Articles tagged with Neuroimaging
Research using fMRI scans shows that music and speech activate the same brain regions associated with imagination and meaning, leading to shared neural representations of imagined narratives. On average, 71% of participants matched the consensus story for each musical excerpt.
Researchers identified subtle brain differences in children at increased risk of schizophrenia, even before symptoms emerge. The study suggests that early screening and personalized intervention strategies can help detect the disorder's progression.
Researchers challenge traditional assumptions on synaptic potentiation and instead identify clustered patterns of connections as crucial for retaining long-term memories. Through artificial hibernation techniques, they discovered that small clusters of engram-engram synapses are preserved to enable accurate recall.
A cohort study found associations between perinatal factors and changes in brain maturation among adolescents. The study used conditional-longitudinal models to assess individual growth trajectories and mental health symptoms.
A study published in Molecular Psychiatry found that about 65% of patients who developed psychosis after age 40 showed abnormal tau buildup, compared to 15% of healthy older controls. The findings suggest diverse tau-related brain changes may be involved in late-onset psychosis.
A new USC study uses AI to generate detailed maps of brain aging, revealing distinct patterns of neurodegeneration in specific regions. The approach sheds light on how local brain age correlates with changes in cognitive function across the lifespan.
Researchers at Science Tokyo develop a Ramsey-based magnetometer that overcomes thermal limitations, enabling close-proximity detection of weak biomagnetic signals. The sensor achieves high sensitivity and safe operation near biological tissue.
Scientists at UVA have developed a new method to target glioblastoma, the most common and deadly brain cancer, by delivering microRNAs through the brain's natural barrier. The approach shows promise in slowing tumor growth and extending survival in animal models.
A study published in PLOS Medicine found that people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, or psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia show increased brain aging patterns. The researchers analyzed MRI data from over 45,900 controls and compared them to 2,698 patients with different brain conditions.
A new review proposes a roadmap for developing cognitive brain-computer interfaces to treat cognitive disorders, integrating BCI research and clinical neuromodulation. The emerging field aims to detect dysfunctional brain states and respond with adaptive neurostimulation.
A recent study reveals that astrocyte subtype dynamics play a crucial role in regulating mental health, particularly in mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. The review highlights how inflammatory signaling, metabolic imbalance, and ion channel dysfunction contribute to disease progression.
A USC interdisciplinary team has identified a promising pathway to turn off brain inflammation before it does its damage, increasing the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's. The Norman and Mary Pattiz Foundation funding will support research on novel drug discovery, early detection, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers identified disrupted neural circuits behind Huntington's disease and used optogenetics to selectively activate key neurons, restoring function and improving motor skills. The study provides hope for future therapies targeting specific brain circuit imbalances.
A new scanning technique has shown that lithium levels in the brain and blood are closely matched across the day, regardless of dosing regimen. This finding could lead to more personalized treatment options for patients with bipolar disorder.
Researchers at New York University have developed a way to measure and visualize brainwaves of thousands of people during live face-to-face communication, finding that synchrony can be used to guide and improve social interactions. This phenomenon, known as social synchrony, is linked to healthy relationships and learning.
Researchers from the German Primate Center replicate historical findings by Renate Schweizer on brain convolutions, confirming a connection between deep-lying winding and 'bridge.' The study analyzed structural MRI scans of healthy adults, finding a higher prevalence of 'bridge' in twins.
Researchers found that human brains predict word sequences similar to AI language models' processes, suggesting a shared information processing principle. The study's results corroborate key assumptions in cognitive neuroscience, shedding light on the effectiveness of AI language models in various applications.
Scientists have discovered a new type of brain wave that rotates over space and time, relying on a circular anatomical circuit in the sensory cortex. This rotation is coordinated between different brain regions, including sensory and motor parts, and may play a role in sharing information across these areas.
Bilingual speakers use the same brain areas to adjust words to their grammatical context, indicating a shared neural mechanism for abstract grammatical computations across languages. This finding has implications for language learning, suggesting that existing knowledge may facilitate the acquisition of new languages.
The new section in JMIR Neurotechnology focuses on the responsible and ethical use of neurotechnology. Submissions welcome for original research, case series, theoretical viewpoints, and data-driven analyses on ethics and policy in neurotechnology.
Researchers identified distinct brain activity patterns in people with depression, which may contribute to the experience of feeling stuck. The study suggests depression involves a form of brain-state entrapment, where the brain becomes more likely to enter certain patterns of activity and less likely to transition out of them.
Researchers have developed a digital brain twin using multimodal data, providing anatomically accurate brain models that can be used in experimental and clinical settings. The models were reconstructed simultaneously with brain anatomy and dynamics from neural data.
FireANTs, an open-source algorithm, combines AI optimization and geometry to quickly match complex medical images. The new method can accomplish what took weeks in minutes, detecting subtle changes that signal disease or cognitive decline, making it practical for clinical practice.
A USC study found subtle but widespread differences in the brain's communication networks in people with bipolar disorder, relating these differences to illness severity and treatment. The research team analyzed brain scans from 449 individuals with bipolar disorder and 510 healthy controls, revealing less densely connected networks an...
A new AI tool, AIDD, combines brain scans with machine learning to accurately diagnose two common forms of dementia. The tool showed near-perfect accuracy in identifying Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, offering a promising future for clinicians.
A large Japanese study found that maintaining a healthier profile with lower lifestyle and health risks can significantly lower dementia risk in people with one or no APOE ε4 alleles. However, individuals carrying two APOE ε4 alleles may require different preventive or therapeutic approaches.
A new study by researchers at the University of Tokyo found that readers of paper manga took longer to answer complex questions than those who read on tablets, indicating a potential advantage of printed materials for comprehension. Brain scans revealed reduced activation in frontal language-related brain regions when reading on paper.
A new study demonstrates that acupuncture can significantly improve muscle function recovery in patients who experienced a stroke. The true-acupoint group showed significant improvements in motor recovery tests, with positive correlations between increases in gray matter volume and limb motor function recovery.
A groundbreaking study created a world's first pure cerebral microbleed model by targeting brain vascular collagen IV using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. The research implicated dysfunctional collagen in tiny brain hemorrhages, which are strongly associated with dementia and cognitive decline.
Researchers identified two distinct subtypes of autism based on brain connectivity patterns, one characterized by reduced connectivity linked to synaptic pathways and the other by increased connectivity associated with immune-related systems. The study's findings offer a biological basis for personalized care and support.
Researchers found biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that correlated with minor cognitive differences in midlife adults. These biomarkers, measuring tau and amyloid plaque, were associated with a greater chance of cognitive decline, particularly in processing speed and executive function.
A new brain imaging test can detect Alzheimer's disease pathology in twice as many people before symptoms appear. The test uses a new tau PET tracer that identifies more tau-positive cases than the current standard, leading to better decisions about who is on an Alzheimer's trajectory.
A new study by UC3M researchers reveals how extracellular acidosis destabilizes microtubules, the 'avenues' that organize internal cellular traffic, leading to disruptions in cellular function. This finding holds significant implications for understanding pathologies like cancer, diabetes, and certain infectious processes.
Researchers have discovered that errors in the final step of cell division can cause dramatic changes in developing brain cells, leading to abnormalities such as multiple nuclei and cilia. The study found that a protein called p53 acts as a guardian of brain development by triggering the self-destruction of abnormal cells.
A new study at Florida Atlantic University maps the neural wiring system linked to a fly's split-second escape behaviors, revealing a decentralized communication strategy. The findings provide insight into how brains process information at extraordinary speed and may represent a conserved blueprint shared across species.
A new study uses real-time fMRI neurofeedback to train people to regulate rumination, a common symptom of depression, by restoring healthy neural coupling between the posterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The approach shows promise in reducing depressive symptoms while leaving anxiety intact.
A novel antibody, NG101, accelerates the regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissue by neutralizing a protein that blocks nerve fiber growth. This therapy enables new nerve fibers to form functional connections, allowing patients to become more independent and potentially recover arm and hand function.
Researchers developed multiplexed MRI technology, enabling simultaneous imaging of signals from multiple molecules in the brain. The technology provides a comprehensive view of the brain's structure, physiology, and molecular processes, allowing for more precise diagnosis and individualized treatment planning.
Genomic Press launches Brain Health, a new peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the science of lifelong brain resilience, featuring research on glial plasticity and recovery from depression. The inaugural issue explores the intersection of fields including cognitive reserve, sleep, aging biology, nutritional psychiatry, and social sciences.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that experienced ballroom dancers' brains synchronize when they move together. The study used EEG caps and movement sensors to track brain activity and found that neural synchronization increased as dancers moved in sync, revealing a phenomenon called interbrain coupling.
For the first time, researchers have identified the direction of neural signals in the brain using functional MRI. The study showed that feedforward and feedback nervous impulses each have unique signatures that can be detected with a new method called uFLARE.
A new Stanford Medicine study shows that brain-scan averages obscure individual brain dynamics, particularly in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. By analyzing data from over 4,000 children, researchers found distinct patterns of brain activity when data is analyzed individually versus as a group.
Researchers found three distinct trajectories of cognitive decline: stable, slow and fast decline. Biomarker data showed that participants who declined faster had higher P-tau217 levels and smaller hippocampi.
A new study suggests that language and theory of mind, two complex cognitive functions, have distinct origins in the brain in young children. Researchers found separate but related brain regions for these skills, which do not overlap or grow more distinct as the mind matures.
The EBRAINS Roadmap Symposium will bring together the global neuroscience community to shape the EBRAINS 10-Year-Roadmap. A total of 159 submissions from 134 unique contributors across 25 countries have been received, reflecting the momentum of Europe's digital neuroscience landscape.
The Individual Brain Charting project has released its fifth update with a new set of cognitive tasks, expanding the dataset to 40 hours of scanned data per participant. This provides an exceptionally rich resource for studying individual variability in brain organisation and understanding brain function.
The 2026 cohort of Leon Levy Scholars in Neuroscience will pursue research projects addressing neurological disorders and developing new treatments. The program provides scientific and professional career development opportunities, including mentorship and networking.
Researchers develop molecular tool called SynTrogo, which enables selective dismantling of synaptic connections in brain circuits. By harnessing astrocytes, the system reduces synapse number while strengthening remaining connections, leading to enhanced long-term potentiation and improved memory.
Researchers from UMBC discover that inputs from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus interact closely on the same neurons in the nucleus accumbens, integrating memories of places and contexts with drive to pursue rewards. This convergence may help animals form associations between rewarding outcomes and environments, essential for survival.
The research team will analyze mouse models and human brain tissue to identify cell types that show early signs of stress before neurons die. The multiscale model simulates how the progressive loss or disconnection of specific neurons disrupts memory-related brain networks.
A secondary analysis of the ANGEL-ASPECT trial found EVT to be beneficial for patients with anterior-circulation LVO and a large ischemic core and absent-to-moderate white matter lesions. In contrast, those with severe WMLs showed less pronounced benefits, suggesting uncertainty about EVT's efficacy in this subgroup.
Researchers have demonstrated that noninvasive brain stimulation can alter the activity of the hippocampus, a critical deep brain region involved in emotion and memory. Personalizing the stimulation site using a patient's unique brain connectivity pathway increases the neuromodulation effect.
The NIH grant will support the creation of a comprehensive long-term dataset on Hispanic and Latino brain aging, examining the factors that matter most for healthy cognitive aging. The study aims to understand how Alzheimer's disease, vascular injury, and other brain changes develop over time in Latino adults.
A Northwestern University study found that imagination is not just a copy of sensation, but emerges at later stages of processing when the brain represents information holistically. The researchers mapped brain activity during imagination and perception, finding overlap in higher-level association areas.
A new study uses optogenetics to control specific communication pathways in the common marmoset brain, offering a clearer view of complex behavior and brain disorders. This method enables researchers to manipulate individual long-range brain circuits with greater precision than before.
Researchers discovered that stroke survivors with severe motor impairment show signs of brain 'youthfulness' in undamaged regions, suggesting the brain's ability to adapt and compensate. This finding provides new insights into neuroplasticity and may guide personalized rehabilitation strategies.
A research team led by LEE Doyun and KIM Yee-Joon found that the primary visual cortex encodes motion summaries and variability before higher brain regions transform them into category signals. This process, known as ensemble perception, allows the brain to capture the overall structure of a scene at a glance.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 studies found that nature exposure is associated with reductions in negative emotions and increases in positive emotions. Experts recommend integrating nature into urban design to promote brain health and treat mental illnesses.
Researchers found that immersive dreaming, even with wake-like brain activity, leads to a greater feeling of deep sleep. Vivid dreams are associated with subjective deeper sleep, while abstract thoughts are related to more shallow feelings.
Research suggests that persistent pain drives progressive changes in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in emotional regulation. This can shape whether people develop depression or remain emotionally resilient. The study's findings challenge the idea that depression is an inevitable consequence of long-term pain.