neurons

New research utilizing advanced imaging to track one million neurons in mice uncovers that over 90% of brain activity, previously considered noise, contains significant signals, revealing the mammalian brain’s underestimated complexity. Credit: SciTechDaily.comThe mammalian brain is a web of densely interconnected neurons, yet one of the mysteries in neuroscience is how tools that capture relatively few components of brain activity have allowed scientists to predict behavior in mice. It is hard to believe that much of the…

A change in shape to a particular structure of neurons was found to have a significant impact on obesity in rats. Researchers believe the finding will translate to humans and could help us fight our own middle-aged bulges one day.Researchers from Nagoya University, Osaka University and other institutions in Japan undertook the rodent study to try to see how the shape of neurons and the way they change with age might be related to obesity. They focused on a protein called melanocortin-4 (MC4R), which is a chemical…

A new study utilizing advanced Neuropixels probes, provides insights into how the brain’s neurons enable the formulation and verbal expression of thoughts, revealing the pre-verbal planning of speech sounds. This breakthrough research, offering potential for developing speech prosthetics and enhancing treatments for language disorders, underscores the complexity and efficiency of the brain’s language production capabilities.Results may be utilized to create innovative therapies for speech and language impairments.A recent…

Tyson, a 3-month-old French bulldog, regrew his jaw after losing a majority of his lower left mandible due to cancer. Just look at this guy. Credit: Cornell University Coming in hot on February 3 with a photo of a cute French bully who did an amazing trick with his jawbone. Good boy! (Click!) Happy Saturday. Here's a roundup that includes news about additive printing of neurons, evidence that microbes like stuff, and the…

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The human body’s billions of neurons represent a menagerie of cells that are among both the most highly specialized and variable ones in our bodies. Neurons convert electrical signals to chemical signals, and in humans, their lengths can be so tiny as to span just the tip of a sharpened pencil or, in some cases, even stretch the width of a doorway. Their flexible control of movement and decision-making explains why they are so key to survival in the animal kingdom.Most animals depend on their allotment of neurons for…

Researchers have identified the specific neurons responsible for controlling how growth hormone affects anxiety and the creation of fear memories, a hallmark of post-traumatic stress disorder. The discovery could lead to a new class of anti-anxiety drugs.Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affect millions of people worldwide. While the exact mechanisms underlying these conditions are not fully understood, growing evidence suggests that hormones may affect a person’s susceptibility to them.A new…

Researchers taking part in the Human Brain Project have identified a mathematical rule that governs the distribution of neurons in our brains.The rule predicts how neurons are distributed in different parts of the brain, and could help scientists create precise models to understand how the brain works and develop new treatments for neurological diseases.In the wonderful world of statistics, if you consider any continuous random variable, the logarithm of that variable will often follow what's known as a lognormal…

It's not entirely understood how Alzheimer's disease gets started or takes hold, but tangled up tau proteins in the brain are thought to play a key role – and new research sheds light on the devastating damage these protein tangles can cause.The more we know about how these proteins function in brains affected by Alzheimer's, the better we can target efforts to find an effective treatment for the disease and other tauopathies (neurodegenerative disorders caused by tau tangles).A team from the University of Virginia took…

A groundbreaking AI method created by EPFL and Harvard scientists allows for efficient tracking of neurons in moving animals, using a convolutional neural network with ‘targeted augmentation’. This significantly reduces manual annotation, accelerating brain imaging research and deepening our understanding of neural behaviors. EPFL and Harvard scientists develop an AI-based method for tracking neurons in moving animals, enhancing brain research efficiency with minimal manual annotation. Recent advances allow imaging of…