Stampede Sunday, as I like to call it, was as packed as it
is each year.
There was lots of cool science to talk about and cool scientists
to talk about it with. Here with the highlights ---
1. Hendrix (DD56) – Her aim was to raise awareness for her
local “brain awareness day”. She was able to do by promoting via social media
and designing flyers. She also talked about having visited Capitol Hill and talking
to policy-makers about the changing funding climate. Basically, Ms. Hendrix is
an advocate for both neuroscience and neuroscientists. We need more people like
her. Follow her @RDHendrix.
2. Brager (DD38) – a fellow blogger, her poster showed that
cryotherapy increases both the amount as well as the quality of sleep in athletes. Sleep remains an
underappreciated area of neuroscience and I saw some other cool work looking at
sleep disruption in rodent models. Brager’s work was particularly fascinating because it was in
athletes; something many of us ex-athletes can appreciate. Basically - those ice baths are really, really important for recovery. And, if possible, a cryo chambers is even better.
3. Whitesall (D31) – Working at the Allen Institute, Ms.
Whitesall’s work looked at Default Mode Network (DMN) in the mouse brain. In
recent years, the idea of the Default Mode – essentially, the baseline of your
brain activity – has become apparent. It makes for both interesting science, as
well as interesting science fiction. Whitesall’s work hypothesizes that the
brain regions comprising the DMN may be one of the first to perturbed in
Alzhiemer’s Disease. She will test whether this is true in an AD transgenic mouse line.
4. Kawarabayashi – Looking at tg mice models, they found that
PrPc, Abeta mono and dimers, Fyn, NMDA, GSK3beta and pTau all localized in
lipid rafts! This ties in both the possible involvement of lipid rafts in AD,
as well as seemed to support the amyloid hypothesis.
5. Graham (C87) – Western diet in APP/PS1 mice increases A-beta
load and TREM2 activation. TREM2 is the new baby in the AD field, and there
will be a lot of work on it. And, as for western diet, STOP BEING SUCH FATTIES, YOU GUYS. And, by you, i mean, me.
6. Brkic (C86) – Omega-3-Fatty Acids have beneficial effects on
brain of AD mice – by reducing amyloid plaque burden. There was recently a
longitudinal study that determined that fish oil showed no benefit for cognition
in AD patients. Brkic informed me that she thought that study was done with
patients who has advanced AD, and therefore, an amelioration of symptoms would
have been lost in the noise of progressed neurodegeneration. I agree with her.
Most AD therapies should be looking at helping decelerate the pathology in mild
cognitive impairment patients, in my opinion.
7. Colello (C91) – This was my favorite poster of the day.
Their group decided to address the issue of the g-forces experienced by helmet
to helmet collisions in football players. They posit doing so by placing repulsive
magnets in the helmet of players. This would lead to the generation of a
repulsive force that would reduce the g-forces. Their proof of concept suggests
that they are able to reduce g-forces (measured by accelerometers) in a rig
where they are essentially crashing two helmets together. This is fascinating
work! And, a perfect example of how invention often come from people who cross
disciplines.
Lunch
All the places close by were closed! Stampede Sunday is the worst. I ate a sandwich from a grocery store. It was awful.
Afternoon sesh
I spent the entire time presenting the boss-man's poster.
What were your highlights from today? My poster is tomorrow (Afternoon session, D25). Stop by and say hi!
