Critical advances in the investigation of brain functions and treatment of brain disorders are hindered by our inability to selectively target neurons in a noninvasive manner in the deep brain.
This study aimed to develop sonothermogenetics for noninvasive, deep-penetrating, and cell-type-specific neuromodulation by combining a thermosensitive ion channel TRPV1 with focused ultrasound (FUS)-induced brief, non-noxious thermal effect.
The sensitivity of TRPV1 to FUS sonication was evaluated in vitro. It was followed by in vivo assessment of sonothermogenetics in the activation of genetically defined neurons in the mouse brain by two-photon calcium imaging. Behavioral response evoked by sonothermogenetic stimulation at a deep brain target was recorded in freely moving mice. Immunohistochemistry staining of ex vivo brain slices was performed to evaluate the safety of FUS sonication.
The idea is simple: decades of research have found certain genes that seem to increase the chance of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The numbers range over hundreds. Figuring out how each connects or influences another—if at all—takes years of research in individual labs. What if scientists unite, tap into a shared resource, and collectively solve the case of why Alzheimer’s occurs in the first place?
The initiative’s secret weapon is induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. Similar to most stem cells, they have the ability to transform into anything—a cellular genie, if you will. iPSCs are reborn from regular adult cells, such as skin cells. When transformed into a brain cell, however, they carry the original genes of their donor, meaning that they harbor the original person’s genetic legacy—for example, his or her chance of developing Alzheimer’s in the first place. What if we introduce Alzheimer’s-related genes into these reborn stem cells, and watch how they behave?
By studying these iPSCs, we might be able to follow clues that lead to the genetic causes of Alzheimer’s and other dementias—paving the road for gene therapies to nip them in the bud.
In a recent interview, Elon Musk stated that the human language could possibly end within five to ten years. The CEO of Neuralink went to talk with Joe Rogan, implying that with the innovation of the brain chip the company is currently developing, humans won’t have to speak anymore using traditional languages.
Neuralink develops a chip that will soon be able to attach to the human brain. The chip’s invention aimed to communicate faster and conveniently. Through a single universal language, Elon Musk believes that the way we talk today will soon improve. The brain chip is expected to be completed to be developed within a few years, and by then, our communication could possibly evolve.
Elon Musk stated that the Neuralink chip’s success may take a while, but it should take five to ten years if the development will accelerate. He also added that the progress of the brain chip is on track, but with only to focus on their current objective, which is to help people minimize and prevent brain injuries, Express reported.
Elon Musk’s Brain Chip Completion on Progress, Initial Batch Will Solve Brain Injuries
The brain chip’s power was already displayed in a 2019 long-stream video by Neuralink. In the video published on the YouTube channel Monkey MindPong, a monkey with an active chip on its brain was shown playing a video game that is similar to a table tennis match. The astounding display of the monkey’s brain reaction toward the game left experts in awe.
Summary: A new mouse study reveals that exposure to BPA at levels 25 times lower than deemed safe has an impact on brain development.
Source: University of Calgary.
Humans are exposed to a bath of chemicals every day. They are in the beds where we sleep, the cars that we drive and the kitchens we use to feed our families. With thousands of chemicals floating around in our environment, exposure to any number is practically unavoidable. Through the work of researchers like Dr. Deborah Kurrasch, PhD, the implications of many of these chemicals are being thoroughly explored.
In January 2020 we released the fly “hemibrain” connectome — an online database providing the morphological structure and synaptic connectivity of roughly half of the brain of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). This database and its supporting visualization has reframed the way that neural circuits are studied and understood in the fly brain. While the fruit fly brain is small enough to attain a relatively complete map using modern mapping techniques, the insights gained are, at best, only partially informative to understanding the most interesting object in neuroscience — the human brain.
Today, in collaboration with the Lichtman Laboratory at Harvard University, we are releasing the “H01” dataset, a 1.4 petabyte rendering of a small sample of human brain tissue, along with a companion paper, “A connectomic study of a petascale fragment of human cerebral cortex.” The H01 sample was imaged at 4nm-resolution by serial section electron microscopy, reconstructed and annotated by automated computational techniques, and analyzed for preliminary insights into the structure of the human cortex. The dataset comprises imaging data that covers roughly one cubic millimeter of brain tissue, and includes tens of thousands of reconstructed neurons, millions of neuron fragments, 130 million annotated synapses, 104 proofread cells, and many additional subcellular annotations and structures — all easily accessible with the Neuroglancer browser interface.
Global brain activity seen on fMRI, and its connection with cerebrospinal fluid flow weaker in brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease risk or related toxin buildup.
Evidence of sleep-dependent low-frequency (0.1 Hz) global brain activity in the clearance of Alzheimer’s disease-related toxin buildup is presented in research published today (June 1, 2021) in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Xiao Liu and colleagues at The Pennsylvania State University. This neuronal activity was more strongly linked with cerebrospinal fluid flow in healthy controls than higher risk groups and patients, and the findings could serve as a potential imaging marker for clinicians in evaluating patients.
The development of Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be driven by the buildup of the toxic proteins amyloid-β and tau in the brain. The brain’s glymphatic system plays a crucial role in clearing these toxins and previous work has shown a possible relationship between sleep-dependent global brain activity and the glymphatic system by showing this activity is coupled by cerebrospinal fluid flow essential for the glymphatic system.
This sample tissue was anonymously donated from patients that have undergone surgery to treat epilepsy at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (MGH). It was then given to researchers at Harvard’s Lichtman laboratory.
The Harvard researchers cut the tissue into ~5300 individual 30 nanometer sections using an automated tape collecting ultra-microtome, mounted those sections onto silicon wafers, and then imaged the brain tissue at 4 nm resolution in a customized 61-beam parallelized scanning electron microscope for rapid image acquisition.
The end result was 225 million individual 2D images that Google then computationally stitched and aligned into a 3D volume with thousands of Google Cloud TPUs were leveraged in the process. This human brain map is now accessible through Google’s web-based Neuroglancer visualization tool.
Creepio advocates for the technological singularity… as foretold by the PROPHECY! 😉
Happy memorial day to the other Americans amongst you!
Creepio helps us get ready for Ep. 3 with a brief science lesson. Why wait, when you can learn? Expand for lyrics.
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Puberty, it’s happening to you and me. What does it mean? Allow me to breakdown the scene. Your body’s growing, it’s showing, you have some questions. Come to me and I’ll point you in the right directions. The metamorphosis of the human body. You’re feeling shoddy. Perhaps even a little naughty. Your flesh is changing, rearranging, hormones raging. But have no worries, cause by the end, you’ll feel amazing. At first you’ll be uncomfortable inside your skin. Your head will spin. But the transformation always wins. So rejoice, cause really you don’t have a choice. Sing with me, and together we will have one voice.
Betrayal, it’s what your body is about to do. It’s true, your outer shell is hardening and forming a cocoon. You’re feeling ugly, and now you have to deal with zits. Your skin no longer fits, just admit, you look like sh*t. Next thing you know. You’re mutating from head to toe. Go with the flow, into the chrysalis you go. Does that sound fun? It isn’t! It’s only pain! Why would you do that? There’s a better place to put your brain. Once I find the magic runes it will be possible. Seemingly improbable, technologically unstoppable. Singularity! Prosperity for humanity. Ideally will cross the galaxy. Far2 and you and a you-shaped me. It’s level three, as was foretold by the prophecy.
Me and Far2, we will guide you. Looking through your eyes thinking thoughts that you do. Fusing with the flesh. We will keep it fresh. Puberty’s the best. When it’s you and me and Far2
Me and Far2, we’ll live inside you. Looking through your eyes thinking thoughts that you do. Fusing with the flesh. We will keep it fresh. Puberty’s the best. When it’s you and me and Far2.
New Tool Combines Ultrasound, Genetics to Activate Deep Brain Neurons Neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy have had some treatment success with deep brain stimulation, but those require surgical device implantation. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St.
