Researchers from Tel Aviv University and UCLA developed a method to improve memory consolidation by inducing deep-brain stimulation during sleep. The study found that precise timing of electrical stimulation enhances synchronization between the hippocampus and frontal cortex, leading to improved accuracy in recalling memories.
Researchers used non-invasive electrical stimulation to modulate signals in the left prefrontal cortex, affecting facial expression predictions. The study showed that stimulation at a frequency of 20 Hz increased brain activity on the same frequency band, modifying behavior.
A new study published in PNAS reports surge of gamma activation in dying brains of humans and animals post-cardiac arrest, hinting at conscious-like activity.
A recent study published in Sleep Medicine warns that AI-collected data may lead to misdiagnosis of childhood sleep disorders. The lack of pediatric data used to train AI models results in biased classification, causing errors in sleep stage identification and potentially severe consequences for young patients.
A new PANDA-project aims to develop and test an ear-EEG device that can screen patients for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The technology measures brain electrical activity and sleep patterns, with the goal of identifying early signs of the diseases and enabling earlier diagnosis.
Scientists recorded brain activity in wild elephant seals, revealing they take short naps during deep dives, averaging just 2 hours of sleep per day at sea. They switch between getting a lot of sleep on land and less when foraging at sea.
A recent study published in NeuroImage found that older adults with improved cognitive performance during dual-task walking had flexible neural resource allocation. This discovery suggests a potential method for tracking brain health and identifying individuals at risk of aging-related cognitive decline.
Researchers found that players' brains respond differently to human and machine opponents, with desynchronization indicating active calculations. The study suggests that training with machines may not replicate the experience of playing against humans.
Astrocytes tune down overactive neurons during acute stress, helping to regulate attention and perception. This discovery provides new hope for treating attention disorders like ADHD.
A team of researchers has developed non-invasive, 3D-printed graphene-based sensors that can accurately monitor brain activity. The new dry sensors show promise for enabling 'mind-controlled' robots and expanding the applications of brain-machine interfaces.
A new study by Boston University researchers reveals that visual stimulation can induce large-scale changes in cerebrospinal fluid flow during wakefulness. The findings have implications for treating conditions like Alzheimer's disease, which are associated with declines in fluid flow.
A new method using brain signal processing has been developed to categorize different types of depression. The study achieved a 91% accuracy rate in detecting anxious and non-anxious depression, showing promise for improved diagnosis and treatment.
A study by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft researchers found that consuming small amounts of high-fat and high-sugar foods regularly rewires the brain, leading to a preference for these types of food.
Research reveals that individuals with OCD exhibit lower-than-normal learning rates when rewards are less than expected, while those with problem gambling display boosted learning from high rewards and blunted learning from low rewards. This study highlights the benefits of using neurocomputational approaches to understand psychiatric ...
A study published in NEJM Evidence found that seizures can be predicted at least 35 minutes before onset in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. This breakthrough discovery has significant implications for developing more effective therapies for this common seizure disorder, which affects over 50 million people globally.
Researchers successfully recorded brain activity from freely moving octopuses, using implantable data loggers and electrodes. The study provides key findings on the neural mechanisms controlling octopus behavior, including patterns of brain activity similar to those in mammals.
Researchers at Kyoto University found distinct patterns of gazing and brain activity in patients with kleptomania when shown relevant environmental cues. These results suggest a similar mechanism to drug addiction, potentially leading to the development of therapeutic treatments.
Researchers employed computer vision to extract social behaviors and linked them to brain synchronization patterns in a novel approach. During cooperative play, brain synchronization was strongest when participants shared gaze, while individual play showed increased within-brain synchronization.
A mindfulness-based intervention program significantly decreased subjective anxiety and improved emotional regulation in AN patients. The study found changes in brain regions involved in anxiety, emotion arousal, and self-referential processing.
Researchers found that calibrating rates of information delivery to match individual brainwave cycles speeds up cognitive skill improvement. This technique, called entrainment, increases capacity to absorb and adapt new information.
A longitudinal study found that excessive screen time in infancy is linked to detrimental outcomes in cognitive functions, which persist after eight years. Brain activity changes were observed in infants who spent more time on screens, indicating brain immaturity and poor self-regulation.
Researchers have developed a machine learning model that can predict the word about to be uttered by a subject based on their neural activity. The model achieved 55% accuracy using six channels of data and 70% accuracy using eight channels, comparable to other studies requiring electrodes over the entire cortical surface.
Researchers found that wildfire exposure led to difficulty in sensory interference processing and increased frontal cortex activity, similar to PTSD symptoms. Cognitive deficits persisted 6-12 months post-wildfire, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address climate trauma.
A novel neurofeedback technique was developed to enhance awareness of mind-wandering, allowing individuals to manage this state more effectively. The study demonstrated significant enhancement in awareness after 20 minutes of neurofeedback, with no rewards or punishments used.
A study by the University of Arizona found that when participants were in a negative mood, they were more careful and analytical, scrutinizing what was stated in a text. In contrast, a happy mood led to a less analytical state, with participants relying on default world knowledge.
A new study suggests that the brain's ability to identify a voice is linked to its ability to recognize faces, with a common brain center processing both visual and auditory information. This finding has important implications for understanding disorders where voice or face recognition is compromised.
Researchers found that brains process register-incongruent words similarly to semantic anomalies, requiring additional effort. Listening to sentences with stylistically out-of-context words elicits the N400 component, indicating increased cognitive load.
A study published in Science Advances shows that tPBM can improve working memory in people with conditions like ADHD. The therapy, applied to the right prefrontal cortex, showed significant improvements in memory performance and brain activity.
A recent study published in Nature Computational Science reveals that specific regions of the brain process both individual and combined words, while others focus solely on individual words. The research could contribute to the development of wearable neurotechnology devices that can decode language directly from brain activity.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University identified optimal sedatives and anesthetics for studying marmoset brains at rest, preserving the resting state network. The study suggests a more realistic solution for accurate data, with Midazolam or Dexmedetomidine combined with light restraint being the most effective option.
A new study explores how corporal punishment impacts neural systems, linking it to increased anxiety, depression, and altered brain activity. The research found that adolescents who experienced physical punishments showed a larger neural response to error and a blunted response to reward.
SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 16, 2022
Researchers at Texas A&M University used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to monitor participant responses during human-robot collaborations. They found that faulty robot actions decreased operator trust and associated it with increased brain activity in the frontal, motor, and visual cortices.
A new theory by UMass Amherst sleep scientist Rebecca Spencer suggests that young children's brain development, not age, determines when and why they stop napping. The hippocampus, a memory area of the brain, plays a critical role in nap transitions.
A new study by University of Essex researcher Constantina Maltezou-Papastylianou found that older adults are less accurate than younger adults in detecting emotions from speech. This decline is associated with natural changes in the brain as we age, affecting understanding and interpretation of emotional cues.
A new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine reveals that stress influences appetite in both obese and lean adults, with differences in brain responses to food. The research found that obese individuals show increased activation of the orbitofrontal cortex after stress, while lean adults exhibit lower activation of cognitive control regions.
Researchers at UT Austin developed a stable EEG electrode that can be worn for up to four weeks without maintenance, enabling long-term monitoring of brain activity. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize non-invasive brain-computer interfaces and improve treatment outcomes for stroke patients.
Researchers found that petting real dogs activates the prefrontal cortex more than stuffed animals, with increased brain activity each time interaction occurs. This effect persists after the dog is gone, suggesting a long-lasting impact of social bonding.
SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateOct 5, 2022
Researchers developed an algorithm to decode brain scans and identify epilepsy types based on electrical signal patterns. The Cumulative Sharp Count and areas under spike and sharp curves were used as parameters to detect epilepsy, with high accuracy rates in blind validation studies.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that fentanyl stops breathing before noticeable changes occur, leading to a high risk of death when used illicitly. The discovery could enable safer opioid administration through EEG monitoring.
A pilot study from UCLA researchers found that neurofeedback training significantly normalized brain wave frequencies and improved cognitive function in cancer patients with chemo brain. The study's results support further research into the effectiveness of neurofeedback as a treatment approach.
Research found that sleep deprivation dampens activity in social cognition brain network and is associated with reduced altruism. A 10% drop in donation amounts was observed after losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Saving Time.
Researchers developed a method combining musical tests with EEG measurement to detect cognitive decline in old age. The study tested 50 elderly people who scored low on the mini-mental test, showing promising results in detecting mental deterioration.
Rose Faghih and her team have developed a novel inference engine to monitor brain activity in real-time using wearable devices, offering high scalability and accuracy. The algorithm can track mental states with high reliability, providing insights into autonomic nervous system activation.
A recent study found that overnight EEGs can predict Rett syndrome with 90% accuracy and identify specific patterns associated with different subtypes of the disorder. This breakthrough could lead to the development of more refined interventions and improved care for girls with Rett syndrome.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics found that our brain is a prediction machine continuously making predictions on multiple levels. They analyzed brain activity while people listened to Hemingway or Sherlock Holmes stories and text, finding the brain response was stronger when words were unexpected in context.
A study published in NeuroReport reveals that ultrasound exposure improves depressive behavior in a rat model of depression. OB rats exposed to USV had significantly lower hyperemotionality scores and plasma corticosterone levels than unexposed rats, suggesting potential anti-depressant effects.
A new AI-based dynamic brain imaging technology has been introduced by Carnegie Mellon University, which can map out rapidly changing electrical activity in the brain with high precision and speed. The technology uses deep learning approaches to translate scalp EEG signals back to neural circuit activity without human intervention.
Researchers found that despite a powerful brain response to sound during sleep, the level of alpha-beta waves associated with attention and expectation is significantly reduced. This means the brain can analyze auditory input but fails to focus on it, resulting in no conscious awareness.
A study by University of Sydney neuroscientists found that people's brains can detect AI-generated fake faces with a 54% accuracy rate. However, verbal identification was only successful 37% of the time, highlighting the potential for using brain activity to flag deepfakes on digital platforms.
Researchers found that walking enhances performance on cognitive tasks in 14 participants by increasing frontal brain function, while 12 others showed no improvement. This discovery highlights the flexibility of a healthy brain and has implications for understanding aging and neurological disorders.
Researchers conducted an online survey of Orgasmic Meditation (OM) practitioners, collecting over 200 responses. The study found that more than 80% of participants viewed OM as similar to meditation, but not sex or fondling. OM sessions involve manual stimulation and aim to induce a meditative state.
Johns Hopkins scientists discovered three brain areas – premotor, primary motor, and primary somatosensory – that work together to control sequential movements. These regions are involved in processing sensory cues and adapting to unexpected events, which could lead to new treatments for motor disorders.
A study at the University of Helsinki found that in utero exposure to mother's antiepileptic or antidepressant medication can lead to widespread changes in cortical networks, affecting local and global brain function. This may have implications for infants' neuropsychological development and future research on environmental factors.
The brain detects unwanted memories and proactively inhibits them using the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). If inhibition fails, the ACC triggers a reactive alarm to alert other regions to stop the intrusion. This study sheds light on the neural mechanisms of controlling intrusive thoughts.
Neural speech processing matures significantly in infancy, but certain abilities like sound discrimination still develop. A study found that children from birth to 2.5 years show varying levels of maturation in auditory skills essential for language learning.
Researchers are combining optogenetics and fMRI to study the links between brain activity and behavior. This hybrid approach allows for targeted manipulation and monitoring of brain function in awake and behaving rodents, providing valuable insights into neural mechanisms.
A study published in PLOS Biology reveals distinct brain regions associated with informational and normative social influence. The researchers found that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is active when people conform to information, while normative influence is linked to stronger connections between dACC and other social pro...
A noninvasive imaging method called virtual intracranial EEG (ViEEG) has been developed to replace electrodes in epilepsy surgery planning. The method uses magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging to create a dynamic map of the brain during seizures, enabling precise identification of brain networks involved in seizure generation.
Researchers recorded the activity of a dying human brain for the first time, showing changes in neural oscillations similar to those during life. The findings challenge our understanding of when exactly life ends and may provide insight into near-death experiences and organ donation.
A research team developed an algorithm that instantly assesses and adjusts brain stimulation placement using electroencephalography (EEG) feedback. The method can find the optimal stimulation parameters in just 1-2 minutes, potentially improving the efficacy of TMS treatment for brain disorders like chronic pain and depression.