SEPOY.net
No Result
View All Result
Monday, July 14, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Economy
  • Crypto
  • Travel
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Economy
  • Crypto
  • Travel
No Result
View All Result
SEPOY.NET
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

Brains of marsupials mimic features of early human brain development

Nicholas by Nicholas
May 23, 2023
in Health
0
Brains of marsupials mimic features of early human brain development

University of Queensland research has revealed features of early human brain development are mimicked in the brains of marsupials.

READ ALSO

New imaging technique reveals mitochondrial activity inside live animals

EAGLE model predicts key lung cancer mutations from routine biopsy

Lead author Dr Rodrigo Suárez from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute and School of Biomedical Sciences, said the finding could lead to a better understanding of brain patterns linked to neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Marsupials are mammals born at extremely early stages – the equivalent to mid-gestation in human terms.


Most marsupial brain development happens postnatally, inside the mothers’ pouch.


Because of this, we’ve been able to study patterns of neural activity in the Australian native fat-tailed dunnart and found they’re similar to those in the human brain in utero.”


Dr Rodrigo Suárez from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute and School of Biomedical Sciences

The research used light indicators to record the electrical activity of neurons in marsupial joeys.

“We followed the onset and maturation of complex activity patterns, using advanced microscopy to read how the joey’s developing brain cells first communicate,” Dr Suárez said.

“There were distinct patterns from the outset indicating not only that neural activity begins before sensory experience, but that unique electrical features in newborn cells might be crucial for the healthy establishment of brain connections.

“Likewise, subtle defects in these patterns could lead to neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD.”

Dr Suárez said it was well established that human babies respond to stimulation well before birth.

“But exactly when, where and how electrical activity begins in the developing brain has remained largely unknown,” he said.

“This is mostly because only mammals have evolved a cerebral cortex – the wrinkly surface of our brains that controls sensory motor and cognitive tasks – and most experimental models can’t survive at such early stages outside the uterus.”

Dr Suárez said studying marsupials could help researchers go further back in brain evolution.

“These findings highlight early processes of brain development that arose millions of years ago, and are ongoing with little change, likely influencing the evolution and diversification of the cerebral cortex.”

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA).

Source:

The University of Queensland

Journal reference:

Suárez, R., et al. (2023) Cortical activity emerges in region-specific patterns during early brain development. PNAS. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2208654120.

Tags: AutismBrainCortexEvolutionResearch

Related Posts

New imaging technique reveals mitochondrial activity inside live animals
Health

New imaging technique reveals mitochondrial activity inside live animals

July 14, 2025
EAGLE model predicts key lung cancer mutations from routine biopsy
Health

EAGLE model predicts key lung cancer mutations from routine biopsy

July 14, 2025
Is fruit juice good or bad for diabetes? New research reveals a genetic twist
Health

Is fruit juice good or bad for diabetes? New research reveals a genetic twist

July 14, 2025
Underactive thyroid linked to increased risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
Health

Underactive thyroid linked to increased risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

July 12, 2025
Adults over 80 benefit from osteoporosis medications
Health

Adults over 80 benefit from osteoporosis medications

July 12, 2025
OneTouch-PAT system detects breast cancer in under a minute without compression
Health

OneTouch-PAT system detects breast cancer in under a minute without compression

July 12, 2025
Next Post
Is Shopify worth it? The ultimate reviews of Shopify 2023

Is Shopify worth it? The ultimate reviews of Shopify 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About

Sepoy.net is a perfect place for people who want daily updates on news related to business, technology, entertainment, health, cryptocurrency etc.

Contact: hello@sepoy.net

Major Categories

News

Business

Tech

Economy

 

Recent Posts

  • Spiele Siberian Storm kostenlos Echtes Geld Online -Slots Ohne eintragung hochfahren
  • Better On-line poker Websites to experience for real Cash in 2025
  • Free Texas hold em Play Free online Web based poker with PokerGO

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Sepoy.net

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • News
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel

© 2023 Sepoy.net