Articles tagged with Neural Pathways
A new study proposes a communication routing strategy in the brain that mimics the American highway system, with select hubs forming the influential network known as the 'rich club'. This network provides quick and effective communication between billions of brain cells, with long-distance neural pathways favoring rich club connections.
Researchers discovered a curved, three-dimensional grid structure in the brains of humans and non-human primates, organized pathways are either perpendicular or parallel to each other, forming box-like structures. This finding has implications for understanding brain development, evolution, and function.
A new study finds that fasting activates AgRP neurons, which promote feeding behaviors and weight gain, by increasing excitatory inputs and dendritic spines. The research reveals a neural pathway linking fasting to AgRP neuron activation, providing insight into the complex mechanisms controlling food seeking behavior.
Researchers at McGill University discovered how the brain processes visual information to detect motion and collisions. Using mathematical models and recording techniques, they found that specific neurons in the brain's visual cortex respond selectively to motion patterns.
Researchers found that individuals with developmental prosopagnosia unconsciously recognized famous faces at an early stage but lost this information by the later stage. This suggests 'covert face recognition' where some part of the brain is aware of the face despite lack of conscious awareness
A study published in Neuron reveals that upper and lower white matter fiber pathways play distinct roles in language processing. Patients with damage to the lower pathway struggle with lexical semantics but excel at constructing sentences, while those with damage to the upper pathway have difficulties with syntactic processing.
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reveals that tinnitus is caused by a lack of inhibition in key neural pathways of the brain's auditory center. The research suggests that increasing GABA-mediated inhibition may be an effective treatment for tinnitus, and a potential new approach to drug development.
A new study published in the Journal of Periodontology found that nearly 30% of human genes are expressed differently during gingivitis onset and healing. Biological pathways associated with immune system activation were identified as critical to controlling the body's reaction to plaque build-up.
The study suggests that neural pathways governing sensory and motor associations accomplish task switching through learning and communication of distinct populations of MT neurons into a downstream decision system. This finding is important for understanding both normal cognition and psychiatric disorders.
A new study published in PLOS ONE reveals that emotional information plays a crucial role in face recognition for individuals with developmental prosopagnosia. The research found that facial expressions and bodies can be used to design more effective assessment and training programs.
A new method identified rare gene mutations in people with schizophrenia, which disrupt genes in pathways of neuronal development and regulation. The study suggests a previously unknown role for rare mutations in the causation of schizophrenia.
Research by the Whitehall II study found that work stress is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) due to its effect on the autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine function. Chronic work stress was associated with lower heart rate variability and poor vagal tone, leading to cardiac instability.
Researchers identified key brain regions involved in fine tactile spatial discrimination, including the right posteromedial parietal cortex and right posterior intraparietal sulcus. The study's findings may lead to the development of sensory-substitution devices for visually impaired individuals.
Researchers at MIT have discovered a direct linear pathway connecting three molecules involved in synaptic formation, shedding light on the 'pruning' of neural circuits during development. This new pathway's role in development and learning could advance our understanding of devastating developmental neurological disorders.
A new study identifies a key molecular pathway in neurons that contributes to brain cell degeneration, a process linked to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. The Rho protein plays a crucial role in this destruction of neurons, and blocking its activity can prevent cell death.
A study analyzing 13 biomarkers found that combinations of neuroendocrine and immune markers were associated with high-risk pathways in men, while systolic blood pressure was linked to female high-risk pathways. Recursive partitioning identified the importance of biological regulatory systems in predicting mortality in later life.
A new study by Salk researchers reveals a previously unknown connection between the neural pathways responsible for color and fine detail perception and those involved in motion processing. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that sensory information about color is relatively unimportant for detecting moving objects.
Research suggests that sexual orientation influences how people perceive individual faces, particularly in the brain's reward circuitry. The study found that heterosexual women and homosexual men responded more strongly to male faces, while heterosexual men and homosexual women responded more to female faces.
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory developed a functional brain model with 1 million neurons and 16 terabytes of storage. This achievement marks a major breakthrough in neural networking, enabling faster processing speeds and increased computational power.
Researchers have identified a group of cells in the spinal cord that control ejaculation, which can be manipulated to treat sexual dysfunction. The discovery has implications for paraplegic men and those experiencing ejaculatory problems.
Researchers found that the mahoganoid gene mutation causes neural damage similar to prion diseases, including loss of neurons and accumulation of astrocytes. The study suggests a link between protein metabolism defects and neurodegeneration in spongiform encephalopathies.
Researchers have discovered that the molecule melanopsin is necessary for the pupil to constrict properly in response to light. Melanopsin is part of a distinct light-sensing pathway that complements the primary visual pathway, and its loss affects the pupillary light reflex, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and hormone secretion.
University of Maryland researchers successfully created a new brain circuit that takes over damaged vision functions in newborn hamsters. The study suggests that surgically created neural pathways might one day be used to treat brain damage and restore lost functions like vision or hearing.
A new study reveals a link between excess thiamine and tumor-cell growth, suggesting that too much of the vitamin can actually help tumors grow. The researchers propose rational use of dietary thiamine may slow tumor growth.
Research in Behrmann's lab focuses on visual scene interpretation, enabling object recognition and spatial awareness. The brain divides information into form and identity, then synthesizes it for a unified experience.