When and How Does Touch Make a Difference?

A hug can have a beneficial effect. Even when it comes from a robot.

Touch can do a lot of good – so far, so good. But to what extent do humans benefit from it? A research team from Bochum, Duisburg-Essen and Amsterdam analyzed over 130 international studies with around 10,000 participants to answer this questions. The researchers proved that what touch really does is alleviate pain, depression and anxiety.

(In German) DFG-Förderung geht in die Verlängerung

Forschungsgruppe untersucht Online-Spielsucht und Internetpornografie

Verhaltenssüchte, wie sie bei ungesunder und exzessiver Nutzung von Computerspielen, Shopping, Internetpornografie und Sozialen Medien auftreten, nehmen seit vielen Jahren zu. Zu Auswirkungen, Ursachen und Verhalten besteht nach wie vor noch viel Forschungsbedarf. Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) hat die Förderung der transregionalen Forschungsgruppe* zu Verhaltenssüchten verlängert und mit weiteren fünf Millionen Euro ausgestattet.

What makes birds so smart?

Since the late 19th century, it has been a common belief among researchers that high intelligence requires the high computing capacity of large brains.

Avian brains, by contrast, are very small and lack any structure resembling a cortex. Nevertheless, scientists showed that parrots and corvids are capable of planning for the future, forging social strategies, recognizing themselves in the mirror and building tools.

Where Neural Stem Cells Feel at Home

Researchers from Bochum and Dortmund have created an artificial cell environment that could promote the regeneration of nerves.

Usually, injuries to the brain or spinal cord don’t heal easily due to the formation of fluid-filled cavities and scars that prevent tissue regeneration. One starting point for medical research is therefore to fill the cavities with a substance that offers neural stem cells optimal conditions for proliferation and differentiation.

Physical activity counteracts the negative consequences of being alone

Social isolation and loneliness are major societal problems.

Researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, in collaboration with scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and the University of Bern, have investigated the extent to which physical activity can mitigate the negative effects of being alone on affective well-being.

The Influence of the Cellular Environment on Vision

The environment of retinal nerve cells plays a crucial role in the processing of visual signals.

A research team from Ruhr University Bochum, together with other research groups, was able to show that the combined loss of four proteins leads to a severe impairment of the function of the retina, reduced visual movement processing and significant synaptic changes.

When the Cellular Waste Collector Doesn’t Show Up

Researchers have identified a mechanism that promotes the breakdown of harmful protein deposits. If it malfunctions, it can lead to Parkinson’s disease.

NEMO, a protein that is primarily associated with signaling processes in the immune system, prevents the deposition of protein aggregates that occur in Parkinson’s disease.

Comparable memory strategies in birds and humans

Jackdaws improve their memory performance by classifying continuous stimuli into categories. The so-called attractor dynamics provide new insights into the functioning of the brain.

Working memory is a crucial element of higher cognition in both primates – which include humans – and corvids. In their studies researchers at Ruhr University Bochum have now discovered remarkable parallels in the memory optimization of primates and corvids.

This is how protein aggregates can trigger neurodegenerative diseases

It’s quite obvious that they are involved. The latest findings show one possible way.

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the deposition of clumped proteins in the brain and progressive neuronal cell death. Although the causal link between protein aggregates and neurodegeneration is clear, it is still unclear in what way misfolded proteins trigger cell death.

Vom Rollstuhl aufs Fahrrad (in German)

Eine neue Immuntherapie hilft gegen Myasthenie und könnte auch bei Multipler Sklerose und Rheuma eine Perspektive bieten.

Ein internationales Forschungsteam aus Deutschland und den USA hat einen Erfolg im Kampf gegen die bisher unheilbare Autoimmunerkrankung Myasthenie erzielt, durch die Betroffene im schlimmsten Fall kaum noch laufen, schlucken oder kauen können.