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USC

·November 9, 2020·4 min read

Researchers Isolate and Decode Brain Signal Patterns for Specific Behaviors

A new machine-learning algorithm has uncovered new neural mechanisms and enhanced the decoding of behaviors directly from brain signaling data.

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Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 13, 2020·5 min read

A New Model of the Brain’s Real-Life Neural Networks

A new computational model predicts how information deep inside the brain could flow from one network to another, and how neural network clusters can self optimize over time.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 13, 2020·4 min read

Hunger Hormone Impacts Memory

The hunger hormone ghrelin doesn't just influence where and when animals eat, it also appears to have an impact on memory. Disrupting signaling of ghrelin to the vagus nerve caused rats to forget they had just eaten, even though the animals remembered they had just had access to food. Findings suggest disrupted ghrelin signaling could negatively impact episodic memory.

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Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·August 6, 2020·7 min read

How Pollution Affects the Brain

Two new studies from USC reveal the implications of air pollution on brain development and neurological health in children and older women.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 1, 2020·3 min read

40% of Dementia Cases Could Be Prevented or Delayed by Targeting 12 Risk Factors Throughout Life

Study reports modifying twelve risk factors over your lifetime could reduce dementia risk by 40%.

Featured Genetics Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 24, 2020·5 min read

Protein in mitochondria appears to regulate health and longevity

Humanin, a peptide encoded in mitochondria, appears to have a beneficial impact on both health and longevity in both humans and animals. Higher levels of humanin in the body are associated with longer life spans and a reduced risk of neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer's disease.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 17, 2020·4 min read

Scientists gain detailed images of how a protein that calms brain activity works

Cryo-electron microscopy captures detailed snapshots of the GABAB receptor protein contorts as it interacts with GABA.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 2, 2020·5 min read

Temporarily suppressing immune system during early COVID-19 infection may prevent severe symptoms

A new mathematical model examined the immune response in patients with coronavirus. The findings suggest adaptive immune response may kick in before target immune cells are depleted, slowing the infection. The interaction of the innate and adaptive immune response may explain why some with coronavirus experience a second wave infection, appearing to get better before the symptoms return and get worse. Other studies have shown those who received immunosuppressants at the start of infection had a better clinical outcome than those who did not.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·April 29, 2020·4 min read

APOE4 triggers early breakdowns in the blood-brain barrier

APOE4, a gene implicated as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, triggers leaks in the blood-brain barrier. The damage to capillaries APOE4 causes correlates with increased levels of cyclophilin, a protein that causes the inflammation that is a signature of early Alzheimer's.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 22, 2020·4 min read

Scientists track the link between wildlife and COVID-19

Virologist and computational neuroscientists agree, how humans treat and trade animals may have played a significant role in the coronavirus pandemic and other viral infections.

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·April 20, 2020·3 min read

Early antibody testing results reveal more COVID-19 infections than confirmed cases

The first round of antibody testing in L.A country reveals approximately 4.1% of the adult population has COVID-19 antibodies. Adjusting for margin of error, between 2.8% to 5.6% of the adult population has antibodies to the virus. This means between 221,000 and 442,000 adults in the Los Angeles area have been infected with coronavirus. The estimate is up to 55 times higher than confirmed cases reported for the area.