Articles tagged with Human Brain
Children with adverse prenatal exposures showed higher rates of behavior problems, faster cortical thinning, and more depressive symptoms than children with fewer APEs. Researchers found a persistent association between multiple APEs and increased odds of mental health problems as kids grew older.
Boston College researchers have developed an AI-assisted method to remove 'noise' from functional MRI brain data, a major obstacle for fMRI research. The new method, known as DeepCor, outperforms previous approaches and could pave the way for new discoveries about the brain and its disorders.
Research finds that musical improvisation involves a dynamic reconfiguration of the brain between emotion, technique, and structure. The study proposes a scalable method for exploring the neural basis of spontaneous creative behavior, highlighting the importance of interaction between networks over time.
Researchers at UVA Health System discover how traumatic brain injury increases Alzheimer's risk and find a potential prevention strategy using a hollowed-out virus to deliver repair supplies. The approach could help limit neurodegeneration and potentially prevent other neurological diseases.
Researchers used AI to study covert attention and found emergent properties in artificial neural networks, including new neuron types with response properties never highlighted before. The findings have implications for our understanding of the human brain and its ability to process information.
Researchers at MIT have identified three clusters of pragmatic skills that are based on the same kinds of inferences and may have similar underlying neural processes. These skills include interpreting social conventions, understanding physical world knowledge, and distinguishing between tones to convey emphasis or emotion.
A UK-based study found that epilepsy can be a primary cause of death in people with intellectual disabilities, with those from ethnic minorities living in the UK being particularly at risk. The research highlights significant disparities in care and service provision, calling for systemic changes to prevent avoidable deaths.
Researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are using a human brain-on-a-chip system to study lethal encephalitis viruses and develop treatments. The chip replicates the function of the human brain, allowing scientists to test antiviral drugs in a more accurate and human-like environment.
The EBRAINS Summit 2025 will bring together experts to assess how neuroscience can drive medical progress, digital innovation, and responsible data use. Preliminary results from the EPINOV clinical trial, integrating virtual brain technology for epilepsy surgery planning, will be presented.
The UBC robotic platform helps scientists understand how the brain keeps us standing by mimicking delays in sensory feedback. By tweaking forces and adding short delays, the robot reveals that our sense of space and time work from the same playbook.
Researchers identified five phases of brain structure, each supported by four turning points between birth and death, revealing key developments in cognitive performance, neural efficiency, and regional compartmentalization. The study provides context for understanding why brains develop differently at various stages of life.
Researchers at Tulane University discovered a new nerve cell signaling mechanism that can turn on pain signaling after injury, potentially leading to safer treatments. The discovery of enzyme vertebrate lonesome kinase (VLK) offers a new way to influence cell behavior and could simplify drug development.
Researchers found that a small section of intact corpus callosum is enough to sustain full integration of the two brain halves, contrary to previous assumptions. The discovery has implications for epilepsy surgery and brain injury recovery.
Researchers will study neural mechanisms of visual perceptual learning (VPL) to generalize across the visual field, improving vision rehabilitation and AI systems. The project aims to develop a unified model of visual processing, VPL, and attention.
A recent study by Sora Shin has identified a shared brain circuit that contributes to both aggression and self-harm in individuals with a history of early-life trauma. The research found that pain, including emotional pain, can serve as a gateway for these behaviors to emerge.
Researchers at UTA are exploring how guided cognitive training can improve brain performance, particularly in navigation and memory. The study found that functional brain changes support behavioral differences, rather than increased brain volume.
A large international study reveals that women with a precursor condition to Parkinson's disease exhibit significantly less brain atrophy compared to men. The research suggests that estrogens may play a crucial role in protecting the brain from neurodegeneration.
Researchers discovered a common relational structure across all participants when observing relationships between general activity patterns in neurons. This structure may be the brain's way of organizing information to ensure similar perceptions despite underlying neural coding differences.
New research papers from Mount Sinai present unprecedented evidence that brain tissue from living individuals has a unique molecular character, differing significantly from postmortem samples. These findings challenge the conventional practice of using postmortem brain tissue for studying the human brain and its diseases.
MetaSeg achieves the same segmentation performance as U-Nets but requires 90% fewer parameters, making medical image segmentation more cost-effective. The new approach leverages implicit neural representations to quickly adjust to new images and decode accurate labels.
Researchers have discovered a link between maternal PFAS levels during pregnancy and their children's brain structure and function. The study found that maternal PFAS were linearly associated with many aspects of their children's brain structure, including the corpus callosum, posterior grey matter volume, and hypothalamus.
A large-scale international study found that creative experiences slow brain aging and promote healthier brain function. Creative activities such as music, dance, and video games were linked to 'younger' brain profiles, particularly in regions vulnerable to neurodegeneration.
A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that vision therapy can effectively treat concussion-related eye coordination disorders, including convergence insufficiency and accommodation insufficiency. Nearly 90% of patients in the treatment group were able to see normally after 12 weeks of therapy.
Scientists have developed an imaging technique to visualize and quantify alpha-synuclein oligomers in human brain tissue, a major advance in Parkinson's research. The study found that oligomers exist in both healthy and Parkinson's brains, but are larger, brighter, and more numerous in disease samples.
Researchers at Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown used machine learning techniques to show that mice's facial movements reflect their hidden thoughts. This discovery could offer unprecedented insight into brain function and potential new research tools.
Salk scientists pinpoint gracile nucleus as brain area responsible for differentiating between painful and non-painful touch, with dysfunction leading to chronic pain. Altered neuronal activity in the dorsal column nuclei drives mechanical allodynia, causing the brain to misinterpret innocuous light touch as painful.
Johns Hopkins researchers used machine learning to analyze electric activity of mini-brains grown in a lab, revealing unique firing patterns associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The study improves accuracy in distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy brain organoids, paving the way for potential diagnostic tests and p...
A study published in Science Advances reveals that an autism-linked mutation disrupts brain circuits responsible for erasing fear memories, leading to PTSD-like symptoms. By reactivating specific neurons, researchers were able to reverse the behavioral and physiological abnormalities.
Research found that cumulative exposure to factors like low education, childhood trauma, and financial stress negatively impacts brain structure and function. This has long-lasting effects on mental and brain health, even in healthy aging and dementia prevention.
Researcher Angus Fletcher argues that AI excels at logic but fails to replicate human creativity and problem-solving skills. He advocates for developing 'primal intelligence,' which involves intuition, imagination, emotion, and commonsense, and has developed a program to help people tap into this ability.
Researchers developed a new method to correct for variations in brain imaging measurements, reducing bias and increasing the accuracy of studies on ADHD. The traveling-subject method demonstrated reduced measurement bias while maintaining sampling bias, revealing decreased brain volume in critical regions for cognitive functions.
Researchers at UCLA have developed a wearable noninvasive brain-computer interface system that utilizes AI to interpret user intent, allowing participants to complete tasks significantly faster with assistance. The system demonstrates promising results for technology to assist individuals with limited physical capabilities.
A neural pattern predicting self-focused thinking has been identified in people with a tendency to internalize. Fluctuating brain activity during rest is associated with maladaptive self-interest, which can lead to depression and anxiety. Researchers hope their findings will help predict the onset of mental health conditions.
The Fork It Fund has awarded $1 million to support a major initiative at Stevens INI, accelerating scientific discovery by making critical research data more accessible worldwide. GAAIN is a global data-sharing platform connecting Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related data repositories from around the world.
Despite long-held assumptions, a new study reveals that the brain's somatosensory cortex holds a stable 'body map' even after limb loss. The findings have significant implications for treating phantom limb pain and restoring sensation in prosthetic limbs via brain-computer interfaces.
Two brain regions have been identified as a neural compass, allowing people to maintain their sense of direction while navigating naturalistic virtual reality cities. These regions are consistent across different city features and task phases, suggesting they track direction relative to the north-south axis.
Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center and University College Dublin has revealed key insights into multisensory integration in the brain. The study found that when changes occur in both visual and auditory inputs, auditory and visual decision processes unfold in parallel but come together in the motor system.
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.
SuperAgers, individuals with exceptional memory performance beyond their age, have been studied for 25 years. Their brains show a distinct neurobiological profile, linked to resistance and resilience mechanisms that may prevent Alzheimer's disease progression.
Researchers from the National Institute of Physiological Sciences evaluated the impact of denoising algorithms on dMRI data for detecting tissue abnormalities in glaucoma. They found that denoising increased signal-to-noise ratio and altered image appearance, but had limited effect on disease-related changes.
Researchers found measurable changes in brain signals responsible for motor control and movement after 12 dynamic cycling sessions. The study suggests long-term exercise programs could have wider restorative effects on the brain signals of Parkinson's Disease patients.
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 developed a personalized brain stimulation system powered by AI to safely enhance concentration from home. The system, which uses non-invasive brain stimulation and adaptive AI, showed significant improvements in sustained attention and learning abilities.
Researchers at USC have developed a new understanding of how the human brain organizes its visual memories by sorting them into categories. The study, published in Advanced Science, used human patient brain recordings and machine learning to decode the category of visual image being recalled from precise neural timing.
A systematic review identified 112 studies on implantable brain-computer interfaces, which decode brain signals to control devices. The analysis found that iBCI technologies are being used to control robotic prosthetic limbs and digital technologies, but clinical outcomes were highly mixed.
A combination of two approved cancer medications may slow or reverse Alzheimer's symptoms by reversing gene expression changes in neurons and brain cells. Researchers analyzed public data from deceased donors and found a link between these drugs and reduced risk of developing the disease.
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.
The brain segments and organizes events into experiences by placing unique bookmarks on them, allowing us to revisit and learn from our lives. The lateral entorhinal cortex creates a signal that constantly drifts in a pattern never repeating itself, marking the beginning and end of an experience.
New research suggests that blurry, color-limited vision in early childhood can contribute to the development of key brain pathways. The study proposes that such limited vision allows the brain to specialize in certain processing units, which later develop into distinct pathways for color and fine spatial detail.
Dr. Danielle Beckman's research uses animal models to understand how viruses like COVID-19 trigger neurological damage and accelerate Alzheimer's disease. Her work has established critical connections between viral infections and neurodegenerative processes.
Researchers have successfully controlled a dexterous robotic hand using noninvasive EEG-based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for individual finger movements. The study demonstrates real-time brain decoding and motor imagery control, paving the way for potential applications beyond basic communication to intricate motor control.
The study identifies the brain circuit controlling associations between stimuli and allows for indirect associations. The amygdala plays a crucial role in linking olfactory and taste stimuli.
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.
Researchers have discovered that multimodal pain integration in the brain significantly enhances overall pain perception when participants are instructed on how to perceive the pain. The precuneus region of the brain plays a vital role in integrating pain information into a cohesive and intensified pain experience.
Researchers discovered that a lack of sleep affects how people with migraines process pain signals in the brain. This can lead to increased sensitivity and severity of migraine symptoms, highlighting the importance of adequate sleep for migraine management.
Researchers at Uppsala University have created a model of human nerve tissue using 3D printing, enabling the testing of new drug treatments in a lab environment. This innovation allows for more precise medicine and could potentially lead to improved treatment options for ALS patients.
Researchers at UC Davis developed a brain-computer interface that translates neural activity into speech in real time. The technology allows individuals with ALS to communicate more naturally and inclusively, with 60% of synthesized words intelligible to listeners.
Researchers have identified a specific group of neurons in the brain responsible for suppressing binge drinking behavior. The discovery may lead to new therapeutic targets for treating alcohol dependency and related health challenges.
Researchers found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can alleviate some autistic behaviors and improve mental flexibility by reducing neural rigidity. The study's results provide a biological explanation for the coexistence of diverse behavioral traits in ASD.
The study reveals that white matter microstructure in infants' brains between 3-9 months predicts their emotional development. Infants with certain brain patterns are more likely to exhibit negative emotions or improved self-soothing abilities.