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

Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization

Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization
2023-06-19
(Press-News.org) A key challenge in neuroscience is to understand how the brain can adapt to a changing world, even with a relatively static anatomy. The way the brain’s areas are structurally and functionally related to each other – its connectivity – is a key component. In order to explain its dynamics and functions, we also need to add another piece to the puzzle: receptors. Now, a new mapping by Human Brain Project (HBP) researchers from the Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany) and Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (Germany), in collaboration with scientists from the University of Bristol (UK), New York University (USA), Child Mind Institute (USA), and University of Paris Cité (France) made advances on our understanding of the distribution of receptors across the brain.

The findings were published in Nature Neuroscience, and the data is now freely available to the neuroscientific community via the HBP’s EBRAINS infrastructure.

The HBP team used autoradiography to analyse the density of receptors for neurotransmitters on very thin in vitro brain sections. They measured the density of 14 neurotransmitter receptor types in 109 areas of the macaque cortex and this data was integrated with multiple structural parameters into neuroimaging templates.

Neurotransmitter receptors

Receptors are key molecules in signal transmission in the brain. Within a neuron, information transmission occurs via electric signals along the axon. But transfer of information between neurons usually requires the release of molecules called neurotransmitters into the extracellular space and their binding to receptors on the target neuron.

The HBP researchers have uncovered a primary and a secondary gradient of receptor expression per neuron. In other words, they mapped receptor densities across the cortex and were able to identify two main arrangements, shedding light on the links between molecular and neuron organization of the cortex. “These two major axes of receptor organisation in the macaque cortex align with two different functional systems, namely the sensory-cognitive and the external-internal cognition networks. This is the first time that such an association has been described,” explains Nicola Palomero-Gallagher, researcher at the Forschungszentrum Jülich and senior author of the paper.

Integrating maps

In their study, the researchers integrated the new neurotransmitter receptor data with multiple layers of anatomical and functional data onto a common cortical space within the cortical surface of Yerkes19, a frequently used non-human primate template. Few studies so far had integrated in vitro anatomy and in vivo imaging of the macaque brain. Creating openly-accessible maps of receptor expression across the cortex that integrate neuroimaging data, such as what was done by the HBP team, could speed up translation across species.

“It is being made freely available to the neuroscientific community so that they can be used by other computational neuroscientists aiming to create other biologically informed models,” Palomero-Gallagher says. Part of the data generated for this study has already been implemented in a computational model of how dopamine gates information into the frontoparietal working-memory network.

Text by Helen Mendes

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization 2 Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms

These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
2023-06-19
In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today. While it was clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, paleontologists have long suspected that their long-necked bodies made them vulnerable to predators. Now, after almost 200 years of continued research, direct fossil evidence confirms this scenario for the first time in the most graphic way imaginable. Researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on June 19 studied the unusual necks of two Triassic ...

Brain receptor patterns separate sensory and cognitive networks, new study finds

2023-06-19
Receptor patterns define key organisational principles in the brain, scientists have discovered.  An international team of researchers, studying macaque brains, have mapped out neurotransmitter receptors, revealing a potential role in distinguishing internal thoughts and emotions from those generated by external influences. The comprehensive dataset has been made publicly available, serving as a bridge linking different scales of neuroscience - from the microscopic to the whole brain. Lead author Sean Froudist-Walsh, ...

A new tool to study complex genome interactions

A new tool to study complex genome interactions
2023-06-19
People who owned black-and-white television sets until the 1980s didn’t know what they were missing until they got a color TV. A similar switch could happen in the world of genomics as researchers at the Berlin Institute of Medical Systems Biology of the Max Delbrück Center (MDC-BIMSB) have developed a technique called Genome Architecture Mapping (“GAM”) to peer into the genome and see it in glorious technicolor. GAM reveals information about the genome’s spatial architecture that is invisible to scientists using solely Hi-C, a workhorse tool developed in 2009 to study DNA interactions, reports a new study in Nature Methods by the Pombo lab. “With ...

Assessment of how climate scientists communicate risk shows imperfections, improvements

2023-06-19
Scientists have long struggled to find the best way to present crucial facts about future sea level rise, but are getting better at communicating more clearly, according to an international group of climate scientists, including a leading Rutgers expert. The consequences of improving communications are enormous, the scientists said, as civic leaders actively incorporate climate scientists’ risk assessments into major planning efforts to counter some of the effects of rising seas. Writing in Nature Climate Change, the scientists ...

De facto decriminalization of drug possession reduces the overall arrest toll on the Black community, although racial disparities persist

De facto decriminalization of drug possession reduces the overall arrest toll on the Black community, although racial disparities persist
2023-06-19
Ann Arbor, June 19, 2023 – De facto decriminalization of drug possession may be a good first step in addressing the disproportionate impact of an overburdened United States criminal justice system on the Black community. According to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, this strategy was associated with significant and sustained reductions in low-level arrests. These arrests too often prevent drug users from obtaining needed treatments and services. The findings also suggest that while these policies may effectively reduce the overall arrest toll, striking disparities persist in how police are applying the directives across racial ...

Combatting stress to improve the heart health of the Hispanic/Latino community

2023-06-19
Embargoed until 8am Eastern Time on Monday, June, 19, 2023 DALLAS, June 19, 2023 — Constant or chronic stress can affect overall well-being and may even impact heart health. Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure, heart rate and inflammation, which can contribute to developing chronic diseases.[1] The American Heart Association, the leading global voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke for all, today launches a new campaign to help the Hispanic/Latino community protect its overall well-being by addressing common stressors that ...

Bridging traditional economics and econophysics

2023-06-19
How do asset markets work? Which stocks behave similarly? Economists, physicists, and mathematicians work intensively to draw a picture but need to learn what is happening outside their discipline. A new paper now builds a bridge.   In a new study, researchers of the Complexity Science Hub highlight the connecting elements between traditional financial market research and econophysics. "We want to create an overview of the models that exist in financial economics and those that researchers in physics and mathematics have developed ...

1 in 6 parents say child reports tummy pain at least monthly but many haven’t consulted with a doctor

1 in 6 parents say child reports tummy pain at least monthly but many haven’t consulted with a doctor
2023-06-19
ANN ARBOR, Mich. –  Tummy aches are common among kids, with one in six parents in a new national poll saying their child experiences them at least once a month. But not all parents seek professional advice when belly pain becomes a regular occurrence and just one in three are sure they’d know when it might be a sign of a serious problem, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. “Tummy complaints are common among children. This type of pain may be a symptom for a range of health issues, but it can be difficult to know if it’s ...

Pandemic took a major, prolonged toll on university students’ mental health, finds study

2023-06-19
Undergraduates at UK universities experienced prolonged and high levels of psychological distress and anxiety during the pandemic, according to a new study, tracking wellbeing over the course of 2020 to 2021.  They also reported significantly lower levels of wellbeing, happiness and life satisfaction compared to pre-pandemic levels.   Published in the British Journal of Educational Studies, the University of Bolton research highlights how the stringent lockdown measures – including ...

Significant acceleration of humanities and social sciences open access through Taylor & Francis and Jisc Transformative Agreement

Significant acceleration of humanities and social sciences open access through Taylor & Francis and Jisc Transformative Agreement
2023-06-19
The power of transformative agreements (TAs) to drive the transition to open access (OA), especially in the Humanities and Social Sciences, is revealed in a new report published by Taylor & Francis. Accelerating open access in the UK explores in detail the first two years of Taylor & Francis’ OA partnership with the Jisc consortium and how it has boosted the global impact of research from UK institutions. Supporting Humanities and Social Sciences researchers to publish OA One of the report’s standout findings is the benefit of the TA for Humanities and Social Science ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Combining non-invasive brain stimulation and robotic rehabilitation improves motor recovery in mouse stroke model

Chickening out – why some birds fear novelty

Gene Brown, MD, RPh, announced as President of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and its Foundation

Study links wind-blown dust from receding Salton Sea to reduced lung function in area children

Multidisciplinary study finds estrogen could aid in therapies for progressive multiple sclerosis

Final day of scientific sessions reveals critical insights for clinical practice at AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting and OTO EXPO

Social adversity and triple-negative breast cancer incidence among black women

Rapid vs standard induction to injectable extended-release buprenorphine

Galvanizing blood vessel cells to expand for organ transplantation

Common hospice medications linked to higher risk of death in people with dementia

SNU researchers develop innovative heating and cooling technology using ‘a single material’ to stay cool in summer and warm in winter without electricity

SNU researchers outline a roadmap for next-generation 2D semiconductor 'gate stack' technology

The fundamental traditional Chinese medicine constitution theory serves as a crucial basis for the development and application of food and medicine homology products

Outfoxed: New research reveals Australia’s rapid red fox invasion

SwRI’s Dr. Chris Thomas named AIAA Associate Fellow

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) funding for research on academic advising experiences of Division I Black/African American student-athletes at minority serving institutions

Johri developing artificial intelligence literacy among undergraduate engineering and technology students

Boston Children’s receives a $35 million donation to accelerate development of therapeutic options for children with brain disorders through the Rosamund Stone Zander and Hansjoerg Wyss Translational

Quantum crystals offer a blueprint for the future of computing and chemistry

Looking beyond speech recognition to evaluate cochlear implants

Tracking infectious disease spread via commuting pattern data

Underweight children cost the NHS as much per child as children with obesity, Oxford study finds.

Wetland plant-fungus combo cleans up ‘forever chemicals’ in a pilot study

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with peginterferon α-2b in chronic hepatitis B

APS and SPR honor Dr. Wendy K. Chung with the 2026 Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center (Kids First DRC) has launched the Variant Workbench

Yeast survives Martian conditions

Calcium could be key to solving stability issues in sodium-ion batteries

Can smoother surfaces prevent hydrogen embrittlement?

Heart rate changes predict depression treatment success with magnetic brain stimulation

[Press-News.org] Human Brain Project study offers insights into neuroreceptor organization