Articles tagged with Neural Pathways
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Researchers have uncovered a new understanding of how cardiac events are interconnected with the brain and nervous/immune systems. They found that sensory neurons in the vagus nerve detect injury and transfer signals to dedicated brain structures, leading to activation of the immune system.
A recent study reveals that tissue stiffness regulates the production of key signaling molecules in the brain, using the mechanosensitive protein Piezo1. This discovery opens new avenues for understanding development and tackling diseases such as cancer.
Scientists discovered that the brain sorts emotionally significant stimuli into three independent channels: salience, valence, and value. This allows the brain to evaluate information efficiently and guide decisions.
Researchers discovered that calcium alpha-ketoglutarate restores key memory-related brain functions disrupted in Alzheimer's disease. The molecule enhances synaptic plasticity, protects neurons from degenerative changes, and supports healthier cognitive ageing.
Compulsive behaviours are common across many mental health conditions, where people repeat actions despite negative consequences. New research in rats suggests that triggering inflammation in the striatum may shift behaviour toward more deliberate decision-making, rather than habit.
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.
A new study found that neural inhibition and balanced activity in a specific brain area are necessary for recognition memory. The research suggests that too little or too much neural inhibition in the hippocampus can disrupt object recognition memory.
Scientists developed a wireless device that uses light to send information directly to the brain, bypassing natural sensory pathways. The soft device delivers precise patterns of light through the bone to activate neurons across the cortex, allowing mice to learn and interpret meaningful signals.
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are studying Alston's singing mice to better comprehend the evolutionary origins of vocal communication. The research may also hold clues for understanding strokes, autism, and other speech-related disorders. The study found that singing mice use a common brain region for both singing and ult...
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 discovered that pancreatic tumors form pseudosynapses, exploiting the body's nervous system to drive tumor growth. Calcium waves triggered by glutamate binding promote metastasis and cancer progression.
Researchers have discovered a key role for the Frazzled protein in fruit fly neural circuits, revealing how it helps neurons form reliable connections. The study showed that when Frazzled is missing or mutated, neurons fail to form proper electrical connections, leading to communication breakdowns.
A new Northwestern University study reveals how a key disease protein, TDP-43, drives overactive nerve cells in ALS and FTD. The findings highlight a promising new drug that can fix this error and restore balance to neurons.
A groundbreaking study in The American Journal of Pathology reveals a perineural pathway that enables HIV-infected immune cells to redistribute throughout the body, sustaining inflammation. The findings highlight the importance of the connection between the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system in immunity.
Scientists at RIKEN Center for Brain Science found that fruit flies use separate circuits to compute pleasant and unpleasant odors, challenging the idea that 'good' is the opposite of 'bad'. The discovery may contribute to a better understanding of human brain's flavor appreciation mechanisms.
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.
Researchers have identified a new population of hypothalamic neurons, Crabp1 neurons, that play a critical role in regulating energy expenditure. Silencing these neurons leads to reduced energy expenditure and obesity, while activating them enhances locomotor activity and protects against high-fat diet-induced weight gain.
Researchers used ultraflexible probes to track neurons in the visual cortex of mice for 15 consecutive days, revealing that millisecond rhythms explain how the brain maintains a stable picture of the world. The findings provide new insights for brain-computer interfaces, sensory prostheses and therapies for neurological disease.
Researchers discovered that proprioceptive nerve cells for sensing leg motion are deactivated during active movement in fruit flies. This selective suppression may enable the insect to quickly respond to sudden external events. The study advances basic scientific knowledge of sensory feedback and its application to clinical treatments
Cachexia affects connections between brain and immune system, reducing motivation in cancer patients. Patient-reported symptoms are invaluable data points that may help researchers better understand disease progression.
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.
A team of researchers from Okayama University has identified SNAP25 as a key component in the transmission of sour taste signals and the long-term survival of type III taste cells. The study found that mice deficient in SNAP25 had impaired responses to sour-tasting substances, highlighting the importance of this protein in maintaining ...
The brain processes visual information in rapid snapshots roughly eight times per second, resolving competition through rhythmic switching between competing inputs. This 'attentional sampling' mechanism is a fundamental solution to the deep problem of cognition's neural implementation.
Researchers found that mice with weakened laterodorsal tegmentum responses exhibited reduced withdrawal symptoms and increased interactions with new objects. The interpeduncular nucleus inhibits the LDTg, suggesting a potential target for nicotine addiction treatments.
Scientists discovered a hormonally primed cortical circuit that controls reproductive drive in female mice through oxytocin and ovarian hormones. The circuit has the opposite effect in male mice, making them less interested in mating. Researchers identified a key subset of neurons that respond to social cues and internal signals.
Researchers at the Salk Institute have identified a brain circuit that gives physical pain its emotional tone, revealing a potential target for treating chronic and affective pain conditions. The study found that a group of neurons in the thalamus can mediate the emotional side of pain in mice.
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 at the University of Michigan propose a new theory that non-REM sleep strengthens memories, while REM prunes overlapping ones. This sequence helps reinforce relevant memories and keeps unrelated ones distinct.
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.
A new brain training game has shown promise in treating nerve pain, with participants experiencing significant reductions in pain and comparable relief to opioids. The PainWaive technology uses EEG headsets to track brain activity and respond in real time, providing a potential non-invasive alternative for chronic pain management.
A study published in Neuron reveals the neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation, a key component of emotional responses. The research identifies distinct brain pathways involved in two types of defensive behaviors, providing new insights into arousal modulation and stress adaptation.
Researchers have identified the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as the basis of emotional inference in animals and humans. In a study published in Nature, Xiaowei Gu and Joshua Johansen found that rats can learn inferred emotions by associating a neutral stimulus with an unpleasant experience.
Researchers have found that psychedelic compounds can reverse a cascade involving brain-resident cells and immune cells, increasing fear behavior when chronic stress disrupts signaling. This finding represents a paradigm shift in understanding psychedelics' therapeutic potential.
Researchers identified unique biological mechanisms that cause premature aging in the brains of individuals with alcohol, opioid, and stimulant use disorders. Different substances appear to hijack the brain's natural aging rhythm through distinct molecular mechanisms, though some pathways are shared across different substance types.
A recent study used AI to discover that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) is a causal gene for spontaneous Alzheimer's disease. The researchers found that altering PHGDH expression levels can significantly impact the progression of the disease, suggesting a novel therapeutic target.
Researchers have found that mice can instinctively exhibit rescue-like behavior toward anesthetized conspecifics without prior training or external rewards. Oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus are activated when detecting distress signals, releasing OXT and coordinating emotional and motor responses.
MIT researchers have found that a computational model of the ventral stream, which processes object recognition, also performs well on spatial tasks such as determining an object's location and orientation. This challenges the dominant perspective that the ventral stream is optimized for object recognition.
Researchers are investigating the role of five-carbon metabolism in the human body, which could impact long-term health. Baccile's lab is developing functional derivatives of molecules involved in this pathway, aiming to discover their underlying purpose.
Researchers successfully assembled a miniaturized human nervous system to reconstitute the ascending sensory pathway, which transmits sensations from the skin to the brain. The new construct promises to accelerate understanding and treatment of chronic pain by allowing for non-invasive modeling and manipulation of the pain pathway.
A new study published in Brain Medicine found that administering Osanetant shortly after a traumatic event significantly dampens fear expression in female mice. This suggests that targeting fear memory at its roots may be an effective intervention to reduce PTSD-like behaviors.
Researchers found that mouse brains process active and passive touch through different pathways, with one region responding to surprise at touch. This distinction may help mice navigate their environments more effectively.
A research team has uncovered a fundamental brain circuit that distinguishes between direct and vicarious fear, with the locus coeruleus playing a crucial role in processing fear. The study reveals a lateralized LC-NAergic system that separates personal from socially learned fear, shedding light on empathy and social learning.
Researchers discovered that dopamine levels in a specific brain region are closely linked to male sexual behavior transitions. The study found rhythmic dopamine input during intromission was regulated by acetylcholine innervation, directly triggering ejaculation.
Researchers found that changes in gut bacteria after a stroke lead to an increase in harmful substances and a decrease in beneficial ones, potentially causing inflammation. Restoring these beneficial substances from gut bacteria could help reduce inflammation after a stroke.
This study found that electroacupuncture (EA) improved gastric emptying in rats with burn-induced dysmotility by down-regulating cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. EA also normalized sympathetic hyperactivity and enhanced vagal activity, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit for burn-induced gastric dysmotility.
A study by Dr. Keum Sehoon's team identified key neural ensembles in the anterior cingulate cortex that encode empathic freezing, a behavioral response to witnessing distress in others. The researchers found that observing another's pain triggers activation in the ACC as if the observer were experiencing pain themselves.
Researchers discovered distinct neuronal populations in the ACC process pain and itch information separately, with stimulus-specific neurons receiving differentiated synaptic inputs from the mediodorsal thalamus. Suppressing these neurons reduced corresponding sensations without affecting the other.
Researchers discovered a common cognitive feedback loop used by Buddhist jhāna meditation and Christian speaking in tongues practices to achieve profound focus and joy. This 'Attention, Arousal and Release Spiral' offers insights into cultivating deep states of tranquility and bliss.
Researchers are testing noninvasive electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to treat major depressive disorder. The trial, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, aims to confirm whether this method reduces signaling in specific pathways related to depression.
Scientists at NUS Medicine have developed a novel approach using nasal bacteria to deliver therapeutic molecules directly to the brain, reducing appetite and improving glucose metabolism in preclinical studies. The engineered bacteria leverage the olfactory mucosa's unique properties to deliver medication with enhanced bioavailability.
A group of nerve cells called POMC neurons are responsible for dessert cravings, releasing a feel-good opiate when mice eat sugar. This pathway is activated even before eating, and blocking it reduces sugar consumption in full animals.
Researchers at ISTA identify a brain region in mice that predicts and minimizes visual distortion during movement, allowing for sharper mental images. The 'ventral lateral geniculate nucleus' (vLGN) integrates motor and sensory signals to compute a comprehensive corrective signal, enabling more efficient visual processing.
Researchers identified a link between Alzheimer's disease, cell function, and cholesterol in the brain. Lowering oxysterol levels freed trapped ABCA1, restoring its healthy state, and showed potential as a new treatment approach.
Research reveals that even short-term exposure to high levels of particulate matter air pollution impairs cognitive functions such as selective attention and emotion recognition. This study highlights the urgent need for stricter air quality regulations and public health measures to combat the harmful effects of pollution on brain health.
UVA researchers analyzed 300 blood serum samples from babies who died from SIDS and identified specific biological indicators linked to their deaths. The study found 35 predictors of SIDS, including ornithine and a lipid metabolite critical for brain and lung health.