A fungus that can infect the brain may be the key to understanding Alzheimer’s disease. The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective barrier that allows very few unwanted substances pass through it. However, there are some bacteria and fungi that have found a way to cross the BBB and cause infections; Candida albicans…
The current UK population consumes an average of about 8.5g/day of salt, more than 2g/day above the maximum recommended daily amount. This is worrying given its well-known health implications. Salt raises blood pressure, increasing risk of heart disease and stroke. One in three of UK adults have high blood pressure, and as many people are…
Artificial intelligence has pervaded human imagination since antiquity. The Greeks wrote about statues produced by men who “discovered the true nature of the gods” and mechanical men produced in ancient China that could “walk with rapid strides”. The Renaissance saw an unprecedented explosion of mathematical and scientific ideas fly across Europe in the so-called Age…
Alzheimer’s disease is a major global health problem, with the number of people with the disease in the UK expected to double by 2050. Efforts to develop an effective treatment have not yet been successful as we don’t properly understand what causes it. What do we already know about Alzheimer’s? One of the key features…
A recent study, published on Nature Neuroscience, lays groundwork for potential development of first neurobiologically-based therapy for patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This research from the O’Donnell Brain Institute in the U.S. explored a specific area within the right cerebellum, called CrusI. Whilst cerebellar abnormalities in ASD patients were known for some time, the…
