Music makes us happy. It elicits memories of all kinds. Such is the effect of music on us that Music Therapy is actually a thing in some treatment methods.

A conclusion can easily be drawn from this that music affects our brains, ofcourse in a positive manner. But does our brain respond to sound of singing in a particular way that to, say instrumental music? A new study says yes.

A new group of neurons has been found which responds selectively to the sound of singing.

The team of researchers at the University of Rochester observed effect of 165 different sounds on human brain. The electrocal activity in the brain was mapped.

The team recorded electrical activity in response to 165 different sounds. These sounds ranged from instrumental music to even dogs barking. The result obtained was then processed using an algorithm. Results obtained from fMRI scans of 30 different individuals were then combined.

The analysis of this data revealed that there were some neurons that responded to the sound of music or there were some that responded to the sound speech.

But researchers also found a group of neurons that responded selectively to sound of singing&nbsp;

“These results suggest that representations of music are fractionated into subpopulations selective for different types of music, one of which is specialised for the analysis of song,” the team writes in their research paper.

The research has been published in Current Biology.

Music makes us happy. It elicits memories of all kinds. Such is the effect of music on us that Music Therapy is actually a thing in some treatment methods. A conclusion can easily be drawn from this that music affects our brains, ofcourse in a positive manner.

Music makes us happy. It elicits memories of all kinds. Such is the effect of music on us that Music Therapy is actually a thing in some treatment methods. A conclusion can easily be drawn from this that music affects our brains, ofcourse in a positive manner. But does our brain respond to sound of singing in a particular way that to, say instrumental music? A new study says yes. A new group of neurons has been found which responds selectively to the sound of singing. The team of researchers at the University of Rochester observed effect of 165 different sounds on human brain. The electrocal activity in the brain was mapped. The team recorded electrical activity in response to 165 different sounds. These sounds ranged from instrumental music to even dogs barking. The result obtained was then processed using an algorithm. Results obtained from fMRI scans of 30 different individuals were then combined. The analysis of this data revealed that there were some neurons that responded to the sound of music or there were some that responded to the sound speech. But researchers also found a group of neurons that responded selectively to sound of singing “These results suggest that representations of music are fractionated into subpopulations selective for different types of music, one of which is specialised for the analysis of song,” the team writes in their research paper. The research has been published in Current Biology.

Study finds part of human brain responding to singing

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year. This is being touted to be first direct experimental evidence to show how poverty leads to such changes.

The study is ongoing.&nbsp;

"We have known for many years that growing up in poverty puts children at risk for lower school achievement, reduced earnings, and poorer health," explains neuroscientist Kimberly Noble from Columbia University.

"However, until now, we haven't been able to say whether poverty itself causes differences in child development, or whether growing up in poverty is simply associated with other factors that cause those differences."

For this study, a thousand low-income mothers were recruited shortly after their baby was born. These parents were from New York City, New Orleans, Omaha or Minneapolis/St. Paul.

By random selection, these mothers were given either USD 333 or USD 20 per month for first four years of their babies' lives.

It was found that babies of low-income mothers who had received higher cash payments showed higher frequency brain activity than the babies whose mothers had got lower amount of money.

More research is said to be needed to correctly ascertain whether higher frequency brain activity led to better cognitive development. But researchers think that this was possible. It is being ascertained if lower mental&nbsp;stress of parents had anything to do with heightened brain activity of the baby.

The study has been published in PNAS.

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year.

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year. This is being touted to be first direct experimental evidence to show how poverty leads to such changes. The study is ongoing. "We have known for many years that growing up in poverty puts children at risk for lower school achievement, reduced earnings, and poorer health," explains neuroscientist Kimberly Noble from Columbia University. "However, until now, we haven't been able to say whether poverty itself causes differences in child development, or whether growing up in poverty is simply associated with other factors that cause those differences." For this study, a thousand low-income mothers were recruited shortly after their baby was born. These parents were from New York City, New Orleans, Omaha or Minneapolis/St. Paul. By random selection, these mothers were given either USD 333 or USD 20 per month for first four years of their babies' lives. It was found that babies of low-income mothers who had received higher cash payments showed higher frequency brain activity than the babies whose mothers had got lower amount of money. More research is said to be needed to correctly ascertain whether higher frequency brain activity led to better cognitive development. But researchers think that this was possible. It is being ascertained if lower mental stress of parents had anything to do with heightened brain activity of the baby. The study has been published in PNAS.

Extra money with parents changes babies' brains, says a landmark study

China seems to have taken a massive leap in robotics as a group of scientists claimed to have built a robot that can read people's minds with 96 per cent accuracy.

The developers at China Three Gorges University’s Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Technology Centre tested the robot at an assembly factory, reports&nbsp;Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post.

The industrial robot not only monitored the worker’s brain waves, but also collected electric signals from muscles, as it worked seamlessly together to assemble a complex product, the developers said.

The robot was able to instantly read the co-worker’s brain waves without the latter saying anything and was able to pick up a tool and put it on the workstation, according to the developers.

“In modern industrial manufacturing, assembly work accounts for 45 per cent of the total workload, and 20-30 per cent of the total production cost,” project lead scientist Dong Yuanfa and his co-researchers said in a paper published in domestic peer-reviewed journal China Mechanical Engineering.

Collaborative robots, or “cobots”, could accelerate the pace of an assembly line, but their application remained limited because “their ability to recognise human intention is often inaccurate and unstable”, the paper said.

Dong said his robot was put through “hundreds of hours of training” by volunteers, which included assembly line workers carefully putting together a product.

The robot reportedly followed commands of the workers 70 per cent of the time but did need volunteers to “concentrate very hard” for the brain message to be read.

Many of them grew too distracted due to the repetitive nature of their thoughts.

The paper noted that further tests would be needed to establish whether the technology could be used in an actual factory, as all tests so far had been conducted in a lab.

(With inputs from agencies)

China seems to have taken a massive leap in robotics as a group of scientists claimed to have built a robot that can read people's minds with 96 per cent accuracy.

China seems to have taken a massive leap in robotics as a group of scientists claimed to have built a robot that can read people's minds with 96 per cent accuracy. The developers at China Three Gorges University’s Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Technology Centre tested the robot at an assembly factory, reports Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post. The industrial robot not only monitored the worker’s brain waves, but also collected electric signals from muscles, as it worked seamlessly together to assemble a complex product, the developers said. The robot was able to instantly read the co-worker’s brain waves without the latter saying anything and was able to pick up a tool and put it on the workstation, according to the developers. “In modern industrial manufacturing, assembly work accounts for 45 per cent of the total workload, and 20-30 per cent of the total production cost,” project lead scientist Dong Yuanfa and his co-researchers said in a paper published in domestic peer-reviewed journal China Mechanical Engineering. Collaborative robots, or “cobots”, could accelerate the pace of an assembly line, but their application remained limited because “their ability to recognise human intention is often inaccurate and unstable”, the paper said. Dong said his robot was put through “hundreds of hours of training” by volunteers, which included assembly line workers carefully putting together a product. The robot reportedly followed commands of the workers 70 per cent of the time but did need volunteers to “concentrate very hard” for the brain message to be read. Many of them grew too distracted due to the repetitive nature of their thoughts. The paper noted that further tests would be needed to establish whether the technology could be used in an actual factory, as all tests so far had been conducted in a lab. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese scientists build robot that can read mind with 96% accuracy: Report

A new study has revealed that children's brain development can depend on their parents' knowledge and beliefs. Published in the journal 'Nature Communications', the study investigated one potential source of discrepancy in child skill level.&nbsp;

The study involved experimental studies involving hundreds of families across the Chicagoland area.&nbsp;

The researchers highlighted that parental knowledge and beliefs differ across socioeconomic statuses. However, these beliefs can be changed, with the right intervention.&nbsp;

Moreover, these changes can have measurable effects on child outcomes. The results may offer policymakers insights into addressing an important contributor to disparities in child skill development.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-unearth-secret-of-no-star-formation-in-some-early-galaxies-419676">Also read |&nbsp;Astronomers unearth secret of no star formation in some early galaxies</a>

Suskind, Professor of Surgery and Paediatrics and Co-Director of the TMW Centre for Early Learning and Public Health said, "Neuroscience clearly shows that building early brain connections in children relies on the nurturing 'serve and return,' meaning the interactions between adult and child."

"There are many deep, structural drivers of inequality that have enormous impacts on child development. At the same time, we know that parental input plays a major role in early foundational brain development."

Suskind added, "However, little research has been centred on understanding, number one, what parents know and believe in the first place, and, number two, whether or not changing what parents know and believe maps onto changes in child input and child outcomes."

Suskind and her collaborators decided to investigate what underlies parental beliefs about their role in their child's development.&nbsp;

This is when the team asked whether these beliefs could even be changed and what method of doing so might be most effective in doing so.

For this, the team conducted two field experiments, from 2016 to 2019, with families living in and around Chicago.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nyc-security-guard-stabbed-over-mask-dispute-at-apple-store-419632">Also read |&nbsp;NYC: Security guard stabbed over mask dispute at Apple store</a>

The results were also correlated with improvements in child outcomes, such as vocabulary, math skills and social-emotional skills. "We were able to show robust impacts in what parents knew and believed as well as both a related shift in nurturing behaviour, more talking interaction and changes in child outcomes," said Suskind.

It was concluded that not only parental attitudes and beliefs are correlated with parental investment and child outcomes, but that these beliefs can be altered.&nbsp;

The experiments also provide examples of effective methods for changing parental beliefs.&nbsp;

A new study has revealed that children's brain development can depend on their parents' knowledge and beliefs. Published in the journal 'Nature Communications', the study investigated one potential source of discrepancy in child skill level.

A new study has revealed that children's brain development can depend on their parents' knowledge and beliefs. Published in the journal 'Nature Communications', the study investigated one potential source of discrepancy in child skill level. The study involved experimental studies involving hundreds of families across the Chicagoland area. The researchers highlighted that parental knowledge and beliefs differ across socioeconomic statuses. However, these beliefs can be changed, with the right intervention. Moreover, these changes can have measurable effects on child outcomes. The results may offer policymakers insights into addressing an important contributor to disparities in child skill development. Also read | Astronomers unearth secret of no star formation in some early galaxies Suskind, Professor of Surgery and Paediatrics and Co-Director of the TMW Centre for Early Learning and Public Health said, "Neuroscience clearly shows that building early brain connections in children relies on the nurturing 'serve and return,' meaning the interactions between adult and child." "There are many deep, structural drivers of inequality that have enormous impacts on child development. At the same time, we know that parental input plays a major role in early foundational brain development." Suskind added, "However, little research has been centred on understanding, number one, what parents know and believe in the first place, and, number two, whether or not changing what parents know and believe maps onto changes in child input and child outcomes." Suskind and her collaborators decided to investigate what underlies parental beliefs about their role in their child's development. This is when the team asked whether these beliefs could even be changed and what method of doing so might be most effective in doing so. For this, the team conducted two field experiments, from 2016 to 2019, with families living in and around Chicago. Also read | NYC: Security guard stabbed over mask dispute at Apple store The results were also correlated with improvements in child outcomes, such as vocabulary, math skills and social-emotional skills. "We were able to show robust impacts in what parents knew and believed as well as both a related shift in nurturing behaviour, more talking interaction and changes in child outcomes," said Suskind. It was concluded that not only parental attitudes and beliefs are correlated with parental investment and child outcomes, but that these beliefs can be altered. The experiments also provide examples of effective methods for changing parental beliefs.

Child's brain development impacted by beliefs of parents: Study

Cancer charities and the NHS in the UK are looking forward to investigating whether a cannabis-based mouth spray can treat brain tumours and help the patients.

The drug, already used in treating multiple sclerosis, was found to be tolerable in combination with chemotherapy, with the potential to extend survival, in phase I trial in glioblastomas earlier this year.

"The new three-year phase II trial (ARISTOCRAT), funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and co-ordinated by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham, is due to begin recruiting more than 230 patients across all UK nations in early 2022, subject to sufficient funds being raised", read the news release by Leeds University.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/reforestation-might-threaten-global-security-warns-oxfam-402682">Also read |&nbsp;Reforestation might threaten global security, warns Oxfam</a>

Professor Susan Short, the principle investigator on the new trial and Professor of Clinical Oncology and Neuro-Oncology at Leeds said, "The treatment of glioblastomas remains extremely challenging. Even with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, nearly all of these brain tumours re-grow within a year, and unfortunately there are very few options for patients once this occurs".

She added, “Glioblastoma brain tumours have been shown to have receptors to cannabinoids on their cell surfaces, and laboratory studies on glioblastoma cells have shown these drugs may slow tumour growth and work particularly well when used with temozolomide".

Cancer charities and the NHS in the UK are looking forward to investigating whether a cannabis-based mouth spray can treat brain tumours and help the patients. The drug, already used in treating multiple sclerosis, was found to be tolerable in combination with chemotherapy, with the potential to extend survival, in phase I trial in glioblastomas earlier this year.

Cancer charities and the NHS in the UK are looking forward to investigating whether a cannabis-based mouth spray can treat brain tumours and help the patients. The drug, already used in treating multiple sclerosis, was found to be tolerable in combination with chemotherapy, with the potential to extend survival, in phase I trial in glioblastomas earlier this year. "The new three-year phase II trial (ARISTOCRAT), funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and co-ordinated by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham, is due to begin recruiting more than 230 patients across all UK nations in early 2022, subject to sufficient funds being raised", read the news release by Leeds University. Also read | Reforestation might threaten global security, warns Oxfam Professor Susan Short, the principle investigator on the new trial and Professor of Clinical Oncology and Neuro-Oncology at Leeds said, "The treatment of glioblastomas remains extremely challenging. Even with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, nearly all of these brain tumours re-grow within a year, and unfortunately there are very few options for patients once this occurs". She added, “Glioblastoma brain tumours have been shown to have receptors to cannabinoids on their cell surfaces, and laboratory studies on glioblastoma cells have shown these drugs may slow tumour growth and work particularly well when used with temozolomide".

Researchers to test if cannabis-based mouth spray can treat brain tumours

Scientists have identified an unique way to communicate with cells in the human brain that has never been seen before.

The discovery implies that human brains may be more powerful computational units than previously thought.&nbsp;

Last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece disclosed a process in the brain's outer cells that produced a new "graded" signal of their own, which could allow individual neurons another means to carry out their logical functions.&nbsp;

The study, which was published in the journal Science on January 3, 2020, notes that the newfound electrical property has never been observed in any animal tissue other than human tissue, raising the question of whether the signal contributes exclusively to human intelligence or to that of our evolutionary cousins, primates.&nbsp;

The signal is a wave of opening and closing channels in neurons that exchange charged particles like sodium, chloride, and potassium.

An action potential is a pulse of ions in motion.

Neurons manage these messages chemically at the ends of branches called dendrites, rather than using transistors.&nbsp;

"The dendrites are central to understanding the brain because they are at the core of what determines the computational power of single neurons," Humboldt University neuroscientist Matthew Larkum told Walter Beckwith at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in January 2020.

Dendrites, also dendrons, are branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that propagate the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project. 
 
Our nervous system's traffic lights are dendrites.A substantial action potential can be communicated to neighbouring nerves, which can either block or convey the message.&nbsp;

Calcium-mediated dendritic action potentials, or dCaAPs, were triggered by mix of positively charged ions, resulting in waves of voltage that had never been seen previously.

Brains, particularly human brains, are frequently compared to computers.The analogy has its limitations, although they accomplish jobs in similar ways on some levels.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have identified an unique way to communicate with cells in the human brain that has never been seen before. The discovery implies that human brains may be more powerful computational units than previously thought.

Scientists have identified an unique way to communicate with cells in the human brain that has never been seen before. The discovery implies that human brains may be more powerful computational units than previously thought. Last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece disclosed a process in the brain's outer cells that produced a new "graded" signal of their own, which could allow individual neurons another means to carry out their logical functions. The study, which was published in the journal Science on January 3, 2020, notes that the newfound electrical property has never been observed in any animal tissue other than human tissue, raising the question of whether the signal contributes exclusively to human intelligence or to that of our evolutionary cousins, primates. The signal is a wave of opening and closing channels in neurons that exchange charged particles like sodium, chloride, and potassium. An action potential is a pulse of ions in motion. Neurons manage these messages chemically at the ends of branches called dendrites, rather than using transistors. "The dendrites are central to understanding the brain because they are at the core of what determines the computational power of single neurons," Humboldt University neuroscientist Matthew Larkum told Walter Beckwith at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in January 2020. Dendrites, also dendrons, are branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that propagate the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Our nervous system's traffic lights are dendrites.A substantial action potential can be communicated to neighbouring nerves, which can either block or convey the message. Calcium-mediated dendritic action potentials, or dCaAPs, were triggered by mix of positively charged ions, resulting in waves of voltage that had never been seen previously. Brains, particularly human brains, are frequently compared to computers.The analogy has its limitations, although they accomplish jobs in similar ways on some levels. (With inputs from agencies)

Our brains may have more computing power than previously thought: Study

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead.

A quixotic neurologist working 12-hour days to decipher the clues.

Swirling conspiracy theories blaming the illness on cellphone towers, fracking or even <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccines</a>.

These are just some plotlines of a mystery that has stumped Canada’s medical establishment, attracted the attention of some of the world’s top neurologists and fanned fears among residents of New Brunswick, a picturesque province of about 770,000 on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In the past six years, dozens of people have fallen ill from the disease, and six people have died.

"People are alarmed," said Yvon Godin, the mayor of Betrand, a village in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick where residents have been afflicted. "They are asking, 'Is it environmental? Is it genetic? Is it fish or deer meat? Is it something else?’ Everyone wants answers."

As the coronavirus raged across the country the past 15 months, the medical enigma was initially slow to gain national attention. Canadian health authorities, distracted by the need to respond to the pandemic, scrambled to determine the seriousness of the outbreak, which was only publicly exposed after a memo about it by New Brunswick’s chief medical officer was leaked to the press in March.

Doctors investigating the disease say the sluggish response underlines the challenge for other medical conditions to compete for the spotlight during a global pandemic.

Medical experts said the murkiness surrounding the illness also reflected how, despite extraordinary advances in medical science, some conditions, in particular neurological diseases involving dementia, can puzzle even the world’s best scientific brains.

The Canadian outbreak could join the pantheon of other ailments that have mystified the world, such as the debilitating illness that impaired dozens of diplomats in Cuba and China beginning in 2016, prompting suspicions that victims may have been targeted by Moscow, Beijing or a rogue government. There was also a painful and puzzling kidney disease that afflicted workers harvesting sugar cane in Nicaragua four years earlier.

The mystery, however, could also fizzle, if it turns out that a variety of preexisting conditions have been prematurely ascribed to a strange new disease.

Among the youngest victims of the Canadian syndrome is Gabrielle Cormier, 20, once a straight-A student who participated in figure skating competitions and aspired to become a pathologist.

But as she began university two years ago, Cormier said she was suddenly and inexplicably overcome by fatigue, started bumping into things and had visions that looked like static from a television. No longer able to read easily or walk to class, she was forced to drop out of school.

Not understanding what was wrong amplified the illness’s horror. After being misdiagnosed with mononucleosis, Cormier said emergency room doctors then told her there was nothing wrong with her. A battery of tests yielded no diagnosis. She was eventually referred to a neurologist as her health deteriorated and she experienced involuntary jerking movements, memory lapses and hallucinations. She was among the first to be included in the cluster of those suffering from the unidentified syndrome.

Today, she lives at home in Dalhousie Junction, in rural northern New Brunswick, and walks with a cane. "I was just starting what is supposed to be the best chapter of your life, and then it disappeared," she said. "I don’t know if I will die or live out the rest of my life with these symptoms."

Dr. Neil Cashman, a neurologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who is investigating the illness, said it was a medical whodunit of the type seen only a couple of times a century.

"From the standpoint of a mystery, there is usually something horrible, like a murder. In this case, it is rapidly progressive dementia and psychiatric manifestations, losing everything at once that is controlled by the brain and the spinal chord," he said. "It is terrifying."

But other medical experts questioned the condition’s novelty.

Dr. Michael Geschwind, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, who is one of the world’s leading experts on rare neurological outbreaks, has not studied the cases or autopsies of those affected. But he cautioned that what can seem like a new illness sometimes turns out to be a known disease that has not been diagnosed. Those affected, he added, could end up suffering from a "grab bag" of disparate neurodegenerative diseases that were being linked together.

"Sometimes what seems to be a cluster turns out to be something else," he said.

The disease was first observed in 2015 when a New Brunswick neurologist, Dr. Alier Marrero, saw a patient who presented a bizarre mix of symptoms including anxiety, depression, rapidly progressive dementia, muscle pains and frightening visual disturbances.

Three years later, he had eight total cases. The next year the total was 20. Then 38. Then 48.

The patients range in age from 18 to 84 and live primarily in two areas of New Brunswick: Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula.

Baffled by what he was observing, Marrero, a physician at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in Moncton, ordered blood tests, spinal taps, MRI scans and electroencephalograms.

Marrero said the tests revealed abnormalities such as brain atrophy and neurological dysfunction, but none of the results linked together to form a clear diagnosis.

He initially suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that is thought to be caused by prions, novel infectious agents that damage the brain. But the patients tested negative for known forms of CJD.

He scoured medical texts. He consulted with colleagues across the world. Eventually, he said, only one conclusion made sense: "It was not something we have seen before."

With no diagnosis, he gave the devastating disease a decidedly prosaic working name: Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Etiology in New Brunswick. He also sounded the alarm, notifying colleagues and federal and provincial health authorities.

In April, six years after the first cases emerged, health authorities in New Brunswick and Ottawa, Canada’s capital, assembled a team of neurologists, public health researchers, environmentalists and veterinarians to investigate. Brain autopsies of the six victims are being analyzed at a federal laboratory in Ottawa, while a team of neurologists and pathologists from across Canada is reviewing the evidence.

Of the three autopsies done so far, all have been negative for known forms of prion disease, according to Dr. Michael Coulthart, a neurologist who is leading the investigation.

Medical investigators said the list of potential causes had been winnowed down to four or five.

Cashman, the University of British Columbia neurologist, said one line of inquiry was that the disease could be caused by a toxin known as beta-methylamino-L-alanine, or BMAA, which is produced by blue-green algae and has been linked to diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's.

Another potential culprit, he said, is chronic exposure to Domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in shellfish off the coast of New Brunswick.

He said the team was not ruling out that it could be a new prion disease or a syndrome caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria, a virus or a fungus.

Some families of those suffering from the symptoms are angry that health authorities took so long to reveal them.

Steven Ellis, whose father, Roger, is part of the New Brunswick outbreak, said his family wanted to know whether the condition was genetic or caused by an external factor. Once jovial and active, his father is now confined to a nursing home and has suffered weight loss, irritability and delusions.

Only after reading the leaked New Brunswick public health officer’s internal memo about the syndrome in March did Ellis connect it to his father’s illness.

"It was like reading our private family story," he recalled. "The pandemic overshadowed this disease. Why did it take so long for this to become public?"

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, told a news conference in April that provincial health authorities had prudently reacted once federal health officials determined that the number of cases was significant. There is a "long road ahead" to determine the cause, she said.

But Ellis said families like his were running out of time.

"If my dad had terminal cancer, of course it would be upsetting, but at least there would be a prognosis," he said. "We are watching him dying a slow death, and nobody can tell us why."

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead.

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead. A quixotic neurologist working 12-hour days to decipher the clues. Swirling conspiracy theories blaming the illness on cellphone towers, fracking or even COVID-19 vaccines. These are just some plotlines of a mystery that has stumped Canada’s medical establishment, attracted the attention of some of the world’s top neurologists and fanned fears among residents of New Brunswick, a picturesque province of about 770,000 on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In the past six years, dozens of people have fallen ill from the disease, and six people have died. "People are alarmed," said Yvon Godin, the mayor of Betrand, a village in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick where residents have been afflicted. "They are asking, 'Is it environmental? Is it genetic? Is it fish or deer meat? Is it something else?’ Everyone wants answers." As the coronavirus raged across the country the past 15 months, the medical enigma was initially slow to gain national attention. Canadian health authorities, distracted by the need to respond to the pandemic, scrambled to determine the seriousness of the outbreak, which was only publicly exposed after a memo about it by New Brunswick’s chief medical officer was leaked to the press in March. Doctors investigating the disease say the sluggish response underlines the challenge for other medical conditions to compete for the spotlight during a global pandemic. Medical experts said the murkiness surrounding the illness also reflected how, despite extraordinary advances in medical science, some conditions, in particular neurological diseases involving dementia, can puzzle even the world’s best scientific brains. The Canadian outbreak could join the pantheon of other ailments that have mystified the world, such as the debilitating illness that impaired dozens of diplomats in Cuba and China beginning in 2016, prompting suspicions that victims may have been targeted by Moscow, Beijing or a rogue government. There was also a painful and puzzling kidney disease that afflicted workers harvesting sugar cane in Nicaragua four years earlier. The mystery, however, could also fizzle, if it turns out that a variety of preexisting conditions have been prematurely ascribed to a strange new disease. Among the youngest victims of the Canadian syndrome is Gabrielle Cormier, 20, once a straight-A student who participated in figure skating competitions and aspired to become a pathologist. But as she began university two years ago, Cormier said she was suddenly and inexplicably overcome by fatigue, started bumping into things and had visions that looked like static from a television. No longer able to read easily or walk to class, she was forced to drop out of school. Not understanding what was wrong amplified the illness’s horror. After being misdiagnosed with mononucleosis, Cormier said emergency room doctors then told her there was nothing wrong with her. A battery of tests yielded no diagnosis. She was eventually referred to a neurologist as her health deteriorated and she experienced involuntary jerking movements, memory lapses and hallucinations. She was among the first to be included in the cluster of those suffering from the unidentified syndrome. Today, she lives at home in Dalhousie Junction, in rural northern New Brunswick, and walks with a cane. "I was just starting what is supposed to be the best chapter of your life, and then it disappeared," she said. "I don’t know if I will die or live out the rest of my life with these symptoms." Dr. Neil Cashman, a neurologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who is investigating the illness, said it was a medical whodunit of the type seen only a couple of times a century. "From the standpoint of a mystery, there is usually something horrible, like a murder. In this case, it is rapidly progressive dementia and psychiatric manifestations, losing everything at once that is controlled by the brain and the spinal chord," he said. "It is terrifying." But other medical experts questioned the condition’s novelty. Dr. Michael Geschwind, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, who is one of the world’s leading experts on rare neurological outbreaks, has not studied the cases or autopsies of those affected. But he cautioned that what can seem like a new illness sometimes turns out to be a known disease that has not been diagnosed. Those affected, he added, could end up suffering from a "grab bag" of disparate neurodegenerative diseases that were being linked together. "Sometimes what seems to be a cluster turns out to be something else," he said. The disease was first observed in 2015 when a New Brunswick neurologist, Dr. Alier Marrero, saw a patient who presented a bizarre mix of symptoms including anxiety, depression, rapidly progressive dementia, muscle pains and frightening visual disturbances. Three years later, he had eight total cases. The next year the total was 20. Then 38. Then 48. The patients range in age from 18 to 84 and live primarily in two areas of New Brunswick: Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula. Baffled by what he was observing, Marrero, a physician at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in Moncton, ordered blood tests, spinal taps, MRI scans and electroencephalograms. Marrero said the tests revealed abnormalities such as brain atrophy and neurological dysfunction, but none of the results linked together to form a clear diagnosis. He initially suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that is thought to be caused by prions, novel infectious agents that damage the brain. But the patients tested negative for known forms of CJD. He scoured medical texts. He consulted with colleagues across the world. Eventually, he said, only one conclusion made sense: "It was not something we have seen before." With no diagnosis, he gave the devastating disease a decidedly prosaic working name: Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Etiology in New Brunswick. He also sounded the alarm, notifying colleagues and federal and provincial health authorities. In April, six years after the first cases emerged, health authorities in New Brunswick and Ottawa, Canada’s capital, assembled a team of neurologists, public health researchers, environmentalists and veterinarians to investigate. Brain autopsies of the six victims are being analyzed at a federal laboratory in Ottawa, while a team of neurologists and pathologists from across Canada is reviewing the evidence. Of the three autopsies done so far, all have been negative for known forms of prion disease, according to Dr. Michael Coulthart, a neurologist who is leading the investigation. Medical investigators said the list of potential causes had been winnowed down to four or five. Cashman, the University of British Columbia neurologist, said one line of inquiry was that the disease could be caused by a toxin known as beta-methylamino-L-alanine, or BMAA, which is produced by blue-green algae and has been linked to diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. Another potential culprit, he said, is chronic exposure to Domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in shellfish off the coast of New Brunswick. He said the team was not ruling out that it could be a new prion disease or a syndrome caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria, a virus or a fungus. Some families of those suffering from the symptoms are angry that health authorities took so long to reveal them. Steven Ellis, whose father, Roger, is part of the New Brunswick outbreak, said his family wanted to know whether the condition was genetic or caused by an external factor. Once jovial and active, his father is now confined to a nursing home and has suffered weight loss, irritability and delusions. Only after reading the leaked New Brunswick public health officer’s internal memo about the syndrome in March did Ellis connect it to his father’s illness. "It was like reading our private family story," he recalled. "The pandemic overshadowed this disease. Why did it take so long for this to become public?" Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, told a news conference in April that provincial health authorities had prudently reacted once federal health officials determined that the number of cases was significant. There is a "long road ahead" to determine the cause, she said. But Ellis said families like his were running out of time. "If my dad had terminal cancer, of course it would be upsetting, but at least there would be a prognosis," he said. "We are watching him dying a slow death, and nobody can tell us why."

Mysterious brain syndrome grips Canada

Human brain is the processor of all information we throw its way. It is also single-handedly responsible for keeping the body and mind in sync. A wireless machine, it never stops crunching data and is always processing information. All our thoughts pass through this celestial organ which is central to our nervous system.&nbsp;

Scientists were able to follow a thought as it moved through the brain, revealing the mechanisms of how our mind thinks and the processes involved therein. The study from 2018 assessed epilepsy patients who were undergoing surgery. Neuroscientists were able to track the trajectory of a thought through patients’ brains.

It was long asserted that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for linking interactions within the brain. This study reinforced those claims, for the region facilities complex interactions between different parts of the brain, which is how thoughts are processed.

To understand the movement of information from one part of the brain to another, scientists heavily rely on electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technologies. These provide a compelling insight into the workings of the mind, but its better understandings still require invasive procedures.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/indian-us-scientists-grow-human-brain-tissues-in-a-3d-printed-apparatus-385687" hreflang="en">Indian, US scientists grow human brain tissues in a 3D printed apparatus</a>

In the study, researchers from the University of California, Berkley recorded neurons’ electrical activity using a technique considered more precise. It is known as electrocorticograhy&nbsp;(ECoG). The technique poses many risks, but is necessary for patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy. This is why it served as a perfect opportunity for scientists to study the brain.

16 test subjects involved in the study were asked to perform varying tasks while their neural activity was being tracked. They were asked to listen to a stimulus and react, while many were shown images of certain objects and then asked to perform actions.

Even though the study mostly reaffirms what scientists already know about the brain, it shed light on how important prefrontal cortex is in helping humans act on different stimuli. The scientists observed the electrical activity from one part of the brain to another. They found that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for linking all human thoughts and actions.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/meet-indian-jumping-ants-who-can-shrink-and-re-grow-their-brains-377559" hreflang="en">Meet Indian jumping ants, who can shrink and re-grow their brains</a>

Human brain is the processor of all information we throw its way. It is also single-handedly responsible for keeping the body and mind in sync. A wireless machine, it never stops crunching data and is always processing information.

Human brain is the processor of all information we throw its way. It is also single-handedly responsible for keeping the body and mind in sync. A wireless machine, it never stops crunching data and is always processing information. All our thoughts pass through this celestial organ which is central to our nervous system. Scientists were able to follow a thought as it moved through the brain, revealing the mechanisms of how our mind thinks and the processes involved therein. The study from 2018 assessed epilepsy patients who were undergoing surgery. Neuroscientists were able to track the trajectory of a thought through patients’ brains. It was long asserted that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for linking interactions within the brain. This study reinforced those claims, for the region facilities complex interactions between different parts of the brain, which is how thoughts are processed. To understand the movement of information from one part of the brain to another, scientists heavily rely on electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technologies. These provide a compelling insight into the workings of the mind, but its better understandings still require invasive procedures. Also read: Indian, US scientists grow human brain tissues in a 3D printed apparatus In the study, researchers from the University of California, Berkley recorded neurons’ electrical activity using a technique considered more precise. It is known as electrocorticograhy (ECoG). The technique poses many risks, but is necessary for patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy. This is why it served as a perfect opportunity for scientists to study the brain. 16 test subjects involved in the study were asked to perform varying tasks while their neural activity was being tracked. They were asked to listen to a stimulus and react, while many were shown images of certain objects and then asked to perform actions. Even though the study mostly reaffirms what scientists already know about the brain, it shed light on how important prefrontal cortex is in helping humans act on different stimuli. The scientists observed the electrical activity from one part of the brain to another. They found that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for linking all human thoughts and actions. Also read: Meet Indian jumping ants, who can shrink and re-grow their brains

Scientists tracked a thought as it moved through the brain. What did they find?

A resident of Queensland has officially become the oldest living Australian in history, celebrating more than 111 years of life.

On Monday, Retired Roma grazier Dexter Kruger, from the small town of Roma, marked being 111 years and 124 days old.

In an interview with Australian media about the secrets to living a long life, Dexter said he eats chicken brains.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "Chicken brains. You know, chickens have a head. And in there, there's a brain. And they are delicious little things.

"There's only one little bite."

Yep, chickens aren't known for their huge brains, that's for sure.&nbsp;

Kruger turned 111 years and 124 days, surpassing the milestone set by World War I veteran Jack Locket of Victoria, who died in 2002 at the age of 111 years and 123 days old.

Dexter Ronald Kruger was born on January 13, 1910, in Nundah, Brisbane then grew up with his siblings on the property Sheep Station Creek near Kilcoy.

He was a pioneer of the liveweight cattle selling system, moving a motion in 1951 as a member of the United Graziers Association to have liveweight scales installed in Cannon Hill, Queensland.

(With inputs from agencies)

A resident of Queensland has officially become the oldest living Australian in history, celebrating more than 111 years of life. On Monday, Retired Roma grazier Dexter Kruger, from the small town of Roma, marked being 111 years and 124 days old.

A resident of Queensland has officially become the oldest living Australian in history, celebrating more than 111 years of life. On Monday, Retired Roma grazier Dexter Kruger, from the small town of Roma, marked being 111 years and 124 days old. In an interview with Australian media about the secrets to living a long life, Dexter said he eats chicken brains. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "Chicken brains. You know, chickens have a head. And in there, there's a brain. And they are delicious little things. "There's only one little bite." Yep, chickens aren't known for their huge brains, that's for sure. Kruger turned 111 years and 124 days, surpassing the milestone set by World War I veteran Jack Locket of Victoria, who died in 2002 at the age of 111 years and 123 days old. Dexter Ronald Kruger was born on January 13, 1910, in Nundah, Brisbane then grew up with his siblings on the property Sheep Station Creek near Kilcoy. He was a pioneer of the liveweight cattle selling system, moving a motion in 1951 as a member of the United Graziers Association to have liveweight scales installed in Cannon Hill, Queensland. (With inputs from agencies)

Australia's oldest man Dexter Kruger shares his secrets to a long life

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, a new study suggests.&nbsp;

The findings, published in the journal Brain, suggest that the neurological changes often seen in these patients may result from inflammation triggered by the virus in other parts of the body or the brain's blood vessels.&nbsp;

"We've looked at more brains than other studies and we have used more techniques to search for the virus. The bottom line is that we find no evidence of viral RNA or protein in brain cells," said researcher James E Goldman from Columbia University.&nbsp;

For the study, the research team examined the brains of 41 patients with Covid-19 who succumbed to the disease during their hospitalisation. The patients ranged in age from 38 to 97, about half had been intubated and all had lung damage caused by the virus.&nbsp;

All of the patients had extensive clinical and laboratory investigations, and some had brain MRI and CT scans.&nbsp;

To detect any virus in the neurons and glia cells of the brain, the researchers used multiple methods including RNA in situ hybridisation, which can detect viral RNA within intact cells; antibodies that can detect viral proteins within cells; and RT-PCR, a sensitive technique for detecting viral RNA.&nbsp;

Despite their intensive search, the researchers found no evidence of the virus in the patients' brain cells. Though they did detect very low levels of viral RNA by RT-PCR, this was likely due to virus in blood vessels or leptomeninges covering the brain.&nbsp;

The tests were conducted on more than two dozen brain regions, including the olfactory bulb, which was searched because some reports have speculated that the coronavirus can travel from the nasal cavity into the brain via the olfactory nerve.&nbsp;

"Even there, we didn't find any viral protein or RNA. Though we found viral RNA and protein in the patients' nasal mucosa and in the olfactory mucosa high in the nasal cavity," Goldman said.&nbsp;

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, a new study suggests.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the journal Brain, suggest that the neurological changes often seen in these patients may result from inflammation triggered by the virus in other parts of the body or the brain's blood vessels. "We've looked at more brains than other studies and we have used more techniques to search for the virus. The bottom line is that we find no evidence of viral RNA or protein in brain cells," said researcher James E Goldman from Columbia University. For the study, the research team examined the brains of 41 patients with Covid-19 who succumbed to the disease during their hospitalisation. The patients ranged in age from 38 to 97, about half had been intubated and all had lung damage caused by the virus. All of the patients had extensive clinical and laboratory investigations, and some had brain MRI and CT scans. To detect any virus in the neurons and glia cells of the brain, the researchers used multiple methods including RNA in situ hybridisation, which can detect viral RNA within intact cells; antibodies that can detect viral proteins within cells; and RT-PCR, a sensitive technique for detecting viral RNA. Despite their intensive search, the researchers found no evidence of the virus in the patients' brain cells. Though they did detect very low levels of viral RNA by RT-PCR, this was likely due to virus in blood vessels or leptomeninges covering the brain. The tests were conducted on more than two dozen brain regions, including the olfactory bulb, which was searched because some reports have speculated that the coronavirus can travel from the nasal cavity into the brain via the olfactory nerve. "Even there, we didn't find any viral protein or RNA. Though we found viral RNA and protein in the patients' nasal mucosa and in the olfactory mucosa high in the nasal cavity," Goldman said.

'Covid does not infect brain but still inflicts damage' 

UK scientists have discovered a rare genetic disease, which causes delays in intellectual development and leads to early onset of cataracts, in children.

The condition is likely to affect one in 17 kids, however, it is so new that it doesn’t have a name yet, stated the research team from the universities of Portsmouth and Southampton.

They found that a majority of patients with the condition were also microcephalic, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age.

In the study, published in the journal Genome Medicine, the team found that changes in a gene called coat protein complex 1 (COPB1) is the reason behind this new genetic disease.

Identifying the variant will help clinicians develop targeted interventions as well as open the door to screening and prenatal diagnosis.

For the study, the team sequenced the DNA of affected patients and their family members, which identified COPB1 as the potential underlying cause of the disease.

Using tadpoles to mimic the human gene variants, the tadpoles with the COPB1 gene changes had variably smaller brains than the control tadpoles and many of them had cataracts, just like the patients. This showed the link between the gene and disease very clearly.

"In our initial experiments to test the link between a genetic variation and a disease we found to our surprise that by altering the DNA of tadpoles, four times out of five we could re-create the disease-related changes seen in human patients. This will allow us to support our colleagues in providing more timely, accurate diagnosis that patients and their families so desperately need," said co-author Matt Guille, Professor at Portsmouth University.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

UK scientists have discovered a rare genetic disease, which causes delays in intellectual development and leads to early onset of cataracts, in children. The condition is likely to affect one in 17 kids, however, it is so new that it doesn’t have a name yet, stated the research team from the universities of Portsmouth and Southampton.

UK scientists have discovered a rare genetic disease, which causes delays in intellectual development and leads to early onset of cataracts, in children. The condition is likely to affect one in 17 kids, however, it is so new that it doesn’t have a name yet, stated the research team from the universities of Portsmouth and Southampton. They found that a majority of patients with the condition were also microcephalic, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. In the study, published in the journal Genome Medicine, the team found that changes in a gene called coat protein complex 1 (COPB1) is the reason behind this new genetic disease. Identifying the variant will help clinicians develop targeted interventions as well as open the door to screening and prenatal diagnosis. For the study, the team sequenced the DNA of affected patients and their family members, which identified COPB1 as the potential underlying cause of the disease. Using tadpoles to mimic the human gene variants, the tadpoles with the COPB1 gene changes had variably smaller brains than the control tadpoles and many of them had cataracts, just like the patients. This showed the link between the gene and disease very clearly. "In our initial experiments to test the link between a genetic variation and a disease we found to our surprise that by altering the DNA of tadpoles, four times out of five we could re-create the disease-related changes seen in human patients. This will allow us to support our colleagues in providing more timely, accurate diagnosis that patients and their families so desperately need," said co-author Matt Guille, Professor at Portsmouth University. (With inputs from agencies)

Genetic disease delaying kids' brain development discovered

The findings of a new study show that acquiring a new language initially boosts brain activity, which then reduces as language skills improve. The study with first-time learners of Japanese measured how brain activity changes after just a few months of studying a new language. &nbsp;

"In the first few months, you can quantitatively measure language-skill improvement by tracking brain activations," said Professor Kuniyoshi L Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo and first author of the research recently published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.&nbsp;

Researchers followed 15 volunteers as they moved to Tokyo and completed introductory Japanese classes for at least three hours each day. All volunteers were native speakers of European languages in their 20s, who had previously studied English as children or teenagers but had no prior experience studying Japanese or travelling to Japan.&nbsp;

Volunteers took multiple-choice reading and listening tests after at least eight weeks of lessons and again six to fourteen weeks later. Researchers chose to assess only the 'passive' language skills of reading and listening because those can be more objectively scored than the 'active' skills of writing and speaking. &nbsp;

Volunteers were inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while taking the tests so that researchers could measure local blood flow around their brain regions, an indicator of neuronal activity.&nbsp;

"In simple terms, there are four brain regions specialised for language. Even in a native, second or third language, the same regions are responsible," said Sakai.&nbsp;

Those four regions are the grammar centre and comprehension area in the left frontal lobe as well as the auditory processing and vocabulary areas in the temporoparietal lobe. Additionally, the memory areas of the hippocampus and the visual areas of the brain, the occipital lobes, also become active to support the four language-related regions while taking the tests.&nbsp;

During the initial reading and listening tests, those areas of volunteers' brains showed significant increases in blood flow, revealing that the volunteers were thinking hard to recognise the characters and sounds of the unfamiliar language. &nbsp;

Volunteers scored about 45 per cent accuracy on the reading tests and 75 per cent accuracy on the listening tests (random guessing on the multiple-choice tests would produce 25 per cent accuracy).&nbsp;

Researchers were able to distinguish between two subregions of the hippocampus during the listening tests. The observed activation pattern fits previously described roles for the anterior hippocampus in encoding new memories and for the posterior hippocampus in recalling stored information.&nbsp;

At the second test several weeks later, volunteers' reading test scores improved to an average of 55 per cent. Their accuracy on the listening tests was unchanged, but they were faster to choose an answer, which researchers interpret as improved comprehension.&nbsp;

Comparing results from the first tests to the second tests, after additional weeks of study, researchers found decreased brain activation in the grammar center and comprehension area during listening tests, as well as in the visual areas of the occipital lobes during the reading tests.&nbsp;

"We expect that brain activation goes down after successfully learning a language because it does not require so much energy to understand," said Sakai.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The findings of a new study show that acquiring a new language initially boosts brain activity, which then reduces as language skills improve. The study with first-time learners of Japanese measured how brain activity changes after just a few months of studying a new language.

The findings of a new study show that acquiring a new language initially boosts brain activity, which then reduces as language skills improve. The study with first-time learners of Japanese measured how brain activity changes after just a few months of studying a new language. "In the first few months, you can quantitatively measure language-skill improvement by tracking brain activations," said Professor Kuniyoshi L Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo and first author of the research recently published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. Researchers followed 15 volunteers as they moved to Tokyo and completed introductory Japanese classes for at least three hours each day. All volunteers were native speakers of European languages in their 20s, who had previously studied English as children or teenagers but had no prior experience studying Japanese or travelling to Japan. Volunteers took multiple-choice reading and listening tests after at least eight weeks of lessons and again six to fourteen weeks later. Researchers chose to assess only the 'passive' language skills of reading and listening because those can be more objectively scored than the 'active' skills of writing and speaking. Volunteers were inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while taking the tests so that researchers could measure local blood flow around their brain regions, an indicator of neuronal activity. "In simple terms, there are four brain regions specialised for language. Even in a native, second or third language, the same regions are responsible," said Sakai. Those four regions are the grammar centre and comprehension area in the left frontal lobe as well as the auditory processing and vocabulary areas in the temporoparietal lobe. Additionally, the memory areas of the hippocampus and the visual areas of the brain, the occipital lobes, also become active to support the four language-related regions while taking the tests. During the initial reading and listening tests, those areas of volunteers' brains showed significant increases in blood flow, revealing that the volunteers were thinking hard to recognise the characters and sounds of the unfamiliar language. Volunteers scored about 45 per cent accuracy on the reading tests and 75 per cent accuracy on the listening tests (random guessing on the multiple-choice tests would produce 25 per cent accuracy). Researchers were able to distinguish between two subregions of the hippocampus during the listening tests. The observed activation pattern fits previously described roles for the anterior hippocampus in encoding new memories and for the posterior hippocampus in recalling stored information. At the second test several weeks later, volunteers' reading test scores improved to an average of 55 per cent. Their accuracy on the listening tests was unchanged, but they were faster to choose an answer, which researchers interpret as improved comprehension. Comparing results from the first tests to the second tests, after additional weeks of study, researchers found decreased brain activation in the grammar center and comprehension area during listening tests, as well as in the visual areas of the occipital lobes during the reading tests. "We expect that brain activation goes down after successfully learning a language because it does not require so much energy to understand," said Sakai. (With inputs from agencies)

Studying new language leads to measurable changes in brain activity: Research

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests.&nbsp;

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found the greater the activity in nerve cells in the amygdala region of the brain, the sooner the condition known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) can develop.&nbsp;

"The study suggests that the increased stress-associated neurobiological activity in the amygdala, which is present years before TTS occurs, may play an important role in its development and may predict the timing of the syndrome," said researcher Ahmed Tawakol from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US.&nbsp;

TTS, also known as 'broken heart' syndrome, is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name.&nbsp;

Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, or reactions to happy or joyful events.&nbsp;

Patients develop chest pain and breathlessness, and it can lead to heart attacks and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10 per cent of cases occurring in men.&nbsp;

The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls emotions, motivation, learning and memory. It is also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and regulating heart function.&nbsp;

For the study, the team involved 104 participants patients had undergone PET-CT scans between 2005 and 2019.&nbsp;

The researchers matched 41 people, who went on to develop TTS between six months and five years after the scan with 63 who did not. The interval between the scan, the onset of TTs, last follow-up or death was an average (median) of 2.5 years for the 104 patients.&nbsp;

The researchers found that people who went on to develop TTS had higher stress-related amygdalar activity on initial scanning (measured as a ratio of amygdalar activity to activity of brain regions that counter stress) compared to individuals who did not subsequently develop TTS.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;&nbsp;

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests.

Heightened activity in the brain, caused by stressful events, is linked to the risk of developing a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, a new study suggests. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found the greater the activity in nerve cells in the amygdala region of the brain, the sooner the condition known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) can develop. "The study suggests that the increased stress-associated neurobiological activity in the amygdala, which is present years before TTS occurs, may play an important role in its development and may predict the timing of the syndrome," said researcher Ahmed Tawakol from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US. TTS, also known as 'broken heart' syndrome, is characterised by a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscles that causes the left ventricle of the heart to balloon out at the bottom while the neck remains narrow, creating a shape resembling a Japanese octopus trap, from which it gets its name. Since this relatively rare condition was first described in 1990, evidence has suggested that it is typically triggered by episodes of severe emotional distress, such as grief, anger or fear, or reactions to happy or joyful events. Patients develop chest pain and breathlessness, and it can lead to heart attacks and death. TTS is more common in women with only 10 per cent of cases occurring in men. The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls emotions, motivation, learning and memory. It is also involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system and regulating heart function. For the study, the team involved 104 participants patients had undergone PET-CT scans between 2005 and 2019. The researchers matched 41 people, who went on to develop TTS between six months and five years after the scan with 63 who did not. The interval between the scan, the onset of TTs, last follow-up or death was an average (median) of 2.5 years for the 104 patients. The researchers found that people who went on to develop TTS had higher stress-related amygdalar activity on initial scanning (measured as a ratio of amygdalar activity to activity of brain regions that counter stress) compared to individuals who did not subsequently develop TTS. (With inputs from agencies)

Stressed brain linked to broken heart syndrome: Study 

Some people report feeling no stress at all, but there may be downsides to this feeling of feeling always super-charged, say researchers.&nbsp;

The study showed that people, who reported experiencing no stress, were more likely to experience better daily well-being and fewer chronic health conditions. However, they were also more likely to have lower cognitive function, as well.&nbsp;

According to researcher David M Almeida from Penn State, the study suggests that small, daily stressors could potentially benefit the brain, despite being an inconvenience.&nbsp;

"It's possible that experiencing stressors creates opportunities for you to solve a problem, for example, maybe fixing your computer that has suddenly broken down before an important Zoom meeting," Almeida said.&nbsp;

"So, experiencing these stressors may not be pleasant but they may force you to solve a problem, and this might actually be good for cognitive functioning, especially as we grow older," Almeida added.&nbsp;

According to the researchers, a large number of previous studies have linked stress with a greater risk for many negative outcomes, like chronic illness or worse emotional wellbeing.&nbsp;

But Almeida said that while it may make sense to believe that the less stress someone experiences the more healthy they will be, he said, little research has explored that assumption.&nbsp;

For the study, published in the journal Emotion, the researchers used data from 2,711 participants for the study.&nbsp;

Prior to the start of the study, the participants completed a short cognition test.&nbsp;

Then, the participants were interviewed each night for eight consecutive nights, and answered questions about their mood, chronic conditions they may have, their physical symptoms, such as headaches, coughs or sore throats and what they did during that day.&nbsp;

After analysing the data, the researchers found that there did appear to be benefits for those who reported no stressors throughout the study, about 10 per cent of the participants.&nbsp;

These participants were less likely to have chronic health conditions and experience better moods throughout the day.&nbsp;

However, those who reported no stressors also performed lower on the cognition test, with the difference equalling more than eight years of aging.&nbsp;

Additionally, they were also less likely to report giving or receiving emotional support, as well as less likely to experience positive things happening throughout the day.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Some people report feeling no stress at all, but there may be downsides to this feeling of feeling always super-charged, say researchers. The study showed that people, who reported experiencing no stress, were more likely to experience better daily well-being and fewer chronic health conditions.

Some people report feeling no stress at all, but there may be downsides to this feeling of feeling always super-charged, say researchers. The study showed that people, who reported experiencing no stress, were more likely to experience better daily well-being and fewer chronic health conditions. However, they were also more likely to have lower cognitive function, as well. According to researcher David M Almeida from Penn State, the study suggests that small, daily stressors could potentially benefit the brain, despite being an inconvenience. "It's possible that experiencing stressors creates opportunities for you to solve a problem, for example, maybe fixing your computer that has suddenly broken down before an important Zoom meeting," Almeida said. "So, experiencing these stressors may not be pleasant but they may force you to solve a problem, and this might actually be good for cognitive functioning, especially as we grow older," Almeida added. According to the researchers, a large number of previous studies have linked stress with a greater risk for many negative outcomes, like chronic illness or worse emotional wellbeing. But Almeida said that while it may make sense to believe that the less stress someone experiences the more healthy they will be, he said, little research has explored that assumption. For the study, published in the journal Emotion, the researchers used data from 2,711 participants for the study. Prior to the start of the study, the participants completed a short cognition test. Then, the participants were interviewed each night for eight consecutive nights, and answered questions about their mood, chronic conditions they may have, their physical symptoms, such as headaches, coughs or sore throats and what they did during that day. After analysing the data, the researchers found that there did appear to be benefits for those who reported no stressors throughout the study, about 10 per cent of the participants. These participants were less likely to have chronic health conditions and experience better moods throughout the day. However, those who reported no stressors also performed lower on the cognition test, with the difference equalling more than eight years of aging. Additionally, they were also less likely to report giving or receiving emotional support, as well as less likely to experience positive things happening throughout the day. (With inputs from agencies)

Little stress a day good for brain, says study 

Scientists have uncovered for the first time&nbsp;what happens in brains&nbsp;when they learn from the subconscious, visual stimuli.

The study published in Neuron is&nbsp;a collaboration between KU Leuven, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University.

Previous research has shown that when people are rewarded during the presentation of visual stimuli that are not consciously perceivable, they can still perceive these stimuli afterwards.

Although this is a known phenomenon, researchers were unsure as to how exactly this unconscious perceptual learning comes about. To find out, Professor Wim Vanduffel and colleagues studied the brains of two rhesus monkeys before and after they were exposed to subconscious visual stimuli.

The researchers activated part of the reward system at the base of the brain stem, the ventral tegmental area. This includes cells that produce dopamine, a molecule that is also released when you receive a reward.

"Dopamine is a crucial messenger molecule of our motor and reward systems, and is extremely important for learning and enjoyment," says Vanduffel. Activating the ventral tegmental area released dopamine, among other things.

"By stimulating the brain area directly, we can causally link the activity in that area to perception or complex cognitive behaviour," explains Vanduffel.

While the brain area was activated, the monkeys were shown virtually invisible images of human faces and bodies. Because the images were very blurry and the monkeys had to perform a very different and difficult task at the same time, they could not consciously perceive these images. The same process was followed during the control tests, but the brain was not stimulated.

When the monkeys received subconscious visual stimuli while the ventral tegmental area was stimulated, they knew details about those images afterwards. For example, they knew whether the bodies shown were turned to the left or to the right. This was not the case when there had been no brain stimulation.

"Thanks to this experiment, we can demonstrate for the first time a direct causal relationship between this brain region and, as a result, also the likely link between dopamine and the subconscious learning of complex visual stimuli."

The parts in the darker colour regulate, among others, the production of dopamine. Disturbances in this region can lead to Parkinson`s disease and other conditions.

The researchers also made a brain scan of the animals before and after the test. "We can see the blood flow in the brain, which gives an indication of which neurons are active. The more blood flow, the more activity," explains Vanduffel.

The scans showed that the task caused activity in the visual cortex of the brain and in areas important for memory. "With this data, we can zoom in to find out what is happening exactly at a neuronal level in these brain areas, in future experiments."

"Since Freud`s insights in the 20th century, the scientific community has been wondering how subconscious sensations can affect us. Thanks to the present awareness that there is a strong resemblance between humans and monkeys, and new and advanced technologies, we can finally map such processes physiologically."

Disturbances in the dopaminergic system can lead to numerous psychiatric and motor disorders, such as depression, addiction and Parkinson`s disease. A better understanding of how this system works, in various forms of learning, is therefore crucial to developing targeted therapies for these conditions.

"Parkinson`s is a motor disorder and is caused by dopamine-producing neurons dying off. However, current dopamine treatments may produce side effects because they also trigger the entire reward system, which not only reduces motor symptoms but can also lead to addictive behaviour."

Fundamental research into the functioning of these brain areas will eventually lead to more targeted treatments with fewer side effects.

This insight is also useful in situations such as trauma, ageing or oncological problems where an increase in brain plasticity, that is,&nbsp;the ability to change, could be very useful.

"By stimulating areas of the brain that produce dopamine, we could, for example, enable people to regain their speech more quickly or improve their motor skills after an accident or illness. This could even be done through medication, although we are still a long way from that," explains Vanduffel.

Insights about our brain and the conditions under which we and other primates visually shape our world are therefore crucial, because, as Vanduffel concludes: "you have to know how a car`s engine works before you can fix a problem with it."&nbsp;

Scientists have uncovered for the first time what happens in brains when they learn from the subconscious, visual stimuli. The study published in Neuron is a collaboration between KU Leuven, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University.

Scientists have uncovered for the first time what happens in brains when they learn from the subconscious, visual stimuli. The study published in Neuron is a collaboration between KU Leuven, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University. Previous research has shown that when people are rewarded during the presentation of visual stimuli that are not consciously perceivable, they can still perceive these stimuli afterwards. Although this is a known phenomenon, researchers were unsure as to how exactly this unconscious perceptual learning comes about. To find out, Professor Wim Vanduffel and colleagues studied the brains of two rhesus monkeys before and after they were exposed to subconscious visual stimuli. The researchers activated part of the reward system at the base of the brain stem, the ventral tegmental area. This includes cells that produce dopamine, a molecule that is also released when you receive a reward. "Dopamine is a crucial messenger molecule of our motor and reward systems, and is extremely important for learning and enjoyment," says Vanduffel. Activating the ventral tegmental area released dopamine, among other things. "By stimulating the brain area directly, we can causally link the activity in that area to perception or complex cognitive behaviour," explains Vanduffel. While the brain area was activated, the monkeys were shown virtually invisible images of human faces and bodies. Because the images were very blurry and the monkeys had to perform a very different and difficult task at the same time, they could not consciously perceive these images. The same process was followed during the control tests, but the brain was not stimulated. When the monkeys received subconscious visual stimuli while the ventral tegmental area was stimulated, they knew details about those images afterwards. For example, they knew whether the bodies shown were turned to the left or to the right. This was not the case when there had been no brain stimulation. "Thanks to this experiment, we can demonstrate for the first time a direct causal relationship between this brain region and, as a result, also the likely link between dopamine and the subconscious learning of complex visual stimuli." The parts in the darker colour regulate, among others, the production of dopamine. Disturbances in this region can lead to Parkinson`s disease and other conditions. The researchers also made a brain scan of the animals before and after the test. "We can see the blood flow in the brain, which gives an indication of which neurons are active. The more blood flow, the more activity," explains Vanduffel. The scans showed that the task caused activity in the visual cortex of the brain and in areas important for memory. "With this data, we can zoom in to find out what is happening exactly at a neuronal level in these brain areas, in future experiments." "Since Freud`s insights in the 20th century, the scientific community has been wondering how subconscious sensations can affect us. Thanks to the present awareness that there is a strong resemblance between humans and monkeys, and new and advanced technologies, we can finally map such processes physiologically." Disturbances in the dopaminergic system can lead to numerous psychiatric and motor disorders, such as depression, addiction and Parkinson`s disease. A better understanding of how this system works, in various forms of learning, is therefore crucial to developing targeted therapies for these conditions. "Parkinson`s is a motor disorder and is caused by dopamine-producing neurons dying off. However, current dopamine treatments may produce side effects because they also trigger the entire reward system, which not only reduces motor symptoms but can also lead to addictive behaviour." Fundamental research into the functioning of these brain areas will eventually lead to more targeted treatments with fewer side effects. This insight is also useful in situations such as trauma, ageing or oncological problems where an increase in brain plasticity, that is, the ability to change, could be very useful. "By stimulating areas of the brain that produce dopamine, we could, for example, enable people to regain their speech more quickly or improve their motor skills after an accident or illness. This could even be done through medication, although we are still a long way from that," explains Vanduffel. Insights about our brain and the conditions under which we and other primates visually shape our world are therefore crucial, because, as Vanduffel concludes: "you have to know how a car`s engine works before you can fix a problem with it."

Scientists uncover how brain learns from subconscious stimuli

Scientists seems to have proven that traumatic and stressful events in childhood can affect the brain into adulthood, identifying for the first-time specific alterations to key brain structures in the amygdala and the hippocampus.&nbsp;

With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 35 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 35 healthy controls, cross-referenced with questionnaires, the research seems to have found a crucial link between neural tissue volume and childhood traumatic stress.&nbsp;

Maltreatment and negative experiences early in life are known to be the risk factors for developing mental health disorders, such as MDD. The team behind this new study thinks that changes in brain function might be one of the reasons for it.&nbsp;

With the help of the study, researchers are able to identify, which specific regions of amygdala or the hippocampus, get altered by childhood trauma incidents, they can make attempts to mitigate or reverse the changes. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The recent improvements in the MRI scanning technology mean these particular areas of the brain could be studied in detail in human volunteers, building on the previous research that looked at the link between brain volume in animals and stress.&nbsp;

As amygdala and hippocampus continue to grow and evolve for a long time after birth, they are of particular interest to scientists studying childhood development. They are also associated with learning, memory, and the management of emotions, fear and stress.&nbsp;

The damage done in the early years can make the brain – and the amygdala and hippocampus in particular – more vulnerable to stresses that come along later in life, suggest researchers.

Scientists seems to have proven that traumatic and stressful events in childhood can affect the brain into adulthood, identifying for the first-time specific alterations to key brain structures in the amygdala and the hippocampus.

Scientists seems to have proven that traumatic and stressful events in childhood can affect the brain into adulthood, identifying for the first-time specific alterations to key brain structures in the amygdala and the hippocampus. With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 35 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 35 healthy controls, cross-referenced with questionnaires, the research seems to have found a crucial link between neural tissue volume and childhood traumatic stress. Maltreatment and negative experiences early in life are known to be the risk factors for developing mental health disorders, such as MDD. The team behind this new study thinks that changes in brain function might be one of the reasons for it. With the help of the study, researchers are able to identify, which specific regions of amygdala or the hippocampus, get altered by childhood trauma incidents, they can make attempts to mitigate or reverse the changes. The recent improvements in the MRI scanning technology mean these particular areas of the brain could be studied in detail in human volunteers, building on the previous research that looked at the link between brain volume in animals and stress. As amygdala and hippocampus continue to grow and evolve for a long time after birth, they are of particular interest to scientists studying childhood development. They are also associated with learning, memory, and the management of emotions, fear and stress. The damage done in the early years can make the brain – and the amygdala and hippocampus in particular – more vulnerable to stresses that come along later in life, suggest researchers.

Childhood’s traumatic events can affect brain in adulthood: Research

Research led by psychology and neuroscience professor of the University of Montreal highlights that abnormally hyperactive areas in the brain may help better predict the onset of Alzheimer`s disease. In the study, the team led by Universite de Montreal psychology professor Sylvie Belleville found hyperactivation in certain brain areas in people not yet diagnosed with Alzheimer`s but who were worried about their memory and who exhibited risk factors for the disease. 
 
The findings which were published in Alzheimer`s &amp; Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment &amp; Disease Monitoring marks an important milestone in this research area, as the hyperactivation of regions susceptible to Alzheimer`s as shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), was observed in people with no clinical symptoms and before the onset of cognitive impairments detected with standardized tests. "This study indicates that abnormal activation in these areas may be observed many years before diagnosis," said Belleville. 
 
Alzheimer`s disease is progressive and may emerge in the brain 20 to 30 years before diagnosis. It is therefore very important to pinpoint biomarkers -- that is, physical and detectable signs of the disease -- and to better understand the initial effects on the brain. Hyperactivation could therefore represent one of the first signs of Alzheimer`s disease, according to the researchers. 
 
The team observed that, as the disease progresses, neuronal activation follows an inverse U-shape trajectory. Indeed, activation in certain areas of the brain in the early stages of Alzheimer`s may significantly increase before the neuronal loss that is caused by the disease leads to a clear decrease in inactivation."This form may characterize the underlying pathological process and help doctors determine the stage of the disease. When combined with other indicators such as blood work and cognitive tests, this type of neuroimaging investigation could help with possible earlier detection," explained Corriveau Lecavalier, the study`s first author.

For their study, the team used data from the Consortium for the Early Identification of Alzheimer`s Disease to study brain activation in groups of individuals at a high risk of developing Alzheimer`s disease who had performed a memory task while being scanned with fMRI.One group consisted of 28 individuals who were concerned about their memory but who did not show cognitive impairments on traditional clinical tests.

The other group included 26 individuals with mild cognitive impairments. The researchers found that the individuals in the first group, or those with memory complaints but who did not show objective cognitive impairments, had abnormally high levels of activation in multiple key regions of the brain affected by Alzheimer`s disease. 
&nbsp;

Individuals with mild cognitive impairments, who are considered to be at a more advanced stage of the disease, tended to show decreased activation in these brain regions.&nbsp;

Research led by psychology and neuroscience professor of the University of Montreal highlights that abnormally hyperactive areas in the brain may help better predict the onset of Alzheimer`s disease.

Research led by psychology and neuroscience professor of the University of Montreal highlights that abnormally hyperactive areas in the brain may help better predict the onset of Alzheimer`s disease. In the study, the team led by Universite de Montreal psychology professor Sylvie Belleville found hyperactivation in certain brain areas in people not yet diagnosed with Alzheimer`s but who were worried about their memory and who exhibited risk factors for the disease. The findings which were published in Alzheimer`s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring marks an important milestone in this research area, as the hyperactivation of regions susceptible to Alzheimer`s as shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), was observed in people with no clinical symptoms and before the onset of cognitive impairments detected with standardized tests. "This study indicates that abnormal activation in these areas may be observed many years before diagnosis," said Belleville. Alzheimer`s disease is progressive and may emerge in the brain 20 to 30 years before diagnosis. It is therefore very important to pinpoint biomarkers -- that is, physical and detectable signs of the disease -- and to better understand the initial effects on the brain. Hyperactivation could therefore represent one of the first signs of Alzheimer`s disease, according to the researchers. The team observed that, as the disease progresses, neuronal activation follows an inverse U-shape trajectory. Indeed, activation in certain areas of the brain in the early stages of Alzheimer`s may significantly increase before the neuronal loss that is caused by the disease leads to a clear decrease in inactivation."This form may characterize the underlying pathological process and help doctors determine the stage of the disease. When combined with other indicators such as blood work and cognitive tests, this type of neuroimaging investigation could help with possible earlier detection," explained Corriveau Lecavalier, the study`s first author. For their study, the team used data from the Consortium for the Early Identification of Alzheimer`s Disease to study brain activation in groups of individuals at a high risk of developing Alzheimer`s disease who had performed a memory task while being scanned with fMRI.One group consisted of 28 individuals who were concerned about their memory but who did not show cognitive impairments on traditional clinical tests. The other group included 26 individuals with mild cognitive impairments. The researchers found that the individuals in the first group, or those with memory complaints but who did not show objective cognitive impairments, had abnormally high levels of activation in multiple key regions of the brain affected by Alzheimer`s disease. Individuals with mild cognitive impairments, who are considered to be at a more advanced stage of the disease, tended to show decreased activation in these brain regions.

Strange hyperactivation in brain can be early sign of Alzheimer's

Covid-19 is scary. It can make people incredibly sick or even kill them.

Long Covid is even worse. In this particular condition, symptoms of the disease persist for two-three months -- even after the patient has tested negative for the virus.

Recent studies have found how Covid-19 also leaves a long-term mark on the brain for some survivors. Increasing numbers of people have reported difficulty in thinking, clouded cognition, and fatigue for months after suffering from an infection with the novel coronavirus.

A new research, in conclusion with the above findings, has deciphered the reason behind the stunted functioning.

A study, published in Nature Communications, has found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, known as S1, can cross the blood-brain barrier in mice. The protein then causes inflammation in the brain.&nbsp;

The research further says if this holds true for humans, that inflammatory response may lie at the root of Covid-19 brain fog found in humans.

The spike protein (S1) is a binding protein. In pictures, it is shown as the red tentacles sticking out of the virus.

The blood-brain barrier can even impact a sick person's ability to breathe.

Covid-19 is scary. It can make people incredibly sick or even kill them. Long Covid is even worse. In this particular condition, symptoms of the disease persist for two-three months -- even after the patient has tested negative for the virus.

Covid-19 is scary. It can make people incredibly sick or even kill them. Long Covid is even worse. In this particular condition, symptoms of the disease persist for two-three months -- even after the patient has tested negative for the virus. Recent studies have found how Covid-19 also leaves a long-term mark on the brain for some survivors. Increasing numbers of people have reported difficulty in thinking, clouded cognition, and fatigue for months after suffering from an infection with the novel coronavirus. A new research, in conclusion with the above findings, has deciphered the reason behind the stunted functioning. A study, published in Nature Communications, has found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, known as S1, can cross the blood-brain barrier in mice. The protein then causes inflammation in the brain. The research further says if this holds true for humans, that inflammatory response may lie at the root of Covid-19 brain fog found in humans. The spike protein (S1) is a binding protein. In pictures, it is shown as the red tentacles sticking out of the virus. The blood-brain barrier can even impact a sick person's ability to breathe.

New research suggests coronavirus causes a storm in the brain

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply. It seems like March happened 10 years ago; everyday may as well be Wednesday, and still, somehow, here come the holidays — fast, just like every year.

Some bard or novelist may yet come forth to help explain the paradoxes of pandemic time, both its Groundhog Days and the blurs of stress and fear for those on the front lines, or who had infectious people in their household. But brain science also has something to say about the relationship between perceived time and the Greenwich Mean variety, and why the two may slip out of sync.

In a new study, a research team based in Dallas reported the first strong evidence to date of so-called “time cells” in the human brain. The finding, posted by the journal PNAS, was not unexpected: In recent years, several research groups have isolated neurons in rodents that track time intervals. It’s where the scientists look for these cells, and how they identified them, that provide some insight into the subjective experiences of time.

“The first thing to say is that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘time cells’ in the brain,” said Gyorgy Buzsaki, a neuroscientist at New York University who was not involved in the new research. “There is no neural clock. What happens in the brain is neurons change in response to other neurons.”

He added, “Having said that, it’s a useful concept to talk about how this neural substrate represents the passage of what we call time.”

In the new study, a team led by Dr. Bradley Lega, a neurosurgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, analyzed the firing of cells in the medial temporal area, a region deep in the brain that is essential for memory formation and retrieval. It’s a natural place to look: Memories must be somehow “time-stamped” to retain some semblance of sequence, or chronological order.

The team took recordings from 27 people with epilepsy, who were being monitored for surgery; the monitoring requires a few weeks’ stay in the hospital, with electrodes implanted through the skull and into the brain, to get a reading on where seizures originate. And the medial temporal lobes, located about an inch in from the ears, are almost always monitored, as they are a common source of those seizures.

These patients played computer games that test thinking and memory, while researchers watched what happened to the firing patterns of cells. In this experiment, the subjects tried to memorize lists of words, presented one at a time, a second or so apart. The subjects then had 30 seconds to freely recall as many as they could.

The researchers found that certain neurons fired during a specific window of the free-recall period — from two to five seconds in, depending on the person. This firing was related only to time, not to anything else, such as the kinds of words being memorized and retrieved. And when those particular cells fired more precisely in a person’s temporal sweet spot, he or she did well on the recall, and remembered words in close to the order in which they were originally presented.

“These cells are encoding information related to time, and this information is clearly important for memory,” Lega said.

In effect, Lega said, the cells representing time fired to support an activity, in this case to track the passage of the 30-second interval. There is no constant rhythm or background beat; the time signal is conjured as needed. “There’s no internal metronome, or clock,” he said. The time cells are “firing to support what you’re doing.”

That is, time cells adjust to the demands being made on the brain, in real time, moment to moment. Another group of nearby neurons, called ramping cells, accelerates its firing as a task begins and decelerates or decays as the job winds down, marking off chunks of time. “As these cells are sensitive to contextual changes during experience, they could represent the slowly evolving nature of contextual information,” the authors write.

The coordinated activity of time cells and ramping cells, on its own, is far too basic to encompass the weirdness of pandemic time. This mechanism counts out time in seconds and minutes, not days and weeks. Our perception of those longer intervals seems to be shaped much more by the quantity and content of the memories that fill them, and by the emotions that help imprint them.

Starting in March, people had to absorb an enormous amount of news and information about the virus, the symptoms and various interventions, on top of work and child demands. But with stay-at-home orders, the context flattened. Each day looked a whole lot like the last, and the next, and the next. Like being lost at sea, we have floated in place while the Earth turned underfoot.

Pandemic time, the subjective kind, will likely feel warped for a while — until we make landfall, however that comes to pass.

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply.

Merriam-Webster’s defines a time warp as a “discontinuity, suspension or anomaly” in the otherwise normal passage of time; this year all three terms could apply. It seems like March happened 10 years ago; everyday may as well be Wednesday, and still, somehow, here come the holidays — fast, just like every year. Some bard or novelist may yet come forth to help explain the paradoxes of pandemic time, both its Groundhog Days and the blurs of stress and fear for those on the front lines, or who had infectious people in their household. But brain science also has something to say about the relationship between perceived time and the Greenwich Mean variety, and why the two may slip out of sync. In a new study, a research team based in Dallas reported the first strong evidence to date of so-called “time cells” in the human brain. The finding, posted by the journal PNAS, was not unexpected: In recent years, several research groups have isolated neurons in rodents that track time intervals. It’s where the scientists look for these cells, and how they identified them, that provide some insight into the subjective experiences of time. “The first thing to say is that, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘time cells’ in the brain,” said Gyorgy Buzsaki, a neuroscientist at New York University who was not involved in the new research. “There is no neural clock. What happens in the brain is neurons change in response to other neurons.” He added, “Having said that, it’s a useful concept to talk about how this neural substrate represents the passage of what we call time.” In the new study, a team led by Dr. Bradley Lega, a neurosurgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, analyzed the firing of cells in the medial temporal area, a region deep in the brain that is essential for memory formation and retrieval. It’s a natural place to look: Memories must be somehow “time-stamped” to retain some semblance of sequence, or chronological order. The team took recordings from 27 people with epilepsy, who were being monitored for surgery; the monitoring requires a few weeks’ stay in the hospital, with electrodes implanted through the skull and into the brain, to get a reading on where seizures originate. And the medial temporal lobes, located about an inch in from the ears, are almost always monitored, as they are a common source of those seizures. These patients played computer games that test thinking and memory, while researchers watched what happened to the firing patterns of cells. In this experiment, the subjects tried to memorize lists of words, presented one at a time, a second or so apart. The subjects then had 30 seconds to freely recall as many as they could. The researchers found that certain neurons fired during a specific window of the free-recall period — from two to five seconds in, depending on the person. This firing was related only to time, not to anything else, such as the kinds of words being memorized and retrieved. And when those particular cells fired more precisely in a person’s temporal sweet spot, he or she did well on the recall, and remembered words in close to the order in which they were originally presented. “These cells are encoding information related to time, and this information is clearly important for memory,” Lega said. In effect, Lega said, the cells representing time fired to support an activity, in this case to track the passage of the 30-second interval. There is no constant rhythm or background beat; the time signal is conjured as needed. “There’s no internal metronome, or clock,” he said. The time cells are “firing to support what you’re doing.” That is, time cells adjust to the demands being made on the brain, in real time, moment to moment. Another group of nearby neurons, called ramping cells, accelerates its firing as a task begins and decelerates or decays as the job winds down, marking off chunks of time. “As these cells are sensitive to contextual changes during experience, they could represent the slowly evolving nature of contextual information,” the authors write. The coordinated activity of time cells and ramping cells, on its own, is far too basic to encompass the weirdness of pandemic time. This mechanism counts out time in seconds and minutes, not days and weeks. Our perception of those longer intervals seems to be shaped much more by the quantity and content of the memories that fill them, and by the emotions that help imprint them. Starting in March, people had to absorb an enormous amount of news and information about the virus, the symptoms and various interventions, on top of work and child demands. But with stay-at-home orders, the context flattened. Each day looked a whole lot like the last, and the next, and the next. Like being lost at sea, we have floated in place while the Earth turned underfoot. Pandemic time, the subjective kind, will likely feel warped for a while — until we make landfall, however that comes to pass.

Brain scientists explore the how of when

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day.

It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

Researchers recently found that not getting enough sleep consistently could cause the brain to clear a significant amount of neurons and synaptic connections, while adding that making up for the lost sleep may not be able to undo the damage.

In essence, not getting sleep may be causing our brain to start eating itself!

A 2017 study led by Michele Bellesi from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy examined the mammal brain’s response to poor sleeping habits, and realised there was a similarity between well-rested and sleepless mice.

The cells in our brain are being constantly refreshed by two types of cell - the “microglial” kind that get rid of the worn out cells in a process of devouring them, while “astrocytes” refresh the wiring of synaptic connections in the brain.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/could-coronavirus-be-causing-long-term-brain-damage-even-in-mild-cases-scientists-think-so-311655" hreflang="en">Could coronavirus be causing long-term brain damage even in mild cases? Scientists think so!</a>

The scary part is that our body does this not only while we’re asleep, but also when we aren’t simply getting enough of it.

Overdrive mode!

In this process, the brain goes into overdrive and starts eating the “astrocytes”, which as previously mentioned are responsible for refreshing the brain connections.

The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience took could not ascertain whether the mice behaviour could be replicated in humans. But given the 50 per cent jump in the number of Alzheimer’s cases is testimony to the possibility of more damage.

The researches after taking into account of groups of mice of on a scale of well rested to chronically sleep deprived found that the the brain had started devouring parts of itself after prolonged sleep deprivation.

Such activity has been linked to forms of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day. It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity.

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day. It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity. Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain Researchers recently found that not getting enough sleep consistently could cause the brain to clear a significant amount of neurons and synaptic connections, while adding that making up for the lost sleep may not be able to undo the damage. In essence, not getting sleep may be causing our brain to start eating itself! A 2017 study led by Michele Bellesi from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy examined the mammal brain’s response to poor sleeping habits, and realised there was a similarity between well-rested and sleepless mice. The cells in our brain are being constantly refreshed by two types of cell - the “microglial” kind that get rid of the worn out cells in a process of devouring them, while “astrocytes” refresh the wiring of synaptic connections in the brain. Also read: Could coronavirus be causing long-term brain damage even in mild cases? Scientists think so! The scary part is that our body does this not only while we’re asleep, but also when we aren’t simply getting enough of it. Overdrive mode! In this process, the brain goes into overdrive and starts eating the “astrocytes”, which as previously mentioned are responsible for refreshing the brain connections. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience took could not ascertain whether the mice behaviour could be replicated in humans. But given the 50 per cent jump in the number of Alzheimer’s cases is testimony to the possibility of more damage. The researches after taking into account of groups of mice of on a scale of well rested to chronically sleep deprived found that the the brain had started devouring parts of itself after prolonged sleep deprivation. Such activity has been linked to forms of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Not sleeping enough? Your brain might be eating itself

Yale University scientists have succeeded in restoring basic cellular activity in pigs` brains hours after their deaths in a finding that may one day lead to advances in treating human stroke and brain injuries, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The scientists emphasized that their work did not even come close to reawakening consciousness in the disembodied pig brains. In fact the experiment was specifically designed to avoid such an outcome, however improbable.

Still, the study raises a host of bioethical issues, including questions about the very definition of brain death and potential consequences for protocols related to organ donation.

The research grew out of efforts to enhance the study of brain development, disorders and evolution. The main practical application is the prospect of allowing scientists to analyse whole brain specimens of large mammals in three dimensions, rather than through studies confined to small tissue samples, Yale said.

The study, backed by the National Institutes of Health, offers no immediate clinical breakthrough for humans, according to the authors.

Results of the experiment, to be published on Thursday in the journal Nature, run contrary to long-accepted principles of brain death, which hold that vital cellular activity ceases irreversibly seconds or minutes after oxygen and blood flow are cut off.

The limited rejuvenation of circulatory function and cellular metabolism in pig brains, which were harvested from animals slaughtered at a meat-packing plant, was achieved four hours after death by infusing the brains with a special chemical solution designed to preserve the tissue.&nbsp;

"The intact brain of a large mammal retains a previously underappreciated capacity for restoration of circulation and certain molecular and cellular activities multiple hours after circulatory arrest," lead researcher Nenad Sestan said in a Yale press release issued ahead of the study.

It was in the lab run by Sestan, a Yale professor of neuroscience, comparative medicine, genetics and psychiatry, that researchers developed the so-called BrainEx system used to pump artificial nutrients into the pig brains` vascular network.

`NOT A LIVING BRAIN`

Scientists stressed, however, that the treated brains still lacked any detectable signs of organised electrical activity associated with perception, awareness or consciousness.

"Clinically defined, this is not a living brain, but it is a cellularly active brain," study co-author Zvonimir Vrselja, associate researcher in neuroscience.

The BrainEx preservative included substances to block nerve signals. Researchers also were ready to halt any electrical activity that might have emerged through anesthetics and temperature reduction, according to Yale.

While the study offers no immediate therapeutic benefits for humans, it creates a new research platform that may ultimately help doctors find ways to revive brain function in stroke patients or to test new treatments for restoring brain cells damaged by injury, the authors said.

In the meantime, the research could spark new quandaries surrounding the determination of death itself, widely defined by one measure as the irreversible loss of all brain function. The blurring of that line has implications in turn for deciding when doctors are ethically bound to go from preserving a patient`s life to preserving their organs.

"For most of human history, death was very simple," Christof Koch, president and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, said in a Nature article accompanying publication of the Yale study.

Yale University scientists have succeeded in restoring basic cellular activity in pigs` brains hours after their deaths in a finding that may one day lead to advances in treating human stroke and brain injuries, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Yale University scientists have succeeded in restoring basic cellular activity in pigs` brains hours after their deaths in a finding that may one day lead to advances in treating human stroke and brain injuries, researchers reported on Wednesday. The scientists emphasized that their work did not even come close to reawakening consciousness in the disembodied pig brains. In fact the experiment was specifically designed to avoid such an outcome, however improbable. Still, the study raises a host of bioethical issues, including questions about the very definition of brain death and potential consequences for protocols related to organ donation. The research grew out of efforts to enhance the study of brain development, disorders and evolution. The main practical application is the prospect of allowing scientists to analyse whole brain specimens of large mammals in three dimensions, rather than through studies confined to small tissue samples, Yale said. The study, backed by the National Institutes of Health, offers no immediate clinical breakthrough for humans, according to the authors. Results of the experiment, to be published on Thursday in the journal Nature, run contrary to long-accepted principles of brain death, which hold that vital cellular activity ceases irreversibly seconds or minutes after oxygen and blood flow are cut off. The limited rejuvenation of circulatory function and cellular metabolism in pig brains, which were harvested from animals slaughtered at a meat-packing plant, was achieved four hours after death by infusing the brains with a special chemical solution designed to preserve the tissue. "The intact brain of a large mammal retains a previously underappreciated capacity for restoration of circulation and certain molecular and cellular activities multiple hours after circulatory arrest," lead researcher Nenad Sestan said in a Yale press release issued ahead of the study. It was in the lab run by Sestan, a Yale professor of neuroscience, comparative medicine, genetics and psychiatry, that researchers developed the so-called BrainEx system used to pump artificial nutrients into the pig brains` vascular network. `NOT A LIVING BRAIN` Scientists stressed, however, that the treated brains still lacked any detectable signs of organised electrical activity associated with perception, awareness or consciousness. "Clinically defined, this is not a living brain, but it is a cellularly active brain," study co-author Zvonimir Vrselja, associate researcher in neuroscience. The BrainEx preservative included substances to block nerve signals. Researchers also were ready to halt any electrical activity that might have emerged through anesthetics and temperature reduction, according to Yale. While the study offers no immediate therapeutic benefits for humans, it creates a new research platform that may ultimately help doctors find ways to revive brain function in stroke patients or to test new treatments for restoring brain cells damaged by injury, the authors said. In the meantime, the research could spark new quandaries surrounding the determination of death itself, widely defined by one measure as the irreversible loss of all brain function. The blurring of that line has implications in turn for deciding when doctors are ethically bound to go from preserving a patient`s life to preserving their organs. "For most of human history, death was very simple," Christof Koch, president and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, said in a Nature article accompanying publication of the Yale study.

Yale study revives cellular activity in pig brains hours after death

Robotics YouTube star Simone Giertz has gone into surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Giertz posted a touching video to social media before her surgery, making jokes and reassuring her fans.

She is out of surgery and her doctors are very pleased with how everything went as the tweet read,

"Simone is out of surgery and her doctors are very pleased with how everything went. She woke up long enough to make an inappropriate joke... so things are looking good."Fans took to Twitter to support and send good wishes to her.

A fan wrote, "Oh, you know. Just tearing up thinking about @SimoneGiertz and how beautiful the Internet is - how great it is that so many of us can be rooting for an unlikely queen of shitty robots and her battle against Brian, the stupid brain tumor.

Praying for good news soon."Another fan tweeted, "For everyone who loves @SimoneGiertz`s Shitty Robots this is very good news."

A fan uploaded a hilarious GIF. The tweet read, "Yayyyyyy! Wishing her a speedy recovery."

She was diagnosed with a non-cancerous growth in her brain.&nbsp;

Giertz posted a touching video on social media before her surgery, making jokes and reassuring her fans.

Robotics YouTube star Simone Giertz has gone into surgery to remove a brain tumor. Giertz posted a touching video to social media before her surgery, making jokes and reassuring her fans. She is out of surgery and her doctors are very pleased with how everything went as the tweet read, "Simone is out of surgery and her doctors are very pleased with how everything went. She woke up long enough to make an inappropriate joke... so things are looking good."Fans took to Twitter to support and send good wishes to her. A fan wrote, "Oh, you know. Just tearing up thinking about @SimoneGiertz and how beautiful the Internet is - how great it is that so many of us can be rooting for an unlikely queen of shitty robots and her battle against Brian, the stupid brain tumor. Praying for good news soon."Another fan tweeted, "For everyone who loves @SimoneGiertz`s Shitty Robots this is very good news." A fan uploaded a hilarious GIF. The tweet read, "Yayyyyyy! Wishing her a speedy recovery." She was diagnosed with a non-cancerous growth in her brain.

YouTube star Simone Giertz undergoes brain surgery

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