A possible biological marker of suicidal thoughts has been identified, suggesting that P2RX7 changes as suicidal thoughts become stronger or weaker. This finding may help understand why some people recover from severe suicidal thoughts, opening a new path for resilience and suicide prevention research.
Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience are working to understand how the brain regulates stress and developing new treatments for conditions like PTSD and anxiety disorders. They aim to identify brain regions that can be targeted to teach people to better control their stress responses through neurofeedback.
The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience launches a grant programme to support joint research projects between fundamental neuroscience and clinical psychiatry. The aim is to improve understanding of brain changes in psychiatric disorders, paving the way for more accurate diagnoses and targeted treatments.
A study analyzing 287 people with MS found distinct patterns of brain damage and repair linked to disease severity. Genetic variants contributing to MS were associated with inflammation, immune cell activity, and myelin repair.
A new study reveals that foamy microglia, overloaded with fat droplets, are associated with rapid disease progression in multiple sclerosis. The findings suggest a more complex process than previously thought, involving the absorption of damaged myelin, inflammation, and chronic inflammatory responses.
A team of researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience discovered that immature neurons in the brain respond differently to damage caused by Alzheimer's disease. In resilient individuals, these cells activate programs to help them survive and cope with damage.
A recent study by researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience suggests that softer, flexible brain implants may be gentler on the brain than older designs. While they have not been proven completely harmless, these new materials could bring long-term, reliable implants closer to reality.
A recent study found that type-1 narcolepsy is caused by the body's own immune system, specifically an increased number of CD4 T-cells in the hypocretin/orexin region. This discovery could steer research towards finding a potential cure and blocking the immune activity before it starts.
Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience identified 7 distinct types of hyperarousal, a key factor in various mental disorders. The study suggests that a new, concise questionnaire can help better understand and treat these conditions, leading to more targeted treatment plans.
Myelin swellings are precursor lesions in MS, but research reveals they have a dynamic character, growing, shrinking and recovering. The underlying nerve fibre activity plays a key role in their formation.
The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) plays a bigger role in visual processing than previously thought, changing and modulating signals as it transfers visual information. LGN cells respond to specific areas of vision, are color-tuned, and follow a layered structure, similar to animal studies.
Researchers discovered that a missing piece of myelin in nerve cells slows signal transmission to the thalamus, disrupting communication loops and cognitive tasks. This finding sheds light on symptoms associated with grey matter lesions in MS.
Researchers analyzed clips from Hollywood films to identify brain structures linking visual and tactile experiences. They discovered eight remarkably similar maps in the visual cortex, mirroring the body's organization in the somatosensory cortex.
Researchers have identified two brain waves, alpha and delta waves, as key markers for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These findings could lead to more targeted deep brain stimulation treatments, improving outcomes for patients. The discovery provides a significant breakthrough in understanding OCD and its neural mechanisms.
Researchers analyzed over 1,000 awakenings using high-density EEG recordings, finding that the brain doesn't wake up all at once but instead orchestrates a precise sequence of activation. In non-REM sleep, slower waves trigger a brief surge before faster activity related to wakefulness, while in REM sleep, these waves are skipped leadi...
Researchers mapped similarities and differences between insomnia, anxiety, and depression using brain scans of over 40,000 participants. The study found reduced surface area of the cerebral cortex, smaller thalamic volume, and weaker connectivity in all three disorders.
Researchers have created a new open-source tool to optimize the placement of visual brain implants on a large scale. The tool, developed by the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, uses data from participants with intact vision to predict optimal implant locations and minimize safety risks.
Researchers have discovered that astrocytes play a crucial role in brain plasticity and development, rather than nerve cells. This study suggests that disrupting the CB1-receptor on astrocytes can impair the brain's ability to adapt to changes, potentially leading to risks associated with cannabis use at a younger age.
Researchers found that the brain continuously makes predictions based on experiences, using expectations and previous knowledge to guide actions. This predictive system is also used to infer emotions in others, with regions active for reward or punishment predicting emotions in observers.
A new study has shown that individual brain cells in the hippocampus respond to pronouns, enabling us to understand language. By analyzing patient responses to trick questions with pronouns, researchers found that these cells track who the pronoun refers to in a dynamic way.
A study shows that eating and exercise can shift the timing of our internal clocks, with the liver clock responding to food intake and the muscle clock requiring a combination of both. This research has implications for metabolic problems like type 2 diabetes and suggests that timing of exercise may also be important.
Research suggests that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) plays a crucial role in how we perceive and understand others' pain. Silencing this region using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) affects participants' empathic ratings and reaction time, indicating its importance in social cognition.
A new study found that flickering light can cause standing waves of brain activity, leading to hallucinatory patterns. Researchers used high-speed cameras to track mouse brain activity while exposed to flashing lights, revealing waves of neural activity that resembled ripples in a pond.
Researchers found that neurons establish 'mini-computers' in dendrites to process information early in life. These computational subunits are clustered according to the information they transmit, increasing a neuron's computational power.
A new study uses karaoke to examine the neural substrates of blushing. Researchers found that blushing is associated with increased activity in the cerebellum and early visual areas, suggesting a role for automatic arousal in self-conscious emotions.
A new study reveals that people with insomnia cannot be grouped together due to differing brain connections. Research found distinct circuits and abnormalities in the limbic circuit for each type of insomnia, which could lead to more specific treatments.
A study by Kalliopi Ioumpa and Selene Gallo investigated pro-social behaviour in self-reported mirror-pain synaesthetes, finding they donated significantly more money to alleviate others' pain. Mirror-pain synaesthetes activated their secondary somatosensory cortex more when witnessing others' pain, indicating a higher motivation to help.
A study by Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience found that certain individuals with Alzheimer's disease processes in their brains did not show clinical symptoms. Gene-expression profiling revealed higher expression of genes related to metallothionein and mitochondrial processes in these 'resilient' individuals.
Sleep scientists investigated brain activity during parasomnias, finding parallels with dreaming brain activations. Patients who dreamed reported impending dangers, while those who were unconscious showed simple behaviors without experience.
A large-scale analysis of studies reveals that touch substantially improves physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for those with health problems. Non-human touch interventions, such as robot or weighted blanket interactions, also show promise in improving physical wellbeing.
A new AI language model identifies clinical symptoms in medical summaries and links them to brain tissue, providing new insights into individual disease progression. The model contributes to a better understanding of common misdiagnoses of brain diseases and may assist in making more accurate diagnoses.
Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have developed an open-source visual prosthesis simulator to explore the potential of brain-computer interfaces. The simulator allows users to test simulated phosphene vision, which can help bridge the gap between hardware limitations and desired functionalities.
Scientists studied clusters of immune cells called microglia in normal-appearing white matter to understand their role in Multiple Sclerosis. They found that these nodules are associated with worsened pathology, more lesions, and inflammation, and may be activated by oxidized lipids.
Researchers found that progesterone may increase suicidal risk in women with depression due to its stress hormone effects. The study suggests screening patients for depression before prescribing progesterone-containing contraceptives or menopausal treatment.
Researchers have discovered that the superior colliculus is more important for vision than previously thought. Studies using mice as a model found that the structure is involved in distinguishing objects from the background and that it correlates with performance in visual tasks.
Researchers have discovered that chandelier cells in the visual cortex respond to unexpected changes, exhibiting plasticity and adapting to repeated exposure. The study used a mouse model with fluorescently labeled chandelier cells, allowing for live imaging and investigation of their activity.
A systematic testing approach for pesticides minimizes animal suffering while identifying potential harmful effects on brain cells. The four-phase test involves database research, laboratory experiments, animal species tests, and exposure to mice and rats.
Researchers found that when observing actions in meaningful sequences, our brains rely more on predictions and suppress visual input. This challenges the classical model of brain activity during social interactions. The study used intracranial EEG to measure brain activity directly from epilepsy patients' brains.
Researchers found that the thalamus is involved in the adaptation of the adult visual system, with plasticity taking place in both the thalamus and cortex. This discovery has implications for understanding learning disabilities and therapies, suggesting a different approach may be needed to treat conditions like lazy eye.
Scientists have witnessed nerve plasticity in the axon for the first time, capturing the process of adaptability in real-time. The discovery sheds light on how the brain adjusts its structure in response to changes in neural activity.
A new study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience reveals that pendular nystagmus, a spontaneous back-and-forth movement of the eye, is caused by an abnormality in the nucleus of the optic tract. This condition hinders social eye contact and affects vision, with treatment methods often having unpleasant side effects.
Scientists have discovered a genetic variant associated with faster MS progression, which can rob patients of mobility and independence. The breakthrough finding could pave the way for treatments that prevent disease accumulation and improve resilience in the nervous system.
Researchers discovered microRNA-132 can impact different brain cells, including microglia, which are key players in neuroinflammation. The study suggests increasing microRNA-132 levels may be a therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease.
A recent study by the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience found that dopamine release is sustained during operant conditioning, a task requiring motivation to earn rewards. This suggests a possible connection between dopamine signaling and motivation, bridging the gap between two schools of thought on the neurotransmitter's function.
A study found structural abnormalities in MS patients' white matter even before inflammation begins. Researchers discovered that myelin was less tightly wrapped around nerve fibers, disrupting signal transmission and leading to increased energy needs and oxidative stress.
A new study suggests that depression is associated with an immune-suppressed type of microglial cells in the brain, rather than neuroinflammation. This finding, published in Biological Psychiatry, may provide a new target for medication and treatment.
A new review by Pieter Roelfsema sheds light on how the brain creates a coherent image when looking at different objects. The binding problem, which refers to how fragmented representations of objects across multiple brain regions can lead to a unified perception, is tackled in the study.
A new study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience proposes a roadmap to solve the controversy surrounding the human brain's ability to regenerate. Researchers critically discussed and re-analyzed previously published single-cell transcriptomics datasets, revealing that markers used in mouse studies may not be suitable for hum...
Participants learned to distinguish between actions benefiting themselves and others, adapting their choices despite the absence of monetary rewards. Brain activity revealed a 'juggling' of moral learning, where participants processed objective pain but weighted it differently based on personal gain.
Researchers trained monkeys to ignore distracting colors in a video game, showing that the brain can suppress pop-out stimuli after training. The study reveals how the brain balances attention between internal goals and environmental cues, improving efficiency and reducing distraction.