AI SummaryMIT and Harvard researchers have developed a new technique to achieve longer-term changes in neuron activity using light exposure to alter the electrical capacitance of neurons’ membranes. This manipulation of excitability could help understand brain processes, aging, diseases, and potentially lead to therapeutic applications.Nearly 20 years ago, scientists developed ways to stimulate or silence… Continue reading Using light to manipulate neuron excitability
Tag: Neural Diseases and Disorders
How touch dampens the brain’s response to painful stimuli
AI SummaryResearchers at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research have observed how touch can alleviate pain in mice, offering a deeper understanding of the relationship between pain and touch and potential insights into chronic pain in humans. The researchers found that whisker movement, which activates touch receptors in mice’s faces, altered their responses to painful… Continue reading How touch dampens the brain’s response to painful stimuli
Alzheimer’s risk gene undermines insulation of brain’s “wiring”
AI SummaryA new study published in Nature by an MIT-based team provides insight into how the APOE4 gene variant increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The study shows that APOE4 disrupts the management of cholesterol in brain cells called oligodendrocytes, leading to a deficiency in the fatty insulation of neurons known as myelin, which impairs… Continue reading Alzheimer’s risk gene undermines insulation of brain’s “wiring”