Stacked effects: A gene mutation and immune stimulation together can render mice less social. Photography by Richard Drury Activating the immune system blunts social behaviors in mice missing a copy of the autism-linked gene SHANK3, according to a new study. But blocking TRPV4, a gene that encodes an ion channel involved in inflammatory responses, can […]
The authors of a 2013 study that appeared to uncover a mechanism by which the immune system influences synapse development have retracted the paper after discovering errors and failing to replicate their findings. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, showed how astrocytes secrete an immune protein called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) that kicks off a […]
It’s that time of year again. We run around like crazy preparing for the holidays: cooking, cleaning, shopping, going to parties and then boom! In the middle of it all we get sick. Stress can actually be a helpful survival response, but only for a specific, short-lived situation. Unfortunately, we all tend to live in […]
Subdued response: Organoids with microglia (bottom) show a lower interferon response (red) than organoids without microglia (top), suggesting that these immune cells help reduce cell stress. Adding non-neural brain cells called microglia to cortical organoids speeds up the rate of maturation of their neurons, increases the synchronization of their firing, and appears to reduce cellular […]
