Articles tagged with Brain Structure
Researchers analyzed neuroimaging data from over 650 individuals aged 8 to 21, discovering a key organizational shift in the dorsal prefrontal cortex. The study found that this refinement of brain architecture is driven by specific changes in the medial part of the prefrontal cortex.
Researchers found that brain activity in regions responsible for managing specific body parts remains consistent before and after arm amputation. The study's results suggest that standard phantom pain treatments may need to be rethought and could improve the development of neuroprosthetics and brain-computer interface technologies.
A recent study by researchers at The University of Osaka discovered the crucial role of DNA repair enzyme Polβ in safeguarding the developing brain from harmful mutations. Accumulation of indel mutations near CpG sites may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.
A study found that athletes from high-disadvantage neighborhoods had a thinner outer layer in certain areas of the brain and smaller brain volumes, which can be early signs of neurodegeneration. Researchers suggest that recognizing stressors can help inform more equitable approaches to protecting long-term brain health.
Researchers found that the primary somatosensory cortex, responsible for processing sensory information, has a layered structure that ages differently. The middle and upper layers remain stable or even thicken with age, while the lower layers show age-related degeneration, providing evidence for neuroplasticity.
The Living Brain Project at Mount Sinai has collected over 300 brain tissue samples, revealing that 80% of genes exhibit different expression levels in living versus postmortem brain tissue. This challenges decades of neuroscience research based on postmortem samples.
Researchers aim to uncover how menopause and lifestyle factors shape brain aging in women during midlife. The three-year project will analyze MRI scans and health data from thousands of women worldwide to track changes in brain structure and connectivity.
A new analysis of a 500 million-year-old fossil suggests that arachnids, including spiders and scorpions, evolved in the ocean before adapting to land. The discovery was made by studying the brain and nervous system of an ancient marine arthropod called Mollisonia symmetrica.
A study from the UJI reveals how the brain interprets social hierarchies and emotional facial expressions through the anterior temporal lobe. The upper part of this region is strongly activated when individuals make decisions based on emotional facial expressions, particularly in those with high levels of anxiety.
A new study from UC San Francisco challenges the traditional view of how the brain strings sounds together to form words and orchestrates the movements to pronounce them. The brain relies on a wider network of neurons across many brain areas, centered in the middle precentral gyrus, to coordinate speech-motor sequencing.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed new technology to image brain waves, revealing three new types of brain activity. The ultra-sensitive optical instruments can detect signals of genetically engineered proteins and show neural activity across the majority of the mouse neocortex.
Scientists have developed a new multiscale modeling approach that can simulate how microscopic changes affect macroscale brain activity. The framework successfully predicted the effects of anesthesia on synaptic receptors, bridging the gap between molecular and whole-brain levels.
Researchers used advanced neuroimaging and the Julich-Brain Atlas to identify specific brain networks linked to psychopathy, finding reduced volumes in multiple regions including basal ganglia, thalamus, and cortex. This study advances research on neuropsychobiological correlates of aggression.
A recent study has discovered a connection between brain damage and an increased likelihood of committing crimes. The research, led by Harvard Medical School and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, found that damage to the right uncinate fasciculus was linked to criminal behavior.
Scientists have discovered the structure and shape of key receptors in the cerebellum, a region critical for movement, balance, and cognition. This finding could lead to the development of therapies to repair damaged synapses and improve brain function.
Dr. Sophia Shi's groundbreaking research reveals that the glycocalyx deteriorates with age, leading to blood-brain barrier dysfunction and cognitive decline. Her work provides concrete molecular targets for drug development and may lead to treatments that address the root causes of neurodegeneration.
A new study published in Neuron has identified a brain region, the fusiform gyrus, as key to distinguishing between real and imagined experiences. The region's strength of activity can predict whether someone judges an experience as real or imagined.
Using an algorithm called the Krakencoder, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine mapped how the brain's anatomical connections and activity patterns relate to behavior. The tool accurately predicted individual's functional connectome about 20 times more than previous approaches, also mapping age, sex, and cognitive performance scores.
Researchers found that greenspace exposure is associated with widespread patterns of structural brain development during early adolescence, leading to better academic and mental outcomes. This study highlights the importance of integrating natural environments into urban and educational settings.
A new study from UC Berkeley reveals that the depth of small grooves on the brain's surface is correlated with increased connectivity between regions involved in reasoning. The researchers found that these tertiary sulci, unique to humans, may help explain individual differences in cognitive performance and serve as diagnostic indicato...
A new USC-led study found a significant link between type 2 diabetes and cortical thickness in older adults from various populations. The researchers discovered that individuals with T2DM exhibited thinner cortex, particularly in temporal and parietal regions critical for memory and cognitive function.
Researchers discovered similarities between AI and human brains with aphasia, offering new insights into diagnosis and improving AI's fluency. The study suggests that understanding internal patterns in AI models may lead to smarter and more trustworthy AI.
Researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering identified a crucial role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in mapping sounds to meaning, shedding light on the neural dynamics underlying word retrieval. The study's findings have significant implications for both neuroscience and clinical interventions.
A new brain atlas developed by researchers at Duke University will increase precision in measuring changes in brain structure, making it easier to share results. The tool, the Duke Mouse Brain Atlas, provides a detailed map of the entire mouse brain, from large structures down to individual cells and circuits.
Dr. Seymour Reichlin's remarkable career spanned five decades, marked by scientific excellence, mentorship, and generosity. His influence on neuroendocrinology has been profound, with ongoing contributions at age 100 revealing new insights into Alzheimer's disease and ecstatic mysticism.
Researchers discovered that the brain suppresses the current action without using another mechanism to inhibit it, enabling seamless transitions between actions. This finding could lead to the development of biologically-inspired robotic systems and improve clinical treatments for Parkinson's patients.
A new brain imaging study found that age and brain shape significantly impact the strength of connections between olfactory brain regions in dogs. Younger dogs and those with elongated brains had stronger functional connectivities, while older dogs and rounder-headed individuals performed worse in smell tests.
A new USC-led study using fMRI reveals the neural mechanisms that contribute to urinary incontinence in stroke survivors. The research found significant differences in brain activity during voluntary versus involuntary bladder contractions, presenting potential pathways for targeted therapies.
A study found that marathon runners experience a decrease in brain myelin content, but it recovers fully two months later. Myelin acts as an energy reserve, and the study opens new insights into brain energy metabolism.
A study found that brain activity can predict a person's political affiliation with 80% accuracy when making food purchases. Researchers used fMRI to measure brain activity in Republicans and Democrats, finding distinct neural patterns for each group.
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 by UCL researchers found that people with visual Alzheimer's disease have a unique distribution of proteins and markers in their brain, leading to symptoms such as reading difficulties. In contrast, those with memory-led Alzheimer's disease have different protein patterns, resulting in symptoms like memory loss.
A new digital 'translator' for brain studies enables researchers to map the brain in a standardized way, facilitating discoveries and treatments for various disorders. The open-source software allows for the comparison of brain imaging data with widely used brain atlases, promoting commonalities across findings.
Researchers created a powerful new computational and artificial intelligence tool that can generate high-resolution 3D maps of the brain in mice, allowing users to zoom in and out and peer into the full set of molecules producing energy for brain functions. This breakthrough brings scientists closer to understanding the role of metabol...
A new study by MIT researchers finds that constructed languages such as Esperanto and Klingon elicit similar responses in the brain's language-processing network, suggesting that meaning is a key feature of language. This discovery helps define some of the key properties of language and narrows down the question of what a language is.
Binghamton University researchers have created a hydrogel electrode that includes conductive carbon nanotubes to monitor nerve activity in spinal cord neurons and leg muscles in mice. The technology solves the problem of rigid materials causing damage during movement, allowing for long-term functionality and single-cell signal detection.
A new brain-mapping technique identified memory-related brain cells vulnerable to protein buildup, a key factor in Alzheimer's disease. The study found that certain cell types in the hippocampus and cortex were more affected by tau buildup.
A POSTECH research team developed a photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) system that non-invasively monitors cerebrovascular changes in small animals with early stages of an ischemic stroke. The technology also measures oxygen saturation in blood vessels, allowing precise tracking of vascular recovery after stroke.
Researchers discovered that the activity of place cells in large spaces follows universal mathematical principles, challenging long-held assumptions about neural circuits and spatial cognition. The findings suggest that randomness is key to encoding information about experiences.
A new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests that different brain regions activated by creative tasks are part of one common brain circuit. People with brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases may have increased creativity due to changes in this circuit.
Studies identified 153 cases of psychosis caused by brain lesions, which connected to a common circuit in the hippocampus. The circuit, including the rostromedial prefrontal cortex, is a promising target for transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy, potentially improving symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg have made a breakthrough in understanding the role of protein tau in Alzheimer's disease. By identifying specific amino acid modifications that occur before thread-like fibrils form, scientists hope to develop complementary drugs to combat the disease.
Researchers developed a biomarker test that can detect small amounts of tau protein and its misfolded forms in cerebrospinal fluid, correlating with cognitive decline severity. The test identifies early stages of tau tangle formation up to a decade before brain scans, opening doors for early-stage disease diagnosis and intervention.
A team of researchers has developed a novel model of the Blood-Brain Barrier, which mimics the complex structure of cerebral blood vessels. This breakthrough enables scientists to study neuroinflammation and develop new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
A Mediterranean-style diet was associated with improved brain health in Hispanic/Latino adults, showing enhanced communication between brain regions and reduced white matter atrophy. The study used specialized imaging techniques to investigate the effects of diet on brain integrity.
Studies using a rodent model found sustained increase in neural activity in the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) after exposure to a strongly stressful event. This persistent activity is linked to altered behavior, including restlessness and disturbed sleep patterns. The findings suggest a new therapeutic target for stress-related issues.
A recent neuroscientific study by UPF and Oxford reveals that long-range connections between brain regions are scarce but play a fundamental role in explaining brain dynamics. These rare connections serve to transmit information more quickly and directly, yielding optimal and efficient information processing.
Researchers investigated how people build grammatical structure in Dutch using brain activity measurements, finding that Dutch speakers use a predictive strategy to build sentences, unlike English speakers who adopt a 'wait-and-see' approach.
A study found that individuals with sickle cell disease have brains that appear 14 years older than their actual age, and socioeconomic status is also linked to brain health in adults. This can lead to cognitive problems and challenges in school and work.
Researchers at the University of Parma and Sant'Anna School in Pisa developed a new approach to understand how the brain controls spontaneous movements in natural situations. The study used telemetric devices to record hundreds of neurons from the brains of monkeys, revealing complex synergies between individual neurons that allow for ...
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed durable neural implants that can withstand chronic use, enabling safe and effective brain-computer interfaces. The study found that PDMS coating significantly enhances the longevity of implantable chips.
The study found that female infants had significantly more grey matter than male infants, while male infants had more white matter. These sex differences are average and do not imply better or worse brains, but rather reflect biological sex differences during prenatal brain development.
A preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists found that estrogen surges promote binge drinking in females, causing them to 'pregame' and consume large quantities of alcohol. The study identifies a neural circuit in the brain where estrogen increases activity, leading to enhanced binge drinking behavior.
Researchers created a whole-brain atlas to visualize regions of the brain connected to V1 interneurons, a group of cells necessary for movement. The findings provide a framework to further understand the anatomical landscape of the nervous system and how the brain communicates with the spinal cord.
Dr. Gail Cornwall is investigating the structure of the brain extracellular matrix, a network of proteins and polysaccharides found in the space between neurons and glia. Her research aims to identify novel structural elements and mechanisms that enable brain plasticity and sex-specific responses.
A social work graduate has published her research on cognitive decline among refugees, finding that those who have experienced trauma are more likely to suffer from mild cognitive impairment. The study highlights the need for interventions that address these gaps in care and promote healthier aging.
Researchers investigate how perturbed gene expression contributes to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Alternative polyadenylation, a mechanism regulating protein production, is being studied for its potential role in the disease.
Researchers used machine learning to predict multiple types of intelligence from brain connections, with general intelligence performing best. The model's accuracy improved when trained on theory-driven connections, suggesting there are still unknown aspects of intelligence to discover.
Researchers found that autistic children prioritize faces in different ways, particularly when first seeing them, using an exploratory pattern characterized by larger face regions of interest. This may be associated with autism-related symptomology and decreased visual sensitivity to face information.
A new brain mapping technique has revealed fresh insights into how higher-order functions like language, thought, and attention are organised. Researchers used data from fMRI scans to create accurate models of brain activity and interactions between regions.