FeaturedNeuroscience·August 11, 2020·4 min readExcess Weight Among Pregnant Women May Interfere With Child’s Developing BrainMaternal obesity may hinder their child's brain development as soon as the second trimester of pregnancy. High maternal BMI is associated with changes to the child's prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, two brain areas associated with decision making, and behavior.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·August 6, 2020·4 min readREM Sleep Tunes Eating BehaviorSuppressing the activity of hypothalamic neurons in mice during REM sleep resulted in a decrease in the amount of food later consumed. The study suggests REM sleep is essential to stabilize food intake.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·August 5, 2020·3 min readScientists Discover the Switch That Makes Human Brown Fat Burn EnergyBeta2-adrenergic receptors in brown fat cells are responsible for stimulating thermogenesis.Read More
ElectrophysiologyFeaturedNeuroscience·August 3, 2020·5 min readEnergy Demands Limit Our Brains’ Information Processing CapacityPaying attention alters how the brain allocates its limited energy. As the brain uses more energy to process information we attend to, the less energy is supplied to processing outside our field of attention.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·July 31, 2020·3 min readTiming of Meals Affects Body Rhythms and Metabolic HealthBoth food timing and the integrity of the internal clock in the liver altered rhythms of metabolism in mice. Almost half of the rhythmic genes are regulated by both the internal clock and when food is ingested.Read More
FeaturedNeurology·July 14, 2020·4 min readLink Between Delirium and Brain Energy Disruption DiscoveredArtificially inducing peripheral inflammation in mice triggered the sudden onset of delirium-like cognitive dysfunction, and this was mediated by a disturbance in energy metabolism.Read More
AutismNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·June 18, 2020·5 min readUnique metabolic markers detect over 50% of children affected by ASDBlood samples reveal unique metabolic signatures in over 50% of children on the autism spectrum.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·May 11, 2020·4 min readProtein shredder regulates fat metabolism in the brainResearchers discover an important function of gamma-secretase in cells that is critical for lipid homeostasis in the brain.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·April 28, 2020·2 min readPeople with brown fat may burn 15% more caloriesStudy reports short-term cold exposure activates brown fat and energy metabolism, helping people with brown adipose fat burn calories 15% more than those without.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 18, 2020·3 min readExercise during pregnancy reduces obesity among offspringExercise during pregnancy stimulates the production of brown adipose tissue in the developing fetus. This can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 16, 2020·3 min readWatch that smell! Scents can regulate fat storageStudy links olfactory perception to fat storage. Optogenetically inhibiting or activating an olfactory neural circuit in C. elegans promoted the loss or gain of fat storage.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 3, 2020·5 min readArtificial sweeteners combined with carbs may be more harmful than sweeteners aloneConsumed alone, artificial sweeteners do not appear to have a negative impact. However, when consumed with carbohydrates, insulin sensitivity changes and the brain has a decreased response to sweet tastes.Read More