Category: News

The gut microbiota contributes to pain in fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a prevalent syndrome characterized by widespread pain in the absence of evident tissue injury or pathology, making it one of the most mysterious chronic pain conditions. It is thought to result from an overall increased sensitivity to pain. The composition of the gut microbiota in

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Failed memory recall does not necessarily reflect information loss A publication by SungMo Park, working in the Josselyn/Franklin lab at the Hospital for Sick Children, fundamentally reframes how memory impairment is understood by demonstrating that failed recall does not necessarily reflect irreversible information loss. Instead, they show that memories can persist as “silent engrams”—physically encoded

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Identification of a new brain cell important for object memory Adrienne Kinman, working in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Cembrowski at the University of British Columbia, has identified a new type of brain cells, called ovoid neurons, and showed it responds specifically to novel, but not familiar objects. Named for the egg-like shape of their

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Memory encoding evolves over time, involving different subregions of the brain Memories for specific events can persist for weeks or months, but the neural mechanisms supporting their storage and retrieval change over time. In this study, Ali Golbabaei, working in the Josselyn-Frankland lab at SickKids Hospital, examined this reorganization within memory-representing neuronal populations (engrams) in

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Identification of two brain signal features that guide surgery in drug-resistant epilepsy Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions, affecting individuals across all age groups, social classes, and geographical locations. For patients whose seizures remain uncontrolled despite optimal medical therapy, epilepsy surgery represents the most effective treatment option and offers the highest chance

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Lost in translation: how gene expression diverges between humans and macaque model systems Among all model organisms studied in neuroscience, the macaque is genetically closest to humans. Genetic similarity is paramount because genes exert powerful influences on brain organization, function, and dysfunction. But the potential for research to find applications in the clinic, that is

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Astrocytes play key roles in sex-specific changes in brain and behaviour caused by early-life stress In this study, Lewis Depaauw-Holt, working in the laboratory of Dr. Ciaran Murphy-Royal at Université de Montréal, investigated how early life stress influences brain and behaviour. They specifically aimed to elucidate the role of a non-neuronal brain cell, the astrocyte.

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Brain cleaning deficiencies are linked to sleep loss at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease Autophagy involves the recycling of the cell’s own components, such as damaged proteins, and is a highly regulated mechanism that is essential for maintaining cellular health. Research done by Christopher Daniel Morrone working with Dr. Wai Haung Yu at the

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