Articles tagged with Brain
The NIH has increased investment in the BRAIN Initiative to over $400 million, supporting more than 200 new awards for cutting-edge brain research. These projects aim to develop new tools and knowledge to discover answers for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
A Vanderbilt biologist studied cockroaches' defense mechanism against wasp attacks using ultra-slow-motion videography. The 'en garde' position and swift kicks saved 63% of adult cockroaches from being stung, while juveniles were more vulnerable to attack.
A recent study published in Nature suggests that gut bacteria play a crucial role in regulating movement in fruit flies. The researchers found that specific bacterial strains, such as Lactobacillus brevis, can slow down the speed of germ-free flies by fine-tuning levels of carbohydrates.
Research by Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that individuals with larger brains are more likely to develop brain tumors. The study, which analyzed data from over 1,000 participants, revealed a statistically significant association between brain size and increased cancer risk.
Valentin Dragoi of UTHealth receives $1.6M NIH BRAIN award for studying visual cortex and executive control in social interactions, which may help address autism-related social awkwardness.
A NIH study found that astrocytes alter neuron signal speed by changing myelin thickness and node width, impairing reflexes. The researchers propose thrombin inhibitors as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis.
A new review of animal studies reveals that sex differences in response to cannabis are not just socio-cultural, but biological too. Estradiol affects control of movement, social behavior and filtering of sensory input via modulation of the endocannabinoid system.
A neural network mimics the fruit fly's visual system and distinguishes between individuals based on sight alone. The system achieved an F1 score of 0.75, surpassing human biologists' performance in a similar task.
A study suggests that microdosing psychedelics can improve creative problem-solving abilities by enhancing divergent and convergent thinking. Participants who took a tiny fraction of a normal dose of psychedelic substances showed improved performance on tasks requiring alternative solutions and convergent thinking.
A study published in Neurology found that middle-aged individuals with high cortisol levels experienced impaired memory and reduced brain volume compared to those with average cortisol levels. The study also found no links between low cortisol levels and memory or brain size.
Researchers found perrottetinene, a natural compound in liverwort moss, to be more effective than THC in treating inflammation and pain. The study suggests perrottetinene could have potential therapeutic applications, but further research is needed.
Researchers at UMass Amherst used an eye-tracker to study jumping spiders and found that the principal eyes rely on an adjacent set of eyes, known as anterior lateral eyes, to track moving stimuli. This integration is unusual in the animal kingdom.
The brain compensates for its own limitations by relying on previous experiences and using strategies such as Bayesian integration, which combines multiple pieces of information to reduce variability. In tasks requiring complex computation, the brain reduces noise by increasing confidence in its calculations.
A landmark study published in JAMA found that brain cooling, a long-debated treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI), offers no benefits to patients. The POLAR trial involved 511 patients across six countries and showed that neither group had significantly better outcomes in terms of living independently after TBI recovery.
A study published in Scientific Reports found that 80% of tracked neurons were reliably activated by the same oriented lines throughout a two-week period. The researchers used two-photon microscopy to visualize hundreds of neurons and tested an extensive range of stimuli, including varying line thickness.
A team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has been awarded an ERC Synergy Grant to study the effects of play on brain mechanisms involved in learning. The six-year project aims to understand the neurobiology of learning and how learning through play affects the brain.
Researchers have developed memristors that mimic the brain's ability to process information efficiently and adapt to changing conditions. The new devices, made from niobium-doped strontium titanate, can 'forget' and retain memories, making them suitable for future electronic brains.
EDAS surgery reroutes brain arteries to create new pathways for blood and oxygen, significantly decreasing stroke recurrence rates by 9.6% compared to intensive medical management alone. The study's findings are promising for applying EDAS to severe atherosclerosis of the brain arteries.
Astrocytes play an unexpected role in brain plasticity by secreting the protein Chrdl1, which enables the brain's maturation and regulates its flexibility. This discovery could lead to ways to restore lost connections due to aging or trauma.
A new study by Imperial College London reveals that kisspeptin, the master regulator of reproduction, affects brain activity in healthy volunteers, leading to decreased sexual aversion and increased brain activity associated with sexual arousal. The hormone also boosts networks involved in mood and depression.
A large study published in The BMJ found that pre-eclampsia is associated with an increased risk of later dementia, particularly vascular dementia. Women with a history of pre-eclampsia were more than three times as likely to develop vascular dementia compared to those without the condition.
Researchers demonstrate a new type of compound synapse that can achieve synaptic weight programming and conduct vector-matrix multiplication, achieving accuracies up to five times those of conventional devices. The development uses atomically thin boron nitride memristors running in parallel for energy-efficient performance.
Experts recommend changing the way clinicians and patients describe cognitive changes experienced after anesthesia and surgery, particularly in elderly patients. The new nomenclature suggests Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder (PND), which includes delirium, delayed neurocognitive recovery, and mild or major neurocognitive disorder.
The study found that sweet and bitter tastes were quickly detected but took longer to be identified, while salty and sour tastes were vice versa. The researchers also discovered that participants' ratings of pleasantness influenced processing speed for sweet and bitter tastes.
New research shows that drinking No 1 Rosemary Water can improve memory by up to 15%. The study, conducted by Dr Mark Moss at Northumbria University, found that the drink increased brain blood flow and improved cognitive performance in participants.,
Research reveals abnormal vision in childhood can impact attention and brain development. Studies show that patients with lazy eye have difficulty directing attention to the weaker eye when both eyes are open.
Researchers found that a ketogenic diet improved neurovascular function and reduced neurodegeneration risk in young healthy mice. The diet also showed beneficial effects on the microbiome, blood glucose levels, and body weight.
Researchers at Duke University discovered a minimally invasive treatment using vagus nerve stimulation to reduce brain inflammation and cognitive decline after surgery. The study showed improved cognitive outcomes and reduced brain inflammation in mice with inflammation.
Researchers developed a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease, replicating PD-like motor symptoms and α-synuclein aggregation. The study suggests that stabilizing normal αS tetramers may prevent or delay PD onset.
A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health will enable a three-year project to explore the sex differences in oxytocin system development. The study aims to understand how oxytocin affects the female and male brain's neural regulation of social behavior.
A team of University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers has received $8 million in NIH funding to expand their groundbreaking brain-computer interface (BCI) research, with the goal of restoring hand function via a robotic arm. The new funding will support critical next steps in their research.
Researchers aim to understand the molecular signatures of Alzheimer's, CTE, and other neurodegenerative diseases by mapping the three-dimensional structures of protein tangles. This knowledge will enable the design of drug molecules that prevent tangle buildup and aid in early detection through biomarkers.
Researchers have discovered that two types of motor neurons die in ALS patients through distinct mechanisms, potentially leading to the development of more targeted treatments. The study used worm models to investigate the degeneration of spinal and brain neurons in ALS, revealing new insights into the complex nature of the disease.
The study found that participants who slept between 7 to 8 hours per night performed better cognitively than those who slept less or more. Despite age differences, sleep affected all adults equally, and too little or too much sleep had a similar impairment on cognitive function.
New research reveals identical brain mechanisms trigger memories during both sleep and wakefulness, suggesting a crucial role for sleep in stabilizing memories. The study provides further evidence of the beneficial effects of sleep on memory formation and offers insights into how memories are formed.
Research on GHB users found associations with negative emotions identification, altered brain processes during verbal long-term memory and working memory, lower IQ, and increased stress and anxiety. Brain scans revealed changes in brain activity and connectivity between memory-related pathways.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have identified a brain-signaling pathway that can be manipulated to reverse autism-related changes in genetically engineered mice. The study suggests a novel approach to treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by targeting an enzyme associated with stress and inflammation.
Researchers, led by Dr. Nikolaus Wenger, are developing neural prostheses for brain-computer interfaces to treat neurological disorders. The goal is to understand how the brain processes information and develop a prosthesis that can transmit signals back to the nervous system.
Caltech researchers develop two illusions to demonstrate postdiction, a phenomenon where later stimuli retroactively affect earlier perceptions. The Illusory Rabbit and Invisible Rabbit illusions show how sound can influence vision, highlighting dynamic neural processing.
A new study on Samuel Morton's 19th-century skull collection found that while Morton accurately measured brain size, his conclusions on racial intelligence were based on racist biases. The analysis of handwritten documentation revealed systematic underestimations of African cranial capacity due to inconsistent data collection methods.
A pilot study at Aarhus University found that certain migraine patients can reduce medication use by using an inhaler that changes the air's composition. The treatment increases brain oxygen supply by up to 70% and stops the destructive chain reaction, providing significant pain relief.
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has awarded over $13.8 million in Young Investigator Grants to 200 promising young scientists studying various psychiatric disorders, including addiction and depression. The grants support innovative ideas for groundbreaking neurobiological research.
Research suggests that short naps can aid in processing unconscious information, improving cognitive function and reaction time. The study found that even brief periods of sleep can enhance brain processing, particularly for implicit information.
Two University of Pittsburgh faculty members, Peter Strick and Warren Ruder, have been awarded $6 million NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards for innovative research in brain-body connection and antibiotic resistance. Their work aims to revolutionize biomedical research and address significant medical challenges.
Scientists have found spiking neurons in the tiny roundworm C. elegans, which could help understand fundamental principles of brain computation. The discovery overturns decades of dogma and reveals a unique coding mechanism that allows the worm's olfactory neurons to encode information in two ways.
Jonathan Kipnis, a UVA neuroscientist, receives $5.6 million in funding to advance his research on the relationship between the brain and immune system. His work aims to understand how the immune system interacts with the brain and potentially develop new treatments for neurological diseases.
Dr. Hyungbae Kwon of Max Planck Florida Institute has received a $6.8 million Pioneer Award to study neuromodulators using light, aiming to understand internal brain state and its effects on sensation, perception, and cognition. The grant will help develop novel optogenetic approaches to dissect animal sensations and behaviors at highe...
A new mathematical model describes the distribution of sensory errors in learning, revealing that animals explore and track a range of possibilities to compensate for variabilities. The study found that birds combine their hypotheses with new information from their ears while singing, surprisingly accurately.
A new study demonstrates how visual cortex neurons learn to recognize familiar faces regardless of their location. Participants who reported stronger familiarity with peers more consistently recognized the other individual in different parts of their visual field.
A study using machine learning and data from 550 children with varying learning difficulties identified four clusters of cognitive challenges that did not match previous diagnoses. The researchers found that working memory and phonological skills deficits often overlap, affecting both reading and math abilities.
A study found that infants' responsiveness to fearful faces at 7 months predicts altruistic behavior in toddlerhood. Additionally, brain responses in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are linked to this early precursor of prosocial behavior.
Researchers developed targeted plasticity therapy (TPT) to pair physical movements with vagus nerve stimulation, accelerating brain reorganization and recovery. The study found TPT to be twice as effective as traditional rehabilitation alone in doubling upper limb recovery rates.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found elevated glial activation in the brains of fibromyalgia patients, correlating with fatigue levels. The results suggest that neuroinflammation may be a potential treatment target for the condition.
The Child Mind Institute and international researchers have released open-source non-human primate brain imaging data sets. These aggregated datasets will help accelerate the development of 'wiring diagrams' that may improve understanding of brain disorders. The goal is to advance research on mental health and learning disorders.
Researchers create a new model for collective behavior within the brain, bridging the gap between EEG waves and random fluctuations. The technique has potential to reduce stress and onset of conditions like PTSD in military personnel.
Researchers found specific physical changes to axons speed up neural transmission, leading to higher cognitive abilities. Axon myelination increased significantly during adolescence, corresponding with a dramatic increase in signal conduction velocity.
A University of Iowa-led research team identified a brain marker associated with aggression in toddlers, including smaller P3 brain waves accompanying tone changes. This finding could help diagnose aggressive behavior in young children before it becomes ingrained.
Researchers created a way to measure different types of fear of falling (FOF) in Parkinson's patients, highlighting the importance of cognitive function. The study aims to improve treatment and quality of life for patients with FOF.
A UCI research team found that brain endothelial cells can engulf and deposit red blood cells outside of blood vessels without a blood vessel tear. This discovery could lead to new efforts to eliminate brain bleeding and its consequences.
The ALTA-1 trial found brigatinib to be a first-line treatment option for advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer, with a 51% reduction in progression or death risk compared to crizotinib. Patients treated with brigatinib also showed improved response rates and longer progression-free survival.