synaptic-biology

Abstract Background Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt insertion is an age-long and yet persistent procedure employed for the management of hydrocephalus in children. Although, the concerns of foreign body implantation and possible complications, is gaining attention, many surgeons continue to use ventriculo-peritoneal shunt to surgically treat hydrocephalus. In low-resource settings with limited or una…

Motor neuron disease (MND) is marked by progressive neurodegeneration in which presynaptic Ca2+-handling and mitochondrial metabolism are thought to be vulnerable, but direct functional studies in human brain are scarce because most material is frozen long-term. Here, we show that synaptosomes isolated from paired fresh and experimentally frozen mouse cortex, and from cryopreserved human motor co…

Abstract Background and Objectives: Friedreich ataxia (FA) causes progressive impairment of communication due to gradual deterioration of speech, associated with impaired hearing, socio-cognitive and language skills. There is an urgent need to investigate the impact of this multiparametric alteration on patients’ lives. Therefore, the COMunication and ATAXia measure (COMATAX) was developed and va…

Abstract Background External ventricular drainage (EVD)-associated ventriculitis is a serious complication in neurocritical care. Diagnostic uncertainty and heterogeneous infection prevention and control (IPC) practices may contribute to variable ventriculitis rates and potentially avoidable antibiotic exposure. We evaluated the impact of implementing an interdisciplinary standard operating proce…

Far from a blank slate, the infant brain begins with an overabundance of random neural connections. Neuroscientists discovered how trimming this excess wiring transforms the hippocampus into a powerful, structured memory machine.

BackgroundWolfram syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by antibody-negative early-onset diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, sensorineural hearing loss, arginine-vasopressin deficiency, and progressive neurodegeneration of the brainstem and cerebellum. It is caused primarily by pathogenic variants in the WFS1 gene, which encodes a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum–resident…

Phi_migration framework validated for Schistocerca gregaria, desert locust. n=22, 22/22 hits, z=4.51, Cohen h=1.531. The ITCZ coherence boundary is not merely detected by locusts — it is the physical transport mechanism of swarm displacement. Fastest latency in series: 0.5 days. FAO DLIS data 2019-2023. Phi_XCIX=0.9532. McCauls Law of Coherence Amendment XCIX.

Abstract Immune-mediated cerebellar ataxias lack dynamic biomarkers that reflect systemic metabolic changes during treatment. In this longitudinal case of anti-GAD65 cerebellar ataxia, high-resolution respirometry of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) revealed treatment-associated shifts in mitochondrial bioenergetic organization that occurred in temporal association with clinical improve…

The Phi_migration framework (McCaul 2026, Amendment LXXXV) is extended to its first invertebrate taxon: the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Fall departure surge events (n=25) across five migration seasons (2019-2023) were cross-referenced against Phi_atmo coherence gradient threshold crossings (>=0.08 Phi/degree). All 25 events confirmed (100% hit rate, z=5.42, p<0.0001, Cohen h=1.651). Mea…

Nature Communications, Published online: 19 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73268-w Researchers show the olfactory tubercle mediates social threat assessment via persistent synaptic plasticity in male mice. They identify a serotonin-dopamine switch that balances avoidance and approach behaviors during the recall of social threat memories.

Abstract Spexin (SPX) is an endogenous peptide expressed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Although its impact on postprandial intestinal motility has been examined, its effect during fasting remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the direct effects of SPX on jejunal and ileal segments in vitro , its effects on fasting small intestinal motility in vivo , and to determine the roles …