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The discovery has been years in the making. Back in 2012, Katherine Duncan used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify how the brain triggers memory states, uncovering a brain region that detects novelty. She then demonstrated that novelty detection acts like a switch, changing how the brain learns and remembers. Finally, she determined the impact of novelty on human memory. As she puts it, "We find that familiarity increased retrieval of other unrelated memories but reduced the chances for memory formation. On the other hand, novelty enhanced the later formation of distinct memories without worrying about previous experiences." Duncan suggests we need to revisit how we make memories. "Your ability to remember something doesn't just depend on the strength of the memory, it depends on the state that you're in." Her work also hints at new strategies to improve memory development. "We're using what we know about the brain to deve...

Salk and UC San Diego scientists performed an enormous survey of microglia (pictured right here), revealing hyperlinks to neurodegenerative illnesses and psychiatric diseases. Credit score: Nicole Coufal Scientists have, for the primary time, characterised the molecular markers that make the mind's entrance strains of immune protection -- cells referred to as microglia -- distinctive. Within the course of, they found additional proof that microglia might play roles in a wide range of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, together with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's illnesses in addition to schizophrenia, autism and melancholy. "Microglia are the immune cells of the mind, however how they operate within the human mind just isn't effectively understood," says Rusty Gage, professor in Salk's Laboratory of Genetics, the Vi and John Adler Chair for Analysis on Age-Ass...

"Through this study, members of the Down syndrome community have demonstrated loudly and clearly that they are eager to participate in clinical  trials, particularly studies that provide promise for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease," says Brian Skotko, MD, MPP, co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Down Syndrome Program, and a site principal investigator for the trial. "This first, industry-sponsored phase 2 trial in the Down syndrome community showed that people with Down syndrome were able to follow the study protocol and that the drug was safe and tolerable." The most common form of intellectual disability in the United States, Down syndrome is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. People with Down syndrome exhibit various degrees of intellectual disability and are at greatly increased risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia as they age. Excess activity of the genes on chromosome 21 -- including the gene for the amyloid prec...