Tag

Neural Plasticity

All articles tagged with #neural plasticity

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Two-Hour Reversal of Autism-Like Traits in Mice Points to Circuit-Level Therapies

In a mouse model of maternal immune activation, a single dose of rapamycin rapidly normalized neuronal activity, reduced seizure susceptibility, improved brain network connectivity, and lessened autism-like behaviors within about two hours. Since this window is too short for structural brain changes, the results reveal adult functional plasticity and point to therapeutic targets in mTOR signaling, neuronal excitation balance, and sensory circuits—though rapamycin itself is not suitable for humans due to toxicity and tolerance, guiding safer circuit-focused approaches.

via Neuroscience News|

#autism #maternal-inflammation #mtor

neuroscience3 months ago•68 min saved

Hippocampus Under Anesthesia Reveals Language Processing and Rapid Plasticity

In seven patients undergoing anterior temporal lobe surgery, researchers recorded hippocampal neurons and local field potentials with Neuropixels during anesthesia and found that the hippocampus can still detect oddball sounds and extract semantic/grammatical features from language. The oddball representations grew over ~10 minutes, indicating rapid plasticity, and analyses showed single neurons and LFPs could predict upcoming words. A recurrent network model suggested this learning emerges from flexible tone discrimination, challenging the notion that high‑level processing requires conscious awareness even when consciousness is suppressed.

via Nature|

#anesthesia #hippocampus #language-processing

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Brain Rewires End-of-Sound Signals Within 24 Hours of Noise Exposure

Researchers show that after damaging noise exposure, the brainstem’s superior paraolivary nucleus rapidly re-tunes within 24 hours to restore precise sound-offset signals, compensating for reduced hearing by increasing neuronal excitability and strengthening inhibitory inputs. This fast, circuit-specific adaptation preserves the timing of sound endings even as overall sensitivity declines, highlighting the brain’s resilience and offering potential directions for therapies addressing noise-related hearing loss.

via Neuroscience News|

#brainstem #hearing #neural-plasticity

science4 months ago•92 min saved

Grey-matter microglia coordinate repair after focal white-matter demyelination

A targeted white‑matter lesion in a defined neural circuit triggers a transient grey‑matter microglial response, synapse loss, and reduced neuronal activity upstream of the lesion; these changes resolve as remyelination proceeds. Blocking microglia impairs remyelination, while aging diminishes this regenerative grey‑matter response, leading to chronic inflammation. The study reveals a circuit‑level regenerative plasticity that couples white‑matter integrity to grey‑matter function and suggests myelin‑regenerative therapies could mitigate chronic neuroinflammation in MS and related diseases.

via Nature|

#demyelination #microglia #myelin-regeneration

science6 months ago•6 min saved

Lab-grown brain organoids show adaptive learning in a cartpole task

Mouse brain organoids grown in a dish were used in a closed-loop system with performance-based electrical feedback to train them to balance a virtual cartpole, achieving 46% proficiency under adaptive coaching. The results demonstrate short-term learning in neural tissue and offer a platform to study plasticity and neurological disease, while noting that the organoids are not conscious and the approach is not a replacement for traditional computing.

via ScienceAlert|

#adaptive-feedback #brain-organoids #cartpole

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Strange Supernova and Black Hole Attack Spark New Cosmic Theories

Recent scientific studies reveal a new supernova caused by a star's explosion due to black hole interaction, demonstrate that biological brains learn faster than machine algorithms, and highlight increased depression risk among vitiligo patients, especially in Black and Hispanic populations.

via Phys.org|

#black-hole #depression #neural-plasticity

health1 year ago•5 min saved

Retinal Cells Rewire to Preserve Vision in Degenerative Eye Disease

Research shows that retinal neurons can rewire themselves to maintain vision in retinitis pigmentosa, with rod bipolar cells forming new connections with cone cells as rods degenerate, a process triggered by degeneration itself and not just light response loss, offering potential targets for therapies to slow vision loss.

via Neuroscience News|

#degenerative-eye-disease #health #neural-plasticity

science1 year ago•6 min saved

Zoning Out Boosts Brain Learning and Creativity

Research in mice shows that the brain can develop complex pattern recognition skills through passive exposure without rewards, suggesting that humans may also learn unconsciously during everyday activities, which could influence future AI training methods.

via Study Finds|

#artificial-intelligence #brain-learning #neural-plasticity

neuroscience2 years ago•4 min saved

"Advancements in Ultrasound Brain Stimulation for Neurotherapy and Pain Management"

Researchers have developed a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called Patterned Low-Intensity Low-Frequency Ultrasound (LILFUS) that can precisely target and modulate specific brain regions, offering a promising alternative to traditional methods with fewer risks. LILFUS activates mechanosensitive calcium channels in astrocytes, influencing neural plasticity and enabling the control of brain function for improved motor skills and potential treatment applications in various neurological disorders. This advancement represents a significant leap in neurotherapy, with broad therapeutic potential and the ability to enhance cognitive functions without invasive procedures.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain-stimulation #lilfus #neural-plasticity

health2 years ago•3 min saved

"Revolutionizing Neurotherapy: The Promise of Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound"

A new non-invasive brain stimulation technique called Patterned Low-Intensity Low-Frequency Ultrasound (LILFUS) has been developed by researchers, showing promise for treating brain disorders. This technique, which uses ultrasound to stimulate specific brain areas, has the potential to induce long-lasting changes in brain function by modulating neural plasticity. The study found that LILFUS can improve motor skill learning and may have applications in treating conditions such as depression. The researchers plan to continue studying the technology for the treatment of brain disorders and the enhancement of cognitive functions.

via Medical Xpress|

#brain-disorders #brain-stimulation #cognitive-functions

health3 years ago•3 min saved

The Link Between Exercise and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Study

A new study published in NeuroImage: Clinical explored the relationship between exercise, brain functioning, and major depressive disorder. The findings indicate that individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who also exercise tend to have better brain functioning than those with MDD who do not exercise. The study suggests that physical fitness may enhance cognitive functioning in individuals with MDD by increasing neural plasticity in the brain. This has important implications for the treatment of depression, as it suggests that exercise may be an effective adjunct therapy for individuals with depression.

via PsyPost|

#cognitive-functioning #depression #exercise

neuroscience3 years ago•4 min saved

5-MeO-DMT induces lasting neural changes in mice.

A study conducted on mice has found that the psychedelic substance 5-MeO-DMT causes a long-lasting increase in the number of dendritic spines in the brain, which are tiny protrusions that play a crucial role in neural plasticity. The study sheds light on the behavioral and neural mechanisms of 5-MeO-DMT, which is found in the Sonoran Desert toad and has unique pharmacological properties. The researchers found that 5-MeO-DMT elicited acute behavioral effects that were more transient than those of psilocybin, consistent with human data.

via PsyPost|

#5-meo-dmt #mice #neural-plasticity