Articles tagged with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
A study with 24 participants aged 18-30 used fMRI scans to map brain areas involved in reading written words in two artificial alphabets. The results showed a hierarchy of brain regions, with posterior regions encoding letter position within words and left mid-to-anterior regions processing phonological and semantic information.
The Kessler Foundation will conduct a pilot study using functional MRI to develop new strategies for managing neuropathic pain in individuals with spinal cord injuries. The study aims to train participants to use neurofeedback to modulate their brain activity and reduce pain sensations.
Researchers studying functional hyperemia found that blood flow to brain cells increases when neurons are activated, and this response may be beneficial for the health of neurons. The study aims to clarify the link between neural activity and blood flow changes, which could improve our understanding of brain diseases like Alzheimer's.
Researchers found that brain networks are spatially and functionally fluid, with rapid changes in network activity over time. This challenges the long-held assumption that brain regions contribute to each network in a fixed way.
Researchers found that brains process ingroup faces as more unique, while outgroup faces are viewed as repeated instances of the same social category. This early perception may contribute to racial stereotyping and bias, with studies suggesting it begins in brain's face-selective cortex.
The neuroimaging community has made significant strides in collecting large-scale datasets, but many contain insufficient data for reliable measures of brain connectivity. Increasing reliability can dramatically reduce sample size requirements, improving the field's ability to detect effects and address reproducibility concerns.
A study found that people with polydactyly, having six fingers per hand, exhibit improved motor skills and ability to perform movements with one hand. The researchers discovered dedicated brain areas controlling the extra finger's movement, allowing for versatile manipulation.
Researchers observed brain activity while participants made choices between lotteries, finding neural activity responsible for both rational and irrational decision-making. The study suggests that occasional inconsistent choices are fundamental to how a typical brain works, contradicting previous theories.
Researchers have made a breakthrough in developing an objective, brain-based test to diagnose autism. The study used fMRI to measure the response of autistic children to social cues, finding that their brains respond differently than typically developing children.
Human screams exhibit a wide range of acoustic factors, including high pitch and roughness, which can vary in emotional context. The study's findings suggest that humans may use different-sounding screams in various situations, warranting further investigation into their interpretation.
Researchers have identified a brain area that rapidly senses spatial constraints, enabling instant orientation and navigation. The study uses advanced imaging technologies to decode the activity of millions of neurons in the occipital place area, which encodes scene geometry.
Researchers found that fMRI brain imaging can be tricked by using two mental countermeasures: associating meaningful memories to control items or focusing on superficial aspects. This led to a 20% decrease in test accuracy, making it easier for participants to conceal information.
Researchers developed an effective harmonization method to reduce site-related differences in resting-state fMRI data, reducing bias by 29% and improving signal-to-noise ratios by 40%. This allows for the development of practical brain-circuit-based biomarkers of psychiatric disorders regardless of imaging site.
Researchers have developed a fundamentally new MRI method to track brain function activity on a time scale of 100 milliseconds, far faster than current functional MRI. This technique uses magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to measure tissue stiffness and parallels neuronal activity.
Researchers at Aalto University studied how listeners immerse themselves in audiobooks using fMRI and word lists. The study found that similar words in a list predicted similarities in brain activity, particularly in language processing and visual cortex areas.
A study by University of Arizona researcher Vicky Lai found that the brain's sensory-motor region is activated within 200 milliseconds of hearing an action-based metaphor. This suggests that this region plays a crucial role in comprehension, supporting previous findings from fMRI studies.
Researchers found the temporoparietal junction significantly activated during cooperative tasks, indicating its role in facilitating cooperation. The anterior part of this region fires off information to the mentalizing system, controlling the flow of information.
A study by SISSA neuroscientists reveals the existence of temporal maps in the brain's supplementary motor area (SMA) for decoding abstract features of time. The maps are represented via topography and duration tuning, with different portions responding to specific durations.
A study published in Journal of Neuroscience found that replacing expected aversive events with neutral tones can improve PTSD treatment outcomes. By changing how the brain learns to respond to fearful conditions, researchers hope to develop a new approach to exposure therapy.
Researchers use fMRI to compare brain activity in humans and robots during conversation. Human dialogue activates key brain structures involved in social bonding, unlike robot interactions.
A neuroimaging study found that real-time eye contact between individuals simultaneously activates the same areas of each person's brain. This suggests that eye contact prepares the social brain for sharing mental states with others, enhancing connectivity within the limbic mirror system.
Researchers found that vagus nerve stimulation in the neck reduced brain activity and delayed pain response in people with PTSD. The treatment also altered autonomic responses to painful stimuli, dampening fight-or-flight-type responses.
A study found that consciousness is characterized by a complex configuration of interareal coordination, deviating from anatomical connections. In contrast, unconscious states are marked by positive patterns of interareal coherence dominated by brain region anatomy. The researchers suggest that transient brain signal coordination patte...
Scientists have identified four distinct brain pattern profiles associated with conscious and unconscious states, shedding light on the neural dynamics underlying human consciousness. The findings hold potential for developing reliable biomarkers of consciousness and externally induced manipulations to restore awareness.
Researchers used advanced brain scans to map the visual cortex in Old World monkeys, finding complex topographic organisation unlike previously thought. This improved understanding will enable more precise navigation of the brain and potentially reveal human visual cortex organization.
A study by Columbia engineers and psychiatrists reveals that avoidant grievers unconsciously monitor and block their mental state to prevent painful thoughts. The researchers used neural decoding to track the interactions between mental processes, showing that this control occurs outside of conscious awareness.
Researchers developed high-resolution functional ultrasound imaging to study brain activity in awake and behaving mice. They found that out of 181 consistently identified brain regions, 87 were modulated during the optokinetic reflex, a stabilizing eye movement response.
Researchers analyzed brain scans from hundreds of people with OCD, finding that brains get stuck in a loop of 'wrongness' and have trouble stopping repetitive behaviors. The study identifies specific brain areas and processes linked to OCD, setting the stage for new therapy targets.
A new study using functional MRI found that men with online gaming addiction have altered brain activity compared to healthy controls, particularly in the superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, women with IGD did not exhibit these changes. The study suggests a potential link between gender-specific brain function and online gaming disorder.
Researchers developed a novel classification method combining brain imaging data from MRI and fMRI to recognize patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. This approach improved diagnosis accuracy, enabling early detection and treatment, which leads to better health outcomes for children. The study used a dataset of 40 B...
Researchers have found that electroencephalography (EEG) can identify patients who are cognitively aware but unable to respond due to severe brain injury. The study suggests that EEG may be used as a cost-effective screening tool to help stratify patients and identify those with high levels of cognitive function.
A new brain imaging study found that when subjects expect more heat, brain regions involved in threat and fear are more activated, leading to increased pain perception. The study also showed that positive expectations can have the opposite effects, suggesting a potential link between negative expectations and chronic pain.
A study published in Cell Metabolism found that individuals who achieved greater weight loss showed increased activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex associated with self-control. Additionally, the hormone leptin returned to baseline levels after successful weight loss, indicating a new set point was achieved.
Researchers found that dogs have a rudimentary neural representation of meaning for words they have been taught, differentiating between familiar and unfamiliar words. The study suggests dogs may not always understand the literal meaning of words but can infer their intended context.
A new neuroimaging study from the University at Buffalo found that the brain's reading network integrates specialized areas during a child's development, predicting their reading proficiency. The study suggests changes in neural pathways within the reading network are associated with improved reading skills.
A new Caltech study finds that the brain's anterior cingulate cortex and striatum are involved in decision-making when faced with too many options, leading to a 'choice overload' effect. The ideal number of options is estimated to be between 8 and 15, depending on perceived reward and individual characteristics.
Researchers identified a specific neural network that helps regulate babies' brain activity in response to pain, similar to adults. Greater functional connectivity within this network was found to lead to lower brain activity in response to painful stimuli.
A new study published in Clinical Neurophysiology found that attention plays a key role in restoring vision in patients with hemianopia, a condition where half of the visual field is impaired. After five weeks of vision rehabilitation training, patients showed significant improvements in their visual function.
Researchers at UC Davis will investigate human brain's attention systems with higher resolution than ever attempted, aiming to understand and treat attention disorders. They plan to use combined fMRI and EEG methods to measure brain activity in volunteers.
A new analysis reveals that task-based fMRI experiments with typical sample sizes of about 30 participants are only modestly replicable. Larger sample sizes may be needed to improve replicability in neuroscience studies.
A study of 22 toddlers found that hippocampal activation was higher when they heard a previously learned song, regardless of playback direction. Correctly remembered locations associated with the song also showed stronger hippocampal responses.
Scientists have discovered how brain regions activate during memory recall in two-year-olds using functional MRI. The hippocampus plays a key role in forming and recalling memories, especially episodic memory, which involves remembering events and contexts.
A new study published in PNAS found that the brain's ventromedial prefrontal cortex plays a key role in forming expectations underlying effort-based choices. The study used fMRI to model neural computations for effort and reward, revealing a clear role for three brain regions: the vmPFC, dACC, and aI.
Researchers used functional MRI to study Nile crocodiles and found that complex stimuli like classical music trigger activation patterns in the brain. This suggests that fundamental neuronal processing mechanisms of sensory stimuli formed at an early evolutionary stage.
Researchers found that simply being told a musician is professional changes the way the brain responds to music, with more activity in pleasure and reward regions for 'professional' recordings. Overcoming this bias requires conscious effort, as participants who resisted the bias showed increased executive control.
Research at Goethe University Frankfurt reveals that the human brain prepares for dawn and dusk by reducing resting activity in the visual cortex, allowing it to process weak visual stimuli more effectively during these times. This mechanism may have provided an evolutionary advantage in the pre-industrial era.
A new study using fMRI scans found that Transcendental Meditation practice leads to a unique state of restful alertness, characterized by increased blood flow to frontal areas of the brain and decreased activity in pons and cerebellum. This finding supports the technique's claim to induce a deeply rested yet alert mental state.
A human brain imaging study found that LSD reduces activity in areas important for establishing one's sense of self, blurring the line between self and other. The serotonin receptor system appears to be a target for treating social impairments in disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.
A new technique developed by neuroscientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough can reconstruct images seen by test subjects based on electroencephalography (EEG) data. This method uses machine learning algorithms to digitally recreate images in the subject's mind, revealing fine-grained visual detail.
Researchers used functional MRI scans to measure brain entropy in 892 participants and found a strong link between higher entropy and intelligence, as measured by standard IQ tests. This suggests that brain imaging could one day help assess problems in brain function for conditions like depression and autism.
Researchers found that higher-level brain regions can compensate for persistent changes in sensory and movement areas following a hand transplant. The study suggests that non-invasive brain stimulation may improve recovery from nerve injury, paving the way for new approaches to neurorehabilitation for amputees and stroke patients.
Researchers found that cognitive training improved neural activity in older adults, making their brains more energy-efficient. The study suggests that this non-pharmacological intervention could help counteract age-related cognitive decline and enhance brain health.
A long-term study by Norwegian University of Science and Technology researchers has shed new light on the consequences of very low birth weights on cognitive development. The study found that individuals born with very low birth weights have difficulties with cognitive control, including proactive and reactive systems.
A Harvard researcher found that specific brain network patterns are associated with creativity, including the default mode network for imagination and the salience network for information filtering. The study's predictive model showed accuracy in estimating creative potential based on brain scan data.
A study using functional MRI data from 163 participants found a functional brain network associated with creativity involving the default mode, executive, and salience networks. The strength of this network's connectivity was linked to an individual's creative ability score.
Researchers found that altering the clothing worn by actresses affected empathic responses, with reduced feelings towards objectified women and reduced brain activity in empathy-related areas. The study suggests a link between objectification and diminished emotional understanding.
New fMRI applications help researchers map verbal and visual memory in children with epilepsy, demonstrating the potential for non-invasive fMRI to assess and diagnose pediatric epilepsy. A second study showcases the ability of resting-state fMRI to assess language laterality, paving the way for expanded use as a clinical tool.
Researchers used brain scans to analyze how people at risk of drug use process anti-drug messages. They found that certain neural connections in the brain predicted which messages were most persuasive, improving accuracy for high-risk participants.
Youth football players undergo brain changes, including alterations in the default mode network, after a single season of play. This study suggests that repeated subconcussive impacts can have a lasting effect on brain health.
Researchers used fMRI to study neurofeedback training's potential in treating tinnitus, finding a significant relationship between controlling the primary auditory cortex and attentional processes. The training involved participants focusing away from sound to decrease brain activity.