Newly Discovered Pattern of Brain Waves can Signal Depression's Presence

 

A new report in "Nature" reveals a neural code that connects to the presence or absence of depression in the brain. This is a significant step forward in our understanding of this widely-spread condition. 

– A Hub for Depression is discovered: - Subcallosal Cingulate, also known as "Brodmann area 25," is a region located deep in the brain intersecting with four major nerve fiber tracts. These pathways are closely involved in functions often affected by depression, such as emotional regulation, sleep, appetite, reward, motivation, and memory. This location is crucial to the onset and progression of depression. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) effectiveness targeting this area has increased over the years, thanks to refined techniques that enable precision.

- Promising Biomarker found: The neural code researchers found within the subcallosal cingulate could indicate relapses in depressive episodes, which can help clinicians provide more targeted interventions.

- Brain Scans & Their Revelations: Pre-surgery scans of participants indicated a correlation between damage to specific nerve fiber tracts and the severity of their depressive symptoms. These insights might lead to more advanced imaging techniques for early detection.

- Facial Expressions as Indicators: Using artificial intelligence, facial changes were discovered that mirrored the brain's wellness signals. This suggests an external and visible indicator that connects to the internal neural changes related to depression. This combination of neurology and technology shows promise for early and non-invasive diagnostic methods. 

Abbott Laboratories, an American multinational medical devices and healthcare company, is now working with the FDA on a plan for a clinical trial based on these promising results.

Read the whole article: Implanted electrodes pick up a pattern of brain waves that can signal the presence or absence of depression.

Picture credit: Eva Deli: Depression

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

The role of beauty in the arts

 

The concept of beauty and art has evolved from the early cave paintings in Altamira to abstraction, film, and mediums without specific rules. Technology will undoubtedly provide new avenues for art-making and influence its future. Although AI has instantaneous technical ability, true art requires the artist's involvement. People connect with the artist's humanity and even the mark of his hand in the work.

To envision art's future, we must understand what art is. Art is a kaleidoscope of human experience, but it originates in nature, the source of all beauty, independent of subject or style. Unlike the sterility of perfection, art reflects the internal rhythm of things. Whether it expresses happiness, terror, or suffering, great art conveys a positive, optimistic message of human potential. While the audience's interpretation of the artwork may differ from that of the artist (we may never know the Altamira painters' intentions), every great piece of art, music, and literature uses the language of emotions that moves us more than logic. Art creates beauty, the symphony of surprising yet familiar. Too much novelty turns the work into bizarre, threatening, or ugly, but lacking surprise is the recipe for boredom. Therefore, repeated exposure exhausts art's originality. As Oscar Wilde said, "The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it's dead for you." Therefore, art, the servant of only emotions, not rules, is a mirror of its time.

Picture credit: https://www.evadeli.com/art

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

What is Electrogenetics? One Day we may Control Our Genes With Wearables

 

Electrogenetics, the combination of electronics and genetics, is an emerging field of mammalian synthetic biology. It combines genetics and electronics to influence gene expression through electrical signals. Wearable devices could serve as vehicles for these signals, to activate or silence specific genes, which holds promise for treating diseases caused by gene misregulation and advancing personalized medicine.

Traditional gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, involve modifying the DNA itself. In contrast, electrogenetics seeks to control genes indirectly by manipulating the electrical signals that regulate their activity. This paradigm shift has opened up exciting possibilities for non-invasive interventions.

Wearable devices have already transformed how we monitor our health, from tracking our steps to monitoring heart rate and sleep patterns. The marriage of electrogenetics and wearables takes this a step further, envisioning devices that can communicate with our cells by emitting precise electrical signals that target specific genes, modulating their expression, and potentially rectifying genetic mutations responsible for diseases. This concept taps into the body's natural communication pathways and could be harnessed to correct gene misregulation. The practical applications of electrogenetics and wearable devices in gene control have substantial potential for healthcare. 

Hope for diabetes treatment

Electrogenetic treatment show promise for diabetes treatment. In just four weeks the treated mice could better battle low blood sugar from dieting, and eventually they restored their normal blood sugar levels. They were also adept at regulating blood sugar levels after a meal, something that’s difficult in people with diabetes without insulin. 

In conclusion, the emergence of electrogenetics and its potential integration with wearable devices represents a pivotal moment in the field of genetics and healthcare. The ability to modulate gene expression using electrical signals has the capacity to revolutionize disease treatment and prevention. Wearable devices, once designed to merely monitor our well-being, could soon become active participants in our cellular biology.

Image by brgfx on Freepik

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

Depression, the state of current understanding

Depression can be a profoundly distressing and isolating experience that engulfs one's entire being. It can feel like being trapped within themselves, cut off from the world around them. The pain can be all-consuming, making it difficult to articulate or even understand what one is going through. 

It's crucial to understand that depression is not a voluntary choice. It can be overwhelming and debilitating, but there is always hope for recovery. Studies have shown that depression will almost always come to an end. 

Various factors can contribute to depression, including chemical imbalances in the brain. While specific genes and neurotransmitters may play a role, it's crucial to remember that these factors do not necessarily guarantee that one will become depressed. It's frequently a combination of internal and external factors that trigger depression. Furthermore, depression is not solely psychological. 

People with depression don't reliably have less serotonin activity than people without the disorder. Yet serotonin inhibitors reduce depression symptoms, possibly by increasing the circulating levels of the amino acid tryptophan, a serotonin precursor which helps regulate sleep cycles. People with a family history of depression also appear vulnerable to tryptophan depletion. For example, tryptophan and serotonin regulate bacteria and other microbes growing in the gut, and chemical signals from these microbiota could affect mood.

Other neurotransmitters, which play an essential role in memory formation, and inhibit cells from sending messages to one another, may be involved in depression. Researchers also have identified about 200 genes linked to a risk of depression but explain only about 5% of cases. Moreover, simply having the genes for depression doesn't guarantee the disease outcome because the genes must be activated by internal or external conditions.

Chronic inflammation can significantly impact mental health and even trigger depressive symptoms. Inflammation can lead to appetite loss, fatigue, and a slowdown in mental and physical activity — all symptoms of major depression. Chronic inflammation can degrade synaptic connections in neural tissue, which impede healing. The loss of connections might contribute to mood disorders. Depression can feel devastating and incapacitating, but seeking help from friends, family, and qualified professionals can provide an understanding of the symptoms and manage healing and recovery. 

Image credit: Wikipedia Commons

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

The Nerve Net, the First Step in the Nervous System's Evolution

 

Comb jelly internal representation The nerve net is marked purple. Two kinds of nerve cells — sensory cells (light blue) and mesoglea neurons (yellow) exist outside the nerve net. Image credit: PAWEL BURKHARDT AND MAIKE KITTELMANN

Animals use active processes to obtain nutrients for their biological needs. Movement is supported by the nervous system, made up of individual neurons. The nervous system transmits signals between the sensory and motor system, allowing the ability to sense, move, breathe, and feed. The transmission of signals occurs via tiny gaps between neurons, where chemical or electrical signals transfer nerve impulses in one way. The electrical synapse is a cell association between two nerve cells where ions are used to transmit nerve impulses rapidly. In the latter case, neurons release chemicals that must travel across this gap to stimulate the post-synaptic receptors.

Recent work has shown that Comb jellies have a cobweb of neurons rather than synapses, with a unique, fused structure pictured above. These ancient animals are called comb jellies because they swim using rows of beating, hairlike combs. Comb jellies fused nerve net represent long, stringy neurons sharing a cell membrane. Comb jellies or ctenophores are similar to jellyfish. Still, the enigmatic phylum is one of the earliest, perhaps the most ancient animal group, to branch off the animal tree of life.

Reference article:

P. Burkhardt et al. Syncytial nerve net in a ctenophore adds insights into the evolution of nervous systems. Science. Vol. 380, April 21, 2023, p. 293. Doi: 10.1126/science.ade5645.

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

Therapeutic use of Psychedelics for depression

The use of psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin, has a long history of being associated with counterculture and pursuing transcendent experiences. However, there has been a growing recognition of these substances' therapeutic potential, particularly in treating mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD. Specifically, psychedelic drugs' potential for treatment-resistant depression therapy occurs through receptors that promote new brain cell connections.

While psychedelics provide mystical and even profound experiences, most of those experiences are not drastically different but involve observing the world around us in a new and different way. Recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary is a form of wisdom that can help us find meaning in the seemingly insignificant moments of our everyday lives and cultivate gratitude and contentment. Transcendence and enlightenment can be achieved by recognizing the potential for profound insight and understanding are present in every moment. True wisdom can be found in the most commonplace experiences without mind-altering substance use.

Therefore, a better understanding of psychedelics' mechanism of action could lead to related therapeutic potential without hallucinogenic effects. Moreover, appreciating everyday moments can help us have happier and more meaningful lives without the help of psychedelics.

Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli

How could science be different?

 

A government-administered grant system provides the lion's share of funds for scientific research. In the grant system, the government pays for the study, salaries, supply and equipment costs, travel, and publishing. Indirect costs cover building maintenance, depreciation, and library materials. The generous grant system increased the number of scientists and created an independent research culture. It also spurred an unprecedented scientific renaissance in the twentieth century with significant discoveries in practically every field. In addition, the fierce competition to analyze a particular subject in greater detail led to discoveries in many fields, e.g., molecular biology, DNA structure, and the Standard model in physics. Even today, new information continually emerges about the inner workings of biological systems, gene editing, and the structure of the states of matter.

Nevertheless, recent findings suggest that top researchers are increasingly unhappy with the status quo. Rather than an objective measure of quality or scientific merit, grant awards are often a contest of craftsmanship, where investigators write research proposals designed to please grant review committees. There is a hidden drive toward safe science, as proposals with predictable outcomes are more likely to receive funding. Funding uncertainties also channel academic careers toward "popular" research areas.

Therefore, financial support is a double-edged sword. As it gave rise to a robust scientific community, it created a conservative scientific hierarchy. Anchoring professional careers to accepted beliefs turns people antagonistic to meaningful change. Therefore, top researchers need to be more satisfied with the grant writing process and the subjectivity of evaluation. On the other hand, the future of science depends on scientists' ability to bring science into public conversation. Because taxpayers fund the grant system, the public should have the opportunity to see the results of their tax money. Therefore, institutions accepting various public funds should host regular Open University events. An Open University event presents scientific progress in a conference format, enabling scientists and the public to familiarize themselves and engage in current research. This program should ease the persistent skepticism of science and the tendency for conspiracy theories. For example, Open University events could have made the public more favorable to the vaccine rollout during the Covid 19.

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Copyright © 2023 by Eva Deli