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New Advances in Drug Therapy: Crossing the Blood Brain Barrier
Recent research has discovered new ways to deliver drugs to the brain through the blood brain barrier. This blood brain barrier is created by specialized cells that safeguard the brain from unwanted substances. Cornell researchers were able to create a drug called Lexiscan, which activates receptors that are on the blood brain barrier. Their goal […]
Should Pregnant Women Exercise?
Good news! If you have no motivation to exercise, it may not be your fault. Blame your mom instead! Studies at Baylor College of Medicine with pregnant mice show that mice that exercise more (on a volunteer basis) are more likely to produce offspring that are also physically active in adulthood. This study correlates with […]
Savant Syndrome
The award-winning movie “Rain Man” tells a story about a car dealer and his autistic brother, Raymond, who go on a life-changing, cross-country trip. The character Raymond from this popular movie was inspired by Kim Peek, a savant in real life. Savant Syndrome is a condition in which someone with a mental disability demonstrates profound […]
What We Think We See – Why the Real World is Confusing
Most of us rely on our eyes in order to help us interact with the world on a daily basis. Yet the visual system often distorts what we see, so what we think we see is actually an altered reality. According to Dr. Mareschal, as quoted in an article published in Proceedings of the National […]
Sonic Hedgehog and Astrocytes
During our introductory neuroscience courses, we’re taught that the brain has very poor healing capabilities following an injury. This has always stuck with me because of how terrifying it sounds—if something happens to your brain, it’s pretty much goodbye to that part of the brain. Putting this harrowing thought aside, new research has shown that […]
The Effects of Caffeine on the Mind
Coffee. Tea. Energy drinks. Almost everyone drinks at least one to get an energy boost; we have caffeine, the active ingredient in such beverages to thank for that boost. But how exactly does caffeine work – how does it affect the brain and its functions? Caffeine is considered a stimulant; the drug temporarily improves either mental […]
Toxicity of Amyloid Bundles and Why Size Matters
Amyloid Beta Plaques are bundles of protein that accumulate at certain locations within the body, commonly leading to Alzheimer’s Disease, and sometimes other diseases. As a result, scientists are trying to study Amyloid Beta proteins to understand the disease, and any other neurodegenerative diseases related to Alzheimer’s Disease. As for whether the protein itself is […]
A Big Future for Mini-Brains
Recently, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University developed “mini-brains” from human skin cells that could replace animal models in drug research. The lead researcher, Thomas Hartung, asserts that “the future of brain research will include less reliance on animals, more reliance on human, cell-based models” such as this new method. Miniature brains produce […]
Ground Zero in Alzheimer’s Disease
Research in Alzheimer’s disease has been prevalent in recent years and still has been flourishing until now. Recently, a new breakthrough has been discovered in the research of Alzheimer’s: the ground zero has been discovered. This ground zero is where the origin of Alzheimer’s starts and where it begins its development, in a region called […]
Weeding Out the Problem
Sometimes harmful drugs can lead to fruitful discoveries. At the University of Texas, neuroscientists have found that marijuana impinges upon the development of higher order cognitive structures depending on the age at which the user began using marijuana regularly. This study gives us important insight on not only the effect of hallucinogens, but more importantly […]