Study explores the effects of alcohol and cannabis on aggression-linked brain circuitry in teens
Alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence is a well-known risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) during adulthood. Whether early drug use plays a causative role in predisposing teens to AUD and CUD is unknown, but researchers are investigating the possibility that it may have an impact on neural development. Evidence suggests that an increased propensity for aggression may underlie the risk.
Now, a study in
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, shows that teens with more severe AUD or CUD displayed stronger retaliatory behaviors, but only those with AUD - and not CUD - had altered brain activity in aggression circuits.
Researchers from Skoltech and their colleagues have demonstrated that nanoengineered biodegradable microcapsules can guide the development of hippocampal neurons in an in vitro experiment.
Gift to Yale launches new research enterprise to study human cognition
Yale University today announced that a historic philanthropic gift will launch an ambitious new research enterprise devoted to the study of human cognition.
The gift, from Yale alumnus Joseph C. Tsai 86, 90 J.D., and his wife, Clara Wu Tsai, establishes an innovative research organization that will bridge the psychological, biological, and computational sciences and pursue a mission to understand human cognition and explore human potential by sparking interdisciplinary inquiry.
Understanding cognition is one of the greatest challenges in the history of science. Thanks to the vision and generosity of Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, Yale will pursue a thrilling new approach to the intensive, long-term study of the brain and the wonders of the mind. This is a vast undertaking that advances Yale as a leader in scientific research, while promising insights that will improve life for people around the world.
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Tsukuba, Japan As March comes around, many people experience hay fever. As excessive immune responses go, most would admit that hay fever really isn t that bad. At the other end of the spectrum are severely debilitating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. A common thread in all these conditions are cytokines, molecules that cause inflammation. Recent research by the University of Tsukuba sheds light on the effect of excessive cytokines on neuronal and glial cells in the brain.
Researchers led by Professor Yosuke Takei and Assistant Professor Tetsuya Sasaki at the University of Tsukuba in Japan have been studying an important cytokine called interleukin (IL)-17A. Their recent study shows that chronic increases in the levels of IL-17A circulating in mouse blood can reduce the microglia activity in one part of the brain s hippocampus. This might explain why it s related to several neurological diseases.
Areas of brain damage called white matter hyperintensities are commonly linked to vascular health problems. They have also been linked to Alzheimer s disease. Now a new study has shown that white matter hyperintensities are also found in frontotemporal dementia. The study is published in the February 17, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.