Baylor College of Medicine

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Baylor College of Medicine

This shows a young girl laying down with headphones on

·June 10, 2021·5 min read

Music Listening Near Bedtime Disruptive to Sleep

Researchers say people continue to process music, even when no songs are playing. This can lead to earworms, or tunes that get stuck in your head, which can crop up during sleep. People who experience earworms regularly at night are six times more likely to report poorer quality sleep.

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Featured Neuroscience

·May 26, 2021·5 min read

This Brain Circuit Signals When to Stop Eating; Could Regulating It Help With Obesity

Researchers have identified a subpopulation of dopaminergic neurons in the caudal ventral tegmental area that appears to suppress food intake by triggering satiation in mice.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 19, 2021·8 min read

Novel Approach Identifies Genes Linked to Autism and Predicts Patient IQ

A new computational model can identify genes linked to autism and predict the level of intellectual disability in people with ASD by only using rare mutations in genes already associated with the condition.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 6, 2021·6 min read

In a Cell-Eat-Cell World Calcium Ions Activate ‘Eat-Me’ Signal in Necrotic Cells

When necrotic cells expose phosphatidylserine on their outer surfaces, and when phagocytes detect it, the phagocytes ingest and destroy the dying cells.

This shows a woman with her hands on her tummy

Featured Neuroscience

·April 29, 2021·6 min read

Fasting Lowers Blood Pressure by Reshaping the Gut Microbiota

Intermittent fasting can help to reduce hypertension by reshaping the gut's microbiome.

This shows a model of a head and a brain

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 26, 2021·5 min read

Correcting Altered Brain Circuit Could Tackle Coinciding Obesity and Depression

Mice that consumed high-fat diets not only became obese, they also displayed an increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. This was mediated by a defective brain circuit. When the disruptions were corrected either genetically or pharmaceutically, mice displayed fewer symptoms of depression and experienced weight loss.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 10, 2021·6 min read

Gut Microbes May Hold the Key for Treating Neurological Disorders

In mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders, researchers found social deficits were mediated by microbes in the gut. By contrast, hyperactivity is controlled by genetics. Treatment with a specific microbe helped improve social behavior.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·December 8, 2020·5 min read

Novel Gene Variants That Modify the Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Discovered

Researchers have identified 216 new gene variants that appear to play a role in the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 2, 2020·4 min read

The Tree of Cortical Cell Types Describes the Diversity of Neurons in the Brain

Study provides the most detailed and complete characterization of diversity in neural types in the brain to date.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 1, 2020·5 min read

Unique glucose-sensing neurons that regulate blood sugar identified

Researchers have identified a group of glucose-sensing neurons in the ventrolateral area of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and discovered how they work together to prevent hypoglycemia in mice.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 29, 2020·2 min read

Tobacco smoking increases lung entry points for COVID-19

Smoking remodels the gene expression of lung cells so that the ACE2 gene is more highly expressed in goblet cells. The effects of smoking on ACE2 pulmonary expression indicates an increase in the overall entry points for coronavirus and increases the risk for viral binding and entry of COVID-19 into the lungs.