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Scientists have for the first time revealed the structure surrounding important receptors in the brain s hippocampus, the seat of memory and learning.
The study, carried out at Oregon Health & Science University, published today in the journal
Nature.
The new study focuses on the organization and function of glutamate receptors, a type of neurotransmitter receptor involved in sensing signals between nerve cells in the hippocampus region of the brain. The study reveals the molecular structure of three major complexes of glutamate receptors in the hippocampus.
The findings may be immediately useful in drug development for conditions such as epilepsy, said senior author Eric Gouaux, Ph.D., senior scientist in the OHSU Vollum Institute, Jennifer and Bernard Lacroute Endowed Chair in Neuroscience Research and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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IMAGE: As part of the BrainGate clinical trial, researchers are using tiny electrode arrays to record signals from the motor cortex of the brain. Those signals can then be used to. view more
Credit: BrainGate.org
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Researchers with the BrainGate collaboration have, for the first time, used an implanted sensor to record the brain signals associated with handwriting, and used those signals to create text on a computer in real time.
In a study published in the journal
Nature, a clinical trial participant with cervical spinal cord injury used the system to type words on a computer at a rate of 90 characters per minute, more than double the previous record for typing with a brain-computer interface. This was done by the participant merely thinking about the hand motions involved in creating written letters.
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IMAGE: Two implanted electrode arrays record the brain activity produced by thinking about writing letters. This information is then collected and processed in real-time by a computer, which converts that data. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Shenoy lab & Erika Woodrum (artist)
Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to restore the ability to communicate in people with spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This system has the potential to work more quickly than previous BCIs, and it does so by tapping into one of the oldest means of communications we have handwriting.
Diet Habits That Are Increasing Your Risk of Stroke, According to Science
Diet Habits That Are Increasing Your Risk of Stroke, According to Science
Getting older doesn t automatically come with an increased risk of age-related health issues such as stroke. While stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., with 795,000 people experiencing one each year, this condition is still preventable by making healthy choices.
A stroke occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails, which can cause brain cells to die from decreased blood flow and a lack of oxygen. This could cause speech, movement, eating, and cognitive issues and in severe cases death.
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WASHINGTON - A neurologic pathway by which non-damaging but high frequency brain impact blunts normal brain function and causes long-term problems with learning and memory has been identified. The finding suggests that tailored drug therapy can be designed and developed to reactivate and normalize cognitive function, say neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center.
The investigators, working with collaborators at the National Institutes of Health, had previously found that infrequent mild head impacts did not have an effect on learning and memory, but in their new study, reported May 10 in
Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22744-6), the investigators found that when the frequency of these non-damaging head impacts are increased, the brain adapts and changes how it functions. The investigators have found the molecular pathway responsible for this down-tuning of the brain that can prevent this adaptation from occurring.