Research reveals microglia's essential role in refining auditory pathways, even when pruning is delayed. Without microglia, connections between neurons don't fully mature, leading to impaired hearing.
Research finds musicians have stronger brain connections compared to non-musicians, with younger start dates showing more significant differences. Musicians with absolute pitch also exhibit enhanced auditory region activity and white matter connections.
Research finds that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex drives self-bias in working memory, allowing individuals to recall information about themselves faster than others. This brain region is activated when holding self-representing stimuli in working memory.
Researchers discovered that face-sensitive neurons in humans reactivate with the same unique pattern when viewing and remembering a face. This finding has significant implications for understanding human facial recognition and processing.
A brain network comprising thalamus, cingulate cortex, and angular gyri is associated with changes in connectedness during sleep and anesthesia. This region's activity corresponds to changes in conscious state, indicating its possible role in human consciousness.
Early childhood memory abilities predict the strength of future brain connections, while the strength of early brain connections predicts future memory acuity. This study highlights the complex relationship between brain function and ability during development.
Research reveals that processing factual information elicits stronger brain activity compared to uncertain information in narratives. The brain adds new information to a model of the developing situation, with stronger activity in frontal medial areas for updating one's own beliefs.
Research finds that taking turns in 'conversation' with caregivers relates to synchronized activation in language areas, shaping brain function. Weaker connectivity in the bottom-up subnetwork is associated with more conversational turns at home.
Research suggests that psychosis symptoms may be linked to impaired information spread in the brain, with altered white matter contributing to delusions and other symptoms. The study found increased consciousness thresholds in patients with psychosis, correlating with greater white matter connectivity.
Learning a new language alters how the brain divides labor between hemispheres. Comprehension becomes more specialized in one hemisphere, while production remains linked to the left hemisphere.
Mice sleep-deprived for research show increased preference for lower doses of cocaine, while rested mice do not. Blocking the orexin system reduces the increased cocaine preference driven by sleep deprivation.
A brain protein that regulates time-keeping also plays a crucial role in normal memory formation, according to new research in fruit flies. Memory regulation by this protein, PDF, likely occurs without direct signaling to the main memory structure.
Research finds that focusing on the ending of an experience can lead to undervaluing positive experiences that end poorly. The brain's neural representation of a pleasant ending can overpower information from the amygdala, resulting in poor decision-making.
Research reveals a correlation between impaired blood flow and tau protein buildup in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting targeting vascular function as a key to prevention and treatment. The study used MRI and PET scans to compare blood flow and tau levels in older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment.
Researchers used fMRI to compare brain activity in humans and dogs while watching videos of other animals. Dog brains showed no face-specific activation, unlike humans, but did display species preference for viewing a dog over a human.
The anterior cingulate cortex region 'area 32' relays information between cognitive and emotional brain regions, enabling emotional equilibrium. In depression, this balance is disrupted, with an overactive area 25 leading to negative emotions and rumination.
New research reveals that fear and anxiety are constructed from a shared set of core neural building blocks. The study's findings suggest that the brain regions long thought to be responsible for each emotion are actually equally sensitive to certain and uncertain threats.
A new study from JNeurosci found that time-sensitive neurons in the supramarginal gyrus fatigue and distort our subjective experience of time. When repeatedly exposed to a fixed duration stimulus, these neurons wear out, leading to skewed perceptions of time.
A recent study published in JNeurosci found that stroking skin triggers an anti-itch neural pathway in the spinal cord, reducing itchiness. The researchers discovered that sensory neurons under the skin activate anti-itch interneurons, leading to reduced neural activity and relief from itching.
Exercise-based stress relief is linked to increased galanin levels in the brainstem, which improves stress resilience. This study found that mice with access to an exercise wheel displayed reduced anxious behaviors and elevated galanin levels in response to a stressful event.
A new study published in JNeurosci found that people learn and decide better when avoiding harm to others. The study used an fMRI scanner to investigate how participants learned to choose between two symbols to minimize pain, revealing increased activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) when choosing for another person.
A recent study found that multitasking performance relies on the effective exchange of information between the putamen and cortical regions. After a week of practice, participants showed improved task performance and increased communication rates between these brain areas.
New research found prenatal depression alters child's brain connectivity, with weaker white matter connections linked to increased aggression and hyperactivity in male children. The study suggests a need for better prenatal care to recognize and treat prenatal depression.
Research in mice found that a common green apple vape flavor, farnesene, enhances nicotine reward and is also rewarding on its own. Farnesene partially activated nicotinic receptors and increased high-sensitivity receptors, potentially heightening reward and drug-seeking behavior.
Scientists have discovered that changes in brain cartilage cells regulate memory changes during sleep, making memories stronger and weaker. Sleep deprivation prevents these changes, suggesting that altering the structure of perineuronal nets may be one of the mechanisms behind sleep-induced memory consolidation.
A recent study published in JNeurosci suggests that age-related hearing loss is primarily caused by the death of hair cells, rather than degradation of the cellular battery powering them. This finding contradicts previous assumptions and has significant implications for preventing or treating age-related hearing loss
Rats' brain activity shows that individual preferences for alcohol vary based on how the brain interprets it as a reward. The orbitofrontal cortex stores reward value and regulates reward seeking, with malfunctioning linked to drug use disorders.
A new study published in eNeuro found that motherhood takes over the brain's decision-making regions to prioritize caring for offspring. The infralimbic cortex directs mothers to choose their pups over drugs, promoting maternal behavior.
New research reveals that weightlifting strengthens the reticulospinal tract, a neural pathway controlling posture and movement. The study, published in JNeurosci, found that increased strength is driven by strengthened signaling in this pathway.
Researchers found that adult-born neurons in rats continue to grow and develop for a longer period than those born during infancy. The study suggests that these mature neurons may have distinct functions, contributing to brain flexibility and plasticity. Adult neurogenesis can occur even after the decline of this process in adulthood.
Research reveals that loneliness affects the brain's map of social connections, with lonelier individuals having a less distinct neural representation of their relationships. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine participants' brain activity while thinking about different social categories.
Researchers found that Rhesus monkeys avoid lifeless monkey faces but show social facial expressions towards a natural-looking avatar with fur and details. The study suggests using this type of avatar in social cognition studies for standardization and replicability.
Research suggests fluctuating estrogen levels make alcohol more rewarding to female mice, potentially increasing susceptibility to alcohol use disorders. Activating estrogen receptors increases dopamine release and binge drinking behavior in female mice.
Researchers analyzed child brain activity using fMRI to predict working memory abilities during development. The study found that brain network activity in the frontoparietal network was unique to working memory and reflected individual capabilities.
Research reveals that people struggle to differentiate between outgroup faces due to visual processing quirks. The brain's fusiform facial area responds similarly to same and new black faces, impairing ability to tell them apart
Research reveals that traumatic stress can strengthen amygdala pathways involved in emotion and social behaviors, leading to increased aggression. Deep brain stimulation may be a potential target for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related aggression.
Research in marmosets suggests that increased levels of serotonin transporters in the amygdala may contribute to trait anxiety. Targeting this region with anti-anxiety medication, such as SSRIs, could provide faster symptom relief.
Scientists discovered widespread synaptic changes in sea slugs that learn to reject non-food objects, offering insight into human learning's impact on the brain. The study found that synaptic modifications occur in concert across various brain areas.
Taking antibiotics with opioids may exacerbate addiction by altering brain responses to opioids, according to research on rats depleted of their gut microbiome. The study found that a weakened microbiome intensified opioid intoxication while reducing withdrawal effects.
New research uses virtual reality to increase identification with others by activating brain networks, aiding in treatment of violent offenders. The technology also helps improve understanding and relationships by simulating multi-sensory feedback.
A modified form of tubulin traps signaling molecules, reducing brain messaging in people with depression. Tubulin levels may provide a diagnostic marker and target for antidepressant treatment.
Research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder exhibit differences in attention regulation, which may be attributed to altered locus coeruleus activity. This study found that participants with autism displayed atypically smaller pupil dilations during a distraction task, indicating dysregulation in the brainstem.
Research reveals stress induces structural changes in mice by halting GluA1 protein production, affecting neuron communication. Astrocytes' branch retraction impacts neurotransmitter release and neural function.
Research in mice reveals that lactation temporarily changes how a mother's TIDA neurons regulate prolactin secretion, causing them to fire more frequently and out of rhythm. However, these changes are fully reversible after weaning, suggesting a unique adaptation to motherhood.
Researchers used electroencephalography to monitor brain activity while participants made decisions. Weaker alpha waves indicated resisting the bias, while stronger waves signaled succumbing to it. This study demonstrates that neural signals can predict individual biases in perception.
Researchers found that brain regions involved in taste also activate when thinking about food origin. The study used functional MRI to monitor brain activity while participants answered questions about words from different categories.
A specific brain wave type shared by humans and sheep may help researchers study human brain disorders. Researchers monitored a sheep's sleep changes during the progression of a brain disease, potentially leading to a sleep-based diagnosis in humans.
Research in mice finds that targeting overactive immune cells can improve TBI recovery, reducing inflammation and neurodegeneration. Quelling chronic inflammation may offer a new treatment option for long-term recovery from traumatic brain injuries.
Researchers found binaural beats do not alter mood, contrary to popular claims, and instead synchronize brain waves like other sounds. Brain activity synchronized with both types of beats, but monoaural beats had a stronger effect.
New research suggests that moving birth a day early can trigger an early start to widespread neuron death in the developing brain. Delaying birth has no apparent effect on when this cell death occurs, indicating a developmental process takes over in this scenario.