Articles tagged with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Researchers at Duke University found that the brain can switch to automatic mode when learning new skills, reducing cognitive effort. By analyzing fMRI data, they discovered that the cortex rapidly recovers prior responses, allowing for efficient decision-making and reduced neural activity.
The new centre will combine functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study brain processes involved in everyday mental tasks. Research at the centre may lead to improved treatments for conditions like strokes, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia.
Researchers used fMRI to map changes in brain activity after volunteers received a placebo, showing the prefrontal cortex is activated in response to pain relief. The study provides new insights into the brain's pain pathways and may lead to new therapies for chronic or acute pain.
A new study suggests that individuals with autism can develop face recognition skills through specialized training. The research found that the fusiform gyrus, a brain region responsible for face processing, is activated in adults with autism, but requires training to function properly.
Researchers used fMRI to study male monkeys' brain activity in response to attractive female scents, finding high levels of neural activity in areas associated with decision-making and memory. The study suggests that males don't just act on primal urges, but exhibit complex neural processes when evaluating potential mates.
Research using fMRI scans found left-hemisphere activation in infant brains during speech stimulation, suggesting early language lateralization. The study challenges the long-held assumption that language dominance is progressive until puberty.
Researchers used fMRI to study infants with documented brain injury and found early evidence of left-hemisphere-dominant activation patterns during speech processing. This challenges the long-held assumption that language lateralization is progressive until puberty, instead suggesting a more complex process.
Researchers used fMRI to study brain activity in people with dyslexia, finding increased visual pathway activation during auditory tasks, linked to poorer performance. The findings suggest abnormal cross-modal sensory processing may be a fundamental deficit in dyslexia.
Researchers at Washington University developed a non-invasive fMRI technique to better evaluate brain surgery risks and guide operations to avoid sensitive language areas. This breakthrough holds promise for safer surgeries for nearly 200,000 Americans diagnosed with brain tumors annually.
Researchers used fMRI to compare brain activity in children, adolescents and adults while reading simple words aloud, revealing differences in brain function across the lifespan. The study suggests that brain function during language tasks changes with development, potentially shedding light on language disorders.
Researchers discovered that the brain can associate certain stimuli with food consumption when hungry, but not after eating. This association is linked to brain regions involved in conditioning and reward pathways.
Functional MRI can help identify tumor heterogeneity and biological quirks that predict response to treatment. The imaging technology offers insight into a tumor's character beyond its superficial structure, enabling targeted therapies for specific sites.
Researchers at Columbia University have made significant discoveries in understanding the immune system and brain function, including the identification of key genes involved in odor recognition. Their work has provided new insight into how smell is represented in the brain.
Researchers have developed a new brain imaging technique called Voxel-based Lesion-Symptom Mapping (VLSM), which pinpoint areas of the brain most crucial for normal functioning. The method uses structural MRI scans and compares them to functional brain imaging data, allowing for more accurate mapping of brain damage and behavior.
A new study explores brain activity during explicit mental operations of finger representations using objective confirmation of performance. The researchers found that brain areas associated with motor execution and imagery were equally activated, suggesting a functional gradation from more 'executive' to more 'imaginative' areas.
Researchers found that expert car viewers' ability to recognize cars interferes with face recognition, while novices do not. The study suggests a common neural circuitry for holistic object recognition, applicable to various objects, including faces and cars.
Researchers at UC Berkeley used a custom-made sensor to study the link between nerve cell activation and oxygen levels in brain tissue. The study found that initial decreases in oxygen levels precede increased neural activity, promising advancements in brain imaging techniques.
A Rutgers researcher is using brain signal analysis to better understand attention deficit disorder (ADD) and schizophrenia. By monitoring brain activity in real-time, the study aims to identify common patterns of interaction that can help define brain profiles for individuals with these conditions.
A new study confirms that Braille is crucial for visual cortex development in blind individuals, regardless of age of blindness. The research used fMRI to compare early and late blind subjects, finding similar activation patterns in the visual cortex.
A UCLA study used fMRI to scan brains while participants learned to associate names with faces, revealing areas of high activity during encoding and retrieval. The findings show that different parts of the hippocampus contribute to memory formation and retrieval in distinct ways.
Nicotine enhances activation in posterior cortical and subcortical regions of the brain, improving attention in smokers. The study found that nicotine helps focus attention on task demands by shifting cognitive resources from less used parts of the brain.
Scientists at Dartmouth College used fMRI experiments to locate the brain region that processes musical harmony, revealing a key area in the rostromedial prefrontal cortex. This discovery may help explain why music evokes strong emotions and behaviors.
Researchers used fMRI to compare representation of repetition rate across cortical and subcortical structures in human auditory pathway. Findings revealed distinct patterns of activity in response to trains with varying repetition rates, shedding new light on neural representations of sound perception.
A study by Northwestern University found that aging slows brain activity in language areas, particularly in the left front lobe and parietal cortex. However, this decrease is associated with increased processing efficiency, as older adults perform equally well on language tasks compared to younger counterparts.
Researchers used fMRI to study how the brain processes visual patterns. They found that a higher area of the brain recognizes patterns and sends a message back down to lower areas to stop responding, allowing for better detection of new or different items. This improved ability can enhance the brain's overall processing efficiency.
A brain study reveals that people with lower back pain experience severe pain even from a gentle finger squeeze, while fibromyalgia patients feel the same level of pain. The study uses fMRI to measure brain activity and finds enhanced response to pain in some areas and diminished response in others.
The Rutgers project aims to develop software that allows medical researchers and physicians to share and analyze brain imaging data online, improving the understanding of brain disorders. The new search tools will focus on dynamic brain activity, filtering away secondary signals to reveal underlying pathways.
Researchers used fMRI to directly compare human and monkey brain activity, discovering differences in areas of the visual cortex. The study found that humans have distinct regions involved in processing 3-D images, which do not exist in monkeys.
A study found that subjects with one or two copies of a short gene variant experienced greater activation of the amygdala when shown pictures of scary faces. This variation in the serotonin transporter gene may influence an individual's temperament and anxiety traits.
A study published in Science found that the brains of outgoing people react more to happy faces than those of shy individuals. The research focused on the amygdala, a pea-sized area of the brain associated with emotion and memory, and found that high extraversion scores were linked to increased amygdala activation to happy faces.
A new brain-scan study confirms fibromyalgia patients do experience severe pain, with measurable pain signals in their brains. The study uses fMRI scans to identify areas of the brain most active during pain, providing a road map for future research on the disease.
A lightweight imaging cap is being developed to assess brain function in space and on Earth. The device utilizes diffuse optical tomography (DOT) to record brain activity through near-infrared light, with potential applications for diagnosing brain disorders such as strokes and seizures.
Researchers discovered the brain region responsible for pattern perception, which helps humans recognize danger but also leads to superstitions. The prefrontal cortex processes information about the environment, preparing the organism to change behavior in response to patterns.
Researchers found that different brain pathways handle mental rotation and object recognition tasks, indicating distinct neural circuits. The ventral pathway is involved in object identity, while the dorsal pathway is linked to spatial location.
A study published by Dr. Dean Shibata found that people's brains use both rational and emotional parts when making personal decisions. When asked to choose between options, the ventromedial frontal lobe showed increased activity in the brain.
A new study allows researchers to directly compare the pediatric brain with the adult brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The findings reveal that children and adults use different brain strategies to perform tasks, suggesting distinct developmental pathways. By creating a template of healthy child brains, scienti...
A study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that telling a lie and telling the truth require distinct brain activities. The research used fMRI to track brain activity in volunteers during an interrogation method, revealing increased activity in regions involved in inhibition and control when lying.
Researchers at NIMH found that brain activity patterns are unique to each category of object, with even weak responses conveying information about attributes. The study suggests a 'topography' of responses in the ventral temporal lobe of the visual cortex, enabling the brain to represent complex attributes of objects and faces
A recent study by Carnegie Mellon scientists discovered that reading and listening to identical sentences produce systematically different brain activation patterns. The right hemisphere was less active during reading, while the left-hemisphere's pars triangularis region showed increased activation in listening comprehension. This sugg...
Researchers found brain areas that track continuous event boundaries, even in passive viewing, suggesting a natural process of segmentation. This study has practical implications for designing better tools for teaching new activities and understanding perception across time.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered how the brain prepares to solve problems. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) becomes active when a person is getting ready to perform a task, and its activation is associated with representing and maintaining attentional demands.
Researchers have made significant breakthroughs in functional MRI technology, enabling accurate mapping of cortical columns, the brain's microprocessors. This advancement will greatly improve our understanding of human perception and higher cognitive functions.
Researchers found that the brain region critical for face perception is also active when humans become expert in recognizing novel objects, contradicting the idea of separate brain mechanisms. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to test adults on identifying greebles, a class of complex three-dimensional objects.
Researchers have successfully used fMRI to generate high-resolution pictures of active brain regions in monkeys under anesthesia. The technique allows for precise visualization of brain activity, challenging previous assumptions about the effects of anesthetics on brain function.
Researchers use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study children's brain development and identify language centers. The non-invasive test shows that children as young as 7 years old rely on the left hemisphere for language, similar to adults.
Researchers have identified a new area for spatial working memory in the human brain, challenging current theories and revealing expanded frontal cortex development. Functional MRI allowed for real-time observation of neural activity, providing new insights into human brain function and evolution.
Researchers found that famous faces activate both sides of the brain, whereas unfamiliar faces only activate the right side. This suggests that paying attention to a person's name and face can improve memory recall.
Researchers found that the anterior cingulate cortex detects response competition and provides a signal to pay more attention and avoid errors. The brain's 'how you are doing' monitor may serve as an alarm system for executive control, preventing catastrophic mistakes.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Finland have developed a new mathematical formula that can accurately measure changes in brain activity due to oxygen levels. This breakthrough could lead to major advances in fMRI technology, enabling doctors to diagnose diseases by comparing levels of substances in the blood.
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that bilingual individuals who acquire a second language as young adults have distinct brain areas associated with their native and second languages. This information may be useful for neurosurgeons navigating around the brain's language-sensitive areas during surgery.