Cognitive Function News and Research

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Cognition is a concept used in different ways by different disciplines, but is generally accepted to mean the process of thought. For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions.

Newly discovered mechanism identified in the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to be one of the most difficult and common neurodegenerative diseases, impacting millions of people globally.

16 Apr 2024

Research Reveals the Impact of Activated Protein C on Alzheimer's Disease Pathology

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 4, entitled, "Single-Cell RNA-seq reveals transcriptomic modulation of Alzheimer's disease by activated protein C."

14 Mar 2024

Study Uncovers How Oxytocin Boosts Memory in Animals

Researchers have discovered particular oxytocin neurons in the mouse brain that influence memory for object recognition.

14 Feb 2024

Simple Blood Test Uncovers Gene Expression Secrets

The brain is the most protected organ in the body, sheathed in a complex and nearly impenetrable barrier of specialized blood vessels.

12 Jan 2024

Tracking Genes in the Brain Via Non-Invasive Methods

With its intricate network of specialized blood arteries forming a nearly impenetrable barrier, the brain is the most protected organ in the body.

11 Jan 2024

B12-Producing Gut Bacteria Modulate Neurotransmitter Levels and Reduce Seizures in C. elegans

A new study published in Nature Cell Biology by Mark Alkema, PhD, professor of neurobiology, establishes an important molecular link between specific B12-producing bacteria in the gut of the roundworm C. elegans and the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter important to memory and cognitive function.

5 Jan 2024

"Wake" Slow Waves may Decrease the Impact of Epileptic Spikes on Brain Activity

Slow waves that usually only occur in the brain during sleep are also present during wakefulness in people with epilepsy and may protect against increased brain excitability associated with the condition, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL.

30 Nov 2023

Persons With Type 2 Diabetes are More Likely to Experience Changes in Brain Structure

The longer a person has type 2 diabetes, the more likely they may be to experience changes in brain structure, a Michigan Medicine study finds.

11 Aug 2023

Laxative Prucalopride can Have Important Effects in the Brain Circuits Crucial for Learning and Memory

Cognitive deficits accompany mood disorders and other psychiatric conditions, often with debilitating effects.

14 Jun 2023

Abnormal Immune Activity in Astrocytes Causes Dementia-Related Cognitive Deficits

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss, according to a preclinical study by a team of Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

21 Apr 2023

Astrocytes in the Brain may Play a Key Role in Regulating Information

Long thought of as "brain glue," the star-shaped cells called astrocytes-;members of a family of cells found in the central nervous system called glial that help regulate blood flow, synaptic activity, keep neurons healthy, and play an important role in breathing.

3 Apr 2023

Revealing the structural basis underpinning the biophysical properties of pili

According to the World Health Organization, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are the most common cause of traveler’s diarrhea and cause the greatest number of known community-acquired cases of childhood diarrhea in the developing world.

31 Mar 2023

New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

A tiny worm called the C. elegans is enabling scientists to explore the emerging theory that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut.

1 Mar 2023

Ten years and 1,000 studies later, epigeneticists discover problems in their arsenal

Twenty years ago, following the initial sequencing of the human genome, geneticists started carrying out extensive genome-wide association studies to find genomic regions connected to human disease.

16 Jan 2023

Involvement of the piRNA pathway in brain plasticity and successful aging

The Neurobiology of miRNA team, headed by Davide De Pietri Tonelli of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), established a link between a family of small RNA molecules known as piRNAs and brain inflammation.

16 Dec 2022

Figuring out how immune cells prevent cognitive decline

Could Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive decline be caused by the underproduction of immune cells that are poorly understood? It might, according to a Rutgers study published in Nature Immunology, and increasing these cells could undo the harm.

From Rutgers University 1 Dec 2022

Gene governing cell division could shield against Alzheimer’s

According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the overexpression of a gene linked to cell division and the structure and function of neurons could prevent and protect against cognitive deterioration in both mice and people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

28 Oct 2022

Researchers reveal key developmental difference between the brains of modern humans and Neanderthals

AZoLifesciences speaks to Dr. Anneline Pinson and Prof. Dr. Wieland B. Huttner from The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics about their latest research which found a greater neuron production in the frontal lobe during brain development in modern humans than Neanderthals, due to the change of a single amino acid in the protein TKTL1.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Sep 2022

New study supports bradykinin storm theory of COVID-19's viral pathogenesis

A new paper published in Nature Communications adds further evidence to the bradykinin storm theory of COVID-19's viral pathogenesis -; a theory that was posited two years ago by a team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

19 Sep 2022

Interactions between plasma miRNAs and cognitive performance in males

Cognitive decline brought on by aging is a precursor to dementias like Alzheimer’s and can have a significant impact on a person’s ability to carry out essential daily tasks.

16 Sep 2022