body immune system eventually defeats.
which causes severe damage to vital organs including the brain, heart and pancreas, 97 percent of the genetically engineered mice survived,
Such synchronous discharges in the brain occur most frequently in the temporal lobe. Often, a seizure disorder develops after a delay following transient brain damage for example due to injury or inflammation.
So-called ion channels are involved in the transfer of signals in the brain; these channels act like a doorman to regulate the entry of calcium ions in the nerve cells. t has also been known for a long time that following transient severe brain injury and prior to an initial spontaneous epileptic seizure, the concentration of free zinc ions
The hippocampus, located in the temporal lobe, is a central switching station in the brain. MTF1 acts like a switch in the brain The team of Prof.
Becker together with scientists from the departments of Experimental Epileptology and Neuroradiology of the University of Bonn Hospital as well as from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Israel), have decoded now a signaling pathway
New technology enables observations of the living brain The scientists used a novel method during their examinations.
the researchers introduced fluorescing molecules in the brains of mice and these molecules always glowed
If the zinc ions or the transcription factor MTF1 were inhibited specifically in the brain, it is possible that the development of a seizure disorder could be prevented. owever,
signals brain tissue to form new connections to compensate for the damage and initiate repairs to the brain.
The finding could eventually lead to a new treatment to promote brain repair and functional recovery in people who have suffered a stroke,
or GDF10, a molecule that previously had known no role in the adult brain, said Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael,
and programs in the UCLA department of neurology. he brain has limited a capacity for recovery after stroke,
then it might be possible to enhance brain repair after stroke. The study, which appears in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Neuroscience,
which molecules become more prevalent in the brain during the recovery period after a stroke,
researchers believed that one of the molecules on the list could be a signal telling the brain to repair itself after a stroke,
and they screened for the molecules that saw the biggest increase in the brain after stroke.
After finding that GDF10 was a possible signal for brain repair, the team analyzed the molecule in a petri dish.
The scientists found that GDF10 promotes brain cellsability to form new connections and they identified the signaling systems that control the process. e found that GDF10 induces new connections to form in the brain after stroke,
and that this mediates the recovery of the ability to control bodily movement, Carmichael said.
or off by GDF10 in brain cells after a stroke and compared the cellsrna to RNA in comparable cells during brain development and normal learning,
and to RNA in the brain cells of people with other diseases. They found that GDF10 regulates a unique collection of molecules that improves recovery after stroke.
The discovery indicates that brain tissue regenerating after a stroke is a unique process rather than just a reactivation of the molecules that are active in brain development.
and then mapped the connections in the brain that are tied to body movement. They compared those to the connections in animals who had experienced a stroke
in animals with healthy brains and with animals that had experienced a stroke and had reduced a level of GDF10. he results indicated that GDF10 normally is responsible for the very limited process of the formation of new connections after stroke,
and does so mostly in a specific brain circuit. The formation of connections in this circuit with GDF10 administration significantly enhanced recovery of limb control after stroke.
which can be used to monitor vital signs and brain activity, one step closer to mass-market manufacturing.
The sensors were able to detect a special brain signal present only when the subject eyes were closed classic electroencephalogram testing procedure.
utations in SETD2 are frequently found in kidney cancer and some childhood brain tumours, so we were excited
which is converted then into electric impulses that go to our brain via nerves. Of course, electronic devices work differently phototransistors in digital cameras sense light,
such as heart, brain, and other organs during embryonic development, Oonnell says. o we can speculate that Pol-e interaction with nucleosomes could play a role in assigning different epigenetic identities to the two new daughter cells after cell division,
#Scientists discover how better to map brain tumours The laboratory research could lead to clinical trials aimed at improving the accuracy of brain tumour treatment.
For the first time, scientists have identified a protein inside blood vessels found at the invasive edge of brain tumours highlighting the area from where cancer is most likely to spread.
This protein is produced as part of an inflammatory response caused by the brain tumour. Mapping this inflammation gives scientists a more complete picture of the cancer.
and sticks to the protein VCAM-1 on the brain blood vessels and this can be seen on MRI scans.
This new research gives scientists the most complete picture of brain tumours yet, and for the first time the edge of a growing tumour has been mapped.
Clinical MRI techniques can show images of leaky blood vessels in patients, often a sign of brain tumours.
Unfortunately, blood vessels near the edge of brain tumours are often intact, so the MRI fails to reveal the whole tumour.
700 people in the UK are diagnosed with a tumour in their brain or in other parts of their central nervous system:
and the brain tumour can grow back. his research shows that we can improve imaging of brain tumours,
Being able to delineate the edges of brain tumours is an exciting step towards better surgery and radiotherapy for patients.
The holy grail would be to be able to completely remove brain tumours with the help of this new imaging technique reducing recurrence of the disease
although Colorado surgeons in 2008 took hearts from brain-damaged newborns after waiting only 75 seconds.
then quickly clamped off the blood supply to the brain and restarted the donor heart without removing it.
#Paralyzed Man Arm Wired to Receive Brain signals Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio say theye used electronics to get around a paralyzed man spinal injury,
permitting him to use an implant in his brain to move his arm and hand.
The test represents the first time that signals collected in the brain have been conveyed directly to electrodes placed inside someone arm to restore movement,
is a step toward a wireless system able to transmit brain signals through the air to electronics sewn into the limbs of paralyzed people,
a consortium that is developing brain-computer interfaces and includes the Case Western team. ut the fact that they got a person to control their own body,
and do it from a small patch of brain, is incredible. Volunteers in brain-implant studies have moved previously computer cursors and controlled robotic arms.
Last year, a different Ohio man with partial arm paralysis received a brain implant and was able to mentally open
and close his hand using strips of external electrodes placed around his forearm. That effort, called Neurobridge, is led by Ohio State university and Battelle Memorial Institute.
says that nine months ago surgeons implanted two bunches of silicon electrodes, called Utah arrays, into the volunteer motor cortex.
That is the part of the brain where movements are planned. Wires from each array emerge from the skull through metal ports
According to Kirsch, the volunteer is able to very accurately control a computer simulation of his wired-up arm using his brain signals.
Moving the real arm under brain control has proved more challenging. he virtual setup is perfect,
Efforts to combine brain-computer interfaces with FES systems began 20 years ago. In a 1998 experiment, also at Case Western, a volunteer named Jim Jatich used signals collected from an EEG cap he wore over his head to trigger an early FES device known as Freehand,
Implants placed in contact with the brain motor cortex can gather far more detailed information however, including estimates of
if your brain is busy before interrupting There's a modern-day malady that everyone suffers from-getting distracted by phone notifications in the middle of something important and struggling to regain focus again.
Changes in blood flow in the prefrontal cortex can signal brain activity, allowing the program to read
A machine-learning algorithm calibrates the system to different brains while tests using Google glass helped the team calibrate
-and perhaps even monitor other data besides brain activity. Now, what was I doing before I started writing this again n
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