Articles tagged with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Researchers found white matter differences in post-treatment Lyme patients using advanced imaging scans, correlating with cognitive difficulties and immune response. Axonal leakage in white matter was associated with better outcomes but also indicative of changed physiology.
Researchers found that the brain's defense system is activated during selfless helping behavior, contrary to the long-held idea that empathy drives such actions. The study used fMRI scans to measure brain activity in 49 healthy volunteers who were asked to decide whether to help another person avoid discomfort.
Researchers used transcranial ultrasound stimulation to confirm the anterior prefrontal-putamen circuit's role in stopping inappropriate responses. The circuit involves the right hemisphere's inferior frontal cortex, presupplementary motor area, and subthalamic nucleus.
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 the University of Rochester Medical Center used fMRI to study how the brain processes complex audiovisual speech. The study found that watching a narrator tell a story activates an extensive network of brain regions involved in sensory processing and cognitive functions associated with comprehension. This finding has pot...
The Center for BrainHealth has launched three research projects to develop objective metrics of improved brain systems in response to interventions. These projects aim to determine the changes in the brain's physiology, structure, and function linked to gains in comprehensive psycho-social measurements over time.
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to analyze dynamic functional connectivity and structural white matter connections. The study revealed that unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients had less activity in functional networks and a reduction of metastability compared to minimally conscious state patients.
A new study from the University of East Anglia found that brain regions responding to touch also respond to specific sounds associated with touching objects. This connection may help process sensory information more efficiently and has implications for mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, autism, or anxiety.
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.
Olga Boukrina's five-year grant funds research on neurobehavioral reading intervention with potential to promote post-stroke plasticity. The study aims to develop an fMRI neurofeedback-based approach to improve reading recovery in stroke survivors.
Researchers at the University of Illinois found that certain characteristics of the brain's connectome can be inherited from one generation to the next. This may contribute to differences in cognitive abilities between individuals.
A Kessler Foundation neuroimaging study found that older individuals reported less state fatigue and showed greater brain activation to combat fatigue. The study also revealed women show greater resilience when faced with a fatiguing task, highlighting age and gender differences in fatigue responses.
Research suggests that individuals with PTSD exhibit decreased activity in the hippocampus, leading to impaired threat reactivity and memory formation. This study reveals a significant interaction between hippocampal activity and physiological arousal in predicting PTSD symptoms.
Researchers used MRI to study neural flexibility in children with ADHD, finding significant decreases in cognitive flexibility across the entire brain and sub-networks. Children who received medication showed increased neural flexibility compared to those not taking medication, suggesting its potential clinical utility for diagnosing a...
Researchers from Georgia State University developed an AI model that can analyze large amounts of brain imaging data to identify novel patterns linked to mental health conditions. The model was trained on datasets of over 10,000 individuals and showed promise in predicting Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and autism risk.
Researchers propose a new framework for understanding how our prefrontal cortex makes decisions, highlighting the role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex in assigning value to options and medial prefrontal cortex in confidence and deliberation. The study's findings can be generalized to other types of behavior, such as judgments.
A study from the University of California, Davis, shows how humans use cognitive maps to infer indirect outcomes, allowing for accelerated learning and faster decision-making. The researchers found activity linked to inferential learning in the prefrontal cortex and midbrain, implicating dopamine in updating beliefs through inference.
Kessler Foundation researchers use signal detection theory to characterize cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis. The study reveals an association between subjective 'state' fatigue, response bias, and brain activation patterns in both MS and control groups. This finding supports the use of signal detection metrics as an objective me...
Researchers propose a new method to study neural networks using intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI), which provides detailed maps of brain activity in living subjects. The study shows that ISOI can reveal cortical architecture at columnar resolution, offering a more accurate picture of brain network activity than existing methods.
Scientists used fMRI to detect burst-suppression events in anesthetized animals and found its spatial distribution varies between primates and rodents. This phenomenon is linked to the brain's sensory areas, with certain regions showing resistance to anesthesia-induced suppression.
A NTU Singapore study found that consumers associate higher-pitched commercials with healthier food products. The researchers also discovered a link between more stimulating visuals and consumer perceptions of healthiness.
A new risk assessment method combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with splenic diameter to predict complications in patients with chronic liver disease. The study found that patients with low FLIS scores and large spleens had a higher risk of liver-associated complications.
Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center used advanced brain imaging techniques to study the impact of prenatal opioid exposure on infant brain development. The study found that treatment with medications like buprenorphine and methadone can minimize brain abnormalities in newborns exposed to opioids prenatally.
A new sensor technology allows for real-time monitoring of lactate levels in the brain, providing insights into energy metabolism and potential applications in cancer detection. The sensors corrected for hemodynamic artifacts using MRI-informed corrections enable accurate cell-specific lactate level recordings.
Researchers used fMRI and genetic mice to study neurotransmitters' effects on brain network connectivity, a dynamic process crucial for human health and behavior. They found activating the LC led to changes in DMN dynamics, suggesting new targets for treatment.
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.
Researchers have created a Russian-language protocol for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map individual language areas before neurosurgical operations. The study successfully validated the protocol in a control group, showing its ability to comprehensively map brain regions and reveal lateralisation of language function.
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 new MRI probe can monitor individual populations of neurons and reveal how they interact with each other. The technique uses genetically targeted probes to detect neural activity and provide a more precise picture of brain function.
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...
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin uncovered that conceptual knowledge is tied to perceptual and experiential information. They used fMRI to measure neural activity while participants read hundreds of words, finding that experiential information was key to understanding word meaning.
Researchers found that viewing nostalgic images from childhood reduced pain perception in adults, with the strongest effect on low-intensity pain. Nostalgic images decreased activity in brain regions involved in pain perception, including the left lingual gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus.
A large-scale study aims to understand how individual brains change over time, identifying factors that increase cognitive decline risk and those that confer resilience. The Adult Aging Brain Connectome study will follow 1,000 participants across a decade, collecting brain scans, blood samples, and demographic data.
Researchers discovered a population of neurons in the auditory cortex that responds specifically to singing, but not speech or instrumental music. The study uses electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings to gain higher-resolution data, revealing fine-grained segregation of function within the auditory cortex.
Researchers studied 100 babies' eye movements and brain activity to reveal that by 4 months, they can categorize objects into animate or inanimate groups. This ability emerges early, with refined categories appearing between 10-19 months.
Researchers found that loneliness is driven by different brain states than social anxiety, with distinct neural activity patterns. People with social anxiety showed increased amygdala activation and reduced nucleus accumbens activation, while those with high loneliness did not display these patterns.
Researchers analyzed fMRI studies on healthy individuals and stroke survivors to understand the neural mechanisms underlying prism adaptation therapy. The study found differences in brain activity patterns between healthy individuals and those with spatial neglect, suggesting a shift in spatial processing to the left hemisphere.
Women with GAD exhibit abnormal interoception, perceiving intense heartbeats and lower neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The study suggests a causal link between cardiovascular sensitivity and frontal cortex insensitivity, contributing to anxiety symptoms.
Researchers found that delirium and spatial neglect are associated with widespread dysfunction of brain networks, including arousal, attention, and spatial orientation. This imbalance may contribute to chronic cognitive decline after stroke.
A study by the University of Tokyo reveals that musical training can activate areas of the brain associated with language processing, regardless of experience level. This connection may explain why people enjoy music even if they're not musically inclined.
Research found the female genital field's location varies among women and is thicker with more frequent sex. The somatosensory cortex devotes space to detecting touch, and the region's structure alters in relation to use.
Researchers found that our concept of self becomes increasingly indistinct as we think about ourselves farther in the past or future, affecting decision-making and memory recall. The 'temporal self-compression' effect challenges traditional notions of identity and time perception.
Research using fMRI technology reveals disruption in default mode network of adolescents and young adults with multiple concussions. The study found no difference in connectivity for those who experienced one or two concussions, but a disruption in the third group.
Researchers identified areas of the infant visual cortex that already show strong preferences for faces, bodies, or scenes, similar to those in adults. This challenges the traditional view that these regions take years to develop, suggesting a more rapid emergence of specialized brain structures.
A new study found that orgasmic meditation produces a distinctive pattern of brain function, affecting areas associated with sexual stimulation and traditional meditation. The practice was correlated with alterations in the autonomic nervous system and reported profound spiritual experiences among participants.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine identified the anterior insula's role in predicting and emotionally processing pain in HIV-DSP patients. The study suggests that reduced anterior insula activity or increased cingulate activity may improve pain outcomes for these patients.
A new Dartmouth study found that a neural code shared across brains is responsible for recognizing familiar faces, including social and personal information. The study used hyperalignment to align brain responses into a common space, revealing high decoding accuracy in areas outside of visual processing.
A new study by Hungarian researchers finds that dogs use complex computations and brain regions similar to humans to learn word boundaries in speech. Dogs can recognize syllable patterning, such as frequent words with consistent syllables, and use this information to extract words from continuous speech.
Research identified a deficit in activation of positive valence processing soon after trauma, suggesting its role in resilience to PTSD. The study found that decreased activity in the ventral striatum predicted more severe PTSD symptoms at 14 months.
Researchers have identified that moment-to-moment brain signal variability can reliably predict the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for patients with social anxiety disorder. This finding suggests that neural variability may be a reliable indicator of individual differences in treatment response, particularly when using ...
Researchers found that depressed adolescents' brains reduce activity in brain areas related to visual processing when shown distressing images. Antidepressant treatment restored brain activity to healthy levels, suggesting a potential vulnerability in adolescent brains.
Researchers analyzed idle thoughts for 10 minutes to capture patterns of thinking, revealing a link between ruminative thinking and depression. Participants who scored high on a rumination questionnaire experienced negative thoughts that lasted longer than positive thoughts.
Researchers used functional MRI to image the hippocampus of volunteers learning and recalling short stories, finding that coherent memories are woven together. The study suggests the hippocampus brings pieces together across time to form connected, narrative memories.
A new study shows that a four-week psychological treatment called Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) can provide potent and durable relief for chronic back pain in two-thirds of patients. The treatment alters brain networks associated with pain processing, reducing symptoms that last for up to one year.
A new USC study found that artificial sweeteners like sucralose can trick the brain into feeling hungry, leading to increased calorie consumption. This study, one of the largest to-date on artificial sweeteners, suggests that females and people with obesity may be more sensitive to these sweeteners.
A mathematical equation analyzes participants' brain activity and mood to determine the contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to their happiness. Most people feel happier after earning points or successfully completing a game, but individual differences exist.
Researchers at University of Toronto found that the brain's prefrontal cortex generalizes perceptual experiences from different senses, producing sensations even without direct experience. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging and massage stones to capture neural activity patterns in the brain.
A team of neuroscientists at the Beckman Institute developed safety standards for multiband EEG-fMRI imaging, reducing heating risks and maintaining data quality. By establishing protocols to mitigate artifacts, they enabled the use of accelerated fMRI sequences with EEG recordings.
Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University discovered that dogs exhibit attachment behaviors similar to human infants, responding positively to their owner's speech. The study found that the reward center of a dog's brain is more sensitive to its owner's voice compared to a familiar person's praise.
A deep learning-based method developed by Kaunas University of Technology researchers can predict the possible onset of Alzheimer's disease from brain images with an accuracy of over 99%. The algorithm was trained on functional MRI images from 138 subjects and performed better than previously developed methods.