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UrduIn a study published April 8 in Current Biology, University of Washington researchers found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby’s brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention — and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages.
Tag: Brain
Feeding the lonely brain
Study finds that lonely women experienced increased activation in regions of the brain associated with food cravings.
Press passes available now for NUTRITION 2024 to be held June 29–July 2
Complimentary press passes are now available for NUTRITION 2024, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
Gene therapy offers hope for giant axonal neuropathy patients
A gene therapy developed by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center for a rare disease called giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) was well tolerated in pediatric patients and showed clear benefits, a new study reports. Findings from the phase one clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could offer hope for patients with this rare condition and a host of other neurological diseases.
How Fear Unfolds inside Our Brains
The stress-induced mechanisms that cause our brain to produce feelings of fear in the absence of threats — such as in PTSD — have been mostly a mystery. Now, neurobiologists have identified the changes in brain biochemistry and mapped the neural circuitry that cause generalized fear experiences.
Brain development of the unborn baby: a combined effect of genetics and food availability
A new population study led by researcher Tomas Paus , professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of Montreal and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine, highlights the respective roles of maternal and fetal genes in the growth of the baby’s cerebral cortex .
Brain Waves Travel in One Direction When Memories are Made and the Opposite When Recalled
These wide-ranging waves quickly link the specific constellations of brain regions that work in harmony to perform a task.
Hahn Awarded CZI Grant to Monitor, Manipulate Proteins Important in Nervous System Function, Neurological Disease
Klaus Hahn, PhD, the Ronald G. Thurman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, will co-lead this Chan Zuckerberg Initiative project with colleagues at Duke University and North Carolina State University.
UTSW team’s new AI method may lead to ‘automated scientists’
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) method that writes its own algorithms and may one day operate as an “automated scientis” to extract the meaning behind complex datasets.
Live music emotionally moves us more than streamed music
How does listening to live music affect the emotional center of our brain? A study carried out at the University of Zurich has found that live performances trigger a stronger emotional response than listening to music from a device.
Neurobiology: How bats distinguish different sounds
Seba’s short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) lives in the subtropical and tropical forests of Central and South America, where it mostly feeds on pepper fruit
Mapping potential pathways to MND treatment
For the first time, researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) have mapped out the proteins implicated in the early stages of motor neurone disease (MND).
Are you depressed? Scents might help, new study says
Smelling a familiar scent can help depressed individuals recall specific autobiographical memories and potentially assist in their recovery, discovered a team of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers and UPMC social workers in a study published today in JAMA Network Open.
Gold nanoparticles reverse brain deficits in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s
Results from phase two clinical trials at UT Southwestern Medical Center showed that a suspension of gold nanocrystals taken daily by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) significantly reversed deficits of metabolites linked to energy activity in the brain and resulted in functional improvements.
A flicker of truth: Piercing the “continuity illusion”
A study by a team at the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) has cast a new light on the superior colliculus (SC), a deep-seated brain structure often overshadowed by its more prominent cortical neighbor.
Predicting psychosis before it occurs
The onset of psychosis can be predicted before it occurs, using a machine-learning tool which can classify MRI brain scans into those who are healthy and those at risk of a psychotic episode.
Researcher determines ADHD gives entrepreneurs an edge
The brains of people with ADHD function in ways that can benefit them as entrepreneurs, according to research from the West Virginia University John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
World’s largest childhood trauma study uncovers brain rewiring
The world’s largest brain study of childhood trauma has revealed how it affects development and rewires vital pathways.
Bullied teens’ brains show chemical change associated with psychosis
Researchers have found that adolescents being bullied by their peers are at greater risk of the early stages of psychotic episodes and in turn experience lower levels of a key neurotransmitter in a part of the brain involved in regulating emotions.
Dr. Claudia Padilla discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment.
Claudia Padilla, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses Alzheimer’s and a new treatment. What You Need to Know: Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. The most common sign is short-term memory loss. New medication targets the protein…
Firing nerve fibers in the brain are supplied with energy on demand
Brain function depends on the swift movement of electrical signals along axons, the long extensions of nerve cells that connect billions of brain cells.
Brain Protein’s Virus-Like Structure May Help Explain Cancer-Induced Memory Loss
In a rare but serious complication of cancer, the immune system can start attacking the brain, causing rapid memory loss. What triggers this was largely unknown. Now, researchers at University of Utah Health have found that some tumors can release a virus-like protein, kickstarting an out-of-control autoimmune reaction.
Brain drain – nasopharyngeal lymphatics found to be crucial for cerebrospinal fluid outflow
‘Lymphatic plexus’ behind the nose drains cerebrospinal fluid from the brain, potentially impacting neurodegenerative conditions.
Unraveling the mysteries of the brain with the help of a worm
Do we really know how the brain works? In the last several decades, scientists have made great strides in understanding this fantastically complex organ. Scientists now know a great deal about the brain’s cellular neurobiology and have learned much about the brain’s neural connections, and the components that make up these connections.
Device keeps brain alive, functioning separate from body
Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a device that can isolate blood flow to the brain, keeping the organ alive and functioning independent from the rest of the body for several hours.
Sets of neurons work in sync to track ‘time’ and ‘place,’ giving humans context for past, present and future
Two studies led by UCLA researchers offer new insights into the way neurons in the human brain represent time and space – the most basic ingredients of consciousness of human existence and the primary dimensions of experience that allow us to reconstruct the past and envision the future.
Anti-anxiety drug may improve brain cancer survival chances
A new research study shows that cerebrospinal fluid reduces current treatment efficacy in brain cancer and identifies new therapeutic opportunities.
UCI Expert On: Metacognition
How do our brains take in complex information from the world around us to help us make decisions? And what happens when there’s a mismatch between how well your brain thinks it’s performing this function and how well it’s actually doing? In this episode of the UCI School of Social Sciences Experts On, cognitive scientist Megan Peters takes a deep dive into metacognition – our ability to monitor our own cognitive processing.
Researchers induce brain activation using infrared light-controlled drugs
This cutting-edge technique activates a specific neurotransmitter receptor using mid-infrared light, which can penetrate deep into tissue and offers unparalleled pharmacological and spatiotemporal precision in three dimensions.
What an animated taco reveals about curiosity and patience
Curiosity paradoxically increases people’s patience for an answer, while simultaneously making them more eager to hear it, finds a new study by Duke neuroscientists.
Pupil response may shed light on who responds best to transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression
New findings from researchers at UCLA Health suggest that measuring changes in how pupils react to light could help predict recovery from depression and personalize transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment of major depressive disorder.
UC Irvine health psychologist Julian F. Thayer elected to National Academy of Medicine
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 9, 2023 — Julian F. Thayer, a Distinguished Professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest distinctions accorded to professionals in the medical sciences, healthcare and public health. He is one of 100 new members announced today.
Is this how antidepressants work, and why they take weeks to kick-in?
SSRI antidepressants normally take a few weeks before any showing mental health benefits, but how come it takes so long?
Brain is ‘rewired’ during pregnancy to prepare for motherhood
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that pregnancy hormones ‘rewire’ the brain to prepare mice for motherhood.
Researchers find a cause of Parkinson’s disease
Until recently, our understanding of Parkinson’s disease has been quite limited, which has been apparent in the limited treatment options and management of this debilitating condition.
Discrimination alters brain-gut ‘crosstalk,’ prompting poor food choices and increased health risks
People frequently exposed to racial or ethnic discrimination may be more susceptible to obesity and related health risks in part because of a stress response that changes biological processes and how we process food cues according to UCLA research.
Insights into early snake evolution through brain analysis
Recent study sheds new light on the enigmatic early evolution of snakes by examining an unexpected source: their brains. The results emphasise the significance of studying both the soft parts of animals’ bodies and their bones for understanding how animals evolved.
New insights into how the human brain organises language
Language is the most important tool for human communication and essential for life in our society. “Despite a great deal of neuroscientific research on the representation of language, little is known about the organisation of language in the human brain.
Menopausal Hormone Changes Linked to Cognitive Deficits
A new study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms linking menopause to cognitive deficits and brain atrophy, revealing a crucial role for estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in astrocytes.
For the lonely, a blurred line between real and fictional people
In lonely people, the boundary between real friends and favorite fictional characters gets blurred in the part of the brain that is active when thinking about others, a new study found.
Why are you better at recognizing upright faces? Clues from a person who sees the world differently
When you see a familiar face upright, you’ll recognize it right away. But if you saw that same face upside down, it’s much harder to place.
Jellyfish shown to learn from past experience for the first time
Even without a central brain, jellyfish can learn from past experiences like humans, mice, and flies, scientists report for the first time on September 22 in the journal Current Biology.
Getting ready for bed controlled by specific brain wiring in mice
The team, led by Imperial College London researchers, uncovered the wiring in mouse brains that leads them to begin nesting in preparation for sleep. Published today in Nature Neuroscience, the study reveals that preparing properly for sleep is likely a hard-wired survival feature – one often neglected or overridden by humans.
Scientists reveal how the effects of psychosis spread throughout the brain
Psychoses like schizophrenia cost billions of dollars annually and derail the lives of people struggling with the disease.
Does a brain in a dish have moral rights?
No longer limited to the realm of science fiction, bio-computing is here, so now is the time to start considering how to research and apply this technology responsibly, an international group of experts says.
Brigham researchers uncover ‘circular logic’ of RNAs in Parkinson’s disease
Researchers are gaining new insights into neurological diseases by studying circular RNAs (circRNAs) in brain cells.
Eureka Baby! Groundbreaking Study Uncovers Origin of ‘Conscious Awareness’
Fundamental questions of agency – acting with purpose – have perplexed some of the greatest minds in history including Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Now, human babies provide groundbreaking insight into the origins of agency.
College of Medicine researchers discover learning and memory deficits after ingestion of aspartame
Ongoing work by Florida State University College of Medicine researchers into how aspartame affects the brain has linked the artificial sweetener with learning and memory deficits in mice.
Targeted ultrasound can change brain functions for up to an hour after intervention
The targeted use of ultrasound technology can bring about significant changes in brain function that could pave the way towards treatment of conditions such as depression, addiction, or anxiety, a new study suggests.
New MRI technology: a non-invasive look at iron balance
Traditional MRI scans provide qualitative images that necessitate subjective interpretation by medical professionals.