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UC Irvine

This shows an older woman surrounded by flowers.

·August 1, 2023·5 min read

Scentful Slumbers: Enhancing Memory in Older Adults Through Nightly Aromatherapy

A new study demonstrates how nightly aromatherapy can enhance memory in older adults. Over six months, subjects were exposed to various natural oil fragrances for two hours each night, leading to a remarkable 226% increase in cognitive capacity.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 1, 2023·4 min read

Getting the Skinny on Cannabis Use: The Effect of Cannabis on Weight and Metabolism

Researchers shed light on the enigma of cannabis users tending to be leaner and less diabetes-prone despite appetite stimulation. The study shows that cannabis exposure during adolescence disrupts energy balance and adipose organ (fat storage) homeostasis.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 24, 2023·4 min read

Alzheimer’s Pathology Found in Superagers With Superior Cognition

A new study found people who are 90+ and have superior cognitive skills have similar levels of brain pathology as Alzheimer's patients. However, they also have less brain pathology of other neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers are now looking at how lifestyle habits and health conditions are associated with superior cognition in individuals who are 90+.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 8, 2023·5 min read

Eye-Opening Drug Discovery May Help Treat Age-Related Macular Degeneration

350 million people worldwide are believed to suffer from blinding diseases including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Researchers have discovered a small class of drugs, dubbed SREDs, that have the potential to treat a range of blinding diseases.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2023·3 min read

How to Prevent a High-Fat Diet From Throwing Metabolism Out of Whack

Eliminating SAPS3 from the genome of mice allowed the AMPK protein complex to activate and maintain normal energy balance, even with high-fat meals. This discovery could pave the way for developing a new approach to metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 27, 2023·4 min read

Early-Life Stress Can Disrupt Maturation of Brain’s Reward Circuits, Promoting Disorders

Researchers have identified a novel stress-sensitive pathway in the reward system of the brain that releases corticotropin-releasing hormone in response to stress. Adverse experiences cause this pathway to become overactive.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·January 30, 2023·5 min read

How Our Brains Turn Into Smarter Disease Fighters

CRISPR gene editing created the G795A amino acid which was introduced to microglia derived from human stem cells. Researchers were able to transplant the donor microglia immune cells into humanized rodent models while administering an FDA-approved cancer drug called pexidartinib. The inclusion of the amino acid cause the donated microglia to thrive and resist the drug, while the host microglia died. The findings open the door for new methods of using microglia to treat a range of neurodegenerative disorders.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 30, 2022·4 min read

A Crucial Role of Brain’s Striatum Cilia in Time Perception

Destruction or removal of the cilia in the striatum impairs time perception and judgment, new research suggests. The findings could have implications for a range of diseases including schizophrenia, ASD, and Parkinson's.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·November 30, 2022·4 min read

Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Approval Sparks Surprising Impact

Media coverage of the FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug aducanumab made the public less willing to volunteer in Alzheimer's pharmaceutical trials.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 21, 2022·4 min read

Repeated Stress Accelerates Aging of the Eye

Stress such as intraocular pressure elevation in the eye causes the retinal tissue to undergo transcriptional and epigenetic changes similar to natural aging.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 6, 2022·4 min read

The Adult Brain Can Recover Lost Vision

Administering a chemical compound called synthetic retinoids to the retina helped restore brain networks associated with vision and prompted the growth of two times more neurons, effectively restoring vision in adult mouse models of the genetic visual disorder LCA.