Articles tagged with Prefrontal Cortex
A team of scientists at MUSC identified a key gene that plays a role in the link between long-term stress and a common type of depressive behavior in mice. The study suggests that there may not be one central mechanism by which stress causes depression, but rather multiple pathways connecting stress with different symptoms.
Researchers used transcranial stimulation to regulate Autonomic Nervous System responses and increase oxygen saturation in hospitalized patients with Covid-19. The treatment improved ANS regulation and reduced symptoms without adverse effects.
A recent study found that heavy alcohol use changes signaling pathways in the brain, affecting cognitive functions like decision-making and impulse control. The mechanism involves the brain's immune system and the molecule interleukin 1β, which regulates inflammation and neurotransmitter release.
Research reveals that individuals with OCD exhibit lower-than-normal learning rates when rewards are less than expected, while those with problem gambling display boosted learning from high rewards and blunted learning from low rewards. This study highlights the benefits of using neurocomputational approaches to understand psychiatric ...
Researchers at Kyoto University found distinct patterns of gazing and brain activity in patients with kleptomania when shown relevant environmental cues. These results suggest a similar mechanism to drug addiction, potentially leading to the development of therapeutic treatments.
Researchers have discovered that cocaine addiction is associated with faster brain aging, with changes in DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex contributing to this effect. The study, which analyzed cryo-preserved brains of deceased male donors, found that cells in this region appeared biologically older in individuals with CUD.
Researchers employed computer vision to extract social behaviors and linked them to brain synchronization patterns in a novel approach. During cooperative play, brain synchronization was strongest when participants shared gaze, while individual play showed increased within-brain synchronization.
A new study explores the relationship between fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) levels and heavy drinking patterns in young adults. Lower FAAH activity was associated with more severe drinking, increased cravings, and reduced sensitivity to alcohol's negative effects.
A new study finds epigenetic aging is associated with aberrant neural oscillatory dynamics serving visuospatial processing in people with HIV. Participants showed accelerated biological age and different brain activity patterns compared to controls, suggesting a link between biological aging and neural function in PWH.
Researchers found that remote fear memories are permanently stored in connections between memory neurons in the prefrontal cortex. The study suggests that a dysregulation of fear memory consolidation can lead to chronic maladaptive fear in PTSD, affecting about 6% of the population.
During sleep, brain regions synchronize to create motor memory by reviewing trials and errors of a given action. The study found that the
A study published in Science Advances shows that tPBM can improve working memory in people with conditions like ADHD. The therapy, applied to the right prefrontal cortex, showed significant improvements in memory performance and brain activity.
Research in rats suggests that hormonal contraceptives may alter the developing prefrontal cortex, increasing stress hormone production and disrupting signal transmission. The study's findings have implications for understanding the impact of birth control on teenage behavior and mood.
Researchers found drastic differences in microglia marker Iba1 and factors influencing Sirt1 levels and activity between elder groups. Preserving microglia and Sirt1 functional efficiency is crucial for longevity.
A new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Andre Sousa investigates the differences and similarities of cells in the prefrontal cortex between humans and non-human primates. The researchers found five cell types unique to humans and differences in cell abundance across species.
Researchers found age-related changes in the balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence. This study provides first-ever evidence of plasticity in the frontal cortex during this critical developmental period.
Researchers found that actors' brain activity suppressed when hearing their own name during performance, indicating potential impact of theatre training on human brain. The study also investigated interpersonal coordination between actors and found specific brain systems involved in social interactions.
Researchers at HSE University used transcranial magnetic stimulation to suppress brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, leading to test subjects making less rational decisions. The study provides insight into the mechanisms behind gaming addiction and offers a potential new approach to understanding risky choice.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have made a breakthrough in understanding schizophrenia by analyzing individual brain cells. The study identified specific neurons and networks affected by the disease, suggesting that targeting these areas could lead to new treatment options.
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.
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 at MIT's Picower Institute found that bursts of gamma frequency rhythms in the prefrontal cortex coordinate neural representation of information held in mind, reducing variability with focused thinking. This challenges a long-held orthodoxy on how neurons maintain working memory information.
A study found that prolonged mental labor leads to glutamate accumulation in the prefrontal cortex, causing cognitive fatigue and altering control over decisions. Researchers suggest taking rest and sleep as a solution to overcome this limitation.
A new study found that individual details of a memory are parsed and stored elsewhere, in the prefrontal cortex. This separation ensures that exposure to any cue is sufficient to activate the prefrontal cortex for recall of the whole memory.
A new study found that individual memory details are parsed and stored in the prefrontal cortex, while overall experiences are stored in the hippocampus. This separation enables efficient recall of memories triggered by specific cues.
Scientists at Brown University used functional MRI to reveal a brain pathway that processes light-intensity signals, which can modulate the prefrontal cortex and affect mood. The study found that light suppresses activity in the prefrontal cortex in proportion to its intensity.
Researchers found alcohol alters synchronized brain activity in the amygdala of mice, differing by sex. The study suggests that alcohol can trigger changes in anxious behavior by affecting the amygdala's activity states.
Scientists at Tohoku University have identified specific brain wave patterns related to social behavior in mice. These findings provide a unified understanding of brain activity underlying social behavior and its deficits in disease.
A study from the University of California, Davis, shows how humans use cognitive maps to infer indirect outcomes, allowing for accelerated learning and faster decision-making. The researchers found activity linked to inferential learning in the prefrontal cortex and midbrain, implicating dopamine in updating beliefs through inference.
A new MIT study finds that noradrenaline helps the brain learn from surprising outcomes by stimulating behavior that leads to a reward, particularly in uncertain situations. The researchers also discovered that noradrenaline promotes taking a chance on getting a reward, even when the outcome is unknown.
Researchers identified a key brain circuit in the anterior thalamus that helps us hold information in mind. In a study of mice, enhancing this circuit's activity improved their ability to navigate a maze and reversed memory loss with artificial stimulation.
A newly discovered brain circuit facilitates focusing attention on salient features in the environment by heightening activity in specific microcircuits of the hippocampus. This circuit may play a role in executive functions and cognitive issues like dementia, ADHD, and psychiatric disorders.
Researchers found high levels of an enzyme called HDAC9 in healthy neurons, which decline with age and more drastically with Alzheimer's. The study suggests adjusting the enzyme's level may be a potential treatment for both conditions.
Researchers at Duke University found a collection of coordinated brain regions that predict and direct social behavior in mice. By analyzing the electrical activity of these regions, they identified how social or solitary an individual mouse is and were able to prompt them to be more gregarious. This study may lead to better diagnostic...
A University of South Florida study suggests targeting kappa-opioid receptors may alleviate working memory deficits and improve executive function in individuals with severe alcohol use disorder. A compound blocking these receptors alleviated working memory deficits and restored normal executive function.
A new study found that women with bulimia nervosa exhibited reduced activation of the medial and lateral prefrontal cortices during attempts to control eating behavior. This deficiency in inhibitory control-related activation may contribute to more severe binge eating episodes.
A new study has discovered that as brains mature, the precise ways in which two key memory regions communicate make us better at forming lasting memories. The findings also suggest how brains learn to multitask with age, with slower oscillations in older participants and faster oscillations in younger ones.
Women with GAD exhibit abnormal interoception, perceiving intense heartbeats and lower neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The study suggests a causal link between cardiovascular sensitivity and frontal cortex insensitivity, contributing to anxiety symptoms.
Researchers found that brain waves travel in rotating patterns across the prefrontal cortex during working memory tasks, potentially aiding information storage. These waves provide a regularly recurring stimulation with precise timing, promoting strengthening connections between neurons and possibly facilitating predictions.
Researchers found that distributed codes among larger populations of neurons in the prefrontal cortex make information more reliable and robust. This discovery could support advanced cognitive abilities and potentially treat disorders of memory and cognition.
A new study published in Science Advances has shown that transcranial ultrasound (TUS) can disrupt the brain's credit assignment processes, leading to more exploratory decisions. The study also found that TUS selectively alters behavior without affecting other brain regions.
Vanderbilt researchers discover how a protein may treat schizophrenia, including reversing working memory deficits. Enhancing the activity of mGlu1 selectively increases the activity of specific inhibitory interneurons, restoring their ability to inhibit neuronal circuits.
Research using fNIRS found that young children's ability to appreciate humor varies with age and sex. The study suggests differences in brain activity between boys and girls, as well as developmental stages, when it comes to recognizing humor.
A new study by Ritsumeikan University reveals that whole-body dynamic balance training increases brain connectivity and improves motor learning. The research found significant changes in brain activity associated with offline learning, opening up new avenues for studying neural networks during natural tasks.
Researchers suppressed cortical excitability to resolve self-interest vs. prosocial motivations in favor of cooperation, particularly in dictator games. In generosity games, no effect was observed. The study suggests the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex plays a key role in resolving conflicts between self-interest and prosociality.
Researchers have identified significant neurological effects of social isolation on the brain, including altered neural circuits and increased risk for disease. Social isolation can cause permanent changes in behavior and lead to health issues like anxiety and depression.
A new Dartmouth study found that a neural code shared across brains is responsible for recognizing familiar faces, including social and personal information. The study used hyperalignment to align brain responses into a common space, revealing high decoding accuracy in areas outside of visual processing.
Researchers analyzed genetic expression profiles of developing brain cells, finding that early tissue holds a pre-set map that develops into the cerebral cortex's characteristic topography. A new method for predicting cell fate has also been established, using chromatin structure to determine lineage before gene expression is possible.
Researchers discovered structural differences in brain regions responsible for decision-making and empathy in adolescents with conduct disorder compared to their unaffected siblings. These findings suggest that small changes in brain function may contribute to the development of antisocial behavior in some siblings.
Researchers found increased retinoic acid levels in the prefrontal cortex during mid-pregnancy, leading to the development of unique brain properties. The study suggests a link between RA, CBLN2 gene expression and human-specific cognitive abilities.
A PLOS study found that low-frequency magnetic stimulation can improve episodic memory by reducing beta-waves in the brain. The study, led by Mircea van der Plas and Simon Hanslmayr, used slow rTMS over the left prefrontal cortex to enhance verbal memory formation.
A mathematical equation analyzes participants' brain activity and mood to determine the contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to their happiness. Most people feel happier after earning points or successfully completing a game, but individual differences exist.
Patients with bipolar disorder experiencing manic episodes show abnormal brain changes, including faster cortical thinning, compared to those without episodes. The study also found associations between brain ventricle enlargement and accelerated cognitive decline in bipolar patients.
A recent study at Drexel University found that virtual reality art therapy can reduce prefrontal cortex activation, promoting relaxation and flow. The study also showed differences in brain function between creative self-expression and rote tracing tasks.
Researchers at University of Toronto found that the brain's prefrontal cortex generalizes perceptual experiences from different senses, producing sensations even without direct experience. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging and massage stones to capture neural activity patterns in the brain.
A new study found that people with chronic pain have lower levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate emotions, leading to increased negative emotions and impaired emotional regulation. The researchers hope their online emotional recovery program may provide a non-pharmaceutical solution for those affected.
The locus coeruleus region plays a crucial role in regulating learning from reward and punishment, optimizing behavior and mental health. The region integrates sensory inputs and internal cognitive states to precisely exert its influence.
Researchers identified the ATP1A3 gene as critical to many cell biological processes, enabling electrical currents to flow into or out of cells and driving essential brain functions. The study found that this gene plays a key role in early brain development, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and subplate layer.
Brain activity patterns in prefrontal cortex reveal white lie motives, with selfish motives encoded by medial prefrontal cortex and ventral subregion activity similar to selfish behavior.
A study by University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist Joseph Kable reveals the default mode network splits into two sub-networks: one for constructing and predicting imagined events, and another for evaluating their positivity or negativity. This finding sheds light on the neural basis of imaginative abilities.