Seyyes TMS

04/27/2023

Study* findings show that energy metabolism is disturbed in individuals with MDD. The interplay of the gut microbiome and blood metabolome most likely plays a significant role in energy and lipid metabolism, as these changes in lipid metabolism are consistent with the gut dysbiosis and processes that are disrupted in and associated with individuals diagnosed with MDD.
* The cohort study used data from participants in the UK Biobank cohort (n = 500 000; aged 37 to 73 years whose blood was profiled for metabolomics and from the summary statistics from a 2019 genome-wide association study of depression were used for the mendelian randomization (individuals with MDD = 59 851; control individuals = 113 154).

An international team of medical researchers has found a link between major depressive disorder (MDD) and an interplay between the gut microbiome and the blood metabolome. For their study, reported in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, the group analyzed data in the UK Biobank.

04/09/2023

Blood flow to the entire brain is supply-limited (not demand-based), tightly regulated, and remains mostly consistent throughout the day. Research suggests that as a part of the brain experiences an increase in activity, it is only allowed slightly more blood flow, but at the expense of diverting blood flow from other brain regions.

Neuroscientists have typically thought of energy supply to the brain as demand-based. A supply-limited view offers another perspective toward aging and why multitasking can be difficult.

01/26/2023

A new sensitive and simple electrochemical sensor test for abnormal blood levels of dopamine detection in biological fluids could pave the way for the molecular diagnosis and earlier disorder/disease detection of neurological illnesses levels. The new procedure utilizes carbon quantum dots and an ionic liquid formulated with several mineral anions and organic cations for early detection of potential neurological disorders and diseases.

Altered levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine are apparent in various conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and depression.

01/25/2023

Blood RNA transcripts reveal that multiple neurodegenerative diseases harbor similar (and differential) dysfunctional cellular alterations in their fundamental biological cell processes, including transcription regulation, degranulation, immune response, protein synthesis, apoptosis, cytoskeletal components, ubiquitylation/proteasome, and mitochondrial complexes that are also affected in the brain and reveal common themes across many neurodegenerative diseases. Identifying each regional vulnerability will reveal the unique disease mechanisms and ultimately lead to noninvasive treatments for neurological disorders and diseases.

Multiple neurodegenerative disorders harbor similar fundamental dysfunctional cellular processes.

01/23/2023

Following spinal cord injury, a course of daily noninvasive suprathreshold high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) activates the BRAF canonical downstream effectors MAP2K1/2 and modulates the expression of a set of regeneration-related transcription factors and enables functional CST axon regrowth and sprouting.

High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) activates MAP2K signaling and enhanced axon regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury.

01/16/2023

Physical exercise induces a cycle of fatigue and recovery that is paralleled by the cycle of the fragmentation and repair of the mitochondria (the specialized organelles inside every cell that is responsible for energy production) networks. The disruption of the cycle of repairing dysfunctional mitochondria and restoring their connectivity is linked to chronic, age-related diseases. Physical fitness induces a cycle of fatigue and recovery (that is paralleled by a cycle of the mitochondrial network rebuilding) that manages the aftermath of metabolic demand and restores both performance and mitochondrial function. This not only extends lifespan but also enhances health and quality of life.

Exercise is a nonpharmacological intervention that improves health during aging and a valuable tool in the diagnostics of aging-related diseases. I...

01/15/2023

Not only does belief in misinformation lead to poor evaluations, decisions, and actions by people but the "continued influence effect" alters future reasoning, even after incorrect beliefs have been corrected. As leaders, educators, scientists, etc., we all need to make certain that only facts and truth are communicated in clear and understandable manners.

Misinformation is influential despite unprecedented access to high-quality, factual information. In this Review, Ecker et al. describe the cognitive, social and affective factors that drive sustained belief in misinformation, synthesize the evidence for interventions to reduce its effects and offer....

01/12/2023

New research is attempting to better understand (beyond neuronal energy metabolism) how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to neurological disorders and diseases and has yielded emerging information about the mitochondrial basis of neural health in neurodegeneration, organelle dynamics, cell death, immunometabolism, etc. Distinct mechanisms and pathways that protect mitochondrial health also intersect to produce neurological health support, metabolic plasticity, and stress responses in the nervous system (as well as to contribute to the pathology of neurological disorders and diseases) and are integrated within these mitochondrial signaling pathways.

01/05/2023

Just an interesting fact to share... "If you were to rescale a hydrogen atom so that its nucleus was the size of a basketball, the nearest electron would sit around two miles away."

Early scientists didn’t know it, but we do now: The void in the universe is alive.

01/04/2023

What do organic yogurts, sauerkraut, kefir, sourdough bread, and kimchi (please read the nutrition labels to confirm the content) possibly have to do with neurodegeneration and aging? They each contain the naturally occurring probiotic bacterium, lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114, which reduces neurodegeneration and has neuroprotective effects. When this gut bug is added to the diet, it suppresses the progression of motor and other neuronal degeneration, which leads to neurological (and, ultimately, physiological) disorders and diseases.

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114, a non-commercial probiotic reduces neurodegeneration and has neuroprotective effects in lab models of ALS.

12/31/2022

Very well stated... "I think we need to spend more time talking about health and vitality and capabilities (instead of talking about disease and disability and death). And so we can change the tone of the conversation to prevention, instead of reaction." -- The University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Dr. James Galvin, director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health

Why do some people develop Alzheimer's disease and others don't? What makes one person's brain healthier than another's? And what can be done to improve, or at least slow, a brain's deterioration?

12/30/2022

Novel biomarkers (brain-derived tau) similar to biomarkers found in CSF are used to detect AD’s neurodegeneration in simple blood sample tests, avoiding lengthy and complicated scheduling and accessibility matters of expensive neuroimaging. Both MRI and CSF sampling present serious economical and practical limitations but this convenient and reliable method using biomarkers in blood samples is minimally invasive and requires fewer resources. This procedure meets the AT(N) Framework guidelines set by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association.

A blood-based biomarker that tracks neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and differentiates it from other dementias is lacking. Gonzalez et al. report the d

12/29/2022

Not to be Davey Downer, but before raising a glass (or two, or three, or...) at midnight on NYE this Saturday, please let the following brain imaging sink in. While the alcohol industry PR and media will tell you that it is healthy to consume as many as two glasses per day of the beverage they are trying to convince you to purchase and consume, hopefully, you'll also remember at least two points from this article (beyond the brain imaging): Habitual alcohol consumption 1) leads to reduced vital blood and oxygen to the brain and 2) significantly increases the risk of dementia disorders. Happy (and Healthy) New Year to all!

The brain scans of heavy drinkers show reduced overall blood flow to the brain, and lead to higher risk of dementia. Learn how alcohol damages the brain.

12/29/2022

A short but great read and year-end contemplation... "Like an ocean wave, your “self” is an endlessly fluctuating process... in every moment of our lives, we have firsthand knowledge of a simple truth: we’re not separate from the rest of nature, observing the universe from without; we are a part of it, witnessing it unfold from within. Everything—from molecules to mountains to life—continually recycles and changes form, and this impermanence is on display in every passing moment of our conscious experience."—Annaka Harris

Reflections on Impermanence   I was delighted when Judith Stenneken invited me to contribute a piece on impermanence as an introduction to her new book, “A Mountain is Only a Slow Wave.” Judit…

12/28/2022

While this is not neuroscience, it is directly related to our future in philanthropy, foundations, and giving (to science, health, and research) and we felt it was relevant. Despite only half of the Gen X ultra-high-net-worth individuals being prepared to assume the responsibility for their family fortunes, they are making big plans for where and how to invest with the largest wealth transfer in US history, estimated at nearly US $84T.

Gain first-hand insight into the minds of Ultra High-Net-Worth Next Gen wealth owners.

12/21/2022

Pieces, halves, or whole... and no, this is not a discussion about walnuts. Intelligence emerges from the global architecture of the whole brain and reflects the plasticity and productivity of the systemwide network neuroscience. Global brain information processing outperforms localized brain regions or networks, is fundamental to overcoming exigent cognitive tasks, and produces the most accurate predictions of intelligence and problem-solving aptitude and adaptability.

Accurate predictions of intelligence consider global profiles of whole-brain connectivity rather than spatially localized regional networks.

12/18/2022

Researchers study how microglia and chandelier cells communicate and work together in healthy brain networks in order to better understand neurological disorders. Microglia not only repair injuries and trim unnecessary synapses, but they nurture other cells and connections, strengthening synapses between neurons, and chandelier cells connect directly to target neurons that initiate electrical spikes that facilitate communication in the brain. Understanding how these two brain cells keep excitatory neurons in check and from firing too much may lead to a better understanding of how to efficaciously treat neurological disorders and diseases.

Inside the research to get neurons back in a healthy conversation with one another.

12/16/2022

Neuroscientists are working to better understand the relationship between visual, linguistic, and memory representations in the brain. Their research is indicating that memory isn’t just a reproduction of previous perceptions that are rerun in the brain's movie theaters. It is actually more like a reconstruction of the conceptual semantic information from the original experience.

One of the more interesting findings was that measurable activity of images and words (in this case, of places) were both represented in certain brain regions but at the boundary of those regions, a gradual, continuous shift from visual to linguistic representations occurred over just a centimeter or two of the cortex where only words evoked brain activity, one of the rare circumstances where borders and delineated regions in the brain have been observed.

These patterns were systematic in every study participant, most likely a general organizing principle of our brains, and these memory representations involve subtle shifts to a location immediately adjacent to where the corresponding visual representations are stored. This indicates that what we visualize in our minds is only a reinterpretation of a remembered scene or object, reconstructed on its semantic content. In other words, our brains record and store meanings, not perceptions.

Researchers have mapped hundreds of semantic categories to the tiny bits of the cortex that represent them in our thoughts and perceptions. What they discovered might change our view of memory.