Articles tagged with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Researchers investigate how humans perceive humanoid robots and attribute mental qualities, finding increased brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Participants enjoyed interactions more when robots displayed human-like features, suggesting a link between human-robot interaction and mentalizing.
Researchers created a complete map of millions of neural fibers in the human cerebral cortex, identifying a single network core that may be key to understanding higher level thinking. The study provides a comprehensive map of brain connections and describes a non-invasive technique for mapping neural connections at greater resolution.
Researchers at Harvard University have identified a key mechanism by which neural activity increases blood flow to the brain. Astrocytes play a crucial role in this process, releasing neurotransmitters that bind to and elevate intracellular calcium levels, leading to blood vessel dilation.
The study creates a computational model predicting brain activation patterns for thousands of concrete nouns, with accuracies significantly greater than chance. The model uses text corpus data to identify basic building blocks the brain uses to represent meaning.
A study published in Biological Psychiatry used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to match treatments for patients with generalized anxiety disorder. The researchers found that approximately two-thirds of patients experienced relief from their anxiety symptoms after treatment.
Researchers at NIMH found that brain activity responds to social hierarchy, influencing motivation and health. The ventral striatum activates equally for monetary rewards and changes in rank.
Researchers found that perceiving a good reputation activates the brain's reward system in a similar manner to monetary rewards. The study used fMRI experiments on 19 people and found robust activation of reward-related brain areas, particularly the striatum.
Researchers found that erotic images stimulated a positive emotional response, increasing activation in the nucleus accumbens and leading to bigger financial risks. The study's findings have implications for effective emotional appeals in various fields, including finance and marketing.
A study by Birte Forstmann and colleagues found that two areas in the medial frontal cortex contribute to decision-making: the rostral cingulate zone (RCZ) for choosing among options, and Brodmann area 10 when making completely our own choice. The study suggests context and agency play a crucial role in decision-making.
A study found that compassion meditation changes the brain's structure, making individuals more empathetic to others' mental states. The research suggests that long-term meditators show increased activity in areas linked to emotion detection and sharing, supporting the development of skills promoting happiness and compassion.
A new study using fMRI found that people with depression show increased activation in the anterior cingulate region when anticipating reward, indicating a conflict between processing rewards and punishments. This finding suggests that depression may not be solely the absence of pleasure, but rather an experience of emotional pain or fr...
Researchers used fMRI to study two emotion regulation techniques: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Cognitive reappraisal reduced negative emotions by reinterpretating the meaning of disgusting images, while expressive suppression increased neural activity in the amygdala and insula.
Researchers warn that brain imaging technology, such as fMRI, may promote abuse of detainees due to its limitations and open interpretation. The technology's reliance on detecting tiny changes in blood oxygen levels raises concerns about accuracy and potential misuse.
Researchers found that people with schizophrenia use different areas of their brain than healthy individuals for working memory. While healthy subjects relied on a specialized network, schizophrenic patients used a wider network to achieve the same goal.
A new book by Steven Small and colleagues examines how the brain functions when people participate in sports as athletes, coaches, and fans. The study reveals that professional athletes activate only critical regions of the brain, while novices have to engage multiple regions due to emotional involvement.
A recent Carnegie Mellon University study found that listening to cell phones while driving can cause significant impairments, including a 37% decrease in brain activity associated with driving. Drivers who listened to their cell phones committed more lane maintenance errors and had reduced spatial sense and navigation.
Children and adolescents at high risk for substance-use disorder show deficits in executive cognitive function, including reduced frontal brain activation. Researchers used fMRI to assess eye movements and found a link between brain functioning and SUD risk.
Resilient children of alcoholics have greater control over emotional responses due to enhanced activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and insula, while vulnerable COAs struggle with processing negative emotions. This may lead to differences in behavior and risk of developing alcohol-use disorders.
Jazz musicians' brains shut off areas linked to self-censoring, turning on those that let self-expression flow. The brain regions responsible for self-expression and novel ideas are activated during improvisation.
Researchers found that, when jazz musicians improvise, a large portion of the brain's prefrontal region 'takes 5' to let creativity flow. This shutdown allows for novel ideas and impulses to emerge. The study suggests this brain pattern is key to highly creative thought.
Researchers used fMRI scans to analyze how subjects' brains responded to TV ads, while also collecting their reported impressions. They found specific locations in the brain associated with familiar emotions like pleasure and excitement. The study aims to gauge human emotions directly through brain-scanning technology.
Researchers found that early brain activity is shaped by language experience and plays a crucial role in speech perception. The study reveals that melody of speech engages multiple brain areas, including both hemispheres, and interacts with general sensory-motor processes.
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute found that concussed athletes with depression showed reduced brain activity in regions known to be implicated in depression. The study provides important clinical implications for treating individuals who have suffered a cerebral concussion and highlights the importance of early interv...
Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center used advanced brain-scanning technologies to detect brain areas associated with poor impulse control and negative emotion in patients with borderline personality disorder. The study found that discrete parts of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex were relatively l...
The study uses fMRI to show that different regions of the brain are activated when people believe, disbelieve or are uncertain about statements. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is involved in belief processing, while the limbic system's cingulate areas are engaged in disbelief.
Studies show that watching violent programs can cause parts of the brain to become less active, leading to reduced ability to control aggressive behavior. This effect is seen after repeated viewings of violence and is not observed with non-violent movies.
Researchers found that former anorexics showed distinct brain pattern differences, particularly in emotional response regions. Their brains were more focused on consequences and planning, suggesting a persistent risk of obsessive thinking. This study may lead to better understanding and treatment development for anorexia nervosa.
Researchers at MIT used fMRI to monitor brain development in rats, correcting for changes that occur during early life. The study found a key player in the changing relationship between neural activity and blood response: carbonic anhydrase.
Duke University neuroscientists discovered that the brain region processing global gist of an event is more active in individuals with false memories. This finding could lead to tools for early Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and a better understanding of memory changes during aging.
Researchers used fMRI to investigate a woman's guilt in a poisoning case. The study found that when she agreed with her accusers' account, her brain activated extensive regions, indicating potential deception.
Duke researchers identified a new brain marker that may help predict future Alzheimer's disease by tracking deactivation of the posteromedial cortex. A third of individuals with mild cognitive impairment converted to Alzheimer's in three years, with fMRI scans predicting this progression.
A brain-imaging study found that sound training can correct the sound processing problem in dyslexic children, leading to improved reading. The study suggests new ways of treating dyslexia, such as musical training, and may help clinicians diagnose dyslexia even before reading begins.
MIT scientists propose that blood modulates how neurons process information and regulate brain activity. Blood flow affects the activity of nearby neurons, changing how they transmit signals and hence regulating information flow throughout the brain.
Researchers identified key brain regions involved in fine tactile spatial discrimination, including the right posteromedial parietal cortex and right posterior intraparietal sulcus. The study's findings may lead to the development of sensory-substitution devices for visually impaired individuals.
Researchers have identified a new brain marker that may help diagnose Alzheimer's disease earlier, using fMRI to monitor changes in brain activation and deactivation. The study found that impaired deactivation in the posteromedial cortices was closely related to memory impairment and neuropsychological testing scores.
Women with anorexia nervosa exhibit distinct differences in brain activity related to taste recognition, suggesting a link between appetite regulation and self-awareness. This finding may shed light on the underlying causes of anorexia nervosa, including distorted body image and difficulty responding to hunger.
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry found that pedophilia patients exhibit reduced activation of the hypothalamus and frontal cortex when viewing sexually arousing pictures, indicating altered sexual interest. This deficit may predispose individuals vulnerable to pedophilia to seek alternative stimulation.
Research using fMRI and behavioral studies confirms that adult human brain can reorganize and adapt after damage, such as stroke or visual disorders. The study found that the visually deprived cortex assumed new functional properties, affecting visual perception and leading to distortions in perception.
A study suggests that people tend to remember bad times more vividly than good times. This phenomenon is linked to increased activity in emotion-processing regions of the brain. The findings have implications for understanding autobiographical memory, eyewitness testimony, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Researchers have developed a new non-invasive brain scan method using light to monitor the development of infants' brains. The technique, called high-density diffuse optical tomography, allows for the mapping of the visual cortex with high accuracy.
Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center found increased visual processing areas in the brain of patients who underwent Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT) after stroke or traumatic brain injury. The therapy, which uses daily visual stimulation, showed enhanced activity levels one month after treatment.
A University of Pittsburgh study links changes in brain function to recovery in children and adolescents with concussions, using functional MRI scans. The findings confirm the importance of objective neuropsychological testing for safe return-to-play decisions.
A Stanford study using fMRI scans found that music engages brain areas involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating memory. Peak brain activity occurred during silence between musical movements, a process called event segmentation.
Researchers found that children with PTSD exhibit unique patterns of brain activation, particularly in the insula region. The study provides valuable insights into the biological underpinnings of PTSD and may lead to the development of more effective therapies.
Researchers identified areas of the brain involved in voluntary and involuntary movement, finding that neural activity was restricted to the primary motor cortex during unconscious motor activity seen with Alien Hand Syndrome. The study suggests conscious and unconscious motor activity involves the same underlying brain structures.
Researchers identified the lateral occipital complex as a region affected by both working memory load and pain, but found that pain influences visual processing through the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. This modulation affects accuracy in recognizing images.
Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have developed an attention training program that can help older adults block out distractions and improve concentration. The study found that brain activity in areas related to sight and sound increased, while performance on a task improved after the eight-week training.
Researchers found that combining brain scans with reading skills tests can predict future decoding skill more than four out of five times. This dual diagnostic approach can help identify children at risk for ongoing reading problems as early as possible, allowing for targeted intervention to improve outcomes.
Researchers have developed a dual-imaging technique that combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor tractography to outline important areas of brain function and their connections prior to surgery. This approach has been used in 20 cases at Cincinnati's University Hospital and shows promising results in o...
Researchers unveiled the world's first simultaneous PET/MR images of the human brain, offering unprecedented imaging capabilities for neurological studies. The technology has the potential to revolutionize the assessment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, depression, and schizophrenia.
A new Cornell study found that people who experienced traumas, such as being close to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, have brains that are more reactive to emotional stimuli, increasing their risk of developing mental disorders like PTSD and depression.
Researchers have identified how the brain's dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) compensates for disruption caused by a stroke. The study found that the PMd in the intact hemisphere increases activity to 'rescue' function in the damaged hemisphere, leading to recovery of movement.
Researchers found that subjects' brains showed increased activity at event boundaries, even in mundane events, suggesting a universal process of segmenting continuous text. This discovery sheds light on how humans comprehend everyday activities and may reflect a general network for understanding event structure.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that multiple regions of the brain are involved in determining pain location, contradicting conventional wisdom. The research used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify areas of brain activity while participants evaluated the spatial location of a thermal stimulus.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center discovered that brain region activation predicts altruistic behavior, suggesting that the ability to perceive meaningful interactions is critical for altruism.
Researchers have identified a neural bottleneck in the brain that prevents simultaneous processing of multiple tasks, such as driving and talking on a cell phone. The lateral frontal and prefrontal cortex regions were found to be responsible for this limitation, which causes a delay in neural activity when performing two demanding tasks.
Neuroscientists at Duke University mapped neural activations for focused attention, shedding light on brain regions and timing involved. The study may aid clinicians addressing attention-related problems in conditions like schizophrenia and ADHD.
A study from Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, and MIT used fMRI to determine brain activity when considering product purchases and predicting buying behavior. The results suggest that consumers trade off immediate pleasure for delayed pain of spending money, explaining overspending on credit cards.
Patients with PTSD exhibit lower pain thresholds, a phenomenon attributed to changes in brain regions involved in mood and cognitive pain processing. The study's findings provide evidence for reduced pain sensitivity in PTSD, shedding light on the complex relationships between trauma, brain function, and pain perception.
Researchers found that motor areas of the brain are activated in a fashion similar to actual movement when watching someone else perform a task with the intention of later replicating it. This discovery may prove important in improving rehabilitation for individuals suffering from brain or bodily injury.