Category: General Neuroscience

2022-23, Degenerative Disease, General Neuroscience, Neurology, Neuroscience

Use of Retinoid Therapy May Restore Vision in Blind Adults

Sooraj Shah ’24 Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a family of retinal disorders, which result in severe vision loss from birth. LCA is one of the most common causes of childhood blindness, affecting approximately 2-3 infants for every 100,000 births. Currently, no direct cure for LCA exists, but recent developments in gene replacement therapy have shown promise in partially restoring retinal light-sensing ability with variability … Continue reading Use of Retinoid Therapy May Restore Vision in Blind Adults

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2022-23, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Accidental EEG Recording of Dying Patient Offers Tentative Glimpse into Our Final Moments

Jessica George ’24 In our relentless pursuit for knowledge, perhaps one of the most perplexing questions to humankind is what happens when we die. Several individuals who have undergone near-death experiences (NDE) describe their “life flashing before their eyes.” There is also the classical theory of a hypoactive brain during the end stages of life, where the brain ceases all electrical activity. Contrary to this … Continue reading Accidental EEG Recording of Dying Patient Offers Tentative Glimpse into Our Final Moments

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2022-23, Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience

Working Memory Capacity Is Directly Linked To Processing and Storage

Melanie Karniewich ’25 Memory plays an important role in our brain function, allowing us to register events and remember them for later use. Certain key factors play a strong role in the quality of our working memory capacity, such as processing and storage, problem-solving, and conscious control of what we find fit to remember. Dr. Lauren Richmond, an assistant professor at Stony Brook University, and … Continue reading Working Memory Capacity Is Directly Linked To Processing and Storage

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2022-23, Autism, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, mental health, Psychology

Autism Spectrum Disorder May Not Be Linked to Impairment of Self-Awareness

Sooraj Shah ’24 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects nearly 1 in every 44 children in the United States, and can cause a variety of symptoms such as delayed movement skills, nonverablity, and intellectual disabilities. A major impairment associated with  autism has been thought to be in theory of mind (ToM). ToM refers to the ability of an individual to understand that another individual’s mental state … Continue reading Autism Spectrum Disorder May Not Be Linked to Impairment of Self-Awareness

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2022-23, Biology, Brain, Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Neuroscience

Lack of CLOCK Regulator Protein May Predict Focal Seizure Susceptibility

By Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Focal seizure activity originates at particular foci﹣those being lobes, regions or hemispheres – of abnormal brain tissue and may emanate outward.  Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain that triggers recurrent, spontaneous seizures. The majority of new epilepsy cases involve focal epilepsy, in which seizure activity originates in a particular “focus” or … Continue reading Lack of CLOCK Regulator Protein May Predict Focal Seizure Susceptibility

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2022-23, Biology, Health and Medicine, Neuroscience

Type 2 Diabetes Accelerates Brain Aging-Related Neurocognitive Decline

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by dysfunctions relating to hyperglycemia, the state of high glucose levels in the bloodstream. Such excessive blood sugar is typically the combinatory result of inadequate secretion of insulin (a hormone that directs cells and the liver to take up glucose for energy and long-term storage, respectively), uncontrolled secretion of glucagon (an … Continue reading Type 2 Diabetes Accelerates Brain Aging-Related Neurocognitive Decline

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2021-22, Brain

Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes

Sooraj Shah ’24 The discussion of brain injury, particularly in contact sports such as boxing or football, has grown in importance as more and more former athletes speak out on the lingering effects years after retirement. The discovery of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in 2002 marked the beginning of increased attention and research into traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While CTE was found to spread throughout … Continue reading Thalamocortical Associated Brain Injuries May be Linked to Behavioral Changes

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2021-22, Cellular and Molecular Science, Depression, Neuroscience

Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Glia are non-neuronal cells that host and provide a number of homeostatic ancillary functions in both the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems. Though only recently discovered and characterized, glial cells vastly outnumber neurons and provide them with structural support and insular protection, driving their myelination (the process of forming coverings known as myelin sheaths that coat neurons’ signaling axons), facilitating … Continue reading Loss of NG2 Glia Implicated in Emergence of Depression Symptoms

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2021-22, Cellular and Molecular Science, Neuroscience

Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in the brain that triggers repeated, spontaneous seizures. Treatment-resistant epilepsy has previously been linked to disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a semipermeable network of close-packed endothelial (border) cells and capillaries that controls the influx of solutes circulating in the bloodstream into the extracellular fluid of the brain. The … Continue reading Stabilization of BBB Junction Protein Attenuates Epileptic Brain Activity

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2021-22, Biology, Brain, Ecology, Evolution

Brawn Before Brains in Early Mammalian Development

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Of all vertebrates, mammals have the largest brains in terms of absolute size and relative to body size. Significant encephalization (an increase in brain size relative to body size) has been observed in the placenta of extant mammals. However, until recently it has not yet been determined when mammalian brains began to increase in size and how they evolved to their current … Continue reading Brawn Before Brains in Early Mammalian Development

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2021-22, General Neuroscience

Music-Based Sensory Therapy Alleviates Symptoms of Anxiety

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions involving excessive nervousness and fear, which are often characterized by distinct phobias, restlessness, and panic attacks. Many conditions spanning the spectrum of anxiety disorders are diagnostically linked to early stressful life events (ELS) in an individual’s development, which compound the stresses of traumatic or rapidly transformational experiences and negatively rewire signaling patterns in key neural pathways. … Continue reading Music-Based Sensory Therapy Alleviates Symptoms of Anxiety

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2021-22, Brain

MRI Brain Mapping of Glymphatic System May Inform AD Diagnostic

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and form of dementia that causes progressive loss of memory, critical thinking skills, and behavioral capabilities. Among other pathophysiological mechanisms, the disease is characterized by disruptions in the glymphatic system, which is responsible for the facilitation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) exchange driving macroscopic waste and solute clearance. Breakdowns in this clearance … Continue reading MRI Brain Mapping of Glymphatic System May Inform AD Diagnostic

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