𝗡𝗦/ A novel VR technology to make MRI a new experience
Neuroscience biweekly vol. 39, 4th August — 18th August
TL;DR
- Researchers from King’s College London have created a novel interactive VR system to be used by patients when undertaking an MRI. In a new paper published in Scientific Reports, the researchers say they hope this advancement will make it easier for those who find having an MRI scan challenging such as children, people with cognitive difficulties, or those who suffer from claustrophobia or anxiety.
- A new kind of neural interface system that coordinates the activity of hundreds of tiny brain sensors could one day deepen understanding of the brain and lead to new medical therapies.
- KAIST researchers fabricated brain-inspired highly scalable neuromorphic hardware by co-integrating single transistor neurons and synapses. Using standard silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, neuromorphic hardware is expected to reduce chip costs and simplify fabrication procedures.
- In the new study, researchers designed a virus to send an enzyme to a precise location in the brain of a living mouse. Derived from soybeans, the enzyme genetically tags its neighboring proteins in a predetermined location. After validating the technique by imaging the brain with fluorescence and electron microscopy, the researchers found their technique took a snapshot of the entire set of proteins (or proteome) inside living neurons, which can then be analyzed postmortem with mass spectroscopy.
- A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats. Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine discovered that a peculiar signaling pattern in the brain region called the hippocampus, linked by past studies to memory formation, also influences metabolism, the process by which dietary nutrients are converted into blood sugar (glucose) and supplied to cells as an energy source.
- Researchers used to believe that individual neurons were precisely tuned to respond to distinct types of touch. By studying rat whiskers, a team now finds that nearly all primary touch-sensitive neurons respond to an extensive range of motions and combinations of motions and forces.
A team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have developed a deep learning model that is capable of classifying a brain tumor as one of six common types using a single 3D MRI scan, according to a study.
People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the drugs and people without diabetes. The new study also found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.
- The latest study shows that short naps are ineffective in mitigating the potentially dangerous cognitive effects of sleep deprivation.
- Beige is considered a calming paint color, and scientists have new evidence that beige fat has a similar impact on the brain, bringing down the inflammation associated with the more common white fat and providing protection from dementia.
- How can neuroscience help advance human rights?
- And more!
#NS #Neuroscience
https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/ns-a-novel-vr-technology-to-make-mri-a-new-experience-4721e848d9ac 
