New brain research

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has emerged as a pivotal tool in neuroscience research, owing to its remarkable versatility and efficiency in delivering genetic material to diverse cell types within the nervous system. This mini review aims to underscore the advanced applications of AAV vectors in neuroscience and their profound potential to revolutionize our understanding of brain function and therapeutic interventions for neurological disorders. By providing a concise overview of the latest developments and strategies employing AAV vectors, this review illuminates the transformative role of AAV technology in unraveling the complexities of neural circuits and paving the way for innovative treatments...

The blood brain barrier (BBB) limits the application of most therapeutic drugs for neurological diseases (NDs). Hybrid cell membrane-coated nanoparticles derived from different cell types can mimic the surface properties and functionalities of the source cells, further enhancing their targeting precision and therapeutic efficacy. Neuroinflammation has been increasingly recognized as a critical factor in the pathogenesis of various NDs, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, a novel cell membrane coating is designed by hybridizing the membrane from platelets and chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 (CCR2) cells are overexpressed to cross the BBB and target neuroinflammatory lesions...

The current consensus holds that optically-cleared specimens are unsuitable for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); exhibiting absence of contrast. Prior studies combined MRI with tissue-clearing techniques relying on the latter's ability to eliminate lipids, thereby fostering the assumption that lipids constitute the primary source of ex vivo MRI-contrast. Nevertheless, these findings contradict an extensive body of literature that underscores the contribution of other features to contrast. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether non-delipidating clearing methods can produce MRI-compatible specimens or whether MRI-contrast can be re-established...

A comprehensive three-dimensional digital brain atlas of cortical and subcortical regions based on MRI and histology has a broad array of applications in anatomical, functional, and clinical studies. We first generated a Subcortical Atlas of the Marmoset, called the "SAM," from 251 delineated subcortical regions (e.g. thalamic subregions, etc.) derived from high-resolution Mean Apparent Propagator-MRI, T2W, and magnetization transfer ratio images ex vivo. We then confirmed the location and borders of these segmented regions in the MRI data using matched histological sections with multiple stains obtained from the same specimen...

This study challenges the conventional psycholinguistic view that the distinction between nouns and verbs is pivotal in understanding language impairments in neurological disorders. Traditional views link frontal brain region damage with verb processing deficits and posterior temporoparietal damage with noun difficulties. However, this perspective is contested by findings from patients with Alzheimer's disease (pwAD), who show impairments in both word classes despite their typical temporoparietal atrophy. Notably, pwAD tend to use semantically lighter verbs in their speech than healthy individuals...

Brain organoids provide a unique opportunity to model organ development in a system similar to human organogenesis in vivo. Brain organoids thus hold great promise for drug screening and disease modeling. Conventional approaches to organoid characterization predominantly rely on molecular analysis methods, which are expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and involve the destruction of the valuable 3D architecture of the organoids. This reliance on end-point assays makes it challenging to assess cellular and subcellular events occurring during organoid development in their 3D context...

In this paper I discuss the main models that have tried to explain brain asymmetries for emotions. The first models, based on clinical observations, proposed either a general right hemisphere dominance for emotions (the'right hemisphere') model or a different specialization of the right hemisphere for negative and of the left hemisphere for positive emotions (the'valence' model). In more recent times new models, based on partly modified versions of the previous ones have been proposed. The revised version of the 'valence' model, labeled the 'approach-avoidance' model maintained that hemispheric asymmetries are not related to the valence of the emotional stimulus but to the motivational (approach vs avoidance) system that is engaged by that stimulus...

BACKGROUND: In the pursuit of finer Brain-Computer Interface commands, research focus has shifted towards classifying EEG signals for multiple tasks. While single-joint multitasking motor imagery provides support, distinguishing between EEG signals from the same joint remains challenging due to their similar brain spatial distribution. NEW METHOD: We designed experiments involving three motor imagery tasks-wrist extension, wrist flexion, and wrist abduction-with six participants...

Delivering drugs to the brain is a complex challenge in medical research, particularly for disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The blood-brain barrier restricts the entry of many therapeutic molecules, hindering their effectiveness. Nanoparticles, a potential solution, face issues like toxicity and limited approvals. A new avenue explores the use of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), i.e., exosomes, as natural carriers for drug delivery. sEVs, tiny structures below 150 nm, show promise due to their minimal immune response and ability to precisely deliver drugs...

BACKGROUND: Brain tumors are one of the leading causes of epilepsy, and brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is recognized as the major cause of intractable epilepsy, resulting in huge treatment cost and burden to patients, their families, and society. Although optimal treatment regimens are available, the majority of patients with BTRE show poor resolution of symptoms. BTRE has a very complex and multifactorial etiology, which includes several influencing factors such as genetic and molecular biomarkers...

INTRODUCTION: Previous research has found that incidental emotions of different valences (positive/negative/neutral) influence risky decision-making. However, the mechanism of their influence on psychological expectations of decision outcomes remains unclear. METHODS: We explored the effects of different incidental emotions on the behavioral, psychological, and electrophysiological responses of individuals in risky decision-making through a money gambling task using a one-way (emotion type: positive, negative, neutral emotions) between-subjects experimental design...

Structural differences along the hippocampal long-axis have long been believed to underlie meaningful functional differences. Recent findings show that data-driven parcellations of the hippocampus sub-divide the hippocampus into a 10-cluster map with anterior-medial, anterior-lateral, and posteroanterior-lateral, middle, and posterior components. We tested whether task and experience could modulate this clustering using a spatial learning experiment where male and female participants were trained to virtually navigate a novel neighborhood in a Google Street View-like environment...

Whole-brain dynamic functional connectivity is a growing area in neuroimaging research, encompassing data-driven methods for investigating how large-scale brain networks dynamically reorganize during resting states. However, this approach has been rarely applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired during task performance. In this study, we first combined the psychophysiological interactions (PPI) and sliding-window methods to analyze dynamic effective connectivity of fMRI data obtained from subjects performing the N-back task within the Human Connectome Project dataset...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major health concern which causes long-term neurological disability particularly in war veterans, athletes and young adults. In spite of intense clinical and research investigations, there is no effective therapy to cease the pathogenesis of the disease. It is believed that axonal injury during TBI is potentiated by neuroinflammation and demyelination and/or failure to remyelination. This study highlights the use of naturally available cinnamein, also chemically known as benzyl cinnamate, in inhibiting neuroinflammation, promoting remyelination and combating the disease process of controlled cortical impact (CCI)-induced TBI in mice...

Computational models of brain regions are crucial for understanding neuronal network dynamics and the emergence of cognitive functions. However, current supercomputing limitations hinder the implementation of large networks with millions of morphological and biophysical accurate neurons. Consequently, research has focused on simplified spiking neuron models, ranging from the computationally fast Leaky Integrate and Fire (LIF) linear models to more sophisticated non-linear implementations like Adaptive Exponential (AdEX) and Izhikevic models, through Generalized Leaky Integrate and Fire (GLIF) approaches...

The cortically-coupled target recognition system based on rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) has a wide range of applications in brain computer interface (BCI) fields such as medical and military. However, in the complex natural environment backgrounds, the identification of event-related potentials (ERP) of both small and similar objects that are quickly presented is a research challenge. Therefore, we designed corresponding experimental paradigms and proposed a multi-band task related components matching (MTRCM) method to improve the rapid cognitive decoding of both small and similar objects...

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate such usage patterns and identify factors that may contribute to the need for repeat imaging in acute ischemic stroke patients, and determine the association between repeat imaging and readmission in Taiwan. METHODS: We searched and analyzed data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for patients admitted for acute ischemic stroke between 2002 and 2017. Cases where repeat brain imaging during the initial hospital admission occurred and where patients were readmitted within 30 days following discharge were documented...

 Post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia (PSCID) is a complication that affects long-term functional outcomes after stroke. Studies on dementia after long-term follow-up in stroke have focused predominantly on ischemic stroke, which may be different from the development of dementia after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In this review, we summarize the existing data and hypotheses on the development of dementia after spontaneous ICH, review the management of post-ICH dementia, and suggest areas for future research...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder with a global impact. The past few decades have witnessed significant strides in comprehending the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and developing diagnostic methodologies for AD, such as neuroimaging approaches. Neuroimaging techniques, including positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, have revolutionized the field by providing valuable insights into the structural and functional alterations in the brains of individuals with AD...

Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is a devastating complication of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Diagnosis and monitoring of LM can be challenging. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) microRNAs (miRNAs) have become a new noninvasive diagnostic biomarker. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical value and role of EVs miRNAs in NSCLC-LM. According to next-generation sequencing (NGS), miRNAs with differential expression of EVs in serum of NSCLC patients with LM and non-LM were detected to find biological markers for the diagnosis of LM...