Researchers have developed a new MRI methodology called Correlation Tensor Imaging (CTI) that can analyze stroke lesions with unprecedented accuracy. This technology may predict individual outcomes and guide treatment, improving patient care.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discover distinct compartments within the VMH that control female receptivity and rejection. Progesterone receptors exhibit significant changes across reproductive cycle, suggesting a complex neural basis for female socio-sexual behavior.
Researchers use zebrafish to study human cancer and discover that the innate immune system actively destroys cancer cells. However, tumor cells can adapt and evade immune detection through a process called 'Immunoediting', leading to immunotherapy resistance.
A study found that bariatric surgery leads to greater weight loss in patients with a heightened perception of sweetness and lower hedonic hunger. Changes in sweet intensity perception were associated with the magnitude of weight loss, while pleasantness had no correlation.
Researchers at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discovered a direct link between prolactin and the male refractory period is unlikely. They found that artificially increasing or blocking prolactin levels had no effect on the animals' sexual behavior, contradicting the long-held theory.
A new study suggests that most rectal cancer patients can replace aggressive surgery with radiochemotherapy and close surveillance, with a low risk of tumor regrowth. Almost 70% of patients who underwent the 'watch and wait' protocol remained cancer-free for years, making intensive follow-up possible.
Researchers study brain mechanisms in mice using a custom-made puzzle task to disentangle cognitive schemes. They discover that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) creates a neural map representing various aspects of behavior, including current location and predicted consequences of actions.
A study by Megan Carey and Catarina Albergaria found that altered cannabinoid signalling impairs learning in mice. However, this was not due to direct effects on neural plasticity, but rather the reduced activity levels of the mutant mice. Restoring behavioral state through exercise fully restored learning abilities.
Researchers at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown found that social experiences during the first week of development impact zebrafish behaviour at an early larval stage. Isolated larvae showed stronger escape swims in response to local water vibrations, indicating a lasting effect.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discover that changes in sex cells' nutritional requirements make female flies crave sugar, affecting their food choice and fertility. The study's findings suggest a novel mechanism by which metabolism controls feeding behaviour, potentially relevant to human fertility.
A team of researchers found that two specific gut bacteria establish a metabolic cross-feeding mechanism, enabling them to grow in diets lacking essential nutrients. This interaction also affects the fly's feeding behavior, reproduction, and brain function, making the microbiome more resilient to dietary changes.
Scientists developed a new automated movement-tracking system, LocoMouse, to capture fine details of locomotion in mice. The study identified highly-detailed 'locomotor signatures' for two mouse models, providing a roadmap for linking neurological and locomotor deficits.
A team of scientists created a map highlighting the brain circuits affected in mania, which could lead to more effective treatments for bipolar disorder. The study identified specific regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex and inferior temporal cortex, as key players in mood regulation and emotional processing.
Researchers found that when flying alone, individual fruit flies freeze as a response to an imminent threat, but this behaviour changes in the presence of others. When other flies begin to move after the threat has passed, it signals safety and causes the freezing fly to exit its frozen state.
Researchers at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown have discovered that fruit flies freeze as a social cue of danger, but also resume movement when others start moving again, signaling safety. Group size plays a crucial role in this behavior, with smaller groups freezing less and larger groups showing a more complex response pattern.
A team of researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown found that the ovipositor, a temporary tube-like structure protruding from the female's abdomen, stimulates the male to attempt mating. The study reveals a sequence of steps in male-female communication that resolves contradictory reports on courtship and copulation.
Researchers found that rats used an unexpected strategy of adapting their behavior based on previous trial outcomes, rather than relying on a fixed optimal rule. This strategy allowed them to quickly adjust to changing environments and learn from mistakes.
Research by Marta Moita and her team found that social animals acquire fear of freezing through auto-conditioning, which requires both pain and immobility. The team discovered a neural map in the brain's fear-learning center and auditory system that underlies this learning mechanism.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown identified a novel digestive-brain axis that influences food choice and behavior. The study found that post-ingestive signals from the liver through the Vagus Nerve play a crucial role in learning to prefer nutritious foods.
A new collaborative study has developed a way to measure microscopic axons using MRI, revealing unprecedented accuracy and opening up new research possibilities. The method overcomes the long-standing challenge of probing axons non-invasively inside a living brain.
Scientists at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown designed an experiment where mice had to infer water reward locations using indirect evidence. The study revealed key brain regions involved in inference and compared mouse performance to a human version of the task, highlighting the cognitive skill's importance.
Researchers have shown that patients with low rectal cancer can safely choose to postpone invasive surgery after a course of radio- and chemotherapy. In fact, the majority of patients do not show regrowth of the tumor after two years of surveillance, and those who do, achieve similar outcomes as immediate surgery.
A novel assay developed at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown uses zebrafish 'avatars' to test radio-sensitivity in human tumor cells. The assay has shown promising results, with 85% success rate in predicting how tumors will respond to specific drugs.
Researchers used AI techniques to analyze patterns in fish schools, discovering a solution that balances simplicity and accuracy. The model, inspired by 'attention networks', can predict the behavior of individual fish with 90% accuracy, offering new insights into collective behaviors.
Research reveals that hypoxic conditions alter p53's shape, allowing it to bind with HIF and promote cancer cell survival. This discovery may lead to new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discovered that the brain's circadian clock controls the function of immune cells in the gut, which are crucial for maintaining gut health. Disrupting this clock leads to reduced immune cell numbers, severe inflammation, and increased fat accumulation.
Researchers use TDA to inject knowledge of real world into neural networks, reducing training time and increasing intelligibility. This approach enables machines to focus on meaningful features and improve performance in tasks like face recognition.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discover a new psychophysical rule, Time-Intensity Equivalence in Discrimination (TIED), which links decision times to sound intensity. TIED is more stringent than Weber's Law, describing behavior with mathematical precision.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown discovered a cell-competition mechanism called fitness fingerprints that allows cancer cells to disguise themselves as healthy cells. By blocking this mechanism, they found that tumour growth can be slowed down, but not eliminated.
Scientists have created a system called optoPAD that uses light to manipulate the taste neurons of flies, creating virtual tastes that can affect their behavior. The technology has shown promising results in controlling feeding behaviors and could potentially be used to study the brain's role in food choices.
Researchers developed a non-invasive MRI methodology to determine if tumours have invaded lymph nodes prior to surgery. This innovation helps clinicians choose optimal treatment strategies and reduces overtreatment risks. By improving accuracy, SPI may also aid in selecting patients for pre-operative radiation and chemotherapy.
Scientists used a split-belt treadmill to study mouse locomotor learning and found that the brain separates spatial and temporal components of movement. The findings show similarities with human learning and suggest potential therapeutic approaches for people with asymmetric walking patterns.
A team of neuroscientists has identified two distinct types of neurons in the lateral horn (LH) of fruit flies that are responsible for the innate insect's aversion to carbon dioxide. The study reveals a complex neural circuit underlying olfactory responses, with one type of neuron projecting connections out of the LH and another havin...
A new software, idtracker.ai, can identify up to 150 individual fish with high accuracy, extracting valuable data for understanding group behavior. The AI-powered system uses deep learning neural networks and conventional algorithms to recognize unique features of each zebrafish.
Neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease may be beneficial as it removes dysfunctional neurons, according to new research published in Cell Reports. The study suggests that the anti-aging mechanism of 'cell competition' plays a crucial role in protecting the brain from damage.
Researchers have identified a molecular mechanism that allows tumor cells to eliminate their neighbors through mechanical competition. The study found that compressed cells are killed by modulated EGFR/ERK signal, which is decreased and then leads to cell death. This discovery suggests a potential therapeutic strategy to halt tumor growth
A Champalimaud Centre researcher will explore how social environment and spatial factors influence an insect's defensive strategy, shedding light on brain mechanisms that underlie behaviour. The grant will fund novel experiments using fruit fly models.
Researchers found that homeostatic synaptic plasticity (HSP) facilitates Hebbian plasticity, enhancing memory formation and learning. HSP helps maintain a stable level of activity in synapses, allowing the brain to store information while keeping it accessible.
Researchers found that fruit flies freeze in response to threats at slow walking speeds, but run away when moving quickly. The team identified a single pair of neurons critical for this process, providing insights into the brain's defensive strategies.
A team of researchers has developed a gene therapy cure for the Leber Congenital Amaurosis, a genetic form of childhood blindness. The treatment restores vision to treated children and adults, paving the way for new treatments for genetic conditions.
Scientists developed a new mathematical model using game theory to explain the biodiversity paradox, which predicts that hundreds of plankton species can coexist in open sea water despite limited resources. The model shows that biodiversity increases exponentially with the number of resources, leading to a large number of potential spe...
A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals that serotonin plays a crucial role in learning by influencing an animal's decision-making strategies. When the interval between trials was short, mice relied on their working memory, while longer intervals activated their long-term memory, allowing them to learn from past rewar...
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown uncover exquisitely organized map of visual space in feedback connections, providing insights into visual perception. The study reveals that these connections encode information from further locations in visual space, giving lower structures contextual 'whole picture' information.
A new study found that faster mice run, the faster they learn. Researchers used mutant mice with reduced running speed to demonstrate the causal link between running speed and enhanced learning. They also showed that once learned, performance still depended on running speed.
A new study suggests that serotonin enhances active persistence in a task, even in the face of uncertainty. This challenges previous ideas about serotonin's role in behavior and may help understand depression treatment.
A team of neuroscientists has discovered that specific taste neurons located in the fruit fly's proboscis are responsible for its protein craving. The study, published in eLife, identifies two groups of neurons that regulate the fly's feeding behavior.
Researchers found zebrafish larvae use 13 different patterns of movement combined in sequences to respond to situations, revealing the 'Lego pieces' of complex behaviors. The study's objective computational method revealed novel features of behavior that are not obvious from human observation.
Eugenia Chiappe, a principal investigator at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant to investigate how the human brain builds a mental representation of body movements. Her team plans to use fruit fly research as a model to better understand this process.
Researchers found that neurons at mucosal tissues can detect an infection and prompt immune cells to produce a substance that acts like adrenaline, rapidly activating a protective response. This discovery highlights the important role of peripheral nervous cells in mounting immune responses and preserving health.
Researchers develop model using zebrafish larvae to predict personalized treatment of cancer, offering faster and safer option than current methods. The study confirms that zebrafish and mice react similarly to treatments, enabling timely answers in under two weeks.