PFAS influence the development and function of the brain

Study uncovers mechanism of action with new test method

06-Sep-2024 - Some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are poorly degradable and are also known as "forever chemicals". They adversely affect health and can lead to liver damage, obesity, hormonal disorders, and cancer. A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has ...

Riddle of proteins in the brain solved

Erin Schuman awarded the Körber European Science Prize, worth one million euros

01-Jul-2024 - The American neurobiologist Erin Schuman is a pioneer in neurobiology. Schuman’s work has revolutionised our understanding of how individual brain cells – so called neurons – work. She discovered that and how proteins, as critical building blocks of the cells, are locally produced at the ...

Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits

A new microscopic technique zeroes in on the poorly explored world of nanoplastics, which can pass into blood, cells and your brain

11-Jan-2024 - In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans ...

Innovation in Nuclear Medicine: PET Signals in Brain Tumors Decoded at the Cellular Level for the First Time

01-Nov-2023 - Researchers in Munich have developed a new method that for the first time makes the signals of radioactive substances in cells in the brain visible using positron emission tomography (PET). In a study published in Science Advances, they applied the method to glioblastoma, the deadliest brain ...

Brain research with organoids

Scientists develop effective method to genetically modify brain organoids

23-May-2023 - Primates are among the most intelligent creatures with distinct cognitive abilities. Their brains are relatively large in relation to their body stature and have a complex structure. However, how the brain has developed over the course of evolution and which genes are responsible for the high ...

Nanotubes as optical stopwatch for the detection of neurotransmitters

New way to detect the important neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain

17-Apr-2023 - Carbon nanotubes not only shine brighter in the presence of dopamine, but also for longer. The time period of shining serves as a new parameter to detect biological messenger substances. An interdisciplinary research team from Bochum and Duisburg has found a new way to detect the important ...

Hammock for brain organoids

Novel microelectrode array system enables long-term cultivation and electrophysiological analyses

14-Apr-2023 - Brain organoids are self-organizing tissue cultures grown from patient cell-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. They form tissue structures that resemble the brain in vivo in many ways. This makes brain organoids interesting for studying both normal brain development and for the development ...

Tracking the Happiness Hormone

Electrochemical serotonin microsensors for stable long-term measurement in real time

15-Feb-2023 - Dysregulation of serotonin plays a role in many psychiatric disorders, including severe depression and anxiety. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a research team has now introduced an implantable, electrochemical microsensor that makes it possible to study serotonin dynamics in the brain in real ...

How old is your brain, really?

AI-powered analysis accurately reflects risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease based on brain age

11-Jan-2023 - The human brain holds many clues about a person’s long-term health — in fact, research shows that a person’s brain age is a more useful and accurate predictor of health risks and future disease than their birthdate. Now, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that analyzes magnetic resonance ...

Brain metastases in melanoma patients: important molecular mechanisms decoded

Different cell states determine progression of the disease

05-Jan-2023 - The development of brain metastases is a frequent occurrence in melanoma that is associated with a poor prognosis for the affected patients. The effectiveness of existing therapies varies greatly. The reasons for this variability, however, remain largely unknown. An international research team ...