Nicholas Weiler
- Communications Manager, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
San Francisco
Comms Director @StanfordBrain. Formerly @UCSF public affairs, @UCSC_scicom Icono-classer, Stanford Neuro PhD. Truth-seeker. Story-teller. Tweets my own.
Articles by Nicholas Weiler
Reward-based learning-neuroscientists demonstrate dopamine and serotonin work in opposition to shape learning
If you've heard of two of the brain's chemical neurotransmitters, it's probably dopamine and serotonin. Never mind that glutamate and GABA do most of the work—it's the thrill of dopamine as the "pleasure chemical" and serotonin as a tender mood-stabilizer that attract all the headlines. Of course, the headlines mostly get it wrong. Dopamine's role in shaping behavior goes way beyond simple concepts like "pleasure" or even "reward".
New voltage indicator enables ultra-sensitive synaptic imaging
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Bioengineers and neuroscientists at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University have developed a highly sensitive tool for detecting brain cells' subtlest electrical signals.
Discovery sheds light on a key step in nervous system control over gut motility
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute researchers have uncovered a previously unknown pattern of intestinal contractions in developing mouse embryos. The new findings shed light on the earliest development of the nervous system that controls our digestive tract and could have implications for understanding and treating gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in premature infants. The team published their results August 8, 2024 in the journal Neurogastroenterology and Motility.
Research illuminates benefits of taurine: Q&A with professor of pathology
The amino acid taurine, a common ingredient in energy drinks, is one of the most abundant amino acids in humans, where it plays key roles in our muscles, our brains, and in the mitochondria that power all our cells. Research suggests that taurine may play a beneficial role in human health, but the mechanisms have long been murky.
Why our brains are bad at climate change
If you follow the science or the news, you know how big of a risk climate change is. Storms, coastal flooding, heat waves, extinctions, mass migration — the list goes on. But — as you can probably also appreciate — it’s really hard to properly perceive that risk. It’s much easier to focus on today’s emergency, this week’s looming deadline, this quarter’s economic forecast — where the risks are objectively much smaller, but feel more pressing.
Intestinal neurons in infancy could explain wide-ranging gastrointestinal disorders in children
Wu Tsai Neuro Faculty Scholar Julia Kaltschmidt and MD/Ph.D. candidate Lori Dershowitz propose a novel theory that could transform our understanding of pediatric gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders. Their proposal was published March 11, 2024, in a Perspective article in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Research links age-related inflammation, microglia and Alzheimer's disease
Stanford researchers have uncovered a potential role for a protein called TREM1 in the development of age-related inflammation, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease. This discovery could pave the way for new therapeutic strategies to combat these conditions. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.
How did nervous systems, with their incredible complexity, evolve across different species?
New research supported by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute's Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars program zeroes in on the surprising observation that many genes found in brain cells and synapses—the points of communication between neurons—are among the largest in the animal kingdom. These giant neuronal genes span hundreds of thousands of base pairs of DNA, and are often counted among the genes implicated in neurological disorders when they become mutated or misregulated.
Scientists identify a key driver of myelin repair
New research from scientists at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University has identified a key driver of myelination, the formation of protective fatty sheaths around nerve fibers. Myelination is essential for the rapid transmission of electrical signals in the brain, facilitating everything from movement to thought.
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's biomarkers show promise for early diagnosis
New research supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute highlights significant strides researchers have made in developing biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases—including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy body disease (LBD). The two studies, both overseen by Knight Initiative steering committee member Kathleen Poston, the Edward F.
Why we do what we do
Welcome to "From Our Neurons to Yours," from the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University. Each week, we bring you to the frontiers of brain science — to meet the scientists unlocking the mysteries of the mind and building the tools that will let us communicate better with our brains. This week, we're tackling a BIG question in neuroscience: why do we do what we do?
Researchers control brain circuits from a distance using infrared light
By Nicholas Weiler Imagine the brain as a giant switchboard covered with thousands of buttons, knobs, dials and levers that control aspects of our thought, emotions, behavior, and memory. (You can think of the movie Inside Out, if you like). For more than a century, neuroscientists have been methodically flipping these switches on and off, alone or in combination, to try to understand how the machine works as a whole. But this is easier said than done.
Researchers control brain circuits from a distance using infrared light
Illustration of experimental approach to stimulate TRPV1-expressing neurons using tissue-penetrating infrared light and amplifying MINDS molecules. Credit: Wu et al, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2022) DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00862-w Imagine the brain as a giant switchboard covered with thousands of buttons, knobs, dials and levers that control aspects of our thought, emotions, behavior, and memory.
Study: Serotonin stabilizes social memories
Projections from the medial septum make connections in the brain's social memory centers in the hippocampus. Credit: Xiaoting Wu / Nancy Pritzker Laboratory Who wouldn't like to be better at remembering people you meet, even after a brief introduction? New research by scientists affiliated with the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford has shown this could be achieved through targeted stimulation of the brain's serotonin system.
Brain's navigation center calls on mental state as well as physical environment, researchers find
Credit: Public Domain Can you think of what you had for breakfast? Calling up this memory will almost certainly make you think of not only where you were at the time—perhaps sitting at your kitchen table—but also what was on your mind: reviewing your goals for the day, managing family chaos or perusing the latest news.
Brain organoids reveal glioblastoma origins
Glioblastoma cells (green) invade a brain organoid grown from human stem cells (blue). Credit: University of California, San Francisco Glioblastomas are the most aggressive form of brain cancer—they grow and spread rapidly through the brain and are virtually impossible to eradicate, typically leading to death within one or two years of diagnosis.
Mood Neurons Mature During Adolescence
Immature amygdala neurons (green and red) in a 13-year-old brain. As the brain's mood circuits mature during adolescence, most of these cells would be replaced by mature neurons (blue). Image credit: Alvarez-Buylla lab / UCSF Researchers have discovered that a mysterious group of neurons in the amygdala – a key center for emotional processing in the brain – remain in an immature, prenatal developmental state throughout childhood.
Mood neurons mature during adolescence
Immature amygdala neurons (green and red) in a 13-year-old brain. As the brain's mood circuits mature during adolescence, most of these cells would be replaced by mature neurons (blue). Credit: Alvarez-Buylla lab / UCSF Researchers have discovered a mysterious group of neurons in the amygdala—a key center for emotional processing in the brain—that stay in an immature, prenatal developmental state throughout childhood.
CRISPR-Based Tool Maps Gene Function in Human Cells
UC San Francisco scientists have used a high-throughput CRISPR-based technique to rapidly map the functions of nearly 500 genes in human cells, many of them never before studied in detail. The research generated a vast amount of novel genetic data, including identifying new genes involved in cellular energy production and explaining a long-standing mystery about why some cholesterol drugs can be used to treat osteoporosis while related drugs have no such effect.
What do dating technology and Alzheimer's have in common?
Researchers at UC Davis and UC San Francisco have found a way to teach a computer to precisely detect one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue, delivering a proof of concept for a machine-learning approach capable of automating a key component of Alzheimer’s research. Amyloid plaques are clumps of protein fragments in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease that destroy nerve cell connections.
Chimpanzee 'mini-brains' hint at secrets of human evolution
Home Biology Evolution / Cell & Microbiology February 8, 2019 February 8, 2019 by Nicholas Weiler, University of California, San Francisco A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) mother nursing her baby in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains National Park, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, where study co-author Alex Pollen was first inspired to study human and chimpanzee brain evolution. Credit: Susan K.
Functional insulin-producing cells grown in lab
Clusters of pancreatic beta cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells in a lab dish. Insulin producing cells are labeled in green. Red indicates the presence of PDX1, a key protein involved in insulin production. Credit: Hebrok Lab / UCSF UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes.
Functional Insulin-Producing Cells Grown In Lab
Clusters of pancreatic beta cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells in a lab dish. Insulin producing cells are labeled in green. Red indicates the presence of PDX1, a key protein involved in insulin production. Credit: Hebrok Lab / UCSF UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes.
Functional Insulin-Producing Cells Grown In Lab
Mimicking Natural Development Yields Stem Cell Breakthrough, Opens Door to Type 1 Diabetes Cure Clusters of pancreatic beta cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells in a lab dish. Insulin producing cells are labeled in green. Red indicates the presence of PDX1, a key protein involved in insulin production. Credit:Hebrok Lab / UCSF.
Brain Signature of Depressed Mood Unveiled in New Study - Healthcanal.com
Direct Recordings of Human Brain Activity Link Memory, Emotion, and Anxiety During Bouts of Low Mood Most of us have had moments when we’re feeling down – maybe we can’t stop thinking about our worst mistakes, or our most embarrassing memories – but for some, these poor mood states can be relentless and even debilitating.
How Alzheimer’s disease linked to depression, anxiety, sleep problems
A new study from UC San Francisco and Brazil has shown that the earliest stages of the brain degeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are linked to neuropsychiatric symptoms including anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances. The findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. They could lead to earlier diagnosis of AD and prove a valuable biomarker in the development of therapies to slow the course of the disease.
Study suggests biological basis for depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances in older adults
The findings – published in their final version Oct. 15, 2018, in the print edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease following preliminary online publication in September – could lead to earlier diagnosis of AD and prove a valuable biomarker in the development of therapies to slow the course of the disease, the authors say, but may also have broader implications for understanding the biological basis of psychiatric symptoms in older adults.
Secrets of Deadly Brain Cancer's 'Immortality' Unlocked
UC San Francisco researchers have discovered how a mutation in a gene regulator called the TERT promoter — the third most common mutation among all human cancers and the most common mutation in the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma — confers “immortality” on tumor cells, enabling the unchecked cell division that powers their aggressive growth.
Researchers Unlock Secret of Deadly Brain Cancer’s “Immortality” - Healthcanal.com
New Therapeutic Target Identified in Glioblastoma Could Be Effective Against a Common Immortality Mechanism in One Third of Human Cancers UC San Francisco researchers have discovered how a mutation in a gene regulator called the TERTpromoter — the third most common mutation among all human cancers and the most common mutation in the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma — confers “immortality” on tumor cells, enabling the unchecked cell division that powers their aggressive growth.
Mutations, Drugs Drive Cancer by Blurring Growth Signals - Healthcanal.com
Novel Technique Lets Researchers Control Common Cancer Pathway in the Lab with Pulses of Light Genetic mutations in a form of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may drive tumor formation by blurring cells’ perception of key growth signals, according to a new laboratory study published Aug. 31, 2018, in Science. The research, led by UC San Francisco researchers, could have important implications for understanding and ultimately targeting the defective mechanisms underlying many human cancers.
Chronic inflammation can trigger cancers via newly discovered mechanism
The researchers – led by scientists at UC San Francisco and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, in collaboration with Santa Cruz-based Nantomics LLC – say that better understanding this previously invisible driver of tumor formation could lead to a new class of therapies for a variety of cancers.
‘Undruggable’ Cancers Slowed by Targeting Growth Signals - Healthcanal.com
As many as 50 percent of human cancer cases — across a wide variety of tissues — involve defects in a common cellular growth signaling pathway.
Genetic study of familial leukemia solves 30-year medical mystery
The research, based on analysis of the DNA of 16 siblings in five families, reported that some children with these mutations recover spontaneously, and pointed to additional genetic markers that may help physicians avoid invasive and dangerous bone marrow transplants for patients with milder forms of the disease.
Gut's 'Taste Buds' Help School the Immune System in the Thymus
UC San Francisco researchers were recently surprised to discover fully formed gut and skin cells in the thymus, a lemon-sized organ that sits in front of the heart and is responsible for training the T cells of the immune system not to attack the body’s own tissues. The finding, based on studies conducted in mice, could lead to better understanding of the drivers of autoimmune problems in humans, the authors say.
CRISPR-based tool maps gene function in human cells
The research generated a vast amount of novel genetic data, including identifying new genes involved in cellular energy production and explaining a long-standing mystery about why some cholesterol drugs can be used to treat osteoporosis while related drugs have no such effect.
Gut's 'Taste Buds' Help School the Immune System in the Thymus - Healthcanal.com
UC San Francisco researchers were recently surprised to discover fully formed gut and skin cells in the thymus, a lemon-sized organ that sits in front of the heart and is responsible for training the T cells of the immune system not to attack the body’s own tissues. The finding, based on studies conducted in mice, could lead to better understanding of the drivers of autoimmune problems in humans, the authors say.
Immune Profile for Successful Cancer Immunotherapy Discovered - Healthcanal.com
Multiple Immune Cell Types Must Be Present in Tumors for ‘Checkpoint Inhibitor’ Therapies to Be Effective In a new study published online June 25, 2018 in Nature Medicine, UC San Francisco researchers have identified a key biological pathway in human cancer patients that appears to prime the immune system for a successful response to immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors.
CryoEM study captures opioid signaling in the act
Researchers see for the first time how a synthetic opioid drug (orange) binds to the µ-opioid receptors (green) in the brain, and activate signaling molecules within neurons (G⍺s in gold, Gβ in cyan, Gγ in purple) that lead to pain suppression and addiction. Credit: Antoine Koehl (Manglik lab) Opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl are a mainstay of modern pain medicine. But they also cause constipation, are highly addictive, and can lead to fatal respiratory failure if taken at too high a dose.
Study Reveals Brain Activity Patterns Underlying Fluent Speech
When we speak, we engage nearly 100 muscles, continuously moving our lips, jaw, tongue, and throat to shape our breath into the fluent sequences of sounds that form our words and sentences. A new study by UC San Francisco scientists reveals how these complex articulatory movements are coordinated in the brain.
Research Finds ‘Achilles Heel’ for Aggressive Prostate Cancer - Healthcanal.com
UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a promising new line of attack against lethal, treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Analysis of hundreds of human prostate tumors revealed that the most aggressive cancers depend on a built-in cellular stress response to put a brake on their own hot-wired physiology.
“Achilles Heel” for Aggressive Prostate Cancer Identified
As part of a “growth first” strategy, many cancers contain gene mutations that drive them to produce proteins at such a high rate that they risk triggering cells’ built-in self-destruct mechanisms, according to studies previously conducted by Ruggero and colleagues.
Genomic Analysis Reveals Why Asthma Inhalers Fail Minority Children - Healthcanal.com
The largest-ever whole-genome sequencing study of drug response in minority children has revealed new clues about why the front-line asthma drug albuterol does not work as well for African-American and Puerto Rican children as it does for European American or Mexican children. Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease in the world, according to World Health Organization estimates.
Genomic analysis reveals why asthma inhalers fail minority children
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease in the world, according to World Health Organization estimates. Children with asthma experience difficulty breathing as a result of chronic inflammation of the airways, which can be alleviated by inhaling drugs called bronchodilators that make the muscles lining the airways relax, allowing them to reopen.
Genomic Analysis Reveals Why Asthma Inhalers Fail Minority Children
The largest-ever whole-genome sequencing study of drug response in minority children has revealed new clues about why the front-line asthma drug albuterol does not work as well for African-American and Puerto Rican children as it does for European American or Mexican children. Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease in the world, according to World Health Organization estimates.
Cognitive benefits of 'young blood' linked to brain protein in mice
The study, published online February 20, 2018, in Cell Reports, was conducted by the UCSF lab of Saul Villeda, Ph.D., an assistant professor of anatomy and member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF.
Creation of new brain cells may be limited, mouse study shows
Ever since, researchers have been eager to find how we might improve our own brain function by boosting its production of new neurons. Many researchers have long assumed that most stem cells in the body can produce new cells indefinitely, but new research in mice by Alvarez-Buylla's lab in UCSF's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine shows that this is not the case in the brain.
Light-controlled tool can be used to reveal secrets of protein function
"A challenge of the post-genomic era is to figure out what specific proteins do in cells, and when and where they do it, something that cannot be achieved by genetic knockouts alone," said Torsten Wittmann, Ph.D., a professor in the department of Cell and Tissue Biology in UCSF's School of Dentistry. "Here we show a new method to inactivate specific proteins acutely, locally and reversibly inside living cells, which should be able to address many of these questions." In a new paper published Jan.
Molecule produced by fat cells reduces obesity and diabetes in mice
More than one third of adults in the US are considered clinically obese and the number of people with extreme obesity (BMI over 40) has doubled in the past two decades, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity has been linked to many dangerous health conditions, including type 2 diabetes. However, recent research has revealed that only a minority of people with obesity are actually at higher risk of diabetes than the general population.
Study reveals brain activity patterns underlying fluent speech
The new research reveals that the brain's speech centers are organized more according to the physical needs of the vocal tract as it produces speech than by how the speech sounds (its "phonetics").
Social interactions override genetics when birds learn new songs
Neuroscientists like UCSF's Michael Brainard, Ph.D., have long studied songbirds like the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica) as a model of how complex behaviors like human language are shaped by early experience.
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