Articles tagged with Neural Pathways
A recent study by University of Colorado Boulder researchers found that pain processing in the brain involves two separate pathways: one for physical pain and another for cognitive regulation. The latter pathway is involved in emotion and motivation, but also plays a key role in long-term pain and disability.
Eiman Azim won the 2014 Eppendorf & Science Prize for his research on neural circuits controlling skilled movement. He identified two separate spinal cord pathways that enable rapid updates and regulation of movements.
Researchers at Stanford University have found that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome exhibit distinct brain abnormalities, including reduced white-matter content and abnormal nerve tract function. The findings may lead to more definitive diagnoses and potentially identify new treatment targets.
A novel viral method reveals that cells from human skin biopsies show altered cAMP–CREB signaling, predicting melatonin response to light and linked to bipolar disease. This study suggests a common signaling pathway may explain the body clock's link to mental illness in bipolar patients.
Researchers discovered that certain blockages in fruit fly brains quickly resolve themselves, suggesting a distinction between benign and permanent blocks. This study could help scientists identify and treat neurodegenerative diseases by focusing on permanent blockages.
A study found a positive correlation between healthy white matter quality and addition and multiplication proficiency in 12-year-olds. The researchers also suggest that this link may explain why some children with dyslexia or dyscalculia struggle with arithmetic problems.
Researchers studied elephant vocal folds to understand how they produce infrasonic calls. They found that elephant vocal folds are orientated at a very acute angle in relation to the air stream, whereas in humans they are almost perpendicular.
Researchers at McGill University discover that excessive axonal pruning, rather than cell body death, plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases. Protecting axons from degeneration may be key to developing novel therapies for these conditions.
Research suggests that prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome by affecting the production of ceramide, a key signal transduction molecule involved in cellular processes. This study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying fetal alcohol syndrome.
Researchers at MIT and Boston Children's Hospital found a correlation between poor pre-reading skills in kindergartners and the size of a brain structure that connects language-processing areas. This study aims to identify children with dyslexia earlier, allowing for early intervention.
Researchers have discovered that L-3-n-butylphthalide can improve cognitive function and protect nerve cells in animal models of vascular dementia. The compound has been shown to activate the Akt kinase pathway, suggesting its potential as a new treatment option for vascular dementia.
A study by researchers from IDIBELL and University of Barcelona found that language learning depends on the structure and function of the arcuate fasciculus, a bundle of nerve fibers connecting auditory regions with motor areas. Individuals with more myelinated connections in this area performed better at word learning.
A novel artificial neural connection bridges the lost pathway between brain and spinal cord, allowing for volitional control of upper limb movement after damage. This study demonstrates that artificial neural connections can compensate for interrupted descending pathways and promote voluntary control.
Researchers found that gestational brain changes cause behavioral problems later in life, similar to the human disease. The UB study proposes a genomic explanation for schizophrenia, identifying the Integrative Nuclear FGFR 1 Signaling pathway as a central intersection point.
Researchers found that people with stronger implicit race biases have different neural representations of Black and White faces. This suggests that those with negative attitudes may perceive faces from different racial groups as more distinct.
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.