Delirium in critically ill patients with basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage shows disrupted connectivity between the brainstem's ascending reticular activating system nuclei and the left parahippocampal gyrus. This disruption is linked to delirium occurrence and may serve as a biomarker for prediction.
Researchers discovered the basal ganglia use distinct kinematic codes during learned behaviors and natural movements, shedding light on human movement disorders. The findings suggest the basal ganglia play essential roles in learned movements, but not necessarily in routine motor control.
Researchers used machine learning to detect subtle behavioral changes in mouse models of Parkinson's disease, revealing that high-speed movements are the first affected behaviors. Levodopa treatment improves movement speed but not other attributes of these movements.
Researchers discovered that specific neurons in the basal ganglia make precise decisions about when to allow and stop movements, licensing the timing of movement. This fine-grained movement control has important implications for understanding neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease.
Researchers analyzed brain tissue from individuals with severe Tourette syndrome and identified three key changes: altered gene activity, regulatory element modifications, and interneuron loss. These findings provide unprecedented insights into the disorder's biology and may explain why individuals experience involuntary movements and ...
A new study from Duke University reveals that dopamine levels in the brains of baby birds increase with every effort they make while practicing their songs, regardless of success. This discovery has implications for understanding human learning and neurological disorders.
New study finds that limitations on working memory exist due to learning, rather than capacity, and shed light on dopamine-related disorders like Parkinson's, ADHD, and schizophrenia. By understanding this process, clinicians may adopt different treatment options for patients with these conditions.
Researchers have identified structural grey matter differences in the brains of women with a history of peripartum depression compared to those without. The study found that hormone fluctuations during pregnancy and childbirth may be key to understanding this condition.
SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging·TypeImaging analysis·DateDec 5, 2024
A new study reveals that patients with Parkinson's disease who exhibit rest tremor have more dopamine preserved in the caudate nucleus, a part of the brain important for movement planning and cognition. This challenges traditional understanding of how dopamine loss relates to PD symptoms.
Researchers at OIST used a novel technique to study how activating the brain's serotonin center affects awake animals. They found that serotonin from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) activates brain areas influencing behavior and motivation, including the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia.
Researchers have identified a network of neurons controlling right-left movements in the brain, which may help treat Parkinson's disease. The discovery provides insight into how essential movements are produced by the brain.
Researchers describe traveling waves of acetylcholine in the striatum, revealing a new kind of neurochemical wave. The study proposes a mathematical mechanism by which simultaneous waves of acetylcholine and dopamine arise, maintaining balance in the brain's striatum.
Scientists found that cooling or warming the striatum region slows down or speeds up activity patterns, which correlates with rats' timing judgements. This provides evidence for the 'population clock hypothesis', suggesting that brains use decentralized and flexible sense of time.
A Kessler Foundation study found a relationship between rate of cognitive fatigue in MS and microstructural brain changes, particularly in white matter tracts and basal ganglia. The study's findings hold promise for advancing clinical interventions for disabling fatigue.
A team of researchers identified a protein kinase substrate downstream of the dopamine signaling pathway regulating brain reward behavior. The study found that phosphorylation of potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 2 (KCNQ2) decreases its channel activity, increasing neuronal excitability and promoting reward behavior.
Researchers uncover brain area responsible for driving action and suppressing drive in a novel task designed to study active action suppression. The team identified the dorsomedial striatum as the key region promoting action, while the indirect pathway suppresses it, leading to an 'impulsivity switch'.
Researchers used microcircuit models of basal ganglia and thalamus areas to create multiscale models of Parkinson's patient and healthy control brain. They found that in-silico deep brain stimulation could normalize decreased firing rates in subcortical regions, but also caused differential activity in the motor cortex.
A study published in Journal of Psychiatric Research found a significant biological difference between psychopaths and non-psychopaths, with psychopaths having a larger striatum region in the brain. This finding is linked to increased need for stimulation, impulsive behaviors, and higher likelihood of violent behavior.
Research shows that stable basal ganglia activity is essential for smooth movements, as disrupting this activity leads to unstable and involuntary movements. The study used a chemogenetic tool to suppress neural activity in the subthalamic nucleus of macaque monkeys, inducing abnormal movements.
Dystonia is characterized by involuntary movements and postures, limiting daily activities. A new study maps specific brain networks for treatment success in patients with cervical and generalized dystonia. The findings reveal distinct stimulation sites depending on the type of dystonia, offering a more targeted approach to improving t...
A new theory suggests that stuttering is caused by anomalies in the brain's initiation circuit, which chooses a word to speak. This circuit is separate from the muscle-coordinating circuit, and its impairment leads to stuttering. Researchers believe this could lead to targeted treatments for stuttering with fewer side effects.
Researchers at Duke University used new tools to monitor neurons and analyze machine learning data to see how zebra finches practice their courtship calls. They found that a neurotransmitter called noradrenaline shuts down variability in the song, making it more precise when performed under pressure.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to make deep brain stimulation (DBS) more precise, resulting in therapeutic effects that outlast what is currently available. The new protocol uses short bursts of electrical stimulation to target specific neuronal subpopulations, providing longer-lasting benefits.
Researchers have created a precise map of brain connectivity from the basal ganglia, revealing new details and a surprising level of influence connected to the basal ganglia. The findings offer a blueprint of the area's architecture that could potentially open additional avenues for intervention of Parkinson's disease and other disorders.
A UTokyo-MIT study reveals multilingual adults can learn new languages faster and more efficiently than bilinguals, thanks to increased brain activity. Multilingual participants demonstrated superior language acquisition skills and faster processing times in a simulated Kazakh language learning environment.
A new study led by the University of Tsukuba and NEI has discovered a brain circuit that allows monkeys to learn context-dependent object values. The researchers found that fast-spiking neurons in the basal ganglia control motor movements, including eye movements, when learning associations between objects and backgrounds.
Researchers discovered that D1 and D2 neurons work together to perform reaching-and-grasping tasks, with D1 providing the early movement phase and D2 providing the final approach. This study sheds light on the complex mechanisms underlying motor function in the basal ganglia.
Research reveals basal ganglia neurons primarily use firing rate changes to control voluntary movements, with synchronized activity having a minor role in healthy conditions. Parkinson's disease symptoms may be improved by targeting abnormally increased correlated activity in the basal ganglia.
The University of Texas at El Paso has been awarded $1.3 million to investigate how neural circuits regulate specific cognitive functions in humans. The research, led by Dr. Manuel Miranda-Arango, aims to identify and characterize glycinergic neurons in the basal ganglia and their connections to other brain areas.
A study analyzing 190 fMRI studies found that food and erotic images activate the left hemisphere, while money activates both hemispheres. The basal ganglia play a key role in reward processing, with different regions activated depending on the type of reward.
A study published in PNAS reveals that corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons play a crucial role in song learning during juvenile development. In contrast, adult birds with disrupted projection neurons maintain their pre-learned song structure and exhibit normal vocal fluctuations.
Researchers at MIT have identified a brain circuit that filters out distracting sensory stimuli, allowing us to focus on our chosen input. The circuit is controlled by the prefrontal cortex and involves the basal ganglia, which play a role in controlling attention.
Researchers at UC Berkeley found that humans rely on two distinct neural networks to predict the future in tasks like music and sports. The basal ganglia system is sensitive to rhythmic cues, while the cerebellum relies on interval timing based on past experiences.
Aryn Gittis' research establishes new therapeutic targets for Parkinson's therapies, using optogenetics to identify a subset of neurons in the globus pallidus that play a critical role in restoring movement. Her findings suggest targeting these cells could repair neural circuit dysfunction in diseases like Parkinson's.
A computational study models the strength of basal ganglia connections between healthy and Parkinsonian brains, revealing a broad overlap in neural connection strengths. The research could lead to customized therapies specific to individual patterns of neural degeneration.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have identified two groups of neurons that can be targeted with optogenetics to alleviate Parkinson's disease symptoms. By activating these cells, they were able to restore movement for at least four hours, significantly longer than current treatments.
UTSA has received a prestigious $5.29 million grant to advance its brain health research, focusing on the basal ganglia region and potential treatments for Parkinson's disease. The funding will support local cell signaling research to develop a model of basal ganglia function.
Researchers found that the direct and indirect pathways in the basal ganglia play a crucial role in controlling actions, with the direct pathway sustaining action and the indirect pathway allowing switching between actions. This new model could have therapeutic implications for treating diseases like OCD and ADHD.
Neuroscientists at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon report novel findings that challenge the way the scientific community has been thinking about how actions are selected and habits are formed. The study reveals that two competing pathways in the Basal Ganglia work concurrently to promote distinct, positive outcomes.
A study on Bengalese finches found that dopamine levels in a specific region of the brain are crucial for correcting vocal errors. The research suggests that dopamine plays a vital role in sensory-motor learning, which underlies skills such as speaking and singing.
New research by Duke University scientists suggests that habits like sugar addiction manifest in the brain's basal ganglia circuitry, leading to a 'go' signal that primes cravings. The study found that mice with formed habits had altered brain activity patterns, including a change in timing between go and stop signals.
Research reveals dopamine transmission via D1 receptors is essential for information flow through the basal ganglia to control movements. Lack of D1 receptor-mediated dopamine transmission disrupts 'direct pathway' and results in slowness of movements in Parkinson's disease.
Researchers used non-invasive brain-imaging tool to detect pathways connecting basal ganglia regions, improving understanding of circuitry. The breakthrough could lead to technologies to track disease progression for Parkinson's and other neurological disorders.
Researchers have discovered a neurological mechanism that explains how songbirds refine and alter their songs as adults, shedding light on the human brain's learning complex motor skills. The finding may have long-term implications for treating neurological conditions.
A brain imaging study reveals differences in basal ganglia activity and similarity to inflammation-induced fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome. Reduced basal ganglia activity is associated with the severity of fatigue symptoms.
Researchers have identified the basal ganglia as a key brain region involved in vocal learning and variability across species. By studying songbirds, they found that this area is responsible for generating variability to aid in learning and performance.
Researchers have found that neurons in the basal ganglia can signal the concatenation of individual elements into a behavioural sequence. The study's findings suggest that the brain uses a mechanism called chunking to organize memories and actions.
A genetic defect in the FoxP2 gene, commonly associated with human speech problems, disrupts the ability of songbirds to sing effective courtship tunes. Researchers found that the defect impairs a network of nerve cells, leading to stuttering and stammering in affected individuals.
Scientists at Salk Institute and Gladstone Institutes developed a high-resolution mapping technique to uncover the underlying circuit architecture of the brain. The study found that specific brain regions connect to each other in distinct ways, offering new insights into how these connections influence brain function.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and Salk Institute have developed a novel brain-tracing technique to map neurons in the basal ganglia, revealing clues about how specific brain regions connect. The findings suggest that different brain areas preferentially transmit signals to distinct types of neurons, guiding movement and decisi...
Researchers found that a key brain structure acts as a learning hub, receiving information from other regions to improve its song, even when not directly controlling the action. This finding may help treat neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease.
A new study finds that chronic fatigue syndrome patients have decreased activation of the basal ganglia in response to reward, associated with increased fatigue levels. The findings shed light on the biology of this mysterious disease and may lead to better treatments.
Jones and Moore's model suggests that neurons in the cortex experience beta oscillations when receiving a combination of two input signals at the right time and strength. The researchers aim to prove their hypothesis using optogenetics and expand their computational model to incorporate upstream brain regions.
Research at National Institute for Physiological Sciences found abnormal 'oscillatory' electrical signals in subcortical nuclei cause severe motor deficits in Parkinson's disease. Chemical inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus improved motor impairments by reducing oscillations, providing clues for new treatments.
Abnormal neural activity was recorded from the deep brain of Parkinson's disease and dystonia patients, confirming previous animal study results. The findings suggest that cortically evoked neural responses in the basal ganglia can be used to determine target locations for deep brain stimulation electrodes.
Researchers found that when damage occurs in the prefrontal cortex, intact areas of the brain can take over lost functions, such as memory, and only activate when needed. This suggests that memory is not stored in one specific region but rather distributed throughout the brain's neural network.
A new analysis suggests that Parkinson's disease can be understood in terms of damage to control circuits in the brain responsible for habits. Removing part of the brain can help patients regain smooth initiation of movements by reducing inhibitory signals from malfunctioning habitual control systems.
Researchers discovered that specific brain circuits in the basal ganglia signal the start and stop of new actions, a process compromised in Parkinson's and Huntington's patients. Genetic manipulation of these circuits in mice impaired sequence learning, echoing human patients' struggles with movement initiation and termination.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found evidence that the basal ganglia and cerebellum are linked together to form an integrated functional network. This discovery has important implications for understanding Parkinson's disease and dystonia, and may lead to new treatment approaches.
A new study from Karolinska Institutet finds that the limbic striatum, an evolutionarily old part of the brain, is involved in implicit learning of motor sequences. This discovery sheds light on fundamental learning systems shared with primitive vertebrates and has implications for developing treatments for diseases like Parkinson's.