Category Biology/Biotechnology

Demyelination by MS. The CD68 colored tissue shows several macrophages in the area of the lesion. Original scale 1:100. Credit: Marvin 101/Wikipedia

Gene expression in specific cells and in specific regions can provide a more precise, neuroprotective approach than traditional treatments for neurological diseases. For multiple sclerosis, increasing cholesterol synthesis gene expression in astrocytes of the spinal cord can be a pathway to repair nerves that affect walking.

MS patients differ markedly from each other regarding which disability affects them the most. Inflammation strips the myelin coating from axons, and connections at the ends of nerves, called synapses, are lost, together disrupting signaling and eventually causing permanent disability depending on where this occurs...

Highlights •Ablation of IRF4 induces transplant acceptance by establishing T cell dysfunction •IRF4 represses PD-1, Helios, and other molecules associated with T cell dysfunction •Irf4‒/‒ T cell dysfunction is initially reversible but later becomes irreversible •Trametinib inhibits IRF4, abrogates EAE development, and prolongs allograft survival

Wenhao Chen, Ph.D., a scientist in the Immunobiology and Transplant Science Center at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, and his colleagues have identified a critical switch that controls T-cell function and dysfunction and have discovered a pathway to target it...

Neuroscientists from Bochum have investigated why the brain stores some odours in a special way. Credit: © Leigh Prather / Fotolia

Neuroscientists Dr Christina Strauch and Prof Dr Denise Manahan-Vaughan from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have investigated which brain area is responsible for storing odours as long-term memories. Some odours can trigger memories of experiences from years back. The current study shows that the piriform cortex, a part of the olfactory brain, is involved in the process of saving those memories; the mechanism, however, only works in interaction with other brain areas. “It is known that the piriform cortex is able to temporarily store olfactory memories. We wanted to know, if that applies to long-term memories as well,” says Christina Strauch.

Synaptic plasticity...

Omega 3 consumption is linked to better sleep, which may explain the higher IQ in kids who eat fish at least once a week. Credit: © mikitiger / Fotolia

Children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have IQ scores that are 4 points higher, on average, than those who consume fish less frequently or not at all, according to new findings from the University of Pennsylvania published this week in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal. Previous studies showed a relationship between omega-3s, the fatty acids in many types of fish, and improved intelligence, as well as omega-3s and better sleep. But they’ve never all been connected before...