TWiN explains research showing that interaction between glioma cells and neurons in the brain shares mechanistic features with synaptic plasticity that contributes to memory and learning in the healthy brain.
TWiN 45: Acupuncture modulates the immune system
- December 13, 2023
- Tagged as: acupuncture, brain, dopamine, immune system, nervous system, neurobiology, neurology, neuron, neuroscience, sciatic nerve
TWiN discusses research showing that sciatic nerve activation with electroacupuncture at the sciatic nerve controls systemic inflammation and rescues mice from polymicrobial peritonitis, by inducing vagal activation of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase, leading to the production of dopamine in the adrenal medulla.
TWiN 44: ADHD and persistent pain
- November 2, 2023
- Tagged as: ADD, adhd, brain, nervous system, neurobiology, neurology, neuron, neuroscience, pain, pain hypersensitivity
TWiN reviews a mouse model of ADHD to characterize hypersensitivity to pain, and that sensitization is further amplified in a pathological inflammatory state.
TWiN discusses a study of on the pathways that control opioid analgesic tolerance, a root cause of opioid overdose and misuse, which can develop through an associative learning.
TWiN explains how psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, which are being explored for treating a wide range of neuropsychiatric diseases, reopen the social reward period for critical learning.
Vivianne explains how early in Alzheimer’s disease, the brain attempts to counteract the increased excitatory drive caused by amyloid deposition, and that melanin-concentrating hormone, produced during sleep, is involved in this protective response.
Tim takes TWiN through two studies on the role of dopamine: that syllables are natural units of spontaneous behavior used by the brain to structure action, and that mesolimbic dopamine release conveys causal associations but not reward prediction errors, thereby challenging the dominant theory of reward learning.
Junjie from Jason’s lab joins TWiN to discuss the observation that the cell gene PNMA2 encodes non-enveloped virus-like capsids that induce autoantibodies which underlie paraneoplastic syndrome.
TWiN explains the finding that immunity to commensal bacteria promotes sensory neuron regeneration via the cytokine interleukin-17A.
TWiN 37: Microglia at the crossroads
- January 23, 2023
- Tagged as: microglia, neurobiology, neuroinflammation, neuroscience, nomenclature
TWiN reviews the field of microgial research, which has advanced in recent decades but is constrained by nomenclature that is necessary but often implies specific functions. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Jason Shepherd, Timothy Cheung, and Vivianne…
About the Hosts
Jason Shepherd, Ph.D.
Vivianne Morrison, Ph.D.
Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D.