Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Increased Schizophrenia Risk in … – Neuroscience News

Summary: Young men who suffer from cannabis use disorder are more likely to develop schizophrenia, according to a new study.

The study analyzed health records data of over 6 million people in Denmark and discovered a strong association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia. 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 may be prevented by treating cannabis use disorder.

Effective treatments for both conditions are available, making it imperative to expand prevention, screening, and treatment for people who experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use.

Key Facts:

Source: NIH

Young men with cannabis (marijuana) use disorder have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers at the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health.

The study, published inPsychological Medicine(link is external),analyzed detailed health records data spanning 5 decades and representing more than 6 million people in Denmark to estimate the fraction of schizophrenia cases that could be attributed to cannabis use disorder on the population level.

Researchers found strong evidence of an association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia among men and women, though the association was much stronger among young men. Using statistical models, the study authors estimated that as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 might have been prevented by averting cannabis use disorder.

Cannabis use disorderandschizophreniaare serious, but treatable, mental disorders that can profoundly impact peoples lives. People with cannabis use disorder areunable to stop using cannabis despite it causing negative consequences in their lives. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.

People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality, and the symptoms of schizophrenia can make it difficult to participate in usual, everyday activities. However, effective treatments are available for both cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia.

The entanglement of substance use disorders and mental illnesses is a major public health issue, requiring urgent action and support for people who need it, said NIDA Director and study coauthor Nora Volkow, M.D.

As access to potent cannabis products continues to expand, it is crucial that we also expand prevention, screening, and treatment for people who may experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use.

The findings from this study are one step in that direction and can help inform decisions that health care providers may make in caring for patients, as well as decisions that individuals may make about their own cannabis use.

Previous studies indicate that rates of daily or near daily cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and new schizophrenia diagnoses are higher among men than women, and that early, frequent cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia.

However, few studies have examined differences in the relationship between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia across different sex and age groups at the population level.

To address this research gap, investigators analyzed data from nationwide health registers in Denmark, which included health records data from more than 6.9 million people who were aged 16-49 at some point between 1972 and 2021.

Using these nationally representative longitudinal data, the researchers investigated how the associations between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia varied by different sex and age groups, and how these differences changed over time.

Although there are many risk factors associated with schizophrenia, in this study, researchers sought to estimate the proportion of all schizophrenia cases that may be attributed to cannabis use disorder specifically, across sex and age groups at the population level.

The study team estimated that 15% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 16-49 may have been avoided in 2021 by preventing cannabis use disorder, in contrast to 4% among women aged 16-49.

For young men aged 21-30, they estimated that the proportion of preventable cases of schizophrenia related to cannabis use disorder may be as high as 30%.

The authors emphasize that cannabis use disorder appears to be a major modifiable risk factor for schizophrenia at the population level, particularly among young men.

This study also adds toexisting evidencesuggesting that the proportion of new schizophrenia cases that may be attributed to cannabis use disorder has consistently increased over the past five decades.

The authors note that this increase is likely linked to the higher potency of cannabis and increasing prevalence of diagnosed cannabis use disorder over time.

Increases in the legalization of cannabis over the past few decades have made it one of the most frequently used psychoactive substances in the world, while also decreasing the publics perception of its harm.

This study adds to our growing understanding that cannabis use is not harmless, and that risks are not fixed at one point in time, said Carsten Hjorthj, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate professor at the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and at the University of Copenhagen.

The authors note that further research is needed to examine potential differences in the potency and frequency of cannabis consumption between young men and women, and to examine the mechanisms underlying the higher vulnerability of young men to the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia.

The association of cannabis potency with cannabis use disorder andpsychosismay help inform public health guidelines; policies on cannabis sales and access; and efforts to effectively prevent, screen for, and treat cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia.

Author: NIDA Press OfficeSource: NIHContact: NIDA Press Office NIHImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.Association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia stronger in young males than in females by Nora Volkow et al. Psychological Medicine

Abstract

Association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia stronger in young males than in females

Background

Previous research suggests an increase in schizophrenia population attributable risk fraction (PARF) for cannabis use disorder (CUD). However, sex and age variations in CUD and schizophrenia suggest the importance of examining differences in PARFs in sex and age subgroups.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide Danish register-based cohort study including all individuals aged 1649 at some point during 19722021. CUD and schizophrenia status was obtained from the registers. Hazard ratios (HR), incidence risk ratios (IRR), and PARFs were estimated. Joinpoint analyses were applied to sex-specific PARFs.

Results

We examined 6 907 859 individuals with 45 327 cases of incident schizophrenia during follow-up across 129 521 260 person-years. The overall adjusted HR (aHR) for CUD on schizophrenia was slightly higher among males (aHR = 2.42, 95% CI 2.332.52) than females (aHR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.892.17); however, among 1620-year-olds, the adjusted IRR (aIRR) for males was more than twice that for females (males: aIRR = 3.84, 95% CI 3.434.29; females: aIRR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.532.15). During 19722021, the annual average percentage change in PARFs for CUD in schizophrenia incidence was 4.8 among males (95% CI 4.35.3;p< 0.0001) and 3.2 among females (95% CI 2.53.8;p< 0.0001). In 2021, among males, PARF was 15%; among females, it was around 4%.

Conclusions

Young males might be particularly susceptible to the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia. At a population level, assuming causality, one-fifth of cases of schizophrenia among young males might be prevented by averting CUD. Results highlight the importance of early detection and treatment of CUD and policy decisions regarding cannabis use and access, particularly for 1625-year-olds.

Link:
Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Increased Schizophrenia Risk in ... - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Shared Genetic Defects in ALS and FTD: New Insights Into … – Neuroscience News

Summary: Some patients with ALS/motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) carry the same rare genetic defects that cause other neurodegenerative diseases. These defects, known as short tandem repeat expansions, are the cause of more than 20 neurodegenerative diseases including spinocerebellar ataxias and myotonic dystrophy.

The study suggests a shared risk factor and mechanism that cause nerves to die in different neurodegenerative diseases, which may lead to shared therapeutic strategies in the future.

Key Facts:

Source: Macquarie University

New research has discovered that some patients with ALS/motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) carry the same rare genetic defects that cause other neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers from the Macquarie University MND Research Centre and The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have identified the defects in the genomes of some people with non-inherited, or sporadic, ALS and FTD.

ALS/MND results in the death of the neurons, or motor nerves, connecting the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. These are the cells that control our ability to move, breathe and swallow. The disease is progressive and eventually fatal.

FTD also causes the death of neurons in part of the brain, resulting in a range of progressive symptoms such as memory loss, unusual behavior, personality changes and communication problems. It is the same form of dementia with which actor Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed, and unlike older-onset dementia, it tends to affect people under 65.

The majority of cases in both diseases about 90 percent in the case of MND and 60-70 percent in FTD are sporadic, with the rest occurring in families.

These gene defects, known as short tandem repeat expansions, are the cause of more than 20 neurodegenerative diseases including spinocerebellar ataxias and myotonic dystrophy. This Australian study has been the most comprehensive assessment of these gene defects in ALS and FTD patients worldwide.

Macquarie University Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Lyndal Henden says the findings were a surprise.

We found almost 18 percent of sporadic ALS and FTD patients carried a DNA repeat expansion thought to be involved in other degenerative diseases, she says.

Finding this genetic connection between ALS and FTD offers a fresh opportunity to uncover common risk factors for neuron death, and it will have implications for understanding both diseases.

Macquarie University Associate Professor Kelly Williams directed the study, and says the team suspected there could be some overlap with other diseases, but not to such an extent.

This suggests shared risk factors among these diseases, shared mechanisms that cause nerves to die and perhaps shared therapeutic strategies in the future, she says.

While the causes of sporadic ALS and FTD remain unknown, this is an important step in a long-term effort to identify the risk factors for developing one of these diseases.

Work can now begin to understand how these shared repeat expansions contribute to neuron death.

Thestudy, published in the latest edition of the journalScience Advances, is the culmination of 10 years of research that could not have been possible without the cooperation of patients with ALS and FTD, who have donated biological samples for DNA at both Macquarie University and the University of Sydney.

Author: Georgia GowingSource: Macquarie UniversityContact: Georgia Gowing Macquarie UniversityImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.Short tandem repeat expansions in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia by Lyndal Henden et al. Science Advances

Abstract

Short tandem repeat expansions in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia

Pathogenic short tandem repeat (STR) expansions cause over 20 neurodegenerative diseases. To determine the contribution of STRs in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), we used ExpansionHunter, REviewer, and polymerase chain reaction validation to assess 21 neurodegenerative disease-associated STRs in whole-genome sequencing data from 608 patients with sporadic ALS, 68 patients with sporadic FTD, and 4703 matched controls.

We also propose a data-derived outlier detection method for defining allele thresholds in rare STRs. ExcludingC9orf72repeat expansions, 17.6% of clinically diagnosed ALS and FTD cases had at least one expanded STR allele reported to be pathogenic or intermediate for another neurodegenerative disease.

We identified and validated 162 disease-relevant STR expansions inC9orf72(ALS/FTD),ATXN1[spinal cerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1)],ATXN2(SCA2),ATXN8(SCA8),TBP(SCA17),HTT(Huntingtons disease),DMPK[myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1)],CNBP(DM2), andFMR1(fragile-X disorders).

Our findings suggest clinical and pathological pleiotropy of neurodegenerative disease genes and highlight their importance in ALS and FTD.

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Shared Genetic Defects in ALS and FTD: New Insights Into ... - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Global Genomic Diversity: Unveiling the New Pangenome Reference – Neuroscience News

Summary: The Human Pangenome Reference Consortium has released a comprehensive collection of human genome sequences that captures remarkable diversity across global populations.

The new pangenome reference includes 94 distinct genome sequences from 47 individuals, with plans to increase this to 700 sequences from 350 people by mid-2024.

This expanded reference will better represent the genetic diversity of the human species and help reduce health disparities in genomic analyses. It also introduces over 100 million new DNA bases, and can more accurately identify larger genomic variants.

Key Facts:

Source: NIH

Researchers have released a new high-quality collection of reference human genome sequences that captures substantially more diversity from different human populations than what was previously available.

The work was led by the international Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, a group funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The new pangenome reference includes genome sequences of 47 people, with the researchers pursuing the goal of increasing that number to 350 by mid-2024. With each person carrying a paired set of chromosomes, the current reference actually includes 94 distinct genome sequences, with a goal of reaching 700 distinct genome sequences by the completion of the project.

The work, appearing in the journalNature, is one of several papers published today by consortium members.

A genome is the set of DNA instructions that helps each living creature develop and function. Genome sequences differ slightly among individuals. In the case of humans, any two peoples genomes are, on average, more than 99% identical.

The small differences contribute to each persons uniqueness and can provide insights about their health, helping to diagnose disease, predict outcomes and guide medical treatments.

To understand these genomic differences, scientists create reference human genome sequences for use as a standard a digital amalgamation of human genome sequences that can be used as a comparison to align, assemble and study other human genome sequences.

The original reference human genome sequence is nearly 20 years old and has been regularly updated as technology advances and researchers fix errors and discover more regions of the human genome.

However, it is fundamentally limited in its representation of the diversity of the human species, as it consists of genomes from only about 20 people, and most of the reference sequence is from only one person.

Everyone has a unique genome, so using a single reference genome sequence for every person can lead to inequities in genomic analyses, said Adam Phillippy, Ph.D., senior investigator in the Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch within NHGRIs Intramural Research Program and a co-author of the main study.

For example, predicting a genetic disease might not work as well for someone whose genome is more different from the reference genome.

The current reference human genome sequence has gaps that reflect missing information, especially in areas that were repetitive and hard to read.

Recent technological advances such as long-read DNA sequencing, which reads longer stretches of the DNA at a time, helped researchers fill in those gaps to create thefirst complete human genome sequence.

This complete human genome sequence, released last year as part of the NIH-funded Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium, is incorporated into the current pangenome reference. In fact, many of the T2T researchers are also members of the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium.

Using advanced computational techniques to align the various genome sequences, the researchers constructed a new human pangenome reference with each assembly in the pangenome covering more than 99% of the expected sequence with more than 99% accuracy. It also builds upon the previous reference genome sequence, adding over 100 million new bases, or letters in DNA.

While the previous reference genome sequence was single and linear, the new pangenome represents many different versions of the human genome sequence at the same time. This gives researchers a wider range of options for using the pangenome in analyzing other human genome sequences.

By using the pangenome reference, we can more accurately identify larger genomic variants called structural variants, said Mobin Asri, a Ph.D. student at the University of California Santa Cruz and co-first author of the paper.

We are able to find variants that were not identified using previous methods that depend on linear reference sequences.

Structural variants can involve thousands of bases. Until now, researchers have been unable to identify the majority of structural variants that exist in each human genome using short-read sequencing due to the bias of using a single reference sequence.

The human pangenome reference will enable us to represent tens of thousands of novel genomic variants in regions of the genome that were previously inaccessible, said Wen-Wei Liao, a Ph.D. student at Yale University and co-first author of the paper.

With a pangenome reference, we can accelerate clinical research by improving our understanding of the link between genes and disease traits.

The total cost of supporting the work of the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium is projected to be about $40 million over five years, which includes efforts to create the human pangenome reference, improve DNA sequencing technology, operate a coordinating center, conduct outreach and create resources for the research community to use the pangenome reference.

Many of the individuals whose genomes were sequenced for constructing the new human pangenome reference were originally recruited as part of the1,000Genomes Project, a collaborative and international effort funded in part by NIH that aimed to improve the catalog of genomic variants in diverse populations.

Because the human pangenome reference is a work in progress, researchers from the international Human Pangenome Reference Consortium continue to add more genome sequences to increasingly improve the quality of the pangenome reference.

Basic researchers and clinicians who use genomics need access to a reference sequence that reflects the remarkable diversity of the human population. This will help make the reference useful for all people, thereby helping to reduce the chances of propagating health disparities, said Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D., NHGRI director.

Creating and enhancing a human pangenome reference aligns with NHGRIs goal of striving for global diversity in all aspects of genomics research, which is crucial to advance genomic knowledge and implement genomic medicine in an equitable way.

In line with this effort, the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium includes an embedded ethics group that is working to anticipate challenging issues and help guide informed consent, prioritize the study of different samples, explore possible regulatory issues pertaining to clinical adoption, and work with international and Indigenous communities to incorporate their genome sequences in these broader efforts.

Institutions involved in theHuman Pangenome Reference Consortium may be found on the projects main page.

Author: Sarah BatesSource: NIHContact: Sarah Bates NIHImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.A draft human pangenome reference by Wen-Wei Liao et al. Nature

Abstract

A draft human pangenome reference

Here the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium presents a first draft of the human pangenome reference. The pangenome contains 47 phased, diploid assemblies from a cohort of genetically diverse individuals.

These assemblies cover more than 99% of the expected sequence in each genome and are more than 99% accurate at the structural and base pair levels.

Based on alignments of the assemblies, we generate a draft pangenome that captures known variants and haplotypes and reveals new alleles at structurally complex loci.

We also add 119million base pairs of euchromatic polymorphic sequences and 1,115 gene duplications relative to the existing reference GRCh38. Roughly 90million of the additional base pairs are derived from structural variation.

Using our draft pangenome to analyse short-read data reduced small variant discovery errors by 34% and increased the number of structural variants detectedper haplotype by 104% compared with GRCh38-based workflows, which enabled the typing of the vast majority of structural variant alleles per sample.

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Global Genomic Diversity: Unveiling the New Pangenome Reference - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Increased Long-Covid Risk for Those With Sleep Apnea – Neuroscience News

Summary: The risk of developing long COVID symptoms may be significantly increased in adults with sleep apnea, according to a new study.

This increased risk persisted even when controlling for other factors known to contribute to long COVID, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hospitalization at the time of initial COVID infection. Notably, the link between sleep apnea and long COVID was not observed in children when other risk factors were accounted for.

This research underlines the importance of early COVID treatment and symptom vigilance in sleep apnea patients.

Key Facts:

1 Adults with sleep apnea have a significantly increased risk of developing long COVID symptoms, according to a study by the National Institutes of Healths RECOVER Initiative and NYU Langone Health.

2 The increased risk for long COVID in adults with sleep apnea persisted even when accounting for factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and initial COVID hospitalization.

3 In contrast to the patterns seen in adults, the contribution of sleep apnea to the risk of long COVID was not significant in children when controlled for other risk factors.

Source: NYU Langone

Sleep apnea may significantly increase the risk for long COVID in adults, according to a study led by theNational Institutes of Healths RECOVER Initiativeand supported by NYU Langone Health as home to the efforts Clinical Science Core (CSC).

As ofApril 2023,more than 100 million Americans had been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. As of April the U.S.Governments Household Pulse survey estimated that about 6 percent of U.S. adults are experiencingsymptoms associated with long COVID, including brain fog, fatigue, depression, and sleep problems.

Past studies have shown that patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) tend to have more severe illness when initially infected with COVID-19. OSA affects about1 in 8adults but is often underdiagnosed.

To better understand links between sleep apnea and long-term COVID symptoms, the research team reviewed data across three RECOVER research networks of patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2022, according to their health records.

Two networks included adult patients the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) with 330,000 patients and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) with 1.7 million patients. The third patient cohort in the study analysis included the pediatric-focused network PEDSnet, made up of 102,000 children.

Published online on May 11 in the journalSleep,this study found that a prior diagnosis of sleep apnea in the PCORnet group came with a 12 percent increase in risk for long-term symptoms months after patients initial infections.

In the N3C patient group, in which patients had higher levels of other chronic conditions than those in PCORnet, sleep apnea came with a 75 percent increase in risk for long COVID compared to those without sleep apnea.

The observed increases in risk for long COVID in adults with sleep apnea remained significant even when the research team accounted for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hospitalization at the time of their initial COVID infection, all known to independently contribute to risk for long COVID.

The researchers hypothesize that the differences in the percentage increases in long COVID risk between the study groups may be further explained by variations indefinitionsof long COVID, study populations, and in analysis methods of patient records, across the large study.

In contrast to the patterns seen in adults, the contribution of sleep apnea to the risk of long COVID disappeared in children when the researchers controlled for other risk factors, including obesity.

A strength of the work is that the link between sleep apnea and long COVID persisted regardless of how the researchers in our study defined long COVID or gathered data,says senior study author Lorna Thorpe, PhD, MPH, Professor and Director of the Division of Epidemiology at NYU Langone Health.

She is also co-lead of efforts to understand long COVID using electronic health record networks for the RECOVER CSC at NYU Langone.

This study is the first collaboration of this focus and scale to find that adults with sleep apnea are at greater risk for long COVID.

RECOVERResearching COVID to Enhance Recoveryis dedicated to understanding why some people develop long-term symptoms following a COVID infection, and how to detect, treat, and prevent long COVID. As the CSC, NYU Langone Health is charged with integrating research activities of clinical sites around the country.

Theres still so much to uncover about long COVID, but this study will inform clinical care by identifying patients that should be watched more closely, says corresponding author Hannah Mandel, a senior research scientist for the electronic health record studies arm of the RECOVER CSC at NYU Langone Health.

People with sleep apnea who get infected with COVID should seek early treatment, pay attention to their symptoms, and keep up with their vaccinations to lower the risk of infection in the first place.

Interestingly, in the N3C study group, long COVID risk was higher among women with sleep apnea compared to men with sleep apnea.

Investigators identified an 89% increased likelihood for having long COVID in women, compared to a 59% increased chance for men.

The reasons for this are not clear, butwomenwith diagnosed sleep apnea in their medical records may have more severe conditions than men, in part because women with sleep apnea tend to go undiagnosed with OSA for longer.

Funding: The study was funded by RECOVER (OT2HL161847) and received additional support from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR002494).

For more information on RECOVER, visithttps://recovercovid.org.

Author: Gregory WilliamsSource: NYU LangoneContact: Gregory Williams NYU LangoneImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.Risk of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with pre-coronavirus disease obstructive sleep apnea diagnoses: an electronic health recordbased analysis from the researching coronavirus disease to enhance recovery initiative by Lorna Thorpe et al. SLEEP

Abstract

Risk of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with pre-coronavirus disease obstructive sleep apnea diagnoses: an electronic health recordbased analysis from the researching coronavirus disease to enhance recovery initiative

Study Objectives

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with more severe acute coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. We assessed OSA as a potential risk factor for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC).

Methods

We assessed the impact of preexisting OSA on the risk for probable PASC in adults and children using electronic health record data from multiple research networks. Three research networks within the REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery initiative (PCORnet Adult, PCORnet Pediatric, and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative [N3C]) employed a harmonized analytic approach to examine the risk of probable PASC in COVID-19-positive patients with and without a diagnosis of OSA prior to pandemic onset. Unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) were calculated as well as ORs adjusted for age group, sex, race/ethnicity, hospitalization status, obesity, and preexisting comorbidities.

Results

Across networks, the unadjusted OR for probable PASC associated with a preexisting OSA diagnosis in adults and children ranged from 1.41 to 3.93. Adjusted analyses found an attenuated association that remained significant among adults only. Multiple sensitivity analyses with expanded inclusion criteria and covariates yielded results consistent with the primary analysis.

Conclusions

Adults with preexisting OSA were found to have significantly elevated odds of probable PASC. This finding was consistent across data sources, approaches for identifying COVID-19-positive patients, and definitions of PASC. Patients with OSA may be at elevated risk for PASC after SARS-CoV-2 infection and should be monitored for post-acute sequelae.

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Increased Long-Covid Risk for Those With Sleep Apnea - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Menthol Inhalation May Boost Cognitive Ability in Alzheimer’s – Neuroscience News

Summary: Menthol inhalation can improve cognitive abilities in animal models of Alzheimers disease, researchers report.

Short, repeated exposure to menthol can modulate the immune system and prevent cognitive decline commonly seen in Alzheimers.

Researchers found that the smell of menthol reduced the level of interleukin-1-beta (IL-1b), a protein crucial to the inflammatory response. By inhibiting this protein with a specific drug, cognitive abilities were also improved in the mice models.

This research suggests the possibility of therapies based on stimulating the olfactory system to counteract Alzheimers and other central nervous system diseases.

Key Facts:

Source: Universidad de Navarra

Researchers fromCima University of Navarra(Spain) have shown in animal models ofAlzheimers diseasethat inhaling menthol improves cognitive ability.

This study discovered that repeated short exposures to this substance can modulate the immune system and prevent the cognitive deterioration typical of this neurodegenerative disease.

When analyzing its mechanism of action, they observed that when smelling this aroma, the level ofinterleukin-1-beta (IL-1b), a critical protein mediating the inflammatory response, was reduced.

Furthermore, by inhibiting this protein with a drug approved for the treatment of some autoimmune diseases, they were also able to improve cognitive ability in these diseased mice.

This research highlights the potential of odors and immune modulators as therapeutic agents. Furthermore, it opens the door to developing therapies based on stimulating and training the olfactory system to prevent or alleviate the effects of Alzheimers and other diseases of the central nervous system.

Frontiers in Immunologypublished the results of this study in its latest issue.

The functional balance of the brain depends on complex interactions between various types of nerve cells, immune cells, and neural stem cells. In this complex web of interactions, several studies have addressed the immunomodulatory and neurological effects of odorants.

Other previous works have also shown a correlation between the loss of the sense of smell and the appearance of the first symptoms of Alzheimers disease.

We have focused on the olfactory systems role in the immune and central nervous systems, and we have confirmed that menthol is an immunostimulatory odor in animal models.

But, surprisingly, we observed that short exposures to this substance for six months prevented cognitive decline in the mice with Alzheimers and, what is most interesting, also improved the cognitive ability of healthy young mice, says DrJuan Jos Lasarte.

Another result noted by the researchers is that blocking the activity of T regulatory cells, one type of immune cells with immunosuppressive activity, also improved the cognitive ability of mice with Alzheimers disease and also caused a clear benefit in the cognitive ability of healthy young mice, explains Dr.Ana Garca-Osta.

Both menthol exposure and Treg cell blockade caused a decrease in IL-1b, a protein that could be behind the cognitive decline observed in these models. In addition, the specific blockade of this protein with a drug used in treating some autoimmune diseases also improved the cognitive capacity of healthy mice and mice with Alzheimers.

This study is an important step toward understanding the connection between the immune system, the central nervous system and smell, as the results suggest that odors and immune modulators may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimers. and other diseases related to the central nervous system, points out Dr.Noelia Casares.

Funding: The Government of Navarra and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness financed this work. It is part of the Instituto de Investigacin Santiaria de Navarra (IdiSNA). It is also part of the INNOLFACT project, a multicenter consortium coordinated by Dr Enrique Santamara, a Navarrabiomed researcher.

This consortium aims to study the olfactory function in aging and develop new immunomodulatory therapies to slow down the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

Author: Miriam SalcedoSource: Universidad de NavarraContact: Miriam Salcedo Universidad de NavarraImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.Improvement of cognitive function in wild-type and Alzheimers disease mouse models by the immunomodulatory properties of menthol inhalation or by depletion of T regulatory cells by Casares Noelia et al. Frontiers in Immunology

Abstract

Improvement of cognitive function in wild-type and Alzheimers disease mouse models by the immunomodulatory properties of menthol inhalation or by depletion of T regulatory cells

A complex network of interactions exists between the olfactory, immune and central nervous systems. In this work we intend to investigate this connection through the use of an immunostimulatory odorant like menthol, analyzing its impact on the immune system and the cognitive capacity in healthy and Alzheimers Disease Mouse Models.

We first found that repeated short exposures to menthol odor enhanced the immune response against ovalbumin immunization. Menthol inhalation also improved the cognitive capacity of immunocompetent mice but not in immunodeficient NSG mice, which exhibited very poor fear-conditioning.

This improvement was associated with a downregulation of IL-1 and IL-6 mRNA in the brains prefrontal cortex, and it was impaired by anosmia induction with methimazole.

Exposure to menthol for 6 months (1 week per month) prevented the cognitive impairment observed in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer. Besides, this improvement was also observed by the depletion or inhibition of T regulatory cells.

Treg depletion also improved the cognitive capacity of the APPNL-G-F/NL-G-FAlzheimers mouse model. In all cases, the improvement in learning capacity was associated with a downregulation of IL-1 mRNA. Blockade of the IL-1 receptor with anakinra resulted in a significant increase in cognitive capacity in healthy mice as well as in the APP/PS1 model of Alzheimers disease.

These data suggest an association between the immunomodulatory capacity of smells and their impact on the cognitive functions of the animals, highlighting the potential of odors and immune modulators as therapeutic agents for CNS-related diseases.

Link:
Menthol Inhalation May Boost Cognitive Ability in Alzheimer's - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Depression Symptoms in Older People on the Decline – Neuroscience News

Summary: A recent study reveals that todays 75- and 80-year-olds experience fewer depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction than their counterparts from the 1990s. The improvement in mental well-being is attributed to better-perceived health and higher education among the aging population. The research further supports the notion that older individuals today have better physical and cognitive functioning than those born earlier.

Key Facts:

Source: University of Jyvskyl

Depressive symptoms have decreased among older people and they are more satisfied with their lives so far than people at the same age three decades ago.

This was observed in a study conducted at the Gerontology Research Center at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvskyl (Finland).

The study examined differences in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction between current 75- and 80-year-olds and same-aged people who lived in the 1990s.

The results showed that 75- and 80-year-old men and women today experience fewer depressive symptoms than those who were 75 and 80 years old in the 1990s. The differences were partly explained by the better-perceived health and higher education of those born later.

In our previous comparisons, we found that older people today have significantly better physical and cognitive functioning at the same age compared to those born earlier, says ProfessorTaina Rantanenfrom the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences.

These new results complement these positive findings in terms of mental well-being.

Today, 75- and 80-year-olds are more satisfied with their lives to date. However, 80-year-old men who lived in the 1990s were even more satisfied with their current lives than 80-year-old men today.

These men born in 1910 had lived through difficult times, which may explain their satisfaction with their current lives in the 1990s when many things were better than before, says postdoctoral researcherTiia Keklinen.

Individuals adapt to their situation and living conditions. Both in the 1990s and today, the majority of older adults reported being satisfied with their current lives.

The study was conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center at University of Jyvskyl, Finland.

The first cohort consisted of 617 individuals born in 1910 and 1914 who participated in the Evergreen study in 19891990. The second cohort consisted of 794 individuals born in 19381939 and 19421943 who participated in the AGNES study in 20172018. In both cohorts, the participants were assessed at the age of 75 or 80 years.

Funding: The study was funded by the Academy of Finland and the European Research Council.

Author: Tiia KeklinenSource: University of JyvskylContact: Tiia Keklinen University of JyvskylImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.Cohort Differences in Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in 75- and 80-Year-Olds: A Comparison of Two Cohorts 28 Years Apart by Keklinen, T et al. Journal of Aging and Health

Abstract

Cohort Differences in Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in 75- and 80-Year-Olds: A Comparison of Two Cohorts 28 Years Apart

To examine birth cohort differences in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in older men and women and the mechanisms underpinning the possible cohort differences.

Two independent cohorts of Finnish men and women aged 75 and 80 were assessed in 19891990 (n= 617) and 20172018 (n= 794). They reported their depressive symptoms (CES-D), current life satisfaction, and evaluation of life until now.

The later-born cohort reported fewer depressive symptoms (8.6 7.1 vs. 13.9 8.3) and the differences were similar for the subdomains of depressive symptoms. The later-born cohort was more often mostly satisfied with life until now (90 vs. 70%) but not with the current life than the earlier-born cohort. Better self-rated health and education of the later-born cohort partly explain the cohort differences.

Older people in Finland report fewer depressive symptoms and they are more satisfied with their past life compared to their counterparts assessed 28years ago.

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Depression Symptoms in Older People on the Decline - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

High-Resolution Image of the Human Retina Reveals Stunning Details – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers developed a new imaging technique to visualize several dozen proteins in a thin tissue section at high resolution using fluorescence microscopy.

The technique enabled researchers to map the development of human retinal organoids at high temporal and spatial resolution, providing insights into how healthy tissue forms and developing a time series that describes the entire 39-week development of retinal organoids.

The researchers aim to apply this approach to other tissue types, such as the human brain and various tumor tissues, creating an atlas that provides information on the development of human organoids and tissues.

Key Facts:

Source: ETH Zurich

What cell types are found in which human tissue, and where? Which genes are active in the individual cells, and which proteins are found there?

Answers to these questions and more are to be provided by a specialized atlas in particular how the different tissues form during embryonic development and what causes diseases.

In creating this atlas, researchers aim to map not only tissue directly isolated from humans, but also structures called organoids. These are three-dimensional clumps of tissue that are cultivated in the laboratory and develop in a way similar to human organs, but on a small scale.

The advantage of organoids is that we can intervene in their development and test active substances on them, which allows us to learn more about healthy tissue as well as diseases, explains Barbara Treutlein, Professor of Quantitative Developmental Biology at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel.

To help produce such an atlas, Treutlein, together with researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Basel, has now developed an approach to gather and compile a great deal of information about organoids and their development. The research team applied this approach to the organoids of the human retina, which they derived from stem cells.

Many proteins visible simultaneously

At the heart of the methods the scientists used for their approach was the 4i technology: iterative indirect immunofluorescence imaging. This new imaging technique can visualize several dozen proteins in a thin tissue section at high resolution using fluorescence microscopy.

The 4i technology was developed a few years ago by Lucas Pelkmans, a professor at the University of Zurich and coauthor of the study that has just been published in the scientific journalNature Biotechnology.

It is in this study that the researchers applied this method to organoids for the first time.

Typically, researchers use fluorescence microscopy to highlight three proteins in a tissue, each with a different fluorescent dye.

For technical reasons, it is not possible to stain more than five proteins at a time. In 4i technology, three dyes are used, but these are washed from the tissue sample after measurements have been taken, and three new proteins are stained. This step was performed 18 times, by a robot, and the process took a total of 18 days.

Lastly, a computer merges the individual images into a single microscopy image on which 53 different proteins are visible. They provide information on the function of the individual cell types that make up the retina; for example, rods, cones, and ganglion cells.

The researchers have supplemented this visual information of retinal proteins with information on which genes are read in the individual cells.

High spatial and temporal resolution

The scientists performed all these analyses on organoids that were of different ages and thus at different stages of development. In this way, they were able to create a time series of images and genetic information that describes the entire 39-week development of retinal organoids.

We can use this time series to show how the organoid tissue slowly builds up, where which cell types proliferate and when, and where the synapses are located. The processes are comparable to those of retinal formation during embryonic development, says Gray Camp, a professor at the University of Basel and a senior author of this study.

The researchers published their image information and more findings on retinal development on a publicly accessible website:EyeSee4is.

Further tissue types planned

So far, the scientists have been studying how a healthy retina develops, but in the future, they hope to deliberately disrupt development in retinal organoids with drugs or genetic modifications.

This will give us new insights into diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition that causes the retinas light-sensitive receptors to gradually degenerate and ultimately leads to blindness, Camp says.

The researchers want to find out when this process begins and how it can be stopped.

Treutlein and her colleagues are also working on applying the new detailed mapping approach to other tissue types, such as different sections of the human brain and to various tumour tissues. Step by step, this will create an atlas that provides information on the development of human organoids and tissues.

Author: Press OfficeSource: ETH ZurichContact: Press Office ETH ZurichImage: The image is credited to Wahle et al. Nature Biotechnology 2023

Original Research: Open access.Multimodal spatiotemporal phenotyping of human retinal organoid development by Barbara Treutlein et al. Nature Biotechnology

Abstract

Multimodal spatiotemporal phenotyping of human retinal organoid development

Organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells provide experimental systems to study development and disease, but quantitative measurements across different spatial scales and molecular modalities are lacking.

In this study, we generated multiplexed protein maps over a retinal organoid time course and primary adult human retinal tissue.

We developed a toolkit to visualize progenitor and neuron location, the spatial arrangements of extracellular and subcellular components and global patterning in each organoid and primary tissue. In addition, we generated a single-cell transcriptome and chromatin accessibility timecourse dataset and inferred a gene regulatory network underlying organoid development.

We integrated genomic data with spatially segmented nuclei into a multimodal atlas to explore organoid patterning and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) spatial neighborhoods, highlighting pathways involved in RGC cell death and showing that mosaic genetic perturbations in retinal organoids provide insight into cell fate regulation.

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High-Resolution Image of the Human Retina Reveals Stunning Details - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Announcing the Hackensack Meridian Health Neuroscience Institute … – Hackensack Meridian Health

Hackensack Meridian Healths three nationally-recognized neuroscience institutes at Hackensack University Medical Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center and JFK University Medical Center are now united as Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute the largest, most comprehensive Neuroscience Institute in the state. By coming together as one institute with a shared vision and mission, the three locations have strengthened their ability to provide integrated access to care and research for patients throughout New Jersey.

Under the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute umbrella, neurology and neurosurgery team members are able to leverage the network resources to provide their patients with enhanced access to evidence-based care protocols, clinical trials, technology, and subspecialty expertise closer to home, and without the need to refer patients outside HMH.

One in three people will develop a neurological disorder at some point. Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and among the leading causes of death in the United States. That is why where and who a patient seeks treatment for conditions like brain and spine tumors, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimers disease, and dementia and neuromuscular diseases like multiple sclerosis, is important.

The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute offers the highest standard of care for patients with neurological illnesses, allowing us to bring together neurologists, neurosurgeons and other neurology specialists including neuropsychologists, case managers, neurointensivists, researchers and neuro-oncologists so that every facet of a neurological illness is attended to, said Timothy Hogan, FACHE, executive vice president of Hackensack Meridian Health Care Transformation Services. The Institute allows for even greater connectivity and collaboration, to allow patients access to the highest quality care in all the regions we serve throughout New Jersey.

Hackensack Meridian Health has the largest neurology and neurosurgery program in New Jersey and is home to the states only nationally ranked neurology and neurosurgery program at Hackensack University Medical Center. The Neuroscience Institutes accolades include the following:

Patients will also have access to nationally ranked neurological rehabilitation services at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, ranked by US News & World Report as one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the country.

The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute allows patients access to state-of-the-art care and advanced therapies through new research and clinical trials, including trials in neurological conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimers disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), spinal cord injury, brain tumors and migraines.

Collaboration throughout Hackensack Meridian Healths vast healthcare network allows other underlying medical causes for neurological disorders to be addressed. For example, Hackensack University Medical Center has established a Heart and Brain Clinic to evaluate and treat people with patent foramen ovale (PFO) a small hole in the heart who have had a stroke not due to other causes and who are at risk of a second stroke. The clinic is a collaboration between the medical centers renowned cardiology and neurology experts in one multidisciplinary program and is the first-of-its-kind in New Jersey. At the Neuroscience Institutes Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health, patients have access to cognitive neurologists, geriatricians, health & neuro-psychologists and social workers for comprehensive care to all parts of memory loss diseases.

Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute Offers Advanced Technology

The Neuroscience Institute offers premiere technology for treatment of neurological disease and disorders that cannot be found at most other institutions. The Neuroscience Institute is now equipped with Quicktome brain mapping technology, an innovation in imaging to map brain networks and electrical connections to preserve them during surgery, allowing surgeons to plot out a surgery that would limit the amount of brain tissue impacted. The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute sites are the first locations in New Jersey and only a few in the Northeast with this technology.

The Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center is home to New Jerseys first intraoperative MRI system, used during neurosurgical and neuro-interventional procedures to help neurosurgeons accurately remove tumors and treat conditions such as Parkinsons disease, epilepsy and more. Similar technology, including Clear Point brings MRI technology into the operation room, allowing patients to undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS) while asleep rather than awake.

The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center and later this year, Jersey Shore University Medical Center are the only locations in New Jersey to offer High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HiFU). This unique non-invasive procedure effectively treats Parkinsons tremors and essential tremors in cases where managing with medication hasnt been effective, allowing patients to return to their normal activities without debilitating tremors.

For the treatment of brain cancer and other conditions of the head and neck, the Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center will offer Zap-X beginning this summer, a non-invasive precision treatment that delivers high-dose radiation to brain tumors, facial pain and arteriovenous malformations or twisted blood vessels that can cause clots leading to stroke, without destroying healthy brain cells. The Neuroscience Institute will be the sixth in the nation to have Zap-X, the only one in the Northeast, and globally the first to pair it with Synaptive MRI, shortening the time from diagnosis to treatment. The Neuroscience Institute also skillfully uses gamma knife and fluorescence-targeted radiation in the treatment of brain tumors, tremors and other neurological issues.

If brain or spine surgery is required, the Neuroscience Institute at JFK University Medical Center is one of a handful of hospitals nationally and the only one in New Jersey offering 3D imaging technology and intraoperative augmented reality imaging during surgery known as Surgical Theater. Neurosurgeons slip on a virtual reality headset and see exceptionally detailed images to determine the best strategy to target pathologies while preserving normal tissue. Doctors also use this technology to practice a surgery before they perform it and to demonstrate to patients what needs to be done.

Other technology available at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute include Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LiTT Technology), a minimally invasive surgical option for people with drug-resistant epilepsy and select brain tumors. DaTSCAN Camera, one of the most advanced diagnostic imaging technologies available, visualizes dopamine transporter levels in the brain. This is an effective tool in diagnosing Parkinsons disease and other movement disorders.

Neuroscience Institute surgeons are skilled at using DBS to surgically implant a pacemaker-type device into the brain to control tremors. For sleep disorders, the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute offers two surgical options for obstructive sleep apnea that cannot be controlled with a CPAP machine.

Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute Has World-Class Physicians

The Neuroscience Institutes advanced technology is even more powerful in the hands of its world-class physicians. From neurology, neuro-surgery, neuro-oncology, movement disorders, stroke, memory disorders, sleep, and headaches, the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute offers expert physicians in all areas. The Institutes doctors are leaders and innovators in neurological treatments and surgeries. Bringing them all together in one institute allows more collaboration to combat a patients illness.

No matter the neurological issue, the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute has a specialist ready to treat it with knowledge, compassion, and state-of-the-art tools in the hands of our renowned neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuro-oncologists, said Maria Coello, vice president of Care Transformation Services including Neurosciences, Hackensack Meridian Health.

Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute Participates in Groundbreaking Research

The Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute continues to innovate new treatments for neurological ailments, as technology and science evolve, participating in clinical trials and groundbreaking research. Neuroscience Institute patients are able to access cutting-edge technology and treatment breakthroughs for their neurological disorders.

Scientists at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute are researching and participating in clinical trials on topics including treatments for traumatic brain injury, Alzheimers disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

Teaching Future Physicians at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

The physicians at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute are also professors at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school opened in New Jersey in more than 50 years, which is training the next generation of neurologists and neurosurgeons on the innovative treatments and advancements being made. The School of Medicines progressive curriculum trains future doctors to not only treat a patients medical condition, but the underlying social determinants of health affecting them. The unique school trains diverse doctors who look like the country and the patients they serve. Nearly half of the class admitted in 2020 is female, and students speak 33 languages. Half of the class identifies as persons of color (other than white), and a quarter are from groups categorized as under-represented in medicine. Studies show patients are more likely to respond to a doctor from their cultural or ethnic background. More than half of the School of Medicine students go on to residencies at Hackensack Meridian hospitals, including within the Neuroscience Institute.

The new Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute advertising campaign launches the week of April 3. Click here to watch our new television commercial.

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Announcing the Hackensack Meridian Health Neuroscience Institute ... - Hackensack Meridian Health

Neuroscience

CZIs Grant for Diversity in Neuroscience is a Positive Development … – Inside Philanthropy

With its February announcement of a two-year, $1 million grant to a new Baltimore initiative focused on racial disparities in the field of neuroscience, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative didnt just take another step toward its goal of funding research leading to the cure or treatment of all human disease by the end of this century. The grant is also a step toward ensuring that fewer people will be left out of both the process and the benefits of that research.

CZIs grant will help fund the development of the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative (AANRI), a partnership between Baltimores Lieber Institute for Brain Development, historically Black Morgan State University, and community leaders helmed by the Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, the retired pastor of West Baltimores Union Baptist Church. First announced in 2019, AANRIs aims include alleviating the Black communitys distrust of the medical and research establishment, eventually improving health outcomes by vastly increasing the racial diversity of donated brains available to neuroscientists studying the causes and treatments of everything from psychiatric disorders to Alzheimers Disease, and diversifying the field of neuroscience itself. AANRI has also attracted support from the Abell Foundation, Brown Capital Management, and the state of Maryland.

When it comes to the ways that the countrys health care system has betrayed and failed Black Americans, the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiments of the 20th century are just one example of medicines many tresspasses. Other examples of medical neglect and outright abuse of Black patients includes forced sterilization, frequent failures to treat their pain or take it seriously, and the disparate toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are also glaring disparities among practitioners. Only 4% of American physicians are Black, and its too early to tell whether the notable increase in Black medical school applicants in 2021 will translate to more representation in the profession. Given that history and todays reality, it shouldnt come as a surprise that underrepresented minority groups, including Black Americans, comprise less than 5% of the research cohorts in neuroscience research studies.

The lack of Black representation in neuroscience research subjects is a real problem in a country where Black Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimers, 20% more likely to develop serious mental health problems, and suicide rates for Black children under 13 are twice as high as the rates of children of European ancestry, according to AANRIs website.

Increasing the diversity of donated brains to study isnt just about being representative for the sake of being representative and fair and proportionate, said CZI Science Program Officer Katja Brose, who holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Instead, she said, its about bringing a deep and thorough level of science to bear on questions like the contributions of differences in genetics, or how much of an impact differing environments and life experiences, including experiences of racism, have on determining who may develop a brain disorder.

To put it another way, we dont even know what we dont know, said Patricia Flores, a senior communications associate at CZI who works closely with several of the funders scientists. We just know that were missing a large swath of the pot. The majority of the globe is being missed in the science that we understand today.

Is science funding diversifying?

CZIs grant to develop AANRI is only one of several moves in the past few years aiming to promote more diversity in the sciences. In 2021, for example, the MacArthur Foundation committed $2 million to the Native Biodata Consortium, the worlds first Indigenous-led bio-repository, which, like AANRI, is also working to both diversify the field of medical research and help insure that the subjects of that research benefit from its results. Last year, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute launched a $2 billion initiative to diversify academic science more broadly.

CZI is also no stranger to moving money to promote greater diversity in the sciences. A quick look at the funders grants database reveals money being moved to scientific organizations focused on underrepresented groups, efforts like AANRI to diversify sample studies, and, in a 2021 grant to the Americas Health Foundation, efforts to advance a more equitable rare disease advocacy and research ecosystem in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Beyond the anecdotal evidence, its hard to say whether were seeing an overall uptick in funding in this area, but theres definitely a lot of room for more such giving considering the far reach of federal and philanthropic science funding. The National Institutes of Health alone reports that it dedicates most of its $45 billion budget to medical research; last year, one study identified about $30 billion in annual philanthropic funding for scientific work.

One way well truly know whether scientific funding, including money for medical research and to train new scientists and doctors, has truly diversified will be by watching for practical results. Are health disparities improving or disappearing? How common is it for a patient to be seen by a doctor or other health specialist whos Black or another person of color? In the meantime, well do our best to shout out funders efforts to promote diversity in the sciences and call out funders who dont seem to have gotten the memo.

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CZIs Grant for Diversity in Neuroscience is a Positive Development ... - Inside Philanthropy

Neuroscience

SME Topeka welcomes speaker connecting neuroscience to the real world – WIBW

Abortion opponents pushed a bill through the Kansas Legislature early Friday to require providers to tell patients that a medication abortion can be reversed once its started a measure that could face a state court challenge if its supporters can overcome the governors expected veto.

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SME Topeka welcomes speaker connecting neuroscience to the real world - WIBW