SHANGRALA'S
RECENT
BRAIN
DISCOVERIES!
Despite the relentless efforts of scientists to unravel the mysteries of the
brain, it remains the most enigmatic and intriguing organ of the human body.
However, in recent years, there have been several groundbreaking advancements
in neuroscience that have provided new insights into the intricate workings
of the brain and its role in shaping our behavior and experiences. Each of
these discoveries has advanced our understanding of the brain and brought us
closer to unraveling its complex workings.
Here Are Interesting Brain Findings. Enjoy! :)
A New Part of the brain was discovered. In 2023, scientists made a surprising
discovery: a protective barrier in the brain that helps in waste clearance and
serves as a sentinel for immune cell activity. Apparently, the thin shield
regulates the flow of proteins and molecules between different compartments
containing cerebrospinal fluid, a colorless liquid that flows around the brain
and through tubes.
The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome - Named after the iconic Lewis Carroll novel,
this rare and perplexing condition causes people to misjudge the size of things.
Those suffering from this condition may consider themselves to be shrinking or
increasing, or they may view nearby things to be the wrong size. Although there
are only about 170 reported cases, scientists are still baffled about the cause.
However, experts hope to make progress in understanding the condition with a
study commencing in 2024. This new study focuses on lesion network mapping and
comparing brain scans of people with Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) to those
of healthy people and people with other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Interestingly, researchers noticed that more than 85% of AIWS-affected brains had
lesions in two specific brain regions: the visual processing area and the region
responsible for size perception.
Brain injuries Repaired with Minibrains. Scientists
successfully treated brain damage in rats by using cerebral organoids,
which are small 3D replicas of the brain. Cultivated from human stem cells, these
organoids were transplanted into the visual cortices of the rats, the brain region
responsible for processing initial visual information. Although researchers want
to use this technology on humans in the future, such an application is still a
long way off, potentially requiring many years of additional development and testing.
Your brain Wires Itself to match your native language.
A recent study examining people fluent in German and Arabic suggests that one's
native language may impact the connectivity between information-processing regions
in the brain. The observed disparities in brain architecture among participants
were attributed to linguistic differences between the two languages. However,
further research is needed to determine how cultural components of communication
may influence brain organization changes.
Marmosets Swap Brain Cells with their twins.
Researchers at Harvard University discovered an unusual aspect of marmoset monkey
twin development: the exchange of brain cells. This unexpected discovery sheds
light on chimerism, in which one organism has genetic material from two different
sources. During gestation, twin mammals, including marmosets, share a circulatory
system assisted by the mother's placenta. This allows for the exchange of
developing stem cells between twins.
Although chimerism is relatively uncommon in the animal kingdom, marmosets
are an exception because of their reproductive biology. Despite generally
giving birth to non-identical twins or triplets, these little primates can
demonstrate chimerism, with up to 80% of their blood cells derived from their
twin.
Psychedelics may treat depression by invading brain cells.
There's growing interest in psychedelics as potential treatments for chronic
depression, and researchers are looking at a new mechanism: their capacity to
penetrate brain cells. Substances like LSD, DMT, and psilocybin interact with
serotonin receptors, both externally and internally within cells. This unique
feature suggests that psychedelics might activate pathways inaccessible to
conventional antidepressants, which mainly affect serotonin levels outside cells.
This differential targeting may explain the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic
substances, since they reduce the formation of new neural connections.
Doctors perform first surgery on Baby's Brain In The Womb.
In a groundbreaking surgical feat, doctors corrected a malformed blood vessel
in a fetus' brain before birth, ushering in a new era of prenatal care. This
rare occurrence, affecting approximately 1 in 60,000 births, usually demands
postpartum therapy, sometimes after the window for averting problems has
closed. However, in a remarkable turn of events, doctors achieved success in
March last year by intervening during pregnancy, offering a glimmer of hope
for early intervention and improved outcomes.
Medical experts from Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital
used ultrasound guidance to correct a vein of what's known as a Galen malformation,
a condition that causes extremely high blood flow and increases the risk of
neurologic and cardiac issues. Such complications include heart failure, severe
brain injury, and even death shortly after birth.
This groundbreaking surgery was conducted on a 34-week-old fetus. The baby girl,
who had previously been identified as being at high risk for serious
malformation-related complications during pregnancy, didn't require heart
failure medication or additional surgical treatments after birth.
Human brains show larger-than-life Activity at the Moment Of Death.
Recent findings suggest a surge in brain activity during the final minutes of
life, which may reflect conscious experiences. This surge can sometimes happen
after a person has stopped breathing but before the brain has ceased functioning,
the research published in the journal PNAS notes. The patterns of brain activity
during this period are similar to those observed during wakefulness or dreaming.
This has led to speculation that there may be a connection between these
patterns and otherworldly experiences reported by those who have had near-death
experiences. These experiences may include feelings of detachment from the body,
encounters with tunnels and bright lights, or the re-experiencing of significant
memories. However, since all the participants in the study eventually passed away,
it is impossible to determine whether they actually had such experiences.
Some experts believe this behavior is related to the concept of "moving toward
the light" or seeing a "life flashing before one's eyes," which is often shown
in films. Others regard it as just "aberrant electrophysiological activity."
However, this is still a hypothesis.
Scientists keep a Pig's Brain alive outside its body.
Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have created a
device that can keep a pig's brain alive outside of its body. The technology
uses a custom pump to maintain a continuous blood flow to the pig's brain. An
advanced algorithm monitors vital metrics like blood pressure, flow rate, and
pulse rhythm. Furthermore, the machine can adjust blood supply, mimicking the
dynamic dynamics of circulation within the body.
Until now, researchers have kept an isolated pig's brain alive for five hours
with minimal alterations. Their goal is to gain a fresh understanding of the
mechanisms of the brain through these experiments. "This novel method enables
research that focuses on the brain independent of the body, allowing us to
answer physiological questions in a way that has never been done," says Dr.
Juan Pascual, one of the lead researchers.
Most-complete Human Brain Map ever.
Recently, researchers introduced the most complete map of the human brain to date,
illustrating the layout of 3,300 distinct types of brain cells, many of which
were previously undiscovered by science. This atlas comprises neurons, responsible
for transmitting chemical and electrical signals, as well as non-neuronal cells.
"It's not just an atlas," said Ed Lein, a neuroscientist at the Allen Institute
for Brain Science and one of the researchers involved in this study. "It's really
opening up a whole new field, where you can now look with extremely high cellular
resolution in brains of species where this typically hasn't been possible in the
past."
The study was conducted as part of a National Institutes of Health initiative
called the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN)
Initiative Cell Census Network. The project was launched in 2017 with the aim of
categorizing the cells found in the brains of mice, humans, and primates other
than humans.
Share These Fun Discoveries
With All Your Family And Friends! :)
SEE ALSO: World's Top Geniuses!
^BACK To TOP^
For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)
Yes! Click Here To GO TO THE ARCHIVES!-
Share This Page!
If you are looking for more, here are some good places to start:
Big Boy Toys!-
Brilliant Logos!-
3D Liquid Floors!-
High Tech Toys 3!-
Stainless VS Gold!-
Girl Gets New Ear!-
Blind Woman Sees!-
God's Night Lights!-
World's Fastest Car!-
Little Known Things!-
Cool Optical Illusions!-
World's Fastest Trains!-
Thoughts Into Action 5!-
Akiane Thru The Years!-
Discoveries By Accident!-
Moses And The Red Sea!-
Amazing Human Progress!-
Brilliant Women Inventors!-
People With Unique Brains!-
World's Most Expensive Things!-
Great Engineering Achievements!-
A-Z Animated Pictures!-
-To SHANGRALA-
Special THANKS Goes To LINDA And KAREN FRANKLIN For Sharing This WIth Us.
Copyright © 1996 Netscape Communications Corporation. Mozilla is
a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Note: This is an Unofficial God, Jesus Christ, Family, & Cartoon Fan Site.
© All graphics representing Disney characters are copyrighted by Disney.
Likewise all other graphics & music Copyright © by their own Individual Artists.
I do not own any graphics on this site. If you do, please notify me
and I'll give
you proper credit, a link, or remove it immediately according to your wishes.
~*~ Copyright © 1997-2024 Elrhea M. Bigham ~*~