Neuroscience

Engineers light the way to nerve-operated prosthetics of the future

Biomedical and electrical engineers at UNSW Sydney have developed a new way to measure neural activity using light—rather than electricity—which could lead to a complete reimagining of medical technologies like nerve-operated ...

Neuroscience

Nerve-on-a-chip platform makes neuroprosthetics more effective

EPFL scientists have developed a miniaturized electronic platform for the stimulation and recording of peripheral nerve fibers on a chip. By modulating and rapidly recording nerve activity with a high signal-to-noise ratio, ...

Neuroscience

Enzyme ensures thick insulation

ETH researchers have revealed that Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system largely produce their own fatty acids in order to create electrical insulation for nerve fibres. This process relies on an enzyme whose absence ...

Neuroscience

Researchers listen to birdsong, unlock mysteries of brain

The term "birdbrain" has been part of our lexicon for about a century to describe someone's intellect, or lack of it, presumably because birds have really small brains. But, in fact, the way songbirds learn to sing is similar ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Addiction: Can you ever really completely leave it behind?

It is often said that once people develop an addiction, they can never completely eliminate their attraction to the abused substance. New findings provide further support for this notion by suggesting that even long-term ...

Neuroscience

Schizophrenia: It's in the wiring of the brain

Just as wires must be insulated to effectively carry electrical impulses, nerve cells must be insulated by myelin to effectively transmit neural impulses. Using typical magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, one can visually ...

Neuroscience

Study finds chronic alcohol use shifts brain's control of behavior

(Medical Xpress)—Chronic alcohol exposure leads to brain adaptations that shift behavior control away from an area of the brain involved in complex decision-making and toward a region associated with habit formation, according ...

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