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Research is the vital expression of humankind’s most important qualities: curiosity and imagination.

Explorers, inventors, pioneers—dedicated researchers on the frontiers of science and the humanities.

Insight, when it comes, changes everything.

Publications

The NOMIS community of researchers and partners is instrumental in driving interdisciplinary collaboration, generating insights and ultimately advancing our understanding of the world. A key component of these efforts is knowledge sharing. Comprising a unique offering of engaging scientific lectures, insightful films about our awardees’ research, and a comprehensive publication database, NOMIS Insights are designed to facilitate the sharing of knowledge. They showcase the groundbreaking findings and innovative perspectives born from NOMIS-supported research endeavors, embodying our dedication to enabling scientific progress.

Our NOMIS Insight database provides a comprehensive source of all publications resulting from NOMIS-supported research projects.

The value of listening and listening for values in conservation

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 15, 2021

Listening is a pervasive and significant act of conservation research and praxis, mattering greatly for the realisation of conservation agendas, not least its ambitions to be outward looking and inclusive in approach. Yet, the value and role of listening has been barely explored in a sustained and reflexive way. This paper is a preliminary schematic of what it might mean to attend to the act of listening, set within the context of a larger field of listening scholarship as well as more specific manoeuvres to embed relational approaches into the study of people and nature interactions. We explore what it means to ‘listen well’ within the context of conservation, highlighting the importance of recognising listening as a relationship and our positions and power within those relationships; the need to care for the relationship through respect and empathy; and the building of inclusive relationships of listening by attending to how space and time influences understanding. We offer examples of how researchers and practitioners can create spaces for listening, illustrating our discussion with personal reflections about listening practices gained through our various conservation and research careers. We provide approaches and ideas which help the reader—academic and practitioner—to both understand and articulate the value of listening in conservation and relational values of nature. We hope to inspire the wider use of listening-based approaches in conservation research and practice, and the recognition and support from senior managers and funders of what is needed to promote long-term and meaningful relationships between people and nature. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. © 2021 The Authors. People and Nature published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

Research field(s)
Arts & Humanities, Philosophy & Theology, Philosophy

DOI
10.1002/pan3.10232

Uptake of oxidized lipids by the scavenger receptor CD36 promotes lipid peroxidation and dysfunction in CD8+ T cells in tumors

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 13, 2021

A common metabolic alteration in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is lipid accumulation, a feature associated with immune dysfunction. Here, we examined how CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) respond to lipids within the TME. We found elevated concentrations of several classes of lipids in the TME and accumulation of these in CD8+ TILs. Lipid accumulation was associated with increased expression of CD36, a scavenger receptor for oxidized lipids, on CD8+ TILs, which also correlated with progressive T cell dysfunction. Cd36−/− T cells retained effector functions in the TME, as compared to WT counterparts. Mechanistically, CD36 promoted uptake of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (OxLDL) into T cells, and this induced lipid peroxidation and downstream activation of p38 kinase. Inhibition of p38 restored effector T cell functions in vitro, and resolution of lipid peroxidation by overexpression of glutathione peroxidase 4 restored functionalities in CD8+ TILs in vivo. Thus, an oxidized lipid-CD36 axis promotes intratumoral CD8+ T cell dysfunction and serves as a therapeutic avenue for immunotherapies.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Immunology

DOI
10.1016/j.immuni.2021.05.003

How Knowing-That and Knowing-How Interface in Action: The Intelligence of Motor Representations

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 12, 2021

What mental states are required for an agent to know-how to perform an action? This question fuels one of the hottest debates in the current literature on philosophy of action. Answering this question means facing what we call here The Challenge of Format Dualism, which consists in establishing which is the format of the mental representations involved in practical knowledge and, in case they are given in more than one format, explaining how these different formats can interlock. This challenge has generated two parallel debates: the debate between Intellectualism and Anti-Intellectualism on the one hand, and the debate on the Interface Problem on the other. While the former is about whether practical knowledge can be considered a species of propositional knowledge, the latter investigates how motoric and propositional states can be related. Here we offer a unified account capable of explicitly analyzing those two problems within the same philosophical framework. Our account suggests a new way for solving the Interface Problem that paves the way for addressing the debate between Intellectualism and Anti-Intellectualism. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

Research field(s)
Arts & Humanities, Philosophy & Theology, Philosophy

DOI
10.1007/s10670-021-00395-9

Habitual Actions, Propositional Knowledge, Motor Representations and Intentionality

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 1, 2021

Habitual actions have a history of practice and repetition that frees us from attending to what we are doing. Nevertheless, habitual actions seem to be intentional. What does account for the intentionality of habitual actions if they are automatically performed and controlled? In this paper, we address a possible response to a particular version of this issue, that is, the problem of understanding how the intention to execute a habitual action, which comes in a propositional format, interlocks with motor representations, which come in a motoric-pragmatic format. In order to solve this issue, we propose an account according to which the propositional intentions and the motor representations related to our habitual actions interlock through executable action concepts. This allows us to maintain that habitual actions can be, at the same time, automatically initiated, performed, and controlled and, still, intentional.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Psychology & Cognitive Sciences, Experimental Psychology

DOI
10.1007/s11245-020-09723-0

Sustainable fisheries are essential but not enough to ensure well-being for the world’s fishers

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 1, 2021

Effective fisheries management is necessary for the long-term sustainability of fisheries and the economic benefits that they provide, but focusing only on ecological sustainability risks disregarding ultimate goals related to well-being that must be achieved through broader social policy. An analysis of global landings data shows that average fishing wages in 36%–67% of countries, home to 69%–95% of fishers worldwide, are likely below their nationally determined minimum living wage (which accounts for costs of food, shelter, clothing, health and education). Furthermore, even if all fisheries in every country were perfectly managed to achieve their Maximum Sustainable Yield, a common sustainability target, average incomes of fishers in up to 49 countries—70% of fishers worldwide—would still not meet minimum living wages. Access to decent work and livelihoods are fundamental human rights, including for all fisherfolk around the world, and strategies to support their well-being must therefore integrate a much wider set of perspectives, disciplines and institutions. Key first steps for fisheries researchers are to more fully recognize and estimate fisheries benefits to households—including income from women and/or alternative employment, unreported landings, or shadow values of subsistence catch—and to help identify and learn from economic equity outcomes in rebuilt fisheries around the world.

Research field(s)
Applied Sciences, Agriculture, Fisheries, Fisheries & Forestry, Fisheries

DOI
10.1111/faf.12552

Algorithm exploitation: Humans are keen to exploit benevolent AI

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

June 25, 2021

We cooperate with other people despite the risk of being exploited or hurt. If future artificial intelligence (AI) systems are benevolent and cooperative toward us, what will we do in return? Here we show that our cooperative dispositions are weaker when we interact with AI. In nine experiments, humans interacted with either another human or an AI agent in four classic social dilemma economic games and a newly designed game of Reciprocity that we introduce here. Contrary to the hypothesis that people mistrust algorithms, participants trusted their AI partners to be as cooperative as humans. However, they did not return AI’s benevolence as much and exploited the AI more than humans. These findings warn that future self-driving cars or co-working robots, whose success depends on humans’ returning their cooperativeness, run the risk of being exploited. This vulnerability calls not just for smarter machines but also better human-centered policies.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Biomedical Research, Developmental Biology

DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2021.102679

An integrated genomic approach to dissect the genetic landscape regulating the cell-to-cell transfer of α-synuclein

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

June 8, 2021

Neuropathological and experimental evidence suggests that the cell-to-cell transfer of α-synuclein has an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is not fully understood. We undertook a small interfering RNA (siRNA), genome-wide screen to identify genes regulating the cell-to-cell transfer of α-synuclein. A genetically encoded reporter, GFP-2A-αSynuclein-RFP, suitable for separating donor and recipient cells, was transiently transfected into HEK cells stably overexpressing α-synuclein. We find that 38 genes regulate the transfer of α-synuclein-RFP, one of which is ITGA8, a candidate gene identified through a recent PD genome-wide association study (GWAS). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and weighted protein-protein network interaction analysis (WPPNIA) show that those hits cluster in networks that include known PD genes more frequently than expected by random chance. The findings expand our understanding of the mechanism of α-synuclein spread.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Biomedical Research, Developmental Biology

DOI
10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109189

The role of macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (Msr1) in prion pathogenesis

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

June 1, 2021

Abstract: The progression of prion diseases is accompanied by the accumulation of prions in the brain. Ablation of microglia enhances prion accumulation and accelerates disease progression, suggesting that microglia play a neuroprotective role by clearing prions. However, the mechanisms underlying the phagocytosis and clearance of prion are largely unknown. The macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (Msr1) is an important phagocytic receptor expressed by microglia in the brain and is involved in the uptake and clearance of soluble amyloid-β. We therefore asked whether Msr1 might play a role in prion clearance and assessed the scavenger function of Msr1 in prion pathogenesis. We found that Msr1 expression was upregulated in prion-infected mouse brains. However, Msr1 deficiency did not change prion disease progression or lesion patterns. Prion deposition in Msr1 deficient mice was similar to their wild-type littermates. In addition, prion-induced neuroinflammation was not affected by Msr1 ablation. We conclude that Msr1 does not play a major role in prion pathogenesis. Key messages: Msr1 expression is upregulated in prion-infected mouse brains at the terminal stageMsr1 deficiency does not affect prion disease progressionMsr1 does not play a major role in prion clearance or prion pathogenesisMicroglia-mediated phagocytosis and clearance of Aβ and prion may adopt distinct molecular pathways.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Immunology

DOI
10.1007/s00109-021-02061-7

Non-invasive and high-throughput interrogation of exon-specific isoform expression

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

June 1, 2021

Expression of exon-specific isoforms from alternatively spliced mRNA is a fundamental mechanism that substantially expands the proteome of a cell. However, conventional methods to assess alternative splicing are either consumptive and work-intensive or do not quantify isoform expression longitudinally at the protein level. Here, we therefore developed an exon-specific isoform expression reporter system (EXSISERS), which non-invasively reports the translation of exon-containing isoforms of endogenous genes by scarlessly excising reporter proteins from the nascent polypeptide chain through highly efficient, intein-mediated protein splicing. We applied EXSISERS to quantify the inclusion of the disease-associated exon 10 in microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and screened Cas13-based RNA-targeting effectors for isoform specificity. We also coupled cell survival to the inclusion of exon 18b of FOXP1, which is involved in maintaining pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, and confirmed that MBNL1 is a dominant factor for exon 18b exclusion. EXSISERS enables non-disruptive and multimodal monitoring of exon-specific isoform expression with high sensitivity and cellular resolution, and empowers high-throughput screening of exon-specific therapeutic interventions.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Biomedical Research, Developmental Biology

DOI
10.1038/s41556-021-00678-x

Best Practice Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Children With Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated With SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS; Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, MIS-C) in Switzerland

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 26, 2021

Background: Following the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic a new disease entity emerged, defined as Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (PIMS-TS), or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). In the absence of trials, evidence for treatment remains scarce. Purpose: To develop best practice recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of children with PIMS-TS in Switzerland. It is acknowledged that the field is changing rapidly, and regular revisions in the coming months are pre-planned as evidence is increasing. Methods: Consensus guidelines for best practice were established by a multidisciplinary group of Swiss pediatric clinicians with expertise in intensive care, immunology/rheumatology, infectious diseases, hematology, and cardiology. Subsequent to literature review, four working groups established draft recommendations which were subsequently adapted in a modified Delphi process. Recommendations had to reach >80% agreement for acceptance. Results: The group achieved agreement on 26 recommendations, which specify diagnostic approaches and interventions across anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, and support therapies, and follow-up for children with suspected PIMS-TS. A management algorithm was derived to guide treatment depending on the phenotype of presentation, categorized into PIMS-TS with (a) shock, (b) Kawasaki-disease like, and (c) undifferentiated inflammatory presentation. Conclusion: Available literature on PIMS-TS is limited to retrospective or prospective observational studies. Informed by these cohort studies and indirect evidence from other inflammatory conditions in children and adults, as well as guidelines from international health authorities, the Swiss PIMS-TS recommendations represent best practice guidelines based on currently available knowledge to standardize treatment of children with suspected PIMS-TS. Given the absence of high-grade evidence, regular updates of the recommendations will be warranted, and participation of patients in trials should be encouraged.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Pediatrics

DOI
10.3389/fped.2021.667507

Chronic T cell proliferation in brains after stroke could interfere with the efficacy of immunotherapies

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 26, 2021

Neuroinflammation is an emerging focus of translational stroke research. Preclinical studies have demonstrated a critical role for brain-invading lymphocytes in post-stroke pathophysiology. Reducing cerebral lymphocyte invasion by anti-CD49d antibodies consistently improves outcome in the acute phase after experimental stroke models. However, clinical trials testing this approach failed to show efficacy in stroke patients for the chronic outcome 3 mo after stroke. Here, we identify a potential mechanistic reason for this phenomenon by detecting chronic T cell accumulation—evading the systemic therapy—in the post-ischemic brain. We observed a persistent accumulation of T cells in mice and human autopsy samples for more than 1 mo after stroke. Cerebral T cell accumulation in the post-ischemic brain was driven by increased local T cell proliferation rather than by T cell invasion. This observation urges re-evaluation of current immunotherapeutic approaches, which target circulating lymphocytes for promoting recovery after stroke.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Immunology

DOI
10.1084/jem.20202411

Dual-Phase β-Amyloid PET Captures Neuronal Injury and Amyloidosis in Corticobasal Syndrome

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 13, 2021

Objectives: In recent years several 18F-labeled amyloid PET (Aβ-PET) tracers have been developed and have obtained clinical approval. There is evidence that Aβ-PET perfusion can provide surrogate information about neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases when compared to conventional blood flow and glucose metabolism assessment. However, this paradigm has not yet been tested in neurodegenerative disorders with cortical and subcortical affection. Therefore, we investigated the performance of early acquisition 18F-flutemetamol Aβ-PET in comparison to 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET in corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Methods: Subjects with clinically possible or probable CBS were recruited within the prospective Activity of Cerebral Networks, Amyloid and Microglia in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (ActiGliA) observational study and all CBS cases with an available FDG-PET prior to Aβ-PET were selected. Aβ-PET was acquired 0–10 min p.i. (early-phase) and 90–110 min p.i. (late-phase) whereas FDG-PET was recorded statically from 30 to 50 min p.i. Semiquantitative regional values and asymmetry indices (AI) were compared between early-phase Aβ-PET and FDG-PET. Visual assessments of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism were compared between both methods. Late-phase Aβ-PET was evaluated visually for assessment of Aβ-positivity. Results: Among 20 evaluated patients with CBS, 5 were Aβ-positive. Early-phase Aβ-PET and FDG-PET SUVr correlated highly in cortical (mean R = 0.86, range 0.77–0.92) and subcortical brain regions (mean R = 0.84, range 0.79–0.90). Strong asymmetry was observed in FDG-PET for the motor cortex (mean |AI| = 2.9%), the parietal cortex (mean |AI| = 2.9%), and the thalamus (mean |AI| = 5.5%), correlating well with AI of early-phase Aβ-PET (mean R = 0.87, range 0.62–0.98). Visual assessments of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism were highly congruent. Conclusion: Early-phase Aβ-PET facilitates assessment of neuronal injury in CBS for cortical and subcortical areas. Known asymmetries in CBS are captured by this method, enabling assessment of Aβ-status and neuronal injury with a single radiation exposure at a single visit.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Neurology & Neurosurgery

DOI
10.3389/fnagi.2021.661284

Reduced purine biosynthesis in humans after their divergence from neandertals

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2021

We analyze the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques in muscle, kidney and three different regions of the brain. Although several compounds in amino acid metabolism occur at either higher or lower concentrations in humans than in the other primates, metabolites downstream of adenylosuccinate lyase, which catalyzes two reactions in purine synthesis, occur at lower concentrations in humans. This enzyme carries an amino acid substitution that is present in all humans today but absent in Neandertals. By introducing the modern human substitution into the genomes of mice, as well as the ancestral, Neandertal-like substitution into the genomes of human cells, we show that this amino acid substitution contributes to much or all of the reduction of de novo synthesis of purines in humans.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Biomedical Research, Developmental Biology

DOI
10.7554/eLife.58741

Pathomechanisms of ALS8: altered autophagy and defective RNA binding protein (RBP) homeostasis due to the VAPB P56S mutation

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2021

Mutations in RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and in genes regulating autophagy are frequent causes of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). The P56S mutation in vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB) leads to fALS (ALS8) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). While VAPB is primarily involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR), vesicular trafficking and in initial steps of the autophagy pathway, the effect of mutant P56S-VAPB on autophagy regulation in connection with RBP homeostasis has not been explored yet. Examining the muscle biopsy of our index ALS8 patient of European origin revealed globular accumulations of VAPB aggregates co-localised with autophagy markers LC3 and p62 in partially atrophic and atrophic muscle fibres. In line with this skin fibroblasts obtained from the same patient showed accumulation of P56S-VAPB aggregates together with LC3 and p62. Detailed investigations of autophagic flux in cell culture models revealed that P56S-VAPB alters both initial and late steps of the autophagy pathway. Accordingly, electron microscopy complemented with live cell imaging highlighted the impaired fusion of accumulated autophagosomes with lysosomes in cells expressing P56S-VAPB. Consistent with these observations, neuropathological studies of brain and spinal cord of P56S-VAPB transgenic mice revealed signs of neurodegeneration associated with altered protein quality control and defective autophagy. Autophagy and RBP homeostasis are interdependent, as demonstrated by the cytoplasmic mis-localisation of several RBPs including pTDP-43, FUS, Matrin 3 which often sequestered with P56S-VAPB aggregates both in cell culture and in the muscle biopsy of the ALS8 patient. Further confirming the notion that aggregation of the RBPs proceeds through the stress granule (SG) pathway, we found persistent G3BP- and TIAR1-positive SGs in P56S-VAPB expressing cells as well as in the ALS8 patient muscle biopsy. We conclude that P56S-VAPB-ALS8 involves a cohesive pathomechanism of aberrant RBP homeostasis together with dysfunctional autophagy.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Biomedical Research, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

DOI
10.1038/s41419-021-03710-y

Microglia use TAM receptors to detect and engulf amyloid β plaques

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2021

Two microglial TAM receptor tyrosine kinases, Axl and Mer, have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, but their roles in disease have not been tested experimentally. We find that in Alzheimer’s disease and its mouse models, induced expression of Axl and Mer in amyloid plaque–associated microglia was coupled to induced plaque decoration by the TAM ligand Gas6 and its co-ligand phosphatidylserine. In the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, genetic ablation of Axl and Mer resulted in microglia that were unable to normally detect, respond to, organize or phagocytose amyloid-β plaques. These major deficits notwithstanding, TAM-deficient APP/PS1 mice developed fewer dense-core plaques than APP/PS1 mice with normal microglia. Our findings reveal that the TAM system is an essential mediator of microglial recognition and engulfment of amyloid plaques and that TAM-driven microglial phagocytosis does not inhibit, but rather promotes, dense-core plaque development.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Immunology

DOI
10.1038/s41590-021-00913-5

Associations between plasma neurofilament light, in vivo brain pathology, and cognition in non-demented individuals with autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2021

Background: Neurofilament light (NfL) is a promising biomarker of early neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We examined whether plasma NfL was associated with in vivo amyloid beta and tau, and cognitive performance in non-demented presenilin-1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation carriers. Methods: Twenty-five mutation carriers and 19 non-carriers (age range: 28 to 49 years) were included in this study. Participants underwent 11C Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)-PET (positron emission tomography), flortaucipir–PET, blood sampling, and cognitive testing. Results: Mutation carriers exhibited higher plasma NfL levels than non-carriers. In carriers, higher NfL levels were related to greater regional tau burden and worse cognition, but not amyloid beta load. When we adjusted for age, a proxy of disease progression, elevated plasma NfL levels were only correlated with worse memory recall. Conclusions: Findings support an association between plasma NfL, cognition, and tau pathology in non-demented individuals at genetic risk for developing AD dementia. Plasma NfL may be useful for selecting individuals at increased risk and tracking disease progression in AD.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Neurology & Neurosurgery

DOI
10.1002/alz.12248

Loss of TREM2 facilitates tau accumulation, spreading, and brain atrophy, but only in the presence of amyloid pathology

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 21, 2021

TREM2 variants increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. In this issue of Neuron, Lee et al. demonstrate that TREM2-dependent microglial functions prevent accumulation and spreading of tau, but only in the presence of amyloid pathology. This provides additional fuel for the amyloid cascade hypothesis and supports a protective function of microglia.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Neurology & Neurosurgery

DOI
10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.029

Why the Pictorial Needs the Motoric

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 20, 2021

Does action play any crucial role in our perception of pictures? The standard literature on picture perception has never explicitly tackled this question. This is for a simple reason. After all, objects in a picture seem to be static objects of perception. Thus, it might sound extremely controversial to say that action is crucial in picture perception. Contrary to this general intuitive stance, this paper defends, for the first time, the apparently very controversial claim, never addressed in the literature, that some of the specific and essential relations between vision and action make action (and its motoric basis) crucial in order for us to enter pictorial experience. I first discuss two ways in which vision and action are deeply linked, by describing the famous notions of Vision-for-Action and Sensorimotor Understanding. Then, I describe the special role they play in generating ordinary pictorial experience and suggest that, when we cannot rely on them while in front of a picture, we lose pictorial experience. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.

Research field(s)
Arts & Humanities

DOI
10.1007/s10670-021-00381-1

Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Optogenetics, Ethical Issues Affecting DBS Research, Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression, Adaptive Neurostimulation, and Emerging DBS Technologies

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 19, 2021

We estimate that 208,000 deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices have been implanted to address neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders worldwide. DBS Think Tank presenters pooled data and determined that DBS expanded in its scope and has been applied to multiple brain disorders in an effort to modulate neural circuitry. The DBS Think Tank was founded in 2012 providing a space where clinicians, engineers, researchers from industry and academia discuss current and emerging DBS technologies and logistical and ethical issues facing the field. The emphasis is on cutting edge research and collaboration aimed to advance the DBS field. The Eighth Annual DBS Think Tank was held virtually on September 1 and 2, 2020 (Zoom Video Communications) due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting focused on advances in: (1) optogenetics as a tool for comprehending neurobiology of diseases and on optogenetically-inspired DBS, (2) cutting edge of emerging DBS technologies, (3) ethical issues affecting DBS research and access to care, (4) neuromodulatory approaches for depression, (5) advancing novel hardware, software and imaging methodologies, (6) use of neurophysiological signals in adaptive neurostimulation, and (7) use of more advanced technologies to improve DBS clinical outcomes. There were 178 attendees who participated in a DBS Think Tank survey, which revealed the expansion of DBS into several indications such as obesity, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and Alzheimer’s disease. This proceedings summarizes the advances discussed at the Eighth Annual DBS Think Tank.

Research field(s)
Health Sciences, Psychology & Cognitive Sciences, Experimental Psychology

DOI
10.3389/fnhum.2021.644593

Computational and neurocognitive approaches to the political brain: Key insights and future avenues for political neuroscience

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 12, 2021

Although the study of political behaviour has been traditionally restricted to the social sciences, new advances in political neuroscience and computational cognitive science highlight that the biological sciences can offer crucial insights into the roots of ideological thought and action. Echoing the dazzling diversity of human ideologies, this theme issue seeks to reflect the multiplicity of theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the nature of the political brain. Cutting-edge research along three thematic strands is presented, including (i) computational approaches that zoom in on fine-grained mechanisms underlying political behaviour, (ii) neurocognitive perspectives that harness neuroimaging and psychophysiological techniques to study ideological processes, and (iii) behavioural studies and policy-minded analyses of such understandings across cultures and across ideological domains. Synthesizing these findings together, the issue elucidates core questions regarding the nature of uncertainty in political cognition, the mechanisms of social influence and the cognitive structure of ideological beliefs. This offers key directions for future biologically grounded research as well as a guiding map for citizens, psychologists and policymakers traversing the uneven landscape of modern polarization, misinformation, intolerance and dogmatism. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms’.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Evolutionary Biology

DOI
10.1098/rstb.2020.0130

Challenges and Recommendations for Equitable Use of Aerial Tools for Mangrove Research

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 9, 2021

As the use of aerial tools such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mangrove monitoring gains in popularity, understanding who leads this research and where is critical for expanding efficient monitoring methods and achieving international commitments to sustainable development, technology transfer and reduced inequality. Between 2000 and 2019, mangrove research using aerial tools was largely conducted in and led by institutions in higher income countries, despite High-income countries accounting for only 9% of global mangrove coverage. Of studies where the country of the lead institution differed from that of the study site, only 38% of the studies included local co-authors. These results echo historical patterns of research conducted by researchers from higher income countries on biodiversity concentrated in lower income countries, frequently with limited involvement of local scientists—known as “helicopter research.” The disconnect between where mangroves are located and where aerial research is conducted may result from barriers such as government restrictions, limited financial and technical resources, language barriers hindering UAV deployment, or hampered findability of local research. Our findings suggest that expertise for aerial surveys currently lies in “High-income, Annex II” and “Upper-middle-income, Non-Annex” countries, and both groups could invest time and resources in building local, long-term technological capacity in Upper-middle, Lower-middle and Low-income countries. We identify strategic partnerships to expand aerial tools for mangrove research that also address commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and potential international collaborations under the framework proposed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Marine Biology & Hydrobiology

DOI
10.3389/fmars.2021.643784

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