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☆ Two brains: One visualizes too much, the other not at all
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“I understand concepts, I comprehend things, I have memories, but they aren’t supported by any images,” Wathen said. Paul BokslagDutch-born artist Geraldine van Heemstra is at the opposite end of this unique way of processing. In reaction to cruel teasing from her brothers and school friends, van Heemstra learned to hide her sensory abilities as a child. “It was quite tricky at school as well, such as with math, where I would see the numbers in color,” van Heemstra said. “It was so frustrating at school because I would explain something, and then I would be laughed at,” van Heemstra said.

Persons: Mary Wathen, ” Wathen, “, Wathen, ”, “ I’ve, ‘ You’ve, Geraldine van Heemstra, Paul Bokslag Dutch, van, ” van Heemstra, “ It’s, van Heemstra, van Heemstra can’t, aphantasia, Adam Zeman, Zeman, ” Zeman, aphantasia don’t, ” That’s, I’m, they’ve, that’s, what’s, Van Heemstra, ” Van Heemstra, you’re Organizations: CNN, University of Exeter, University of Edinburgh, Cognitive Sciences, “ Locations: Newent, England, Scottish, London, Edinburgh, Scotland, Miami

☆ This biotech startup wants to prevent unhappiness. Here's the pitch deck Matter Bioscience used to raise $26 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAxel Bouchon cofounded Matter Neuroscience in 2019 after leading the venture arms of pharma giants Moderna and Bayer. AdvertisementMatter has emerged from stealth with $26 million from ARCH Venture Partners, Polaris Partners, Exor Ventures, and Collaborative Fund, Business Insider has learned exclusively. That $26 million includes an initial seed round led by Polaris Partners and a Series A round led by ARCH Venture Partners. The startup views itself now as a consumer biotech startup, Bouchon said. Here's the 17-slide pitch deck Matter used to raise $26 million.

Persons: —, Axel Bouchon, Bouchon Organizations: Service, pharma, Moderna, Bayer, Business, Venture Partners, Polaris Partners, Exor Ventures, Fund, Brain Imaging, Icahn School of Medicine Locations: Maastricht, Netherlands, Mount Sinai, Seoul, South Korea

☆ What is a typical degree of cognitive ability for a person in their 80s?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

How we change as we ageA decline in cognitive abilities is a normal part of healthy aging, said Dr. Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago. A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment is made clinically when cognitive difficulties become frequent and fall outside what is considered normal aging. “There’s not a whole lot of good evidence that there’s anything special about age 80 that leads to a drop-off” in cognitive abilities, Mather said. And they use cognitive tests, such as the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), to assess performance in different cognitive areas. Although population-level data associates aging with cognitive decline, the actual manifestation of aging is very diverse on an individual level, Rogalski said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin, ”, Molly Mather, “, Angela Roberts, Roberts, “ There’s, Mather, MMSE, We’re, ” Mather, Nir Barzilai, Rogalski, “ We’ve, superagers, Barzilai, “ It’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Roberts Organizations: CNN, House, Republican, NBC, Neurology, University of Chicago, UCSF, Aging, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, National Institute, Western University, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Federation for Aging Research, Trump, Biden, Get CNN, CNN Health, ” Locations: Mexico, Egypt, Montreal

☆ Can you hack your brain? These companies are driving innovation in the field of brain stimulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

These forms of deep brain stimulation require a surgical procedure during which electrodes — which generate electrical impulses to control any abnormal brain activity — are implanted into certain areas of the brain. With enough advancement in the field, doctors expect brain stimulation techniques for both severe disorders and health-and-wellness purposes will ultimately become noninvasive. Three major players There are only three companies with FDA-approved deep brain stimulation, or DBS, treatments: Medtronic , Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific . The spinal cord stimulation, or SCS, business is a hotbed of innovation right now, deep brain stimulation also is a key area." There is still plenty of doubt, however, about the efficacy of at-home brain stimulation devices, which offer a less direct approach to brain stimulation and don't always require FDA oversight.

Persons: —, Bernstein, Lee Hambright, Hambright, Ali Rezai, Medtronic, Abbott, Rezai, Morningstar, Debbie Wang, Wang, Elon Musk, it's Elon Musk's, Casey Halpern, it's, Halpern, Taiwan's Organizations: Drug Administration, FDA, Abbott Laboratories, Boston, Rockefeller Neuroscience, West Virginia University, American Neuromodulation Society, Boston Scientific, DBS, FactSet, Neuroscience, BCI, University of Pennsylvania, TMS Locations: neuromodulation

☆ Bigger belly in 40s and 50s linked to early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Inflammation from belly fat may be linked to the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease decades before symptoms begin, new research has found. “That’s important because brain atrophy is another biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease,” Raji said. “These are people who, if they do develop Alzheimer’s disease, it won’t happen for another 20 or 25 more years. “Regardless of weight, people should find out if they have hidden visceral fat,” Raji said. Visceral fat ‘easier to lose’There’s good news: Visceral fat responds well to diet and exercise, Raji said.

Persons: “, ”, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson, Cyrus Raji, St . Louis, ” Raji, Dr, Mahsa, Raji, ” Isaacson, It’s Organizations: CNN, Washington University School of Medicine, Radiology Society, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic Locations: Florida, St .

☆ Your favorite sad songs could help you feel less pain, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jocelyn Solis-Moreira | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Listening to favorite songs could reduce people’s perception of pain, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research. And the most effective pain relievers were found to be sad songs detailing bittersweet and emotional experiences. He was not involved in the latest study but has conducted his own research on the relationship between pain and music. With millions of songs available, one person’s favorite song is likely not the same as another. While he didn’t research chills in this study, Valevicius hypothesized that these sensations might be signs of sensory gating.

Persons: CNN —, Adele, ”, Patrick Stroman, “ Cotton, “, Darius Valevicius, shivers, Valevicius, Stroman, ” Jocelyn Solis, Moreira Organizations: CNN, Pain, Queen’s University, Sega, neurosciences, University of Montreal Locations: Kingston , Ontario, New York

☆ This AI company wants to help you control your dreams
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It's a tech startup building what the company calls the "world's first wearable device for stabilizing lucid dreams." Lucid dreams occur when a person sleeping becomes aware they're dreaming and may be able to control parts of the dream. Humane AI, a company founded in 2017 by former Apple employees, debuted its wearable — the AI Pin — on the runway last week at Paris Fashion Week. And famed iPhone designer Jony Ive and OpenAI's Sam Altman are also reportedly discussing an AI hardware project. The co-founders have the type of lofty dreams typical of a modern-era tech startup, with Wollberg comparing the company to OpenAI.

Persons: Eric Wollberg, Wesley Berry, Wollberg, Berry, Grimes, BoxGroup, Card79, Jony, Sam Altman, Prometheus Organizations: a16z's Scout Fund, Plaid, Elon, Apple, Paris Fashion, Donders Institute for Brain, Radboud University Locations: Netherlands

☆ Superconductor claims spark investor frenzy, but scientists are skeptical
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The South Korean researchers last week said they found a superconductor that works at room temperature, which has long been considered a holy grail for scientists in the field. The South Korean researchers published two papers - one initial paper with three authors and a second, more detailed paper with six authors that included only two of the authors from the first paper. The gold standard for proof of discovery is other labs reliably replicating the South Korean researchers' findings. But another team, from Qufu Normal University, said they did not observe zero resistance, one of required characteristics of a superconductor. On Thursday, South Korean experts said they would set up a committee to verify the claims.

Persons: Read, Kelvin, Eric Toone, Bill Gates, Mike Norman, Norman, Sinéad Griffin, Lawrence, Griffin, apatite, Michael Fuhrer, Fuhrer, Argonne's Norman, Stephen Nellis, Joyce Lee, Brenda Goh, Krystal Hu, Kenneth Li, Deepa Babington Organizations: CEA, Nuclear Research, South, Reuters, South Korean, Huazhong University of Science, Technology, Qufu Normal University, Southeast University, Bill Gates ’, Energy Ventures, National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, . Department of Energy, Monash University, Thomson Locations: ., China, South Korea, Nanjing, Melbourne, Australia, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, New York

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide on Thursday whether to grant traditional approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, the first medicine proven to slow the course of the memory-robbing disease. Leqembi, from drugmakers Eisai and Biogen, received accelerated approval in January based on evidence that it clears amyloid plaque buildups in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. But because of an earlier coverage decision by CMS, which provides insurance coverage for many elderly patients with Alzheimer’s through Medicare, the drug hasn’t been widely used. People with more advanced forms of the disease may not benefit from the drug, he said, and may face increased safety risks. Broad Medicare coverage of Leqembi and similar types of medications to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease would probably have a big impact on the program’s spending.

Persons: drugmakers, hasn’t, “, ’ ”, Joe Montminy, Lawrence Honig, “ It’s, ”, Honig, it’s, Leqembi, ” Honig, Georges Naasan, Sue Rottura, ” Drugmaker Eisai, “ You’re, Ivan Cheung, Eisai, ” Montminy, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, Medicare, Services, CMS, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Alzheimer’s, Behavioral, CNN Health, Kaiser Family Foundation Locations: Mount, Florida

☆ A new long Covid treatment shows promise, but insurance won't cover it and some doctors are skeptical: Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some long Covid patients swear by the treatment, with one describing it to CNBC Make It as a "total game changer." That's a huge stumbling block for many medical experts, who caution against viewing it as a universal remedy for long Covid. Most of the ones who do get treated have reported improved long Covid symptoms, the clinic adds. That's because a variety of underlying physiological conditions — like chronic lung issues, for example — can "drive different manifestations of long Covid," says Dr. Lucy Horton, an infectious disease physician who founded the long Covid clinic at UC San Diego Health. "For many [Covid] long haulers, including myself, financial freedom is gone because we can't work full-time."

☆ Eli Lilly has spent years and billions of dollars in search of an effective Alzheimer's drug. But success is not all or nothing for the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

Eli Lilly (LLY) has spent decades researching Alzheimer's disease without successfully bringing to market a treatment that slows the memory-destroying condition. For Eli Lilly as a company, an Alzheimer's drug is an important pursuit. Lilly's Alzheimer's history Eli Lilly's "first real foray" into Alzheimer's came in the 1990s, according to Dr. John Sims, Eli Lilly's head of medical development for donanemab. Financial implications for Lilly LLY mountain 2021-10-08 The Club started a new position in Eli Lilly (LLY) in October 2021. The Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San Diego, California, September 17, 2020.

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