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

Researchers develop new microscope for neurovascular coupling imaging

2025-07-23
(Press-News.org)

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in response to neural activity. Specifically, when neurons become active, nearby blood vessels dilate to increase blood supply, thereby meeting the heightened energy demands associated with neural activity.

NVC is essential for maintaining normal brain function and plays a critical role in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)—such as systems for controlling robotic arms or cursors.

Unfortunately, conventional technologies have limited detection range or insufficient spatiotemporal resolution for high-precision analyzing the dynamic changes in neurons and vasculature across the whole cortex, thereby hindering research into the potential of NVC.

In a study published in Science Advances on July 23, a research team led by Prof. ZHENG Hairong, Prof. LIU Chengbo, and Prof. ZHENG Wei from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a linear transducer-array-based hybrid microscope (LiTA-HM) that enables simultaneous, dynamic, high-resolution imaging of neuronal activity and microvascular behavior across the entire cortex of awake mice.

The researchers first developed a high-speed polygon scanning system for optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy, which significantly increases imaging speed while maintaining system stability. This system, together with optimized optical pathways that provide uniform 6-μm resolution across a 6.5-mm range and a flat imaging plane, lays the foundation for high-resolution, rapid multimodal imaging.

To expand the imaging field of view, LiTA-HM has an 8-channel transducer array with a 6-mm detection range while maintaining high sensitivity. Importantly, this design allows the polygon scanner to operate in air, eliminating interference from ultrasonic coupling media without compromising its inherent speed or mechanical stability.

To enhance the performance of LiTA-HM, the researchers developed a novel image reconstruction algorithm that employs weighted averaging and adaptive stripe filtering. The algorithm effectively suppresses transducer-induced artifacts and significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio.

With its combined imaging modalities and technical innovations, LiTA-HM enables high-speed, large-field-of-view visualization of neurovascular activity in awake mice. It captures capillary-scale vascular networks and single-neuron soma details across the entire cortex, achieving 6-μm spatial resolution across a 6 mm × 5 mm field of view at 1.25 frames per second. This capability allows real-time, full-cortex monitoring of neurovascular dynamics.

Using LiTA-HM, the researchers successfully performed awake mouse experiments in models of brain disease and functional imaging, highlighting the technology’s potential for advancing brain research and its practical applications. The LiTA-HM system provides a new tool for non-invasive BCI data acquisition.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists propose AI-driven biotech model for future crop breeding

2025-07-23
In a major step toward securing global food supplies and advancing sustainable agriculture, a team of scientists has proposed an integrated framework that combines biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize crop breeding. Published in Nature on July 24, the review was co-corresponding authored by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. LI Guotian of Huazhong Agricultural University, with contributions from ...

Collaborative initiative highlights successes and challenges in global bioethics training

2025-07-23
PHILADELPHIA (July 23, 2025) – A new Penn Nursing initiative explores the impact of federally funded international bioethics training programs. The collaborative initiative, published in the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, highlights both the significant achievements and ongoing challenges in building bioethics research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The collaboration, led by Connie M. Ulrich, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Lillian S. Brunner Chair in Medical and Surgical Nursing in Penn Nursing’s Department of Biobehavioral ...

A device developed at the EHU makes it simple to obtain platelet-rich plasma

2025-07-23
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a fraction of blood plasma; its concentration of platelets is of great value in regenerative medicine as they are essential in accelerating healing and repairing tissue. Until now, obtaining them has been based on centrifugation techniques which, in addition to being expensive, could activate the platelets prematurely and reduce their effectiveness. “We realised that our device not only separated the plasma, but also obtained very high-quality PRP, with functional and minimally activated platelets,” explained ...

Scientists discover brain switch that controls freeze-or-flight survival instincts

2025-07-23
Scientists discover brain switch that controls freeze-or-flight survival instincts Leuven, Belgium, 23 July 2025 – Researchers have identified a key neural switch that controls whether animals instinctively flee from a threat or freeze in place. By comparing two closely related deer-mouse species, they found that this switch is calibrated by evolution to match the animal's habitat. This neural circuit is hypersensitive in mice living in densely vegetated environments, causing instant escape, but less responsive in their open-field cousins, who are more likely to freeze. In doing so, the research team uncovered an important way in which evolution fine-tunes the brain for survival. Flee ...

Complex genetic variation revealed in diverse human genomes

2025-07-23
  Genome assemblies from 65 individuals, representing a variety of the world’s populations, are advancing the scientific exploration of complex genetic structural variation. Structural variations are genetic code alterations that span more than 50 base pairs, the rungs on the DNA ladder. These changes were hard to detect until the recent advent of newer sequencing technologies and analytical algorithms, as well as larger collections of more complete, diverse genomes. Results from the latest work in this area, conducted by the Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium with participants ...

The most complete view of the human genome yet sets new standard for use in precision medicine

2025-07-23
An international team of scientists has decoded some of the most stubborn, overlooked regions of the human genome using complete sequences from 65 individuals across diverse ancestries. The study, published online today in Nature and co-led by The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), reveals how hidden DNA variations that influence everything from digestion and immune response to muscle control—and could explain why certain diseases strike some populations harder than others. This milestone builds on two foundational studies that reshaped the field of genomics. In 2022, ...

A ‘wonder’ fossil changes our understanding of reptile evolution

2025-07-23
Body coverings such as hair and feathers have played a central role in evolution. They enabled warm-bloodedness by insulating the body, and were used for courtship, display, deterrence of enemies and, in the case of feathers, flight. Their structure is characterised by longer and more complex skin outgrowths that differ significantly from the simple and flat scales of reptiles. Complex skin outgrowths have previously only been observed in mammals in the form of hair and in birds and their closest fossil relatives, dinosaurs and pterosaurs, in the form of feathers. An international team led by palaeontologists Dr Stephan Spiekman and Prof Dr Rainer Schoch from the State ...

Llama antibodies: New therapeutic avenues against schizophrenia

2025-07-23
While current treatments for schizophrenia — a mental illness affecting 1% of the world’s population — can reduce certain symptoms, they have little effect on the cognitive deficits affecting the daily life of patients. Scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics (CNRS/Inserm/Université de Montpellier) have just designed a nanobody made from llama antibodies that can specifically activate a glutamate receptor involved in regulating neural activity. Administered peripherally via veins or muscles, this new molecule has demonstrated its capacity to break the blood-brain barrier and effectively reach brain receptors. The therapeutic effect of these nanobodies ...

The Evolution of escape

2025-07-23
The Best-Laid Plans of Mice Study shows how evolution sent deer mice scurrying down two different paths of escape   For a mouse, survival often boils down to one urgent question: flee or freeze? But the best strategy to avoid being snatched and eaten depends on which mouse you are asking. According to a new study by Harvard biologists, two closely-related species of deer mice have evolved very different responses to aerial predators thanks to tweaks in brain circuitry. One species that dwells in densely-vegetated areas instinctively darts for cover while a cousin living in open ...

Newly discovered ‘sixth sense’ links gut microbes to the brain in real time

2025-07-23
by Shantell Kirkendoll In a breakthrough that reimagines the way the gut and brain communicate, researchers have uncovered what they call a “neurobiotic sense,” a newly identified system that lets the brain respond in real time to signals from microbes living in our gut. The new research, led by Duke University School of Medicine neuroscientists Diego Bohórquez, PhD, and M. Maya Kaelberer, PhD, and published in Nature, centers on neuropods, tiny sensor cells lining the colon’s epithelium. These cells detect a common microbial protein and send rapid messages to the brain that help curb appetite. But this ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Dancing alleviated perceived symptoms of depression and helped to understand its root causes

Tricky treats: Why pumpkins accumulate pollutants

Revealing the molecular structures of sugars using galectin-10 protein crystals

World’s leading medical journal details the climate emergency

GLP-1 drugs effective for weight loss, but more independent studies needed

Researchers uncover previously unexplored details of mosquito’s specialized detection mechanisms

Stem cell therapy linked to lower risk of heart failure after a heart attack

The NHS is reaching a crisis point in consultant recruitment, new report warns

UNM research suggests Halloween fireballs could signal increased risk of cosmic impact or airburst in 2032 and 2036

Biochar’s hidden helper: Dissolved organic matter boosts lead removal from polluted water

Sunlight turns everyday fabrics into ocean microfibers, new study finds

Antibiotics linked to lower risk of complications after obstetric tear

Rapid blood pressure fluctuations linked to early signs of brain degeneration in older adults

How microbes control mammalian cell growth

Emergency department pilot program serves rural families

Amid renewable-energy boom, study explores options for electricity market

Study finds improvement in knee pain with exercise and physical therapy

Researchers uncover key mechanism behind chemotherapy-induced nerve damage

Mayo Clinic researchers find enhancing the body’s ‘first responder’ cells may boost immune therapy for cancer

Secret to a long life? In bowhead whales, a protein repairs damaged DNA

MIT study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B, C

Plant biomass substance helps combat weeds

Veterans with epilepsy after traumatic brain injury may have higher mortality rates

Who is more likely to lose vision due to high brain pressure?

Scripps Research professor awarded $3.2 million to advance type 1 diabetes research

Anna Wuttig wins Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award

Electric vehicles outperform gasoline cars in lifetime environmental impact

Kilimanjaro has lost 75 percent of its natural plant species over the last century

Spider web “decorations” may help pinpoint location of captured prey

Ancient tombs reveal the story of Chinese history

[Press-News.org] Researchers develop new microscope for neurovascular coupling imaging