Figure: A neutrophil (yellow) ejecting a NET (green) to capture invading bacteria (purple) that are attacking a red blood cell (orange). (Source: Wikimedia Commons, CHDENK) Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell involved in the innate immune response in most animals. These cells tend to be among the most numerous in the circulatory system; …
Figure: An illustration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. When it comes to SARS-CoV-2 infections, a new study suggests that genetics may play a role in both susceptibility and severity. (Source: Wikimedia Commons, Author: We Are Covert Ltd) In the past, genome-wide association studies have found correlations between specific forms of certain genes and individual susceptibility to …
Why Your Genes Might Impact Your COVID-19 Experience Read More »
Figure: The colored sections of the brain represent the different areas that are activated by different stimuli (Source: Wikimedia Commons, NIH Image Gallery) The field of computational neuroscience has made several advances in the last twenty years, including the design of a multitude of new technologies that stand to improve the quality of human life. …
Figure: Dopamine is the so-called “feel-good” neurotransmitter, involved in cognitive processing including learning and behavioral planning (Foo et al., 2021). (Source: Jynto, Wikimedia Commons). Traditionally, neural signaling has been studied in the context of “deterministic” signals, or external stimuli (Aguilera, 2021). However, a recent study by University of California San Diego researchers demonstrated that impulses …
Learned Control of Spontaneous Dopamine Impulses in Mice Read More »
Figure: The image above displays the effects of sleep deprivation on various aspects of physiological function (Source: Wikimedia Commons, Mikael Häggström) When preparing for an exam, one of the best ways to boost your performance is by getting an optimal amount of sleep. In order to optimize your levels of alertness, the Sleep Foundation recommends …
Figure: Blood samples ready to be tested. Addison’s disease is diagnosed by analysis of ACTH levels via a blood test. (Source: Unsplash, Testalize.me) In 1855 Thomas Addison described symptoms for an illness now known as Addison’s disease, a chronic condition caused by damage to the adrenal glands (Yamamoto, 2018). Addison’s is an incredibly rare disease affecting …
Addison’s Disease: Why Does it Take an Adrenal Crisis for a Correct Diagnosis? Read More »
Lead Author: Jillian Troth1 Co-Authors (alphabetical order): Roxanna Attar2, Julia Gainski3, Vincent Lai4, Grace Lee5, Callie Moody1, Megan Nelson6 1Dartmouth College, 2University of Texas at Austin, 3University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 4Rice University, 5Williams College, 6Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University Cover Image: A fluorescently-stained image of a three-dimensional culture of human breast cancer cells. …
Considering the Microbiota-Gut-Brain-Axis in Cancer Research Read More »
Figure 1: Researchers have shown that tumor cells are a mixture of cancer cells and normal cells. Distinguishing malignant cells and nonmalignant cells in the tumor microenvironment is critical for understanding tumor cell gene expression (Source: Flickr, NIH Image Gallery). Single Cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq), a transcriptomic analysis tool, has become important in cancer research …
Single Cell RNA Sequencing Enhances Understanding of Tumor Genetic Diversity Read More »
Figure 1: Researchers have found viral genetic materials within the human genome which are the result of retroviruses that infected our ancestors millions of years ago. Scientists refer to these viruses as human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). HERVs have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). (Source: Public Domain Pictures, Виталий Смолыгин) Viral …
Figure: Diagram of Mucin Structure. Mucins are glycosylated membrane proteins with complex o-glycans on their extracellular TR region, which provide identifying information for interactions with microbes (Source: Jcastr07, Wikimedia Commons). While the microbiome has been receiving increasing attention as a key physiological player, the mucinome, or mucus composition in the body, may be the gateway …