Articles tagged with Human Brain
Researchers found that petting real dogs activates the prefrontal cortex more than stuffed animals, with increased brain activity each time interaction occurs. This effect persists after the dog is gone, suggesting a long-lasting impact of social bonding.
A mouse study found that female brains express higher levels of an X-linked enzyme called USP11, leading to greater accumulation of tau protein and increased vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease. The results suggest that excessive activity of USP11 drives this increased susceptibility in females.
Researchers from Aarhus University identified seven genetic variants common to both autism and ADHD, as well as five specific to only one diagnosis. The study suggests a significant overlap in underlying genetic causes and may lead to more precise diagnoses and earlier interventions.
Scientists at UC San Francisco's Neuroscape Center have developed video game interventions that improve key aspects of cognition in aging adults, including short-term memory, attention and long-term memory. The games use adaptive closed-loop algorithms to challenge players, keeping them engaged while adapting difficulty levels.
Researchers at Boston University have found a way to manipulate emotional memories using optogenetics, allowing them to rewrite and reduce the potency of negative memories. The study reveals that positive and negative memories are stored in distinct regions of the brain and communicate through different pathways.
Researchers found that song elements' order strongly correlates with rhythmical timing, suggesting a similar processing mechanism as humans. This discovery sheds light on the cognitive processes of songbirds and their potential for musicality.
Researchers have identified a new marker for predicting the clinical outcome of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing brain flexibility during rest. The study found that brains with more flexible functional repertoires tend to have better clinical outcomes.
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 study from UniSA researchers found associations between metabolic profiles and adverse brain findings, including lower hippocampal and grey matter volumes. People with metabolic profiles linked to obesity were more likely to have higher accumulation of iron in the brain.
A recent study published in Science Translational Medicine has found that supporting emotional connections between mothers and their premature infants can significantly improve brain development in these babies. The researchers measured the brain network functions of premature infants at term age after receiving either standard care or...
A prospective multicenter case-control study found that third-trimester fetuses exposed to opioids in utero exhibited smaller brain biometric measurements and altered fetal physiology. The study suggests a possible link between prenatal opioid exposure and postnatal clinical outcomes.
A new study by Human Brain Project researchers unravels the mechanisms of psychostimulants like methylphenidate on attention and learning. The findings suggest that dopamine enhances task-relevant cortical signals, explaining variability in drug's cognitive effects across individuals.
Reduced kidney function and increased urine albumin excretion are associated with brain volume reduction in regions typically affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementia etiologies. Cognitive decline is common in patients with kidney disease, and this study provides new insights into the etiology and localization of brain damage.
A recent study from the Paris Brain Institute has identified a region of the brain where the decision to procrastinate is made: the anterior cingulate cortex. The researchers developed an algorithm to predict participants' tendency to procrastinate, suggesting that procrastination is related to the impact of deadlines on task evaluation.
Researchers discovered that humans automatically integrate extralinguistic information into grammatical processing, improving communication. The study used EEG data from 37 native Russian speakers, finding both linguistic and extralinguistic features processed simultaneously.
Researchers at UCLA and UCSF will map gene regulatory regions to understand how genetic variants affect brain development. They aim to build a comprehensive catalog of cell types in the developing brain and identify specific cell types and genomic regions that mediate the risk of brain diseases.
Researchers at UTHealth Houston will create a coordinating unit for biostatistics, informatics, and engagement to advance knowledge about human brain neurons. The project aims to produce an open-access digital brain cell reference atlas to improve understanding of neurological functions and disorders.
A study found an association between air pollution exposure during pregnancy and the first 5 years of life with altered white matter structural connectivity in children's brains. Exposure to fine particulate matter was also linked to changes in brain volume, particularly in preadolescents.
The Allen Institute is leading a global collaboration to create detailed atlases of the human brain and its cells. The project aims to understand brain function and structure, with applications in treating diseases of the brain.
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center used fMRI to study how the brain processes complex audiovisual speech. The study found that watching a narrator tell a story activates an extensive network of brain regions involved in sensory processing and cognitive functions associated with comprehension. This finding has pot...
A new study reveals key differences in dopamine disposal machinery between male and female mice with a rare human genetic variant found in boys with ADHD or ASD. Females exhibit unique behavioral changes, such as increased anxiety and novelty recognition issues, while males display reduced social behavior and perseverative traits.
Research at the University of Birmingham suggests that people who experience frequent bad dreams in middle age are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia later in life. The study found that middle-aged individuals with weekly nightmares were four times more likely to experience cognitive decline over a decade.
The study used a weakly supervised deep learning algorithm to analyze human brain autopsy tissues and predict the presence or absence of cognitive impairment. The model identified a signal associated with decreasing myelin staining, which was linked to cognitive impairment in the white matter.
A new neurocomputational model introduces a three-level information processing framework to understand brain development and cognition. The model focuses on Hebbian learning and reinforcement learning, highlighting two fundamental mechanisms for multilevel cognitive ability development in biological neural networks.
Researchers have mapped four new areas of the human anterior prefrontal cortex that play a major role in cognitive functions, including attention selection and decision making. The newly identified areas show significant inter-subject variability, with two being relatively larger in females than males.
Researchers found that experiencing reward enhances connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and the ventral striatum. This effect was specific to the DMN and correlated with personality characteristics related to openness. The study used data from the Human Connectome Project, a database of healthy participants.
Research found that human brain hemispheres have distinct functional patterns, with regions on the left and right sides specialized for different tasks. Individual differences in these arrangements were heritable, suggesting genetic influence, while environmental factors also play a role. The study also compared humans to monkeys, find...
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to analyze dynamic functional connectivity and structural white matter connections. The study revealed that unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients had less activity in functional networks and a reduction of metastability compared to minimally conscious state patients.
Researchers found that modern human brains produce more neurons than Neandertal brains, particularly in the frontal lobe, due to a single amino acid substitution in the TKTL1 protein. This increase is attributed to changes in metabolism and membrane lipid synthesis.
The report explores diffuse optical imaging methods applicable to noninvasive human studies, including near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS). It introduces state-of-the-art technologies and software, exploring their impact on neuroscience and clinical applications.
Researchers at George Washington University found that people perceive objects differently based on their prior knowledge and experience, with manipulable objects perceived faster but with less detail, while non-manipulable objects are perceived slower but with higher detail.
A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience found that a 20-minute non-invasive treatment regimen can improve both short-term and long-term memory in individuals 65 years and older. The treatment involves electrical brain stimulation delivered through scalp electrodes, and its effects were observed to last at least one month.
The Human Brain Project has identified seven new areas in the insular cortex using statistical mapping of cytoarchitecture, providing new insights into its structural organisation. The findings are now available online for future studies addressing relations between structure and function in this complex brain region.
A study from MIT neuroscientists has identified a population of neurons in the visual cortex that respond to images of food. The researchers found four previously known populations and a fifth, more surprising population that appears to be selective for food images. This finding may reflect the special importance of food in human culture.
A new neurosurgical procedure has been deemed safe for measuring dopamine and serotonin in the human brain. The study, published in PLOS One, found no significant increase in infection rates among patients who underwent the procedure.
A new study published in Development Cell shows that microglial cells develop in a unique wave-like pattern throughout human brain development. The research, led by Professor Diego Gomez-Nicola, used post-mortem human brain samples to create the largest-ever study on microglial development across the human lifespan.
Research led by Drs. Yuhai Zhao and Walter J Lukiw reports a pathway from the gut to the brain that contributes to Alzheimer's disease development. Adequate dietary fiber intake can prevent this process. The study suggests a potential means to modify the abundance of microbes in the microbiome.
A team of UNLV-led researchers questions the hypothesis that modern humans experienced an evolutionary decrease in brain size during the transition to complex societies. They analyzed a dataset of early human fossil and museum specimens, finding no reduction in brain size over 30,000 years.
A team of researchers from The Mount Sinai Hospital has made a groundbreaking discovery into the genetic and molecular mechanisms that predispose individuals to Alzheimer's disease. They identified 21 candidate risk genes, including SPI1, which regulates microglia and AD risk.
Scientists aim to replicate human brain's capabilities in computing, inspired by quantum materials' traits. Researchers develop materials that can process information efficiently, consuming less energy than traditional computers.
A study published in NeuroReport reveals that ultrasound exposure improves depressive behavior in a rat model of depression. OB rats exposed to USV had significantly lower hyperemotionality scores and plasma corticosterone levels than unexposed rats, suggesting potential anti-depressant effects.
Researchers at MPI-CBG found that modern human variants cause longer metaphase and fewer chromosome segregation errors in neural stem cells, leading to more efficient brain development. This suggests that some aspects of modern human brain evolution may be independent of brain size.
Researchers at UCLA have developed a new framework for studying the organization of the human brain by combining data simulation and experimental observation. The study reveals that a small number of spatiotemporal patterns can unify various observations, providing a description of global functional brain organization.
Artificial neural networks use white matter cracks and cerebral cortex furrows to estimate biological age, which can indicate possible disease or injury. The 'black box' problem has been solved, revealing the algorithm's decision-making process.
Researchers found that despite a powerful brain response to sound during sleep, the level of alpha-beta waves associated with attention and expectation is significantly reduced. This means the brain can analyze auditory input but fails to focus on it, resulting in no conscious awareness.
A Baycrest study found that expert knowledge helps memorize new information by providing a mental organizational structure. Experts grouped birds based on specific features, while non-experts relied on superficial characteristics like color. This structure supports memory and may mitigate age-related decline.
A recent study published in Brain Stimulation reveals that non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation increases reaction times to negative images and decreases reactions to positive images. The findings have implications for the development of treatments for PTSD and other mental health conditions.
A new theory developed by a collaboration between a former cosmologist and a computational neuroscientist has identified essential connections between brain cells. The theory, published in Physical Review Research, uses geometric framework to predict structure from function in neural networks.
A new GPU-based machine learning algorithm, ReAL-LiFE, can rapidly analyze large amounts of data from diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) scans of the human brain. This allows for faster analysis and prediction of brain connectivity, enabling better understanding of brain-behaviour relationships at scale.
Researchers have discovered a prominent network of silencing interneurons in the human cortex, which could be linked to enhanced working memory and reasoning abilities. This unique network relies on abundant connections between inhibitory interneurons and is distinct from those found in mice.
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.
Researchers at Colorado State University have found a way to alter the type of synapses between brain cells using enzymes. This breakthrough could lead to new treatments for brain disorders caused by faulty synaptic information processing and exchange.
Research reveals that healthy brain temperature varies significantly by brain region, age, sex, and time of day. Daily brain temperature cycles strongly correlate with survival in traumatic brain injury patients, suggesting potential improvements in understanding and treatment of brain injuries.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified LIPE, a lipase that degrades triglycerides, as a promising candidate therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease. Inhibiting LIPE reduced alpha-synuclein inclusions and alleviated neurodegeneration in patient-derived neurons and a C. elegans model of toxicity.
A new study by Baycrest and Western University suggests that older adults may benefit more from natural speech than previously thought. They found that for engaging stories, older adults performed similarly to younger adults in noisy settings, but struggled with disconnected sentences.
Researchers have elucidated principles of human brain organisation across visual, auditory, somatosensory, and motor functional systems. The study revealed systematic changes in receptor architecture and gene expression within each system, reflecting increasing complexity of information processing.
Researchers at Texas A&M University College of Medicine have identified a crucial mechanism driving the evolution of the neocortex, leading to increased intelligence and surface area. This breakthrough understanding contributes to insights into developmental deficits linked to autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities.
A new study reveals an 'expanding hole' illusion that deceives the brain, prompting a dilation reflex in the pupils and making us perceive more light. The illusion is perceived by approximately 86% of people and affects how our visual system anticipates and makes sense of the visual world.
Researchers found that listening to groove music enhances executive function and activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex in familiarized participants. The study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in cognitive function before and after listening to music.
A new study by the University of Birmingham found that dopamine levels can affect emotion recognition in people with neurological disorders. Those with low baseline dopamine levels improved their ability to recognize emotions after receiving a dopamine boost, while those with higher baseline levels became worse at emotion recognition.