Posts

Amyloid Beta Impairs Microglia Function in Alzheimer’s Disease

Image
Dysregulated lipid metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease causes lipid buildup in microglia, reducing the immune cell’s ability to clear amyloid beta plaques. Originally Written by Shelby Bradford, PhD, in the Scientist, on August 18,2025   Amyloid β plaques damage neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers showed they also dysregulate lipid metabolism in microglia, halting the cells’ phagocytic function.  Image credit:©iStock.com, Miyako Nakamura While amyloid β plaques are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), recent research suggests that they aren’t the only players in the neurodegenerative disorder . Genome-wide association studies and RNA sequencing data indicate that microglia , the Pac-Man-like cells of the brain that clean up debris and prune unnecessary neurons, are also important . 1,2 Gaurav Chopra , a neuroscientist and immunologist at Purdue University , and his team wanted to know how amyloid β affects microglia . While microglia are initially cri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Primate thumbs and brains evolved hand-in-hand

Image
Originally published by the University of Reading , on  26 August 2025 Longer thumbs mean bigger brains, scientists have found - revealing how human hands and minds evolved together. Researchers studied 94 different primate species , including fossils and living animals, to understand how our ancestors developed their abilities . They found that species with relatively longer thumbs , which help with gripping small objects precisely, consistently had larger brains . A group of chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is eating bananas outside. Photo: © Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Fuente: ifaw.org   The research, published today (Tuesday, 26 August) in Communications Biology , provides the first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected across the entire primate lineage , from lemurs to humans.  Read more
Post a Comment
Read more

An alphabet for hand actions in the human brain

Image
Originally published in MedicalXpress by Carnegie Mellon University on August 18, 2025 edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan                                                Cédito: Violinist.com     Using a corkscrew, writing a letter with a pen or unlocking a door by turning a key are actions that seem simple but actually require a complex orchestration of precise movements. So, how does the brain do it ? According to a new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Coimbra , the human brain has a specialized system that builds these actions in a surprisingly systematic way . Analogous to how all of the words in a language can be created by recombining the letters of its alphabet, the full repertoire of human hand action...
Post a Comment
Read more