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Neuroscience news

Neuroscience

Miniature microscope captures real-time voltage signals in awake animals

Researchers have built a tiny, lightweight microscope that captures neuron activity with unprecedented speed that can be used in freely moving animals. The new tool could give scientists a more complete view of how brain ...

Neuroscience

Dance effective in fighting against cognitive decline in Parkinson's, study finds

A new study led by researchers at York University shows that dance can be beneficial in halting the cognitive decline associated with Parkinson's disease and, for some participants, they even showed signs of improvement. ...

Health

Five ways microplastics may harm your brain

Microplastics could be fueling neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with a new study highlighting five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain.

Neuroscience

Tricking the brain to make exercise feel easier

Why do some people find a short jog exhausting, while others seem to run effortlessly? Of course, part of the answer lies in training and muscle strength. But the brain also plays a role, particularly in how we perceive effort.

Neuroscience

Recent trial reveals promising therapy for aggressive brain cancer

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) participated in a clinical trial that found that a new combination treatment plan helped people with recurring grade 3 astrocytoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, ...

Neuroscience

Single enzyme failure found to drive neuron loss in dementia

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich uncovered a mechanism that protects nerve cells from premature cell death, known as ferroptosis. The study provides ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Breathe in, breathe out: How respiration shapes remembering

First and foremost, we breathe in order to absorb oxygen—but this vital rhythm could also have other functions. Over the past few years, a range of studies have shown that respiration influences neural processes, including ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How the brain prioritizes bodily signals in conscious awareness

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritized for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own—through ...

Neuroscience

An alphabet for hand actions in the human brain

Using a corkscrew, writing a letter with a pen or unlocking a door by turning a key are actions that seem simple but actually require a complex orchestration of precise movements. So, how does the brain do it?

Neuroscience

Early lead exposure could result in memory issues later in life

A new study has found that people who lived in areas with high levels of leaded gasoline emissions in the 1960s and '70s are more likely to report memory problems today—a finding that researchers say could deepen our understanding ...

Neuroscience

Identifying a compass in the human brain

Zhengang Lu and Russell Epstein, from the University of Pennsylvania, led a study to explore how people maintain their sense of direction while navigating naturalistic, virtual reality cities.

Neuroscience

Scientists reveal how senses work together in the brain

It has long been understood that experiencing two senses simultaneously, like seeing and hearing, can lead to improved responses relative to those seen when only one sensory input is experienced by itself. For example, a ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Brain scan study could change how psychosis is treated

The findings of a new brain study could change the way doctors treat mood disorders involving psychosis in patients. The brain imaging study found that changes in brain dopamine are linked to symptoms of psychosis, no matter ...

Medical research

Flatworms could replace rats for in vivo brain studies

Tiny pond worms could help find new ways to treat schizophrenia, develop an understanding of drug addiction and test new medicines for mental illnesses—all while reducing the number of mice and rats used in early medical ...

Neuroscience

Helping others shown to slow cognitive decline

In the latest evidence that meaningful social connections bolster health, a team from The University of Texas at Austin and University of Massachusetts Boston has found that regular time spent helping outside the home significantly ...

Genetics

A genetic twist that sets human brains apart

Research from scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has shed new light on an age-old question: what makes the human brain unique? The study is published online in Science Advances.