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·November 16, 2024·3 min read

How Depression Alters Stress, Health, and Lifespan

Depression disrupts the body's stress systems, causing physical health risks like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, and reducing life expectancy by 7-10 years. The condition triggers brain structure changes, such as a 40% reduction in subgenual prefrontal cortex volume, and disrupts hormone systems involving CRH, norepinephrine, and cortisol.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·6 min read

Cannabis Use Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Cancer Risk

Research indicates that cannabis use causes cellular damage that increases the risk of highly cancerous tumors by disrupting mitochondria and damaging DNA. This genotoxicity can result in mutations, accelerated aging, and birth defects, with potential to be passed on to future generations through egg and sperm. Insights from broader mitochondrial research provide a mechanistic understanding of how cannabis affects genetic stability.

This shows a pregnant woman and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

Antiseizure Drugs in Pregnancy Linked to Neurodevelopmental Risks

Research suggests that certain antiseizure medications taken during pregnancy may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental conditions in children. Drugs like valproate, topiramate, and carbamazepine were associated with specific risks, including autism and intellectual disability, while lamotrigine was found to pose little to no additional risk.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

Cannabis Compound Found to Improve Sleep

Researchers have demonstrated that cannabinol (CBN), a compound found in aged cannabis, improves sleep in rats. The study revealed that CBN increased both NREM and REM sleep, leading to more total sleep time with effects comparable to zolpidem, a common sleep medication.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·7 min read

Unlocking GABA Receptors

New research has revealed the diverse assembly and regulation of Type-A GABA receptors (GABAARs), which are crucial for balancing brain activity. Using cryogenic electron microscopy, researchers identified over 324,000 potential receptor structures, shaped by subunit combinations and their relative arrangement.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

How the Brain’s Recycling Changes with Age

New research uncovers how mitophagy, the cellular recycling of damaged mitochondria, changes dynamically in the aging mammalian brain. In memory-related cells, mitophagy rises in midlife but declines sharply in old age, while motor-related brain cells show increased mitophagy with age.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·3 min read

Mapping Protein Changes Across Aging

Researchers have developed the Mouse Aging Proteomic Atlas, a comprehensive database detailing protein changes in major tissues as mice age. By analyzing proteomes and transcriptomes across tissues like the brain, heart, and skin, they uncovered proteins linked to aging, particularly in the extracellular matrix.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

How Stressful Events Alter Memories

Researchers have discovered how stress disrupts memory specificity, leading to generalized aversive memories—a hallmark of PTSD. Stress increases endocannabinoid release, enlarging memory engrams in the brain, which triggers fearful responses to unrelated, safe situations.

This shows a woman looking at a brain model.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·4 min read

Brain Circuits for Spatial Memory and Navigation Identified

Researchers have identified two neural circuits in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) that are critical for spatial navigation and memory storage. The M2-projecting pathway links spatial thought to action, while the AD-projecting pathway supports location-specific memory.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·6 min read

NMDA Stabilizes Brain Activity

Researchers have discovered that the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), known for its role in learning and memory, also stabilizes brain activity by setting baseline neural network activity. This stabilization supports the brain’s adaptability amid constant environmental and physiological changes.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2024·5 min read

AI Outpaces Humans in Rapid Disease Detection

A deep learning AI model developed by researchers significantly accelerates the detection of pathology in animal and human tissue images, surpassing human accuracy in some cases. This AI, trained on high-resolution images from past studies, quickly identifies signs of diseases like cancer that typically take hours for pathologists to detect.