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Neuroscience news
Genetics
Mini-brains reveal how mitochondrial mutations affect brain cells
Researchers at the University of Bergen have used advanced stem cell technology to develop mini-brains, also called brain organoids, that can mimic disease processes caused by mitochondrial failure. This could open new avenues ...
11 hours ago
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Neuroscience
Microglia: The double-edged sword in Alzheimer's progression
Microglia are known to play an important role in Alzheimer's disease, but exactly what they do has remained a mystery. Scientists in the Bart De Strooper Lab at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease have unraveled ...
14 hours ago
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Self-esteem influences self-related representations in others' brains: Observing 'self-recapitulation' through MRIs
Different people have distinct and subjective perceptions of their personal worth, broadly referred to as "self-esteem." For decades, neuroscientists and psychologists have tried to pinpoint the neural basis of self-esteem ...
RNA:DNA 'sandwich' plays key role in behavioral adaptations arising from emotional experiences, research reveals
A team of neuroscience researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina reports in Science the discovery of a new genetic regulatory mechanism involved in behavioral adaptations to emotional experiences in a preclinical ...
Dec 12, 2024
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Slow brain waves and the neocortex: Why deep sleep is helpful for memory
It has been known for nearly 20 years that slow, synchronous electrical waves in the brain during deep sleep support the formation of memories. Why that is, was previously unknown.
Dec 12, 2024
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Key brain mechanism provides new insights into empathy
A specific brain mechanism modulates how animals respond empathetically to others' emotions. This is the latest finding from the research unit Genetics of Cognition, led by Francesco Papaleo, Principal Investigator at the ...
Dec 12, 2024
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An intellectually stimulating lifestyle is key to fighting Huntington's disease, finds study
An intellectually active lifestyle—in other words, the so-called cognitive reserve—has a protective effect on the progression and severity of the symptoms of motor, cognitive and psychiatric impairments in Huntington's ...
Dec 12, 2024
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Brain tumors hijack the circadian clock to grow, research shows
Virtually every cell in the human body has an internal clock. These clocks take their cues from a central clock in the brain. In a normal, biological process called synchrony, the central clock coordinates daily rhythms around ...
Dec 12, 2024
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Common brain network links atrophy patterns seen in schizophrenia
A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham has identified a unique brain network that links varied patterns of brain atrophy, or shrinkage, associated with schizophrenia. By combining neuroimaging data from ...
Dec 12, 2024
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New type of medical scanner shows promise for stroke patients
A new type of medical scanner developed by a University of Aberdeen team has shown that it can identify brain damage in stroke patients at lower magnetic fields than ever before.
Dec 12, 2024
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Studies reveal evolution of paramagnetic rim lesions in MS
In recent years, researchers studying multiple sclerosis have concluded that white matter lesion volume in the brain, long considered the best way to monitor MS disease progression, may not be the most accurate predictor ...
Dec 12, 2024
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People with epilepsy have higher likelihood of cognitive impairment
Cognitive impairment, especially in learning and memory, is more likely among people with epilepsy, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in Epilepsia Open.
Dec 12, 2024
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Why some concussions are worse than others
As organs go, the human brain is an odd one. It's remarkably big relative to our bodies, for starters. It's also wrinklier than most, with a complex, folded surface making space for the tens of billions of interconnected ...
Dec 12, 2024
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It's hard to distinguish conscious from unconscious states in patients—a more precautionary approach is needed
Sometimes, following a brain injury, patients have periods of wakefulness but can't communicate with those around them. Might they still be feeling pain, pleasure or discomfort? Could it be that they still understand when ...
Dec 12, 2024
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Study shows that 2D neural geometry underlies hierarchical organization of sequences in human working memory
The human brain can store salient information, such as numbers, instructions or other details that are important for completing a task, for brief periods of time, via a cognitive system known as working memory (WM). This ...
Neurosurgeons unravel the distinct nerve wiring of human memory
The black box of the human brain is starting to open. Although animal models are instrumental in shaping our understanding of the mammalian brain, scarce human data is uncovering important specificities.
Dec 11, 2024
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Electrical stimulation boosts motor learning in study
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that the brain's ability to learn certain skills can be significantly enhanced if both the brain and nervous system are primed by carefully-calibrated, precisely-timed ...
Dec 11, 2024
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Fluctuating blood pressure tied to problems with thinking skills in older adults
Older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates over time may be more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills, according to a study published in the December 11, 2024, online issue of Neurology. The association ...
Dec 11, 2024
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ADHD can be diagnosed by looking at brainwaves. Here's the neuroscience behind it
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not have a behavioral disorder, nor are they lazy, or lacking in manners and boundaries. Their brains mature in a different way, with different patterns of ...
Dec 11, 2024
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Exploring Alzheimer's biomarkers in diverse populations
A team from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has conducted the largest characterization of plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) in community-dwelling non-Hispanic Blacks. The study is published ...
Dec 11, 2024
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Usual/permanent night shifts, poor sleep quality linked to epilepsy
Night shifts and poor sleep quality are associated with an increased risk for incident epilepsy, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in BMC Public Health.
Dec 11, 2024
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Detailed mapping shows how astrocytes change throughout the progression of Alzheimer's disease
Astrocytes are star-shaped glial cells in the central nervous system that support neuronal function, maintain the blood-brain barrier, and contribute to brain repair and homeostasis. The evolution of these cells throughout ...
Brain mechanisms underpinning loss of consciousness identified
The shift from an awake state to unconsciousness is a phenomenon that has long captured the interest of scientists and philosophers alike, but how it happens has remained a mystery—until now. Through studies on rats, a ...
Dec 10, 2024
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New look at dopamine signaling suggests neuroscientists' model of reinforcement learning may need to be revised
Dopamine is a powerful signal in the brain, influencing our moods, motivations, movements, and more. The neurotransmitter is crucial for reward-based learning, a function that may be disrupted in a number of psychiatric conditions, ...
Dec 10, 2024
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Study suggests how brain, with sleep, learns meaningful maps of spaces
Place cells are well known to encode individual locations, but new experiments and analysis indicate that stitching together a "cognitive map" of a whole environment requires a broader ensemble of cells, aided by sleep, to ...
Dec 10, 2024
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