Scientist, writer, human.
PhD Neurophysiologist, writer, game designer, and artist.
#neuro #neuroscience #science #research #jhu #neurons #johnshopkins #SciFi #cognition
| Website | https://isaacostlund.io/ |
| https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacostlund/ | |
| Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/isaacostlund.bsky.social |
#Danaher is a medical company that is using a "printer ink" model for life-saving tuberculosis testing. Cheap devices, 300-500% markup on disposables. Price gauging poor countries for diagnostic tests that will save children and ailing adults from a CURABLE disease is abhorrent.
My paper is out! It's free to access!
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.1067493/full
We discovered that #marijuana (THC specifically) reduces #GABA #neuron activity. This helps explain some of the rewarding and calming effects of THC because the depression of GABA #neurons means increased dopamine release, which generally makes us feel pretty good.
Don't smoke too young though, we also found #THC is MUCH more influential in adolescents, and sometimes struggles to reverse!
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) mediates incentive salience and reward prediction error through dopamine (DA) neurons that are regulated by local VTA GABA neurons. In young mice, VTA GABA cells exhibit a form of synaptic plasticity known as long-term depression (LTD) that is dependent on cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors preceded by metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) signaling to induce endocannabinoid production. This LTD was eliminated following chronic (7–10 consecutive days) exposure to the marijuana derived cannabinoid Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We now examine the mechanism behind THC-induced elimination of LTD in adolescents as well as plasticity induction ability in adult versus young male and female mice using whole-cell electrophysiology experiments of VTA GABA cells. Chronic THC injections in adolescents resulted in a loss of CB1 agonist-mediated depression, illustrating chronic THC likely desensitizes or removes synaptic CB1. We noted that seven days withdrawal from chronic THC restored LTD and CB1 agonist-induced depression, suggesting reversibility of THC-induced changes. Adult mice continue to express functional mGluR5 and CB1, but require a doubling of the synaptic stimulation compared to young mice to induce LTD, suggesting a quantitative difference in CB1-dependent plasticity between young and adult mice. One potential rationale for this difference is changes in AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors. Indeed, AMPA/NMDA ratios were increased in in adul...
In 2017 a man, after some thought, had a simple but genius idea and took a camera on a Southwest flight from Portland, Oregon to St. Louis and captured one of the most breathtaking images of all time.
Jon Carmichael's "108" is probably my favorite #eclipse image and provokes introspection every time I see it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna101420
A woman with paralysis speaks through a digital avatar after 18 years.
Brain-computer interfacing #BCI is an incredible field and one I've always been interested in. I can't believe how far it has come in the last 10 years.
I can't imagine the pain of being trapped, silent and aware, for that long. Hopefully this tech helps her find some happiness, and others who can benefit from it as well!
We worry about the spread of #misinformation and "alternative facts" while gating academic and scientific research behind paywalls that grossly limit public access.
In response to a few questions people have asked:
We used whole-cell patch-clamp #electrophysiology to record the activity of single #neurons.
The "resist changes" refers to #neuroplasticity. We found a reduction in long-term depression, or #LTD, in adult mice after high frequency stimulus (HFS) compared to adolescent mice.
These cells are specifically #GABA releasing cells in the ventral tegmental area (#VTA ), where GABA can regulate dopamine release throughout the #brain.
Here is our paper! My #research shows how certain adult neurons resist activity changes.
On a macro level, this could provide a new hypothesis for why adults exhibit resistance to #learning, #anxiety, and #addiction.
A key question is why? It may not only be a negative byproduct of age but could be an evolutionary advantage to resist trauma or external influence after we've found "successful strategies" while younger.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.1067493/full
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) mediates incentive salience and reward prediction error through dopamine (DA) neurons that are regulated by local VTA GABA neurons. In young mice, VTA GABA cells exhibit a form of synaptic plasticity known as long-term depression (LTD) that is dependent on cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors preceded by metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) signaling to induce endocannabinoid production. This LTD was eliminated following chronic (7–10 consecutive days) exposure to the marijuana derived cannabinoid Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). We now examine the mechanism behind THC-induced elimination of LTD in adolescents as well as plasticity induction ability in adult versus young male and female mice using whole-cell electrophysiology experiments of VTA GABA cells. Chronic THC injections in adolescents resulted in a loss of CB1 agonist-mediated depression, illustrating chronic THC likely desensitizes or removes synaptic CB1. We noted that seven days withdrawal from chronic THC restored LTD and CB1 agonist-induced depression, suggesting reversibility of THC-induced changes. Adult mice continue to express functional mGluR5 and CB1, but require a doubling of the synaptic stimulation compared to young mice to induce LTD, suggesting a quantitative difference in CB1-dependent plasticity between young and adult mice. One potential rationale for this difference is changes in AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors. Indeed, AMPA/NMDA ratios were increased in in adul...
#NASA announced a free streaming service called NASA+ !? Best streaming platform already and it's not even out yet.
Hopefully they don't have plans for a NASA+ Pro Max...
NASA is elevating its digital platforms for the benefit of all by revamping its flagship and science websites, adding its first on-demand streaming service, and upgrading the NASA app. With these changes, everyone will have access to a new world of content from the space agency.
#JWST continues to fill me with wonder and awe. These images are amazing.
What is it about the vast dark and bright expanse that gives me pause and hope? Do have any favorites to share?
NPR's operating budget is $300 M, and 1%, or $3 M is funded by federal subsidies
The LA Times calculates the federal subsidies Musk's companies have received at $4.9 B.
Let's be generous and say Musk received those subsidies over a 10 year period, while NPR would have received ~$30 M in subsidies.
4.9 B / 30 M = Musk received 163x what NPR has from "the state."
Who is state funded then?
