910 posts · 581,082 views
I have big dreams [don't we all?], I want to change the world. That is why I started Lunatic Laboratories, a little project that I hope will one day be a household name. Who knows, maybe it will work out, but even if it doesn't, at least it will be fun to try.
Lunatic Laboratories
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- March 20, 2016
- 04:32 PM
- 629 views
A link between nightmares and suicidal behavior
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A new study is the first to report that the relationship between nightmares and suicidal behaviors is partially mediated by a multi-step pathway via defeat, entrapment, and hopelessness. Results show that suicidal thoughts, plans or attempts were present in 62 percent of participants who experienced nightmares and only 20 percent of those without nightmares.
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Littlewood, D., Gooding, P., Panagioti, M., & Kyle, S. (2016) Nightmares and Suicide in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Mediating Role of Defeat, Entrapment, and Hopelessness. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(03), 393-399. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.5592
- March 19, 2016
- 03:01 PM
- 528 views
Forgetting, to learn
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
They say that once you’ve learned to ride a bicycle, you never forget how to do it. Unfortunately for students who hope this applies to studying, they might not like new research suggesting that while learning, the brain is actively trying to forget. While this may at first blush seem like a bad thing, it actually may be useful for those suffering from PTSD.
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Madroñal, N., Delgado-García, J., Fernández-Guizán, A., Chatterjee, J., Köhn, M., Mattucci, C., Jain, A., Tsetsenis, T., Illarionova, A., Grinevich, V.... (2016) Rapid erasure of hippocampal memory following inhibition of dentate gyrus granule cells. Nature Communications, 10923. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10923
- March 18, 2016
- 02:36 PM
- 689 views
Using precision medicine to define the genetics of autoimmune disease
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Demonstrating the potential of precision medicine, an international study used next-generation DNA sequencing technology to identify more than 1,000 gene variants that affect susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Precision medicine is an emerging field that aims to deliver highly personalized health care by understanding how individual differences in genetics, environment, and lifestyle impact health and disease.
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Raj, P., Rai, E., Song, R., Khan, S., Wakeland, B., Viswanathan, K., Arana, C., Liang, C., Zhang, B., Dozmorov, I.... (2016) Regulatory polymorphisms modulate the expression of HLA class II molecules and promote autoimmunity. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.12089
- March 17, 2016
- 03:47 PM
- 872 views
Preventing Alzheimer’s, with an implant
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Alzheimer's has been a losing battle, sure we can fight back with drugs, but that still just prolongs the inevitable. With that said we can all hope this research pans out, to something meaningful. In a cutting-edge treatment for Alzheimer's disease, EPFL scientists have developed an implantable capsule that can turn the patient's immune system against the disease. Even better, the implant is subdural, not intracranial.
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Lathuilière, A., Laversenne, V., Astolfo, A., Kopetzki, E., Jacobsen, H., Stampanoni, M., Bohrmann, B., Schneider, B., & Aebischer, P. (2016) A subcutaneous cellular implant for passive immunization against amyloid-β reduces brain amyloid and tau pathologies. Brain. DOI: 10.1093/brain/aww036
- March 16, 2016
- 04:51 PM
- 755 views
Viruses ‘piggyback’ on hosts success
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
In the microscopic life that thrives around coral reefs, researchers have discovered an interplay between viruses and microbes that defies conventional wisdom. As the density of microbes rises in an ecosystem, the number of viruses infecting those microbes rises with it. It has generally been assumed that this growing population of viruses, in turn, kills more and more microbes, keeping the microbial population in check. It’s a model known as “kill-the-winner” — the winners being the blo........ Read more »
Knowles, B., Silveira, C., Bailey, B., Barott, K., Cantu, V., Cobián-Güemes, A., Coutinho, F., Dinsdale, E., Felts, B., Furby, K.... (2016) Lytic to temperate switching of viral communities. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature17193
- March 15, 2016
- 03:44 PM
- 589 views
Where aging memories get stored in the brain
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Think back to when you were a child. Now instead, try to think of something that happened just a few minutes ago; would you believe that you are using different portions of the brain? When we remember events which occurred recently, the hippocampus is activated. This area in the temporal lobe of the brain is a hub for learning and memory. But what happens, if we try to remember things that took place years or decades ago?
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Lux, V., Atucha, E., Kitsukawa, T., & Sauvage, M. (2016) Imaging a memory trace over half a life-time in the medial temporal lobe reveals a time-limited role of CA3 neurons in retrieval. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.11862
- March 14, 2016
- 02:19 PM
- 527 views
Decrypting a collagen’s role in schizophrenia
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
What would be worse than having bad joints? How about schizophrenia and bad joints? To be fair that isn’t what is suggested, but they may, in fact, be linked. A small peptide generated from a collagen protein may protect the brain from schizophrenia by promoting the formation of neuronal synapses and study may lead to new approaches to treating the mental disorder.
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Su, J., Chen, J., Lippold, K., Monavarfeshani, A., Carrillo, G., Jenkins, R., & Fox, M. (2016) Collagen-derived matricryptins promote inhibitory nerve terminal formation in the developing neocortex. The Journal of Cell Biology, 212(6), 721-736. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201509085
- March 14, 2016
- 02:19 PM
- 476 views
Decrypting a collagen’s role in schizophrenia
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
What would be worse than having bad joints? How about schizophrenia and bad joints? To be fair that isn’t what is suggested, but they may, in fact, be linked. A small peptide generated from a collagen protein may protect the brain from schizophrenia by promoting the formation of neuronal synapses and study may lead to […]... Read more »
Su, J., Chen, J., Lippold, K., Monavarfeshani, A., Carrillo, G., Jenkins, R., & Fox, M. (2016) Collagen-derived matricryptins promote inhibitory nerve terminal formation in the developing neocortex. The Journal of Cell Biology, 212(6), 721-736. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201509085
- March 13, 2016
- 03:40 PM
- 591 views
New learning procedure for neural networks
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Rustling leaves, a creaking branch: To a mouse, these sensory impressions may, at first, seem harmless — but not if a cat suddenly bursts out of the bush. If so, they were clues of impending life-threatening danger. Researcher Robert Gütig has now found how the brain can link sensory perceptions to events occurring after a delay.
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Gutig, R. (2016) Spiking neurons can discover predictive features by aggregate-label learning. Science, 351(6277). DOI: 10.1126/science.aab4113
- March 12, 2016
- 03:08 PM
- 619 views
People with anxiety show fundamental differences in perception
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
People suffering from anxiety perceive the world in a fundamentally different way than others, according to a new study. The research may help explain why certain people are more prone to anxiety. The study shows that people diagnosed with anxiety are less able to distinguish between a neutral, “safe” stimulus (in this case, the sound of a tone) and one that had earlier been associated with gaining or losing money.
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Laufer, O., Israeli, D., & Paz, R. (2016) Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms of Overgeneralization in Anxiety. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.01.023
- March 11, 2016
- 02:17 PM
- 631 views
Finding the circuit for experience-informed decision-making
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
How is the brain able to use past experiences to guide decision-making? A few years ago, researchers discovered in rats that awake mental replay of past experiences is critical for learning and making informed choices. Now, the team has discovered key secrets of the underlying brain circuitry — including a unique system that encodes location during inactive periods.
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Kay, K., Sosa, M., Chung, J., Karlsson, M., Larkin, M., & Frank, L. (2016) A hippocampal network for spatial coding during immobility and sleep. Nature, 531(7593), 185-190. DOI: 10.1038/nature17144
- March 10, 2016
- 02:50 PM
- 746 views
Alzheimer’s on and now Alzheimer’s off?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Alzheimer's disease, is anything more frustrating than seeing someone -- who otherwise looks healthy -- start to forget who you are? Worse than that, we don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's disease, or how to stop it. Well actually that might be changing. Don't get too excited, because we've had false starts before, but an international group of scientists have succeeded in sorting out the mechanism of Alzheimer's disease development and possibly distinguished its key trigger.
... Read more »
Istrate, A., Kozin, S., Zhokhov, S., Mantsyzov, A., Kechko, O., Pastore, A., Makarov, A., & Polshakov, V. (2016) Interplay of histidine residues of the Alzheimer’s disease Aβ peptide governs its Zn-induced oligomerization. Scientific Reports, 21734. DOI: 10.1038/srep21734
- March 9, 2016
- 02:36 PM
- 630 views
Want a younger brain? Stay in school — and take the stairs
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Taking the stairs is normally associated with keeping your body strong and healthy. But new research shows that it improves your brain’s health too — and that education also has a positive effect. Researchers found that the more flights of stairs a person climbs, and the more years of school a person completes, the “younger” their brain physically appears.
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Steffener, J., Habeck, C., O'Shea, D., Razlighi, Q., Bherer, L., & Stern, Y. (2016) Differences between chronological and brain age are related to education and self-reported physical activity. Neurobiology of Aging, 138-144. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.01.014
- March 8, 2016
- 04:06 PM
- 543 views
Frankenstein’s E. Coli: How an artificial protein rescues dying cells
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
It’s alive, ALIVE! No really and it could one day have big implications for you and me. So it is not quite Frankenstein’s monster… yet. However, a new study has revealed how a synthetic protein revives E. coli cells that lack a life-sustaining gene, offering insight into how life can adapt to survive and potentially be reinvented.
... Read more »
Digianantonio, K., & Hecht, M. (2016) A protein constructed de novo enables cell growth by altering gene regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(9), 2400-2405. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600566113
- March 7, 2016
- 04:15 PM
- 601 views
Preemies’ gut bacteria reveal vast scope of antibiotic resistance
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Yesterday we blogged about the emergent and increasing antibiotic resistance problem, which was good -- or bad timing -- depending on how you look at it. A new study of gut bacteria in premature infants reveals the vast scope of the problem of antibiotic resistance and gives new insight into the extreme vulnerability of these young patients, according to researchers.
... Read more »
Gibson, M., Wang, B., Ahmadi, S., Burnham, C., Tarr, P., Warner, B., & Dantas, G. (2016) Developmental dynamics of the preterm infant gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome. Nature Microbiology, 16024. DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.24
- March 6, 2016
- 06:10 PM
- 762 views
Antibiotic resistance, evolution, and our future
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Without the discovery of antibiotics we could not — and most certainly would not — be living in the world we do today. It was a discovery that would save countless lives, while simultaneously compromising our future. From the use (and unfortunate misuse) of antibiotics, we gave rise to more virulent bacteria that have become resistant to more and more types of antibiotics.
... Read more »
Inglis, R., Scanlan, P., & Buckling, A. (2016) Iron availability shapes the evolution of bacteriocin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ISME Journal. DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.15
- March 6, 2016
- 05:54 PM
- 726 views
Testing the evolution of resistance by experiment
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
When the first antibiotics became available 70 years ago, they were often described as miracles of human ingenuity, rather like plastics or bright permanent dyes, which were discovered at roughly the same time. Packaged in vials or pills, they seemed like our inventions rather a chance gift of evolution and one that evolution might also rescind.
... Read more »
Inglis, R., Scanlan, P., & Buckling, A. (2016) Iron availability shapes the evolution of bacteriocin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ISME Journal. DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.15
- March 5, 2016
- 04:21 PM
- 675 views
Brain connectivity reveals your hidden motivations
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
To understand human behaviors, it is crucial to understand the motives behind them. So far, there was no direct way to identify motives. Simply observing behavior or eliciting explanations from individuals for their actions will not give reliable results as motives are considered to be private and people can be unwilling to unveil - or even be unaware of - their own motives.
... Read more »
Hein G, Morishima Y, Leiberg S, Sul S, & Fehr E. (2016) The brain's functional network architecture reveals human motives. Science, 351(6277), 1074-8. PMID: 26941317
- March 4, 2016
- 03:00 PM
- 857 views
Zika virus infects human neural stem cells, but…
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The Zika virus infects a type of neural stem cell that gives rise to the brain’s cerebral cortex, Johns Hopkins and Florida State researchers have found. On laboratory dishes, these stem cells were found to be havens for viral reproduction, resulting in cell death and/or disruption of cell growth. While this study does not prove the direct link between Zika and microcephaly, it does pinpoint where the virus may be doing the most damage.
... Read more »
Tang, Hammack, Ogden, Wen, and Qian et al. (2016) Zika Virus Infects Human Cortical Neural Precursors and Attenuates Their Growth". Cell Stem Cell. info:/dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2016.02.016
- March 3, 2016
- 03:10 PM
- 681 views
Your brain and the ‘neuronal big bang’
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Our brain is home to different types of neurons, each with their own genetic signature that defines their function. These neurons are derived from progenitor cells, which are specialized stem cells that have the ability to divide to give rise to neurons. Neuroscientists have shed light on the mechanisms that allow progenitors to generate neurons.
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Ludovic Telley, Subashika Govindan, Julien Prados, Isabelle Stevant, Serge Nef, Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Alexandre Dayer, & Denis Jabaudon. (2016) Sequential transcriptional waves direct the differentiation of newborn neurons in the mouse neocortex. Science. info:/10.1126/science.aad8361
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