http://medicalxpress.com/neuroscience-news/ en-us PhysOrg Team Medical Xpress provides the latest news on neuroscience New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus - a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering - could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization of existing brain circuits. Drs. Paul Frankland and Sheena Josselyn, both from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, argue this reorganization could have the positive effect of clearing old memories, reducing interference and thereby increasing capacity for new learning. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-neuron-formation-capacity-expense-memories.html Neuroscience 2013-05-24T09:30:03-07:00 How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-people-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience 2013-05-24T09:10:04-07:00 One of the major frontiers of modern science is a comprehensive understanding of the human brain and its functions to guide the development of new technologies in information and communication. In a major announcement for the globalization of science, two Japanese research organizations, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and RIKEN, will join forces with a large European consortium on the Human Brain Project (HBP) which the European Commission has officially announced as one of two Future and Emerging Technology (FET) Flagship projects. The new project will federate international efforts to understand and simulate the human brain for the creation of new technological advances for society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-japanese-contribute-human-brain.html Neuroscience 2013-05-24T08:40:02-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined into narrow neuritic farms. Near-incessant motion within these channels forces mitochondria to transact constant fusion and fission events whose roles in genetic repair are just beginning to be understood. Many common neurodegenerative diseases have been found to have an underlying mitochondrial deficit either in their ability to produce energy, or deal with the oxidative byproducts of producing that energy. It has recently emerged that deficits in the ability of mitochondria to translocate, fuse, and divide also contribute significantly to disease. A new study in Plos One now suggests that alterations in the way mitochondria move may directly underlie even more esoteric phenomena—like mood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mood-motions-mitochondria.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T17:35:03-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—The human brain is able to identify individuals' voices by comparing them against an internal 'average voice' prototype, according to neuroscientists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-brain-internal-average-voice-prototype.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T13:43:48-07:00 A new study determined that children and adolescents with seizures involving the temporal lobe are likely to have clinically significant behavioral problems and psychiatric illness, especially depression. Findings published in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), highlight the importance of routine psychiatric evaluation for pediatric epilepsy patients—particularly for those who do not respond to anti-seizure medications and require epilepsy surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-depression-common-children-temporal-lobe.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T13:32:51-07:00 As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon—the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other neurons. It is a dance with death, however, because the molecular poison the neuron deploys to sever an axon could, if uncontained, kill the entire cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-secret-deaths-neurons.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T11:50:43-07:00 A study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-regenerating-spinal-cord-fibers-treatment.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T11:50:08-07:00 Researchers at Lund University have succeeded in preventing very early symptoms of Huntington's disease, depression and anxiety, by deactivating the mutated huntingtin protein in the brains of mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-breakthrough-huntington-disease.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T11:32:40-07:00 Studying the networks of connections in the brains of people affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression has allowed Dr. Peter Williamson, from Western University, to gain a better understanding of the biological basis of these important diseases. Dr. Williamson and colleagues have shown that different networks, found specifically in humans, are disrupted in different psychiatric diseases. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-networks-neurons-brain-disrupted-psychiatric.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T09:45:39-07:00 Scientists at Newcastle University have shed new light on how the brain tunes in to relevant information. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-attention-focus.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T09:45:15-07:00 New techniques in imaging of brain activity developed by Jean Gotman, from McGill University's Montreal Neurological Institute, and his colleagues lead to improved treatment of patients suffering from epilepsy. The combination of electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) leads to more precise localization of the areas generating epileptic seizures, giving neurosurgeons a better understanding of the optimal ways of intervention, if appropriate. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-imaging-techniques-patients-epilepsy.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T09:44:21-07:00 A study from the June issue of Anesthesiology found feedback from the front region of the brain is a crucial building block for consciousness and that its disruption is associated with unconsciousness when the anesthetics ketamine, propofol or sevoflurane are administered. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-common-brain-anesthetic-induced-unconsciousness.html Neuroscience 2013-05-23T08:40:04-07:00 (HealthDay)—Migraines and depression can each cause a great deal of suffering, but new research indicates the combination of the two may be linked to something else entirely—a smaller brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-migraines-depression-smaller-brain.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T16:23:29-07:00 Moving objects attract greater attention – a fact exploited by video screens in public spaces and animated advertising banners on the Internet. For most animal species, moving objects also play a major role in the processing of sensory impressions in the brain, as they often signal the presence of a welcome prey or an imminent threat. This is also true of the zebrafish larva, which has to react to the movements of its prey. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg have investigated how the brain uses the information from the visual system for the execution of quicker movements. The animals' visual system records the movements of the prey so that the brain can redirect the animals' movements through targeted swim bouts in a matter of milliseconds. Two hitherto unknown types of neurons in the mid-brain are involved in the processing of movement stimuli. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-analyse-behaviour-fish-larvae-virtual.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T13:45:37-07:00 It is known that signs of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease can appear years before the disease becomes manifest; these signs take the form of subtle changes in the brain and behavior of individuals affected. For the first time, an international group of researchers led by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Bonn University Hospital has proven the existence of such signatures for motor disorders belonging to the group of "spinocerebellar ataxias." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-motor-disorders-years-disease-manifestation.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T13:41:40-07:00 Scientists have reversed behavioral and brain abnormalities in adult mice that resemble some features of schizophrenia by restoring normal expression to a suspect gene that is over-expressed in humans with the illness. Targeting expression of the gene Neuregulin1, which makes a protein important for brain development, may hold promise for treating at least some patients with the brain disorder, say researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-gene-reverses-schizophrenia-like-abnormalities-mice.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T12:00:05-07:00 Researchers at Johns Hopkins have unraveled the molecular foundations of cocaine's effects on the brain, and identified a compound that blocks cravings for the drug in cocaine-addicted mice. The compound, already proven safe for humans, is undergoing further animal testing in preparation for possible clinical trials in cocaine addicts, the researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-uncover-molecular-roots-cocaine.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T12:00:02-07:00 New research shows that craving drugs such as nicotine can be visualized in specific regions of the brain that are implicated in determining the value of actions, in planning actions and in motivation. Dr. Alain Dagher, from McGill University, suggests abnormal interactions between these decision-making brain regions could underlie addiction. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-addiction-disorder-decision-making.html Neuroscience 2013-05-22T09:51:13-07:00 Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could one day guide researchers to discover drug alternatives that slow the progress of age-associated impairments in the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-caloric-intake-nerve-cell-loss.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T17:00:09-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. David Smith at the University of Oxford and his colleagues have discovered that, in some patients experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a cocktail of high-dose B vitamins could prevent gray matter loss associated with progression to AD. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vitamins-dementia.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T13:22:54-07:00 You're standing near an airport luggage carousel and your bag emerges on the conveyor belt, prompting you to spring into action. How does your brain make the shift from passively waiting to taking action when your bag appears? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-potential-brain-behavior.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T12:43:55-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo is often inescapable. On small scales, we know it is in fact impossible to measure something without changing its essential character in some way. One idea that has recently gained momentum, is that although our brains have mechanisms for unpacking past experience into a form where it can be consciously manipulated with the full power of the mind, mechanisms to repack those memories into the original form lack similar finesse. In this light, once touched, a memory is no longer exactly the same. A paper just published in PNAS takes a closer look at how memories are reconsolidated after their retrieval. In showing just how easy it is to change certain kinds of memories, the authors not only raise new concerns for eyewitness testimony in the courtroom, but may explain in part why such testimony often tends to accumulate doubt in the face of continued questioning. The implication is that this new knowledge may be useful in the treatment post traumatic stress in veterans and victims. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-wrong.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T11:12:02-07:00 In a remote fishing community in Venezuela, a lone fisherman sits on a cliff overlooking the southern Caribbean Sea. This man –– the lookout –– is responsible for directing his comrades on the water, who are too close to their target to detect their next catch. Using abilities honed by years of scanning the water's surface, he can tell by shadows, ripples, and even the behavior of seabirds, where the fish are schooling, and what kind of fish they might be, without actually seeing the fish. This, in turn, changes where the boats go, and how the men fish. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scene-context-brain.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T09:19:06-07:00 Many brain researchers cannot see the forest for the trees. When they use electrodes to record the activity patterns of individual neurons, the patterns often appear chaotic and difficult to interpret. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-clouds.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T07:52:31-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—We spend about a third of our life asleep, but why we need to do so remains a mystery. In a recent publication, researchers at University of Surrey and University College London suggest a new hypothesis, that the biological function of sleep is to allow for vital 'repair and maintenance' of the cells in our brain, so called neurons. The research also proposes that these repair functions can only occur if the rest periods of individual neurons are aligned precisely at a time scale of seconds or less. The hypothesis is published today (20 May) in Nature Reviews Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-theory-clues-vital-maintenance-role.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T06:20:01-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—A three-year multinational study has tracked and detailed the progression of Huntington's disease (HD), predicting clinical decline in people carrying the HD gene more than 10 years before the expected onset of symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-huntington-disease-trials-track.html Neuroscience 2013-05-21T05:52:53-07:00 While Huntington's disease (HD) is currently incurable, the HD research community anticipates that new disease-modifying therapies in development may slow or minimize disease progression. The success of HD research depends upon the identification of reliable and sensitive biomarkers to track disease and evaluate therapies, and these biomarkers may eventually be used as outcome measures in clinical trials. Biomarkers could be especially helpful to monitor changes during the time prior to diagnosis and appearance of overt symptomatology. Three reports in the current issue of the Journal of Huntington's Disease explore the potential of neuroimaging, proteomic analysis of brain tissue, and plasma inflammatory markers as biomarkers for Huntington's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-elusive-biomarkers-huntington-disease.html Neuroscience 2013-05-20T17:42:08-07:00 Researchers from King's College London have for the first time used a novel form of MRI to identify crucial developmental processes in the brain that are vulnerable to the effects of premature birth. This new study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that disruption of these specific processes can have an impact on cognitive function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-premature-birth-vital-brain-cognitive.html Neuroscience 2013-05-20T15:00:24-07:00 While the effects of acute stroke have been widely studied, brain damage during the subacute phase of stroke has been a neglected area of research. Now, a new study by the University of South Florida reports that within a week of a stroke caused by a blood clot in one side of the brain, the opposite side of the brain shows signs of microvascular injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-far-reaching-microvascular-uninjured-side-brain.html Neuroscience 2013-05-20T12:38:37-07:00