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A study published on June 5, 2023 in Neuron by a team from the University of Lausanne lifts part of the veil on the autophagy mechanism in neurons and glial cells . Autophagy is an essential process in cellular life: it cleans up the waste produced by the cell's machinery, eliminating useless, defective or toxic components, and recycling those that can be.

A research group at the University of Lausanne has carried out the largest genome-wide study of weight gain induced by psychotropic drugs. This work has identified 4 new genetic variants associated with this metabolic disorder. Interindividual variability in psychotropic drug-induced weight gain The prevalence of metabolic disorders in the psychiatric population is a cause for concern, and particularly high among patients taking psychotropic drugs that induce weight gain.

Scientists have discovered that cells can use RNA and its constituent uridine as alternative energy sources to sugar. For better or for worse, as shown by their publication in "Nature Metabolism ". Each cell contains the genetic material necessary for the activity of the organism. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is an important molecule for making proteins from the instructions contained in the genes.

First empirical validation of a new diagnostic framework for laboratory identification of super-recognizers and their value to law enforcement . Professor Meike Ramon and Dr. Maren Mayer, researchers at the University of Lausanne and the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, respectively, have published their findings in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

A recent study is shaking up what is known about this condition, which is considered incurable, and could lead to a treatment. Orexin (also called hypocretin, or HCRT) is one of the most versatile neurotransmitters in the brain. It plays a role in motivation, energy metabolism and sleep/wake rhythms.

Plants have a powerful warning system in case of attack, based on a sophisticated communication mode. In a study published in the journal "Cell", the group of Prof. Edward Farmer of the University of Lausanne details the mechanism of propagation of the electrical signal essential to this defense process .

A fan-shaped tail with shimmering colors in the peacock, eyes perched at the ends of long stems on either side of the head in the Diopsidae flies. The different finery that males use to distinguish themselves is the "seductive" part of mating. The aggressiveness they show to each other, and especially to females, can have an extremely deleterious effect on the biology of populations.

Contrary to warnings in the academic literature and public debate, modest financial incentives for vaccination can be used without fear of serious unintended consequences. This is the result of a scientific study, published in "Nature", conducted by the University of Zurich, Lund University and Unisanté.

A recent study from the University of Lausanne unveils a new method to measure oxytocin in the brain using a bioengineered fluorescent sensor. The applications of this sensor are novel and promising for psychiatry . Oxytocin Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced by the hypothalamus, an area at the base of the brain that regulates many of the body's physiological processes as well as instinctive brain behaviors.

A research team at the University of Lausanne has succeeded in preserving the memory of Alzheimer's mice by boosting the metabolic functions of glial cells rather than neurons, a striking shift in treatment strategies. The results can be found in the journal "Glia". Alzheimer's disease progressively affects the memory until the loss of autonomy of individuals.

An international team of scientists has made a groundbreaking discovery at a major new fossil site in Morocco: giant arthropods - relatives of modern animals such as shrimps, insects and spiders - would have dominated the seas 470 million years ago. The excavations were carried out in Taichoute, in Morocco, on a site formerly underwater but today desert.

In order to secure a place in the sun and to guarantee their growth, plants have developed different strategies. But what happens when plant density is so high that resources, especially light, run out? Plants go into survival mode and activate a recycling mechanism: autophagy. This process is at the heart of a study published on October 10, 2022 in "Nature Communications" by the team of Prof. Christian Fankhauser at the Integrative Genomics Center of UNIL .

A study reveals that over the course of their evolution, frogs of the family Ranidae have changed their sex chromosomes at least thirteen times. This is the highest documented turnover among vertebrates. Unlike humans and other mammals, ranids use at least five different pairs of sex chromosomes. In the red frog, the most common amphibian in Switzerland, the main gene that determines the sex of an individual - male or female - is located on chromosome pair 1.

Identification of a new cell type regulating antibody responses A study by the research group of Prof. Sanjiv Luther at the Department of Biochemistry has identified a new fibroblast cell type

A team of researchers has identified a factor involved in the control of obesity in mice.

Fruit flies respond more effectively to danger when in a group. A research team discovered this behavior as well as the neural circuits which relay this information, opening a new field of research.

An experiment shows that communication systems can evolve differently within the same species and even the same environment.

An evolutionary robotics experiment supports Hamilton's rule of altruism and improves swarm robotics collaboration as a result. Using simple robots to simulate genetic evolution over hundreds of generations, researchers shed light on one of the most enduring puzzles in biology: Why do most social animals, including humans, go out of their way to help each other?

A few mammals lay eggs (oviparity), while most small mammals form in utero (viviparity). After hatching or birth, all are fed with milk. Researchers from the University of Lausanne and the National Centre of Competence in Research Frontiers in Genetics explain how the acquisition of lactation has enabled the transition from oviparity to viviparity.