Our experiences leave traces in the brain, which are stored in small groups of cells called engrams. Engrams are thought to hold information in memory and are reactivated when we recall, which makes them very interesting for research on memory and age- or trauma-related memory loss. Source link
For the first time, a team of Inserm researchers from the Physics for Medicine Institute (Inserm/ESPCI Paris-PSL/CNRS) has succeeded in mapping the blood flow of an entire organ (heart, kidney and liver) in animals with great precision in four dimensions: 3D and time. This new imaging technique, when applied to humans, may improve our understanding…
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is one of the most challenging neurological disorders: steadily progressive, universally fatal, and with no cure despite more than a century and a half of research. Despite many advances, one important unanswered question remains – why do motor neurons, the cells that control body movement, die while others…
COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines, which have saved 2.5 million lives globally during the pandemic, may help rouse the immune system to fight cancer. This is the surprising finding of a new study that we and our colleagues have published in the journal Nature. Source link
The disruption of sleep and wake patterns caused by daylight savings clock changes reveals much about our everyday dependence on the interplay of sleep pressure and circadian clocks. Source link
A new study led by investigators at Mass General Brigham uses next-generation imaging technology to find that when the brain is sleeping, it shows a coordinated change in activity. Source link
Alzheimer’s disease is notorious for disrupting patients’ daily rhythms. Restless nights, less sleep, and more naps during the day are early indicators of the onset of the disease, while sundowning, or confusion later in the day, is typical for the later stages of the disease. Source link
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their colleagues have developed a new technique to track beneficial bacteria after fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). This approach provides a detailed view of how donor microbes accumulate and persist in patients’ gut – not only which bacteria successfully colonize but how they change over…
Autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women, with a marked change in incidence after menopause, suggesting a possible role of sex hormones in immune regulation. Source link
How do mammals manage to eat in situations that cause anxiety, move into open spaces, or move slower when anxiety motivates them to keep moving? A new study points to a leptin-sensitive circuit in the lateral hypothalamus that helps drive essential behaviors such as relieving anxiety, exploring, feeding, and limiting maladaptive hyperactivity. Source link
