Medical advancements have allowed many people to live much longer, but it is difficult to protect the brain in old age. Even if a senior is physically healthy, they may suffer from dementia that prevents them from thinking logically, remembering important events, or taking care of themselves. A lot of anti-aging research has focused on ways of preventing or treating forms of dementia. New research from Rutgers University provides hope for treating memory problems more successfully in the future, and improving the lives of those affected by dementia.

Scientists Discover Potential Method of Dementia Treatment

Dementia is a little understood disease that tends to happen with age. It can be a symptom of another issue like Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, but some seniors just develop dementia without any other related conditions. It happens any time the brain starts to undergo physical changes that result in a decline in mental abilities.

A team of researchers from the Department of Genetics at Rutgers University decided to conduct a study that attempted to find the reason behind this seemingly spontaneous mental and memory decline. They used mice as test subjects because mice have brains similar to humans and age quickly enough to simulate the effects of dementia.

The researchers ended up examining the function of the CRTC1 protein in the areas of the brain that control memory. CRTC1 protein is a type of protein that controls gene expression, so it is responsible for activating and deactivating the FGF1 gene used to repair damaged brain cells and grow new cells. The scientists discovered “the longer the CRTC1 stays in the mouse brain, the stronger the memory.”

They used both fear conditioning and object location learning to train the mice’s memory, and then the researchers looked at protein level in the subject’s brains. The mice who were trained for a longer period of time had more CRTC1 activity in their brains, and they also were better able to retain the memory.

This study’s findings are confirmed by other research which shows regularly training the brain with puzzles or other cognitive tasks helps to prevent memory loss with old age. More importantly, it looks at the underlying molecular mechanism that causes this effect to occur. The study will be particularly useful to those looking for dementia cures because it shows which genes and proteins specifically affect memory retention in old age.

Results from the study have mapped the precise steps that result in CRTC1 affecting memory. It goes from brain synapses to cellular nuclei after doing memory associated tasks, and it then regulates FGF1b transcription. Now that this mechanism is better understood on a molecular level, it may be easier to create medications that target the activation of genes and proteins to stimulate memory.

The next goal in dementia treatment will be to confirm that the study findings are replicated in human patients. After that, scientists can start making medications that better stimulate memory through the proteins and genes of the human brain. Gleb Shumyatsky co-author of the study, expresses hope that “This work may provide scientists with answers and therapeutic help in the future for those going through normal aging or suffering from dementia.”

Next Steps for Dementia Researchers

Now that researchers realize the mechanisms behind age related memory loss, they may be able to create drugs to treat Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Their next goals will be to find ways to promote CRTC1 protein production without causing other health issues. The scientists probably will not be able to create a dementia cure immediately, but their research may eventually lead to a successful treatment for this serious health issue.

Photo by kennysarmy, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

When fossils of an extinct creature are discovered, one of the first steps to understanding them is finding the modern equivalent of the animal. Still, this can be quite difficult sometimes due to lack of information about the ancient animal. Scientists were particularly baffled by a strange cone shaped creature that was first found years ago After 175 years, hyoliths have finally found a proper placement within the animal kingdom.

Strangely Shaped Marine Animal Is Finally Classified in Evolutionary Tree

For over a century, scientists were confused by the discovery of fossils that were shaped like cones. The fossils were found all throughout geographic locations and time period, and they had apparently first evolved during the Cambrian explosion. They survived for almost 250 million years before going extinct.

These fossils were not even named until 1963 because it was hard for scientists to tell if they were a unique species. or not, let alone where would they fit in the evolutionary tree. Even after they were named, the hyolith fossils’ unique shape still continued to be a source of debate. Most specimens were broken or badly preserved, so it was difficult to determine if a fossil was a hyolith or just a similarly shaped animal.

A hyolith closely resembles an ice cream cone because one end is sharply pointed and the other is gently rounded. The cone shaped creatures tend to be just a few centimeters long. They had a tough outer shell that protected most of the interior, and it was topped with a smaller shell that acted like a type of cap across the opening.

Typical fossils of hyoliths just contained their shell, without any soft tissue, so it was hard for scientists to classify them. Some scientists thought that hyoliths were a sort of squid because their cone shape looked somewhat squid-like, and others argued that hyoliths were a type of snail. The only thing that scientists were certain about was when and where the hyoliths lived.

This lack of information changed in 2017 when researchers at the University of Toronto were able to examine over 1,500 well preserved hyolith specimens from the British Columbia fossil site at Burgess Shale. They found that the hyoliths had a ring of ciliated tentacles around their top opening and two long tapered structures that extended from either side of the small tentacle ring.

The recent discoveries provided enough insight to classify hyoliths as a part of the Lophophorata group. Lophophorates include both extinct species like hederelloids and living species like brachiopods. These animals tend to be small marine creatures with a tough shell that opens to show feeding tentacles that are called “lophophores.”

Scientists now theorize that hyoliths were able to live for so long in many different locations due to this clever feeding mechanism. They could use the pair of tapered structures, named “helens” to push their body out of the sand and detritus on the ocean floor. After pointing their openings into the ocean current, the hyoliths could then use their tentacles to filter tiny bits of organic material out of the water and push the food into their shell opening.

New Understandings Benefit Scientific Community

Any new information about hyoliths and its place in the evolutionary tree helps scientists to learn more about the history of the planet. The hyoliths are now part of the Lophophorata group that are aquatic animals with a ring of tentacles in the mouth. This new classification may help scientists to understand why hyoliths went extinct and prevent their modern relations from also going extinct later on. Lophophorata play an important role in the marine ecosystem, so their presence is extremely useful.

Photo by Pseudorhina @DeviantArt

The medical community has struggled for years to find cures for neurological conditions like ADHD, schizophrenia, and other brain-related disorders. Until recently, doctors thought that the best approach involved repressing neurological functions and limiting patients’ thought processes.

However, their recent discoveries have compelled them to rethink this strategy and instead consider more holistic treatments that could help patients avoid taking powerful and expensive medications. Based on the latest experiments, this new approach shows promise and could help a fair number of ADHD and schizophrenic patients.

The Newest Treatments for Neurological Disorders

As noted, doctors traditionally use dopamine-based medications to treat patients with neurological conditions like ADHD and schizophrenia. The dopamine represses brain function so that patients experience fewer episodes of mania and hallucinations. They remain calm for longer periods of time so that they can function normally in society.

However, these medications come with a host of ill side effects that many patients do not appreciate. To come up with new medicines, scientists made it a central point of their research to identify the genes or genetic markers that increased the likelihood of these diseases showing up at some point in people’s existences. Based on those genetic markers, scientists hope to create medicines that target those genes rather than brain and neurological functions.

The research involved studying more than 10,000 people who all suffered from conditions like ADHD and schizophrenia. Scientists found that many of these individuals shared the same genetic markers, making it clear that the underlying cause for the diseases stemmed from people’s genes rather than the function of their brains.

In fact, the genetic markers influenced the function of people’s brains, giving scientists clues about how they might need to formulate medications that either repair or fulfill genetic codes that, if left alone, cause the development of these illnesses.

Their work continues, however, which means that many patients still must take dopamine-based medicines in order to function normally in life. Scientists hope that they soon can create medications that target patients’ genes rather than their brain function.

Holistic Approaches to Treating Neurological Disorders

Dopamine medications invite a host of side effects that patients generally do not appreciate. Primarily, these medicines cause people to gain weight. People may go from being slender and in shape to swollen and overweight.

Likewise, some patients develop a resistance to the medications and in turn start to exhibit the symptoms that compelled them to seek out treatment in the first place. Doctors admit that the medications come with a recognizable rate of failure. In a bid to help patients avoid taking these drugs at all, scientists are now encouraging a holistic approach to treating neurological conditions.

The holistic approach involves patients undergoing regular counseling with a therapist as well as attending group therapy. Granted, this therapy is typically always paired with a medicinal regimen that minimizes to a significant degree the worst of patients’ symptoms. The treatments also involve building a support system for each individual patient.

The support system may include the patient’s family and friends as well as coworkers or supervisors at work. Patients must be continuously monitored while they are undergoing holistic care. Early reports show that this approach may work for patients who do not suffer from the severest forms of ADHD and schizophrenia.

Neurological diseases like ADHD and schizophrenia take their toll on patients and their families. Dopamine-based medicines often make patients into veritable zombies that can function in society yet experience muted neurological functions otherwise. Rather than have patients depend on expensive medications for the rest of their lives, doctors are now encouraging holistic care and also developing medicines that target genetic markers.

Image source: here

About five years ago, scientists noticed an unusual shape lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. This sea is located by the Atlantic Ocean lying near several Baltic countries. The object resembles an unidentified flying object. Divers investigating the site say that when they get near the object, all their electronic equipment turns off. Yet, the equipment works again as soon as they get away from the site.

What does the Mysterious Object Look Like?

The formation which is completely circular in shape measures about 590 feet in circumference. It rises approximately 40 feet above the surrounding seabed in a mushroom-like shape. People who have dived near the object say there are numerous cavities inside the shape. They say many of these cavities meet at 90-degree angles. The top of the object contains several small circles that appear to be made of stone. The upper layer also has a hole in its top measuring almost 10 inches in circumference. Divers have also noticed disturbances in the seabed near the object resembling a long runway.

A second anomaly lies about 219 yards away. It is described as looking like a gothic church window. Divers have not explored this site as closely. This object also has a disturbance which appears like a runway leading up to it.

What is the Abnormality on the Baltic Sea Floor?

No one knows for sure what caused this unusual shape. Each group has their own hypothesis. It is a difficult area to explore because of the frigid water. The abnormality is also hard to explore because access to it is restricted.

Divers with Ocean X specializing in finding hidden treasures in oceans around the world say that their electronic equipment cuts off whenever they near the site. A diver with the team Stefan Hogerborn said:

 “Anything electric out there, and the satellite phone as well, stopped working when we were above the object, then when we got away about 200 meters, it turned on again.”

Geologist Steve Weiner with Ocean X says that he is convinced that the mysterious object is metal, but other geologists still believe that the object is just an unusual rock formation.
Volker Bruchert, a professor at Stockholm University, the largest university in Sweden, says that he believes that the object is at least 140,000 years old. Later, Bruchert went back on what he told the Ocean X team.

The Ocean X team says that they hope to return to the site soon. They say that many suggest that they cannot provide funding for fear of what the team may discover there.

Could There be a Natural Cause?

Some scientists have suggested that the abnormality has a natural cause. They suggest that it could be an ancient meteor that crashed there thousands of years ago. Scientists believe that they have found the oldest crater created by a meteor in Greenland. They estimate that the crater there was created over two billion years ago.

Others suggest that the shape was caused by an underground volcano. Numerous rock samples collected near the site are hardened lava like one would find around a volcano. Ocean volcanoes are not unusual as the earth’s plate move around. Some of the rocks collected near the site are called balancing rocks that may have slid into the ocean after a volcano.

Conclusion

Scientists still do not understand what they have found on the Baltic Sea floor. The main abnormality is a large circular shape with a mushroom-shaped top. A second abnormality lies nearby that is described as looking like a Gothic window. The team with Ocean X believes that the mysterious object may be a crashed UFO. Others argue that it is simply an ancient meteor or the result of an underwater volcano. The team with Ocean X hopes to return to the site soon.

Image Source: Pixabay