6 Jun 2021
Electroencephalography (EEG) is the neuroscience technique to reveal the neural activities in the brain. This technique is safe and non-invasive, so it can be used for evaluating the brain functions in living humans.
In general, the brain waves recorded from EEG in healthy adults are usually divided into 4 main frequency bands consisting of: (1) Delta wave (frequency < 4 Hz), (2) Theta wave (frequency between 4 and 8 Hz), (3) Alpha wave (frequency between 8 and 13 Hz), and (4) Beta wave (frequency > 13 Hz). Alpha and beta waves are mainly demonstrated during wakefulness while theta wave is predominantly observed during light sleep. Delta wave is seen during deep sleep or non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stage 3. Interestingly, the pattern of brain waves during childhood is different from adulthood. In brief, the main brain wave during awakeness in young children is theta wave that gradually changes to alpha wave when they grow up. Therefore, presence of theta wave during wakefulness indicates childhood pattern brain activities. In contrast, the reduction of theta activities during awakeness in children represents advanced brain development and can be used as a marker for brain maturation.
Our research group uses the concept of an EEG marker for brain maturation to examine the brain development in students who are studying in Buddhist integrated education, a type of integrated education between standard curriculum and mindfulness training, from grade 1 to grade 6 (mind-edu group), compared to aged-match students in a standard curriculum (control group). The EEG results showed that students in mind-edu group had less theta power during resting-state EEG recording (less value – green to yellow color), compared to control group (higher value – red to orange color). The reduction of theta activities during wakefulness is compatible with the EEG characteristics of brain maturation. This finding suggested that mindfulness training in school-age children can facilitate brain development. Moreover, the cognitive assessment with neuropsychological tests also confirmed the benefit of mindfulness training on cognitive development.
For more detail, please follow the link below: Vitamin D is one of the 13 vitamins that we need to maintain our health and wellbeing. We can obtain vitamin D from our diet (oily fish, liver, egg yolks) and additionally we can produce vitamin D from cholesterol when we expose our skin to sunlight. While vitamin D is well known as playing a role in building healthy bones through regulation of calcium and phosphorus, evidence is emerging that vitamin D may play a role in combating infections. Infections with the dengue virus are a significant problem, not only in Thailand, but also in many tropical and sub-tropical countries around the world and there is currently no preventive vaccine or effective drug for treatment. Most of us understand the Darwinian concept that mutations and selective force gradually diversify living organisms. How do viruses make more viruses in host cell? For RNA viruses, the viral RNA-copying enzyme (RdRp) must first latch on to a specific region of RNA, and then proceed to churn out a complete copy of the virus. Analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster genome database identifies a diverse superfamily of glutathione transferases (GSTs).
Most famously, all viruses require host ribosomes to generate more viral proteins. There are many more examples of such parasitic behavior, and certainly more to be discovered. Stress can cause many harmful effects to our body including our brain. Stress induces release of glucocorticoid hormone, which prepares our body to cope with stress. You may know that almost all shrimps you are eating are produced by farming. But, do you know that in order to produce shrimp eggs and hatchings, eyestalks are cut from mother shrimps to induce them to lay eggs?
Neurogenesis, a process of generating functionally integrated neurons from progenitor cells, was traditionally believed to occur only during embryonic stages in the mammalian CNS.
Shrimp aquaculture industry in Thailand has been rapidly expanded in the last few decades generating an annual income of several hundred thousand Baht to the country. Thalassemia is a wide spread genetic disease presented as chronic anemia. Hemoglobin Bart’s hydrops fetalis, the most severe form of thalassemia, is fatal and uniformly results in still birth when there is a homozygous defect of alpha thalassemia 1.This can be avoided if parents who are carriers for the alpha thalassemia 1 know their genetic status. Fah talai jone is a well known medicinal plant in Thailand. The leaves are traditionally used to make an exceedingly bitter tea for treating a number of ailments including fever and infections. Because of the extremely bitter nature of the tea, the plant is often taken nowadays in capsule form. A new study by Assoc. Prof. Apinunt Udomkit found that Bursicon promotes development of eggs in shrimp. Bursicon is an insect hormone known to be involved in darkening of cuticle, wing expansion, and molting. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the formation of senile plaques in the brain. These extracellular deposits are mainly composed of the abnormally aggregated Ab peptides, which production is under the control of a set of enzymes named secretases. Melatonin, a neurohormone secreted mainly by the pineal gland, has a variety of physiological functions and neuroprotective effects. MANORAA: Mapping Analogous Nuclei Onto Residue And Affinity: A Server for Molecular Design Why do we want to know this? It is becausetesting new substances in animals is an essential step in developing new antiemetics – drugs that reduce nausea and vomiting.
An efficient RNA interference (RNAi) based approach for shrimp viruses inhibition have been developed for a decade. However, the bottle neck of this approach is the application into a farm. EF2-VDO RESEARCH EF1 – VDO RESEARCH
Reference
Discovering new roles for vitamin D
Uncover the Pathway of Cell Death
What created species? What events in our genome made us different from our closest related species? A study in fruit flies may give a clue.
We discovered how dengue virus begins replication
The Drosophila melanogaster Glutathione Transferases
System biology of dengue virus
Stress is bad for your brain! Melatonin may help
Stop crustacean cruelty
Roles of Melatonin on Proliferation and Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells
New RNA Technology for Shrimp Reproduction
Put an end to hemoglobin Bart’s
New look at an old remedy
Molt and mate: female shrimps and prawns are ready to mate after they molt (shed their shell) – Bursicon may explains the physiological link.
Melatonin may stimulate a protective mechanism against Alzheimer
Melatonin for your brain!
MANORAA
http://manoraa.icbs.mahidol.ac.th/Manoraa/home.phpHow do we know when an animal feels nauseated?
Fighting shrimp virus with functional feed containing double-stranded RNA
EF2-VDO RESEARCH
EF1 – VDO RESEARCH