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Category: neuroscience

The human brain is formed by a complex network of neural connections and most of them link neighboring brain regions, which are also the most studied to date. But a recent neuroscientific study by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the University of Oxford, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has revealed that connections between distant brain regions, though rarer and less frequent, play a fundamental role in explaining brain dynamics.

The role of these long-range connections could be likened to those of an airport hub, which—with long-haul flights—directly connects different parts of the world without the need for stopovers, which would make the trip far longer. In the case of the brain, long-range connections serve to transmit information more quickly and directly between distant regions (without the need to go through all the successive neighboring regions that separate them). This yields optimal and efficient information processing.

The connections between distant regions of the brain are activated both spontaneously in a resting state and when performing numerous cognitive functions in our daily lives, which allow us to carry out specific tasks. For example, for as simple a task as remembering an image we have just seen, the brain connects the (which deals with ) with the occipital lobe, which deals with image perception.

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A study by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) demonstrates that the drug WIN55,212–2 protects the brain and reverses early cognitive damage caused by dementia, while also explaining its mechanism of action.

Over two decades of research conducted by the Neurochemistry and Neurodegeneration group at UPV/EHU, led by Dr. Rafael Rodríguez-Puertas, has uncovered a promising pathway for developing therapies aimed at improving memory in cases of cognitive impairment caused by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects older adults, leading to memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. It is the most common cause of dementia. The disease is characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, which disrupt cell function and communication. There is currently no cure, and treatments focus on managing symptoms and improving quality of life.

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A research team at KAIST has identified the core gene expression networks regulated by key proteins that fundamentally drive phenomena such as cancer development, metastasis, tissue differentiation from stem cells, and neural activation processes. This discovery lays the foundation for developing innovative therapeutic technologies.

A joint research team led by Professors Seyun Kim, Gwangrog Lee, and Won-Ki Cho from the Department of Biological Sciences has uncovered essential mechanisms controlling gene expression in animal cells.

The findings were published on January 7 in the journal Nucleic Acids Research in a paper titled “Single-molecule analysis reveals that IPMK enhances the DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor SRF.”

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Whether we are ready or not, neuro-tech is about to cause a radical social shift that will change our understanding of the mind and our very conception of reality. Telepathy, or even a super humanity based on a symbiotic relationship with artificial intelligence, will no longer be a dream.

This documentary revisits the history of neuroscience and explores the frontiers of this groundbreaking field. It introduces technological advancements that come with catastrophic risks, which is why experts are advocating for the Neuro-Rights — regulations that ensure the privacy of our conscious AND subconscious.
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Chapters.
▷ 00:00 – Intro.
▷ 03:02 – The enigma of human brain.
▷ 07:36 – Why neuroscience.
▷ 10:27 – Merging with the digital.
▷ 12:53 – Neuro-Revolutions: the 90s to today.
▷ 15:50 – From lab to real world (\.

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A new study by researchers at the Department of Molecular Medicine at SDU sheds light on one of the most severe consequences of stroke: damage to the brain’s “cables”—the so-called nerve fibers—which leads to permanent impairments. The study, published in The Journal of Pathology, which is based on unique tissue samples from Denmark’s Brain Bank located at SDU, may pave the way for new treatments that help the brain repair itself.

A stroke occurs when the to part of the brain is blocked, leading to brain damage. Following an injury, the brain tries to repair the damaged nerve fibers by re-establishing their insulating layer, called myelin. Unfortunately, the often succeeds only partially, meaning many patients experience lasting damage to their physical and mental functions.

According to Professor Kate Lykke Lambertsen, one of the study’s lead authors, the brain has the resources to repair itself, “We need to find ways to help the cells complete their work, even under difficult conditions.”

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Anxiety disorders, characterized by an excessive apprehension about real or perceived threats and dysfunctional behaviors aimed at avoiding these threats, are among the most common mental health conditions. Estimates suggest that around 4% of the world’s population, so a few hundred million people, experiences these disorders, which can have debilitating effects, significantly lowering their quality of life.

While there are currently various treatment options for , many existing medications do not prove effective for all individuals. Some neuroscientists worldwide have thus been trying to identify new promising neuro-biological targets for relieving anxiety and anxious behaviors.

Recent studies uncovered an association between anxiety disorders and the impaired functioning of the (BBB), a protective layer comprised of that regulates the flow of substances between the bloodstream and the brain. However, the precise neural mechanisms underpinning the link between BBB dysfunction and anxiety remain elusive.

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Mice, like humans, compete for territory and mates, becoming more confident in their fighting abilities with each victory. Early on, a brain chemical called dopamine.

Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter involved in many important functions in the brain, particularly those related to pleasure, reward, motivation, and motor control. It plays a central role in the brain’s reward system, where it helps reinforce rewarding behaviors by increasing pleasure and satisfaction, making it critical for habit formation and addictive behaviors. Dopamine is also vital for regulating movement, and deficiencies in dopamine production are linked to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, dopamine influences various other functions, including mood regulation, learning, and attention, making it a key focus in studies of both mental health and neurodegenerative diseases.

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A new technology developed at MIT enables scientists to label proteins across millions of individual cells in fully intact 3D tissues with unprecedented speed, uniformity, and versatility. Using the technology, the team was able to richly label whole rodent brains and other large tissue samples in a single day.

In their new study in Nature Biotechnology, they also demonstrate that the ability to label proteins with antibodies at the single-cell level across whole brains can reveal insights left hidden by other widely used labeling methods.

Profiling the proteins that cells are making is a staple of studies in biology, neuroscience and related fields because the proteins a cell is expressing at a given moment can reflect the functions the cell is trying to perform or its response to its circumstances, such as disease or treatment.

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A study led by scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has shown that specialized cells involved in how the body responds to insulin are activated in the brain after exercise, suggesting that physical activity may directly improve brain function.

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The combination problem may, in fact, be a reason to favor a version of panpsychism in which consciousness is fundamental in the form of a continuous, pervasive field, analogous to spacetime. Just as spacetime and gravity have an interactive relationship, consciousness can be thought of as a fundamental “field” that interacts with, and is integral to, matter. We typically don’t think of spacetime as bits and pieces that build on each other (it’s simply everywhere), and I don’t think we should be tempted to think of consciousness, if it is indeed a pervasive field, as divisible into building blocks either. Rather, it makes more sense to talk about a field that contains a range of content —the content depending on the other forces or fields it’s interacting with. In the same way that gravity is a two-way street—matter warps spacetime and the shape of spacetime determines how matter moves—a consciousness field would imbue matter with another property, giving rise to the range of content experience d. Under this view, content is divisible, but consciousness isn’t. Therefore, consciousness is also not interacting with itself, as it would be in the act of “combining.” Considering consciousness to be fundamental allows for matter to have a specific internal character everywhere, in all of its various forms.

If consciousness is fundamental, then the questions that prompt the combination problem are potentially the same as all the other questions we might ask about spacetime in which we don’t anticipate this problem. All matter would entail consciousness, and complex systems, such as human brains, would give rise to certain types of content in those locations in spacetime. Even if each individual atom has its own experience, consciousness itself is not necessarily isolated. The matter might be isolated, and therefore the content associated with the consciousness at that location is isolated. But consciousness itself would not be said to be isolated. Again, we can think of consciousness as analogous to spacetime: How it’s affected by matter depends on the matter in question (its mass, in the case of spacetime). Similarly, a consciousness field might be “shaped” by matter in terms of experiential quality or content. And this line of thinking yields interesting questions.

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