Search Results for: striat

Empathy, value, pain, control: Psychological functions of the human striatum

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This 2016 US human study found: “A link between existing data on the anatomical and physiological characteristics of striatal regions and psychological functions. Because we did not limit our metaanalysis to studies that specifically targeted striatal function, our results extend previous knowledge of the involvement of the striatum in reward-related decision-making tasks, and provide a … Continue reading Empathy, value, pain, control: Psychological functions of the human striatum

Nrf2 Week #4: Aging

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Two 2023 reviews of Nrf2 and aging, starting with Nrf2-mitochondria interactions: “We discuss molecular mechanisms of interactions between Nrf2 and mitochondria that influence the rate of aging and lifespan. Nrf2 activity positively affects both mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondrial quality control. Nrf2 influences mitochondrial function through regulation of nuclear genome-encoded mitochondrial proteins and changes in the … Continue reading Nrf2 Week #4: Aging

Don’t eat yourself into disease, Part 2

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This blog’s 1000th curation is a 2023 rodent study associating gut microbiota, behavior, memory, and food reward: “Energy intake and energy expenditure is regulated by the hypothalamus, and is referred to as homeostatic regulation of food intake. The reward system is the non-homeostatic regulation of food intake – pleasure-related consumption of foods enriched in fat … Continue reading Don’t eat yourself into disease, Part 2

Eat broccoli sprouts to protect your brain from stroke

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Starting this blog’s ninth year with a 2022 rodent study of sulforaphane neuroprotection: “An example of endogenous neuroprotection is ischemia-resistance of the hippocampal regions comprising the CA2, CA3, CA4 and dentate gyrus subfields (here abbreviated to CA2-4,DG) which can be contrasted with the ischemia-vulnerable CA1 region, which is noted in rodents as well as humans. … Continue reading Eat broccoli sprouts to protect your brain from stroke

Sulforaphane nose drops

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This 2022 rodent study compared capabilities of intranasal nanoparticle sulforaphane and free sulforaphane to mitigate brain damage caused by a common cancer treatment: “Non-invasive intranasal (IN) trafficking of therapeutic agents with nanocarriers can enhance efficacy of drug delivery, biodistribution, bioavailability, and absorption against enzymatic degradation and extracellular transportation. Direct IN trafficking of nanocarriers is expected … Continue reading Sulforaphane nose drops

Lifespan Uber Correlation

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This 2022 study developed new epigenetic clocks: “Maximum lifespan is deemed to be a stable trait in species. The rate of biological function decline (i.e., aging) would be expected to correlate inversely with maximum species lifespan. Although aging and maximum lifespan are intimately intertwined, they nevertheless appear in some investigations to be distinct processes. Some … Continue reading Lifespan Uber Correlation

The brainstem’s parabrachial nucleus

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I often reread blog posts that you read. Yesterday, a reader clicked Treat your gut microbiota as one of your organs. On rereading, I saw that I didn’t properly reference the parabrachial nucleus as being part of the brainstem. A “parabrachial nucleus” search led me to a discussion of two 2020 rodent studies: “Nociceptive signals … Continue reading The brainstem’s parabrachial nucleus

Unraveling oxytocin – is it nature’s medicine?

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This 2020 review attempted to consolidate thousands of research papers on oxytocin: “Chemical properties of oxytocin make this molecule difficult to work with and to measure. Effects of oxytocin are context-dependent, sexually dimorphic, and altered by experience. Its relationship to a related hormone, vasopressin, have created challenges for its use as a therapeutic drug. Widely … Continue reading Unraveling oxytocin – is it nature’s medicine?

Using oxytocin receptor gene methylation to pursue an agenda

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A pair of 2019 Virginia studies involved human mother/infant subjects: “We show that OXTRm [oxytocin receptor gene DNA methylation] in infancy and its change is predicted by maternal engagement and reflective of behavioral temperament.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6795517 “Epigenetic dynamics in infancy and the impact of maternal engagement” “Infants with higher OXTRm show enhanced responses to anger and … Continue reading Using oxytocin receptor gene methylation to pursue an agenda

A drug that countered effects of a traumatizing mother

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This 2019 US rodent study concerned transmitting poor maternal care to the next generation: “The quality of parental care received during development profoundly influences an individual’s phenotype, including that of maternal behavior. Infant experiences with a caregiver have lifelong behavioral consequences. Maternal behavior is a complex behavior requiring the recruitment of multiple brain regions including … Continue reading A drug that countered effects of a traumatizing mother

OCD and neural plasticity

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Update: this was retracted on February 23, 2021. The retraction note is at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84474-5. This 2019 New York rodent study investigated multiple avenues to uncover mechanisms of obsessive-compulsive disorder: “Psychophysical models of OCD propose that anxiety (amygdala) and habits (dorsolateral striatum) may be causally linked. Numerous genetic and environmental factors may reduce striatum sensitivity and … Continue reading OCD and neural plasticity

Sleep and adult brain neurogenesis

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This 2018 Japan/Detroit review subject was the impact of sleep and epigenetic modifications on adult dentate gyrus neurogenesis: “We discuss the functions of adult‐born DG neurons, describe the epigenetic regulation of adult DG neurogenesis, identify overlaps in how sleep and epigenetic modifications impact adult DG neurogenesis and memory consolidation.. Whereas the rate of DG neurogenesis … Continue reading Sleep and adult brain neurogenesis

Do we need to study the brain to understand the mind?

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A coauthor of the studies referenced in: Advance science by including emotion in research; and Empathy, value, pain, control: Psychological functions of the human striatum offered an opinion piece in A Paper a Day Keeps the Scientist Okay entitled “Do We Need To Study The Brain To Understand The Mind?” “The emerging consensus appears to … Continue reading Do we need to study the brain to understand the mind?

A human study of pain avoidance

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This 2016 UK human study found: “People differ in how they learn to avoid pain, with some individuals refraining from actions that resulted in painful outcomes, whereas others favor actions that helped prevent pain. Learning in our task was best explained as driven by an outcome prediction error that reflects the difference between expected and … Continue reading A human study of pain avoidance

Early-life epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene

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This 2015 US/Canadian rodent study investigated the effects of natural variation in maternal care: “The effects of early life rearing experience via natural variation in maternal licking and grooming during the first week of life on behavior, physiology, gene expression, and epigenetic regulation of Oxtr [oxytocin receptor gene] across blood and brain tissues (mononucleocytes, hippocampus, … Continue reading Early-life epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene