Latest News
U.S. health agency purge includes 10 lab heads at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
2025-04-02 - 2025-04
Ten lab heads at the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) received layoff notices yesterday morning as part of a widespread purge across federal health agencies. The move follows an announcement last week from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who pledged to reorganize the department and eliminate 10,000 positions, including 1,200 across the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Transmitter spoke with six NIH employees, five of whom are at NINDS, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The notices were delivered by email to the following NINDS scientists: Miguel Holmgren, Steven Jacobson, Dorian McGavern, Joseph Mindell, Katherine Roche, David Sibley, Kenton Swartz, Susan Wray, Ling-Gang Wu and Richard Youle , three sources told The Transmitter. At least one other senior scientist at NINDS was also dismissed, one source adds.
Youle, who studies cell apoptosis and mitochondria damage, won the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his work showing that clearing the damaged organelles can help protect against Parkinson’s disease. Roche currently serves as secretary for the Society for Neuroscience. Her lab investigates synaptic plasticity changes that underlie neurodevelopmental conditions.
Inhibitory cells work in concert to orchestrate neuronal activity in mouse brain
2025-04-09 - 2025-04
The most comprehensive map to date of cell structure and function in the mouse cortex reveals a previously unappreciated level of coordination among inhibitory interneurons.
The study—one of 10 on the mouse connectome released today in the Nature family of journals—shows that interneurons carefully select the types of excitatory neurons they connect with. They also appear to work in teams, targeting the same type or types of excitatory neurons from different angles.
“Not only is there this remarkable specificity of inhibitory cells to a particular set of excitatory types, but even inhibitory cells that come from very different groups can share that specificity,” says Nuno Maçarico da Costa, associate investigator at the Allen Institute, who led the interneuron study.
To build the map, researchers recorded neuronal firing in a cubic micrometer of visual cortex as a mouse watched a video and ran on a treadmill. They then used electron microscopy to trace the 1,183 excitatory neurons, 164 inhibitory interneurons and more than 70,000 synapses that orchestrated the bursts of brain activity.
The interneuron analysis adds to mounting evidence that inhibitory cells working in concert are the true maestros of brain activity.
“I think the hints of a lot of what they’re saying have been coming in multiple ways, but the ability to get down to the ultrastructural level and look at it has been fantastic,” says Gord Fishell, professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the work.
Can Two Ancient Practices Unlock Our Mental Health Crisis?
2025-04-13 - 2025-04
When Sarah, a 42-year-old physician, found herself unable to sleep and constantly anxious after years of high-pressure work, she turned to an unexpected combination of practices. "I tried meditation apps for years with limited success," she recalls. "But after a guided psilocybin session followed by daily meditation, I experienced a clarity and peace I hadn't felt since childhood. I've been practicing for more than a year now, and the world feels like a different place."
Sarah's experience reflects a growing trend: Two ancient approaches to exploring the nature of human consciousness— meditation and psychedelics—are being combined in new "hybrid" interventions, and they may be even more effective when used together. The implications could transform not just how we treat mental illness, but how we live our everyday lives, and even how we understand the hidden potential of the human mind.
Virtual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Boost Mental Health
2025-04-13 - 2025-04
The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto has reported that while mental illness accounts for roughly 10% of the disease burden in Ontario, it receives only 7% of health care dollars.
The over $1.5 billion shortage strains the system’s capacity to provide prompt assistance and effective care. Only half of Canadians undergoing a major depressive episode receive “potentially sufficient treatment.” One promising solution to increase the accessibility of mental health care is virtual therapy, such as virtual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
CBT is a psychotherapy approach that attempts to change a person's behaviour and thinking patterns. It has gained widespread recognition for its effectiveness in addressing depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and alcohol and substance use disorders. There are many techniques used in CBT. For example, a popular strategy used is role-playing exercises, which help individuals prepare for challenging interpersonal interactions, and exposure therapy, which involves confronting and managing fears and anxieties.
Currently, many individuals face significant obstacles when seeking therapy. The pandemic prompted a shift toward virtual therapy. And support for the modality has been growing.
Useful Links
Subscribe Now
