PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

3-D map of blood vessels in cerebral cortex holds suprises

2013-06-10
(Press-News.org) Blood vessels within a sensory area of the mammalian brain loop and connect in unexpected ways, a new map has revealed.

The study, published June 9 in the early online edition of Nature Neuroscience, describes vascular architecture within a well-known region of the cerebral cortex and explores what that structure means for functional imaging of the brain and the onset of a kind of dementia.

David Kleinfeld, professor of physics and neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues mapped blood vessels in an area of the mouse brain that receives sensory signals from the whiskers.

The organization of neural cells in this brain region is well-understood, as was a pattern of blood vessels that plunge from the surface of the brain and return from the depths, but the network in between was uncharted. Yet these tiny arterioles and venules deliver oxygen and nutrients to energy-hungry brain cells and carry away wastes.

The team traced this fine network by filling the vessels with a fluorescent gel. Then, using an automated system, developed by co-author Philbert Tsai, that removes thin layers of tissue with a laser while capturing a series of images to reconstructed the three-dimensional network of tiny vessels.

The project focused on a region of the cerebral cortex in which the nerve cells are so well known that they can be traced to individual whiskers. These neurons cluster in "barrels," one per whisker, a pattern of organization seen in other sensory areas as well.

The scientists expected each whisker barrel to match up with its own blood supply, but that was not the case. The blood vessels don't line up with the functional structure of the neurons they feed.

"This was a surprise, because the blood vessels develop in tandem with neural tissue," Kleinfeld said. Instead, microvessels beneath the surface loop and connect in patterns that don't obviously correspond to the barrels.

To search for patterns, they turned to a branch of mathematics called graph theory, which describes systems as interconnected nodes. Using this approach, no hidden subunits emerged, demonstrating that the mesh indeed forms a continous network they call the "angiome."

The vascular maps traced in this study raise a question of what we're actually seeing in a widely used kind of brain imaging called functional MRI, which in one form measures brain activity by recording changes in oxygen levels in the blood. The idea is that activity will locally deplete oxygen. So they wiggled whiskers on individual mice and found that optical signals associated with depleted oxygen centered on the barrels, where electrical recordings confirmed neural activity. Thus brain mapping does not depend on a modular arrangement of blood vessels.

The researchers also went a step further to calculate patterns of blood flow based on the diameters and connections of the vessels and asked how this would change if a feeder arteriole were blocked. The map allowed them to identify "perfusion domains," which predict the volumes of lesions that result when a clot occludes a vessel. Critically, they were able to build a physical model of how these lesions form, as may occur in cases of human dementia.

INFORMATION:

Additional co-authors include Pablo Blinder, John Kaufhold, Per Knutsen and Harry Suhl. This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, including a Director's Pioneer Award to Kleinfeld.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Interferon-beta aids balance and movement in mice with spinocerebellar ataxia 7

2013-06-10
Paris, France: The group of genetic conditions known as spinocerebellar ataxias currently have no treatment or cure and are always fatal, in the case of affected children at an early age. Symptoms include a progressive lack of co-ordination of gait, and poor co-ordination of hands, speech and eye movements, due to a failure of co-ordination of muscle movements. Now researchers from France and the US have found a new way of controlling the symptoms and significantly improving the physical condition of animal models of the disease, the annual conference of the European Society ...

MRI detects early effects of chemotherapy on children's hearts

2013-06-10
MRI scans of children who have had chemotherapy can detect early changes in their hearts finds research in biomed Central's open access journal Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. Chemotherapy with anthracyclines, such as Doxorubicin, is one of the most effective treatments against many types of cancer, including leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast, lung, and ovarian cancer. However it can also lead to irreversible heart damage, which may not be apparent until several years after treatment. Being able to detect this damage at an early stage, in order to ...

The duck genome provides new insight into fighting bird flu

2013-06-10
Shenzhen, China - The duck genome consortium, consisted of scientists from China Agricultural University, BGI, University of Edinburgh and other institutes has completed the genome sequencing and analysis of the duck (Anas platyrhynchos), one principal natural host of influenza A viruses, which caused a new epidemic in China since this February. This work reveals some noteworthy conclusions and provides an invaluable resource for unraveling the interactive mechanisms between the host and influenza viruses. The new H7N9 bird flu strain killed 36 people and caused $6.5 ...

How do you feed 9 billion people?

2013-06-10
EAST LANSING, Mich. — An international team of scientists has developed crop models to better forecast food production to feed a growing population – projected to reach 9 billion by mid-century – in the face of climate change. In a paper appearing in Nature Climate Change, members of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project unveiled an all-encompassing modeling system that integrates multiple crop simulations with improved climate change models. AgMIP's effort has produced new knowledge that better predicts global wheat yields while reducing political ...

Investigation into safety of new diabetes drugs -- will manufacturers release their data?

2013-06-10
The BMJ and Channel 4 Dispatches investigated and found that evidence suggesting potential harm from the drugs in industry studies has not been published. Some independent studies challenge the conclusions of the drugs manufacturers' own research. Now some medical experts and patient groups are calling on the pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent in reporting of study data and to enter into dialogue about safety concerns. As a result, millions of patients around the world have not been fully informed about some of the possible risks. Some critics say the ...

Scientists identify potential drug target for treatment-resistant anemias

2013-06-10
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (June 9, 2013) – Researchers at Whitehead Institute have identified a protein that is the target of glucocorticoids, the drugs that are used to increase red blood cell production in patients with certain types of anemia, including those resulting from trauma, sepsis, malaria, kidney dialysis, and chemotherapy. The discovery could spur development of drugs capable of increasing this protein's production without causing the severe side effects associated with glucocorticoids. "This research is medically important, and we are using it to find a better way ...

How to control maple tree pests using integrated pest management

2013-06-10
Many maple trees share a suite of important arthropod pests that have the potential to reduce the trees' economic and aesthetic value. Now a new open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers maple tree owners information about the biology, damage, and management for the most important pests of maples with an emphasis on integrated pest management (IPM) tactics for each pest. In the article, entitled "Biology, Injury, and Management of Maple Tree Pests in Nurseries and Urban Landscapes," the authors identify 81 potentially damaging arthropod ...

Potentially 'catastrophic' changes underway in Canada's northern Mackenzie River Basin: report

2013-06-10
Canada's Mackenzie River basin -- among the world's most important major ecosystems -- is poorly studied, inadequately monitored, and at serious risk due to climate change and resource exploitation, a panel of international scientists warn today. In a report, nine Canadian, US and UK scientists convened by the US-based Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, say effective governance of the massive Basin, comprising an area three times larger than France -- holds enormous national and global importance due to the watershed's biodiversity and its role in hemispheric ...

Nearly a fifth of designated drivers are impaired

2013-06-10
PISCATAWAY, NJ – They may volunteer to be the one to get their friends home safely, but "designated drivers" often drink—even to a level that impairs them behind the wheel, according to a report in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, of more than 1,000 bar patrons, found that approximately 40 percent of designated drivers had downed alcohol. What's more, most of those drinkers had blood alcohol levels that could impair their driving. It's not clear why those designated drivers drank despite their role. Some of them might think that ...

Women can be screened years later than men with 'virtual colonoscopy'

2013-06-10
A new study has found that women can be screened for colorectal cancer at least five to 10 years later than men when undergoing an initial "virtual colonoscopy." Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may help establish guidelines for the use of this screening technique, which is less invasive than a traditional colonoscopy. Detecting precancerous polyps through the use of imaging techniques such as a traditional colonoscopy may prevent colorectal cancer. However, some people may feel that this technique ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 7 Publishes

New research expands laser technology

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

[Press-News.org] 3-D map of blood vessels in cerebral cortex holds suprises