Enlarge (credit: OsakaWayne Studios )

As if we didn’t have enough reasons to get at least eight hours of sleep , there is now one more. Neurons are still active during sleep. We may not realize it, but the brain takes advantage of this recharging period to get rid of junk that was accumulating during waking hours.

Sleep is something like a soft reboot. We knew that slow brainwaves had something to do with restful sleep; researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have now found out why. When we are awake, our neurons require energy to fuel complex tasks such as problem-solving and committing things to memory. The problem is that debris gets left behind after they consume these nutrients. As we sleep, neurons use these rhythmic waves to help move cerebrospinal fluid through brain tissue, carrying out metabolic waste in the process.

In other words, neurons need to take out the trash so it doesn’t accumulate and potentially contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. “Neurons serve as master organizers for brain clearance,” the WUSTL research team said in a study recently published in Nature .

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Indian elephants have larger brains than we do (obviously). Mice have a higher brain-to-body mass ratio, and long-finned pilot whales have more neurons. So what makes humans—and more specifically, human brains—special?

As far as organs go, human brains certainly consume a ton of energy—almost 50 grams of sugar, or 12 lumps, every day. This is one of the highest energy demands relative to body metabolism known among species. But what uses up all of this energy? If the human brain is the predicted size and has the predicted number of neurons for a primate of its size, and each individual neuron uses comparable amounts of energy to those in other mammals, then its energy use shouldn’t be exceptional.

The cost of signaling

A group of neuroscientists speculated that maybe the amount of signaling that takes place within the human brain accounts for its heightened energy needs. A consequence of this would be that brain regions that are more highly connected and do more signaling will use more energy.

Enlarge / Detection of Ophidascaris robertsi nematode infection in a 64-year-old woman from southeastern New South Wales, Australia. A) Magnetic resonance image of patient’s brain by fluid-attenuated inversion recovery demonstrating an enhancing right frontal lobe lesion, 13 × 10 mm. B) Live third-stage larval form of Ophidascaris robertsi (80 mm long, 1 mm diameter) removed from the patient’s right frontal lobe. C) Live third-stage larval form of O. robertsi (80 mm long, 1 mm diameter) under stereomicroscope (original magnification ×10). (credit: Emerging Infectious Diseases )

A neurosurgeon in Australia pulled a wriggling 3-inch roundworm from the brain of a 64-year-old woman last year—which was quite the surprise to the woman's team of doctors and infectious disease experts, who had spent over a year trying to identify the cause of her recurring and varied symptoms.

A close study of the extracted worm made clear why the diagnosis was so hard to pin down: the roundworm was one known to infect snakes—specifically carpet pythons endemic to the area where the woman lived—as well as the pythons' mammalian prey. The woman is thought to be the first reported human to ever have an infection with this snake-adapted worm, and it is the first time the worm has been found burrowing through a mammalian brain.

When the woman's illness began, "trying to identify the microscopic larvae, which had never previously been identified as causing human infection, was a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Karina Kennedy, a professor at the Australian National University (ANU) Medical School and Director of Clinical Microbiology at Canberra Hospital, said in a press release.

Enlarge (credit: A. Martin UW Photography )

Nine brains, blue blood, instant camouflage: It’s no surprise that octopuses capture our interest and our imaginations. Science-fiction creators , in particular, have been inspired by these tentacled creatures.

An octopus's remarkable intelligence makes it a unique subject for marine biologists and neuroscientists as well. Research has revealed the brain power of the octopus allows it to unscrew a jar or navigate a maze. But, like many children, the octopus also develops an impish tendency to push the boundaries of behavior. Several aquariums have found octopuses memorizing guard schedules to sneak into nearby tanks to steal fish; meanwhile, marine biologists have discovered that wild octopuses will punch fish … for no apparent reason.

According to Dr. Jennifer Maher , a professor at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, there are a “number of [different] types of learning [for octopuses]: cognitive tasks like tool use, memory of complex operations for future use, and observational learning.”

Stratview Research delivers key insights on the global Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Treatments Market. According to Stratview Research, the market is segmented By Type (Primary Brain Tumor, Secondary Brain Tumor), By End-Use (Hospital, Medical center), and Region [Brazil, Argentina, and Others]).

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Market Segments' Analysis

End-Use Trends Based on end-use, the brain tumor diagnosis and treatments market has been classified into hospital and medical center. Under these, the hospital segment held the largest market share in 2020 and is likely to grow at a considered CAGR during the forecast period.

Hospitals are the first place where the brain tumor is tested and diagnosed. Well-equipped infrastructure and facilities with qualified healthcare professionals further bolster the segment growth.

Regional Trends By region, the North American market held a significant market share in 2020 and is projected to grow at a healthy CAGR in the coming years.

Rising healthcare spending, strong presence of key players, extensive research and development activities, a large volume of people diagnosed with a brain tumor, increasing healthcare awareness regarding the treatment & management of brain tumor, well-established healthcare infrastructure, and favorable reimbursement & insurance plans, augments the regional market growth during the forecast timeline.

Key Players The following are some of the key players in the brain tumor diagnosis and treatments market: • AstraZeneca (UK) • Carestream Health (US) • GE Healthcare • Hitachi (Japan) • Merck (Germany)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The report answers several questions related to the market. The user can get to know the answers to the following questions…

• What is the global demand for brain tumor diagnosis and treatments market in terms of revenue?
• Which are the prominent players in the market?
• At what CAGR is the market projected to grow within the forecast period?
• What are the driving factors fuelling the growth of the market?
• Which region accounted for the largest share in the market?
• How did the Covid19 impacted the market?
• How long will it take to recover from the Covid impact?

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About Us – Stratview Research is a leading global market research firm providing expert research solutions, trusted by clients worldwide. To keep our clients ahead of the curve, we provide data backed by extensive market research and in-depth industry knowledge. The broad spectrum of integrated insights is referred to, and cited by press releases, interview with key players, white papers, journals, etc. Stratview research also offers custom research services across the sectors. In case of any custom research requirement related to market assessment, competitive benchmarking, sourcing and procurement, target screening, and others, please connect with our team. Get in touch with us for more details – Call: +1-313-307-4176 Or Mail Us: sales@stratviewresearch.com #healthcare

Enlarge / Pager, a nine-year-old Macaque, plays MindPong with his Neuralink. (credit: YouTube/NeuraLink )

Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink is under investigation by the US Department of Agriculture for possible animal welfare violations amid allegations from current and former employees that the company abused animals in slapdash research leading to "hack job" surgeries spurred by Musk's rushed timelines.

That's all according to an exclusive investigation published late Monday by Reuters , which reviewed internal Neuralink documents and records and interviewed over 20 current and former Neuralink employees.

According to Reuters, the USDA Inspector General opened an investigation into Neuralink in recent months at the request of a federal prosecutor. The investigation focuses on possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which regulates the treatment of animals involved in research and other activities and is enforced by the USDA. Reuters was unable to determine the full scope of the investigation. The USDA inspector general declined to comment on Reuter's investigation. Regulatory filings show that Neuralink has passed previous USDA inspections.