Lifeboat Foundation

A new protein discovery may have highlighted a ‘switch’ in brain cells that slows down inflammation and aging.

To make sense of mysteries like quantum mechanics and the passage of time, theorists are trying to reformulate physics to include subjective experience as a physical constituent of the world.

By Thomas Lewton

Summary: Scientists present a hypothesis dubbed “Cytoelectric Coupling” suggesting electrical fields within the brain can manipulate neuronal sub-cellular components, optimizing network stability and efficiency. They propose these fields allow neurons to tune the information-processing network down to the molecular level.

Comparatively, this process is akin to households arranging their TV setup for optimal viewing experience. The theory, open for testing, could significantly enhance our understanding of the brain’s inner workings.

Summary: Neurons in the hippocampus vary in function depending on their exact genetic identity. The study revealed these neurons, once believed to be homogeneous, are quite diverse and encode task-related information differently based on their location. This newfound understanding of neuronal diversity could lead to better comprehension of brain functions, memory capacity, and potentially advance disease treatment strategies.

Key Facts:

The Mediterranean diet has become famous far beyond its namesake sea, as research increasingly supports its longstanding reputation for boosting health and longevity.

Studies have shown that people on the Mediterranean diet – which emphasizes plant-based foods and fish, and not so much red meat or dairy – tend to be healthier in multiple ways, with lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and overall mortality.

But why? Despite strong evidence for health benefits, it remains unclear how exactly this mix of foods, at the cellular level, can lengthen lifespan.

Tactile stimulation improved motor performance, reduced phosphorylated tau, preserved neurons and synapses, and reduced DNA

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Summary: The neuroscience of consciousness explores the fundamental aspect of wakefulness and the higher-level cognitive perceptions, such as thinking and understanding.

Various theories, like the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory and the Integrated Information Theory, attempt to provide an explanatory framework for the conscious experience.

Continue reading “Unlocking the Mind: The Neuroscience Behind Our Conscious Reality” »

Scientists hope the findings could lead to treatments for the memory-destroying disease.

Researchers at Stanford University have developed digital skin that can convert sensations such as heat and pressure to electrical signals that can be read by electrodes implanted in the human brain.

Although such capability was developed years earlier, the components required at that time to convert digital signals were rigid and unwieldy.

This new e-skin is soft as, well, skin. The conversion elements are seamlessly incorporated within the skin, which measures a few tens of nanometers thick.