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UrduResearchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) and Unity Health Toronto have demonstrated that repeated listening to personally meaningful music induces beneficial brain plasticity in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease.
Tag: Neuroscience
Detective Receives Top Notch Stroke Care From JFK University Medical Center
When 49-year-old, Detective Roberta Harper was having trouble putting together a sentence on June 27, 2021, she had no idea she would end up at JFK University Medical Center having a massive stroke.
UC San Diego-Led Team Receives $9M to Advance Parkinson’s Disease Treatments
A new $9 million grant from Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) will enable advancement of UC San Diego’s discovery that inhibiting a single gene in mice converts other cell types directly into new neurons, alleviating all Parkinson’s symptoms.
Scientists look beyond the individual brain to study the collective mind
In a new paper, scientists suggest that efforts to understand human cognition should expand beyond the study of individual brains.
Gene Therapy Shows Early Promise as Angelman Syndrome Treatment
Scientists publish encouraging early tests of a gene therapy strategy against Angelman syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that features poor muscle control and balance, hard-to-treat epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.
Mount Sinai Launches the Brain and Body Research Center, Among the First in the U.S.to Focus Solely on How the Brain and Body Interact
Have you ever experienced a stressful time in your life and then caught a cold, or wondered why you feel sad and depressed when you’re sick? It turns out that it’s not all in your head.
Recent research spanning the fields of neuroscience and immunology suggests that when the brain senses a threat in the environment—whether it be physical, psychological, or social—it sends signals via a complex network of peripheral nerves that mobilize the immune system, readying it to protect us from injury.
UNLV Research Bolsters Link Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease
In a study published in the September issue of the journal Communications Biology, UNLV neuroscientists show that chronic hyperglycemia impairs working memory performance and alters fundamental aspects of working memory networks.
Preparing for exascale: Argonne’s Aurora supercomputer to drive brain map construction
Argonne researchers are mapping the complex tangle of the brain’s connections — a connectome — by developing applications that will find their stride in the advent of exascale computing.
Mount Sinai Neurobiologist Selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has selected Ian Maze, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, and Pharmacological Sciences, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, as an HHMI Investigator.
New research “sniffs out” how associative memories are formed
Has the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies ever taken you back to afternoons at your grandmother’s house? Has an old song ever brought back memories of a first date? The ability to remember relationships between unrelated items (an odor and a location, a song and an event) is known as associative memory.
146th Annual Meeting of the ANA to Focus on Research and Development of Neurologic Disease Therapeutics
ANA’s Virtual Annual Meeting will offer scientific symposia highlighting cutting-edge research in neurology, Interactive Workshops that spotlight advances across the full spectrum of neurologic and neuroscience subspecialties, and Professional Development courses to help academic neurologists and neuroscientists at all career levels connect and excel.
Contrary to expectations, study finds primate neurons have fewer synapses than mice in visual cortex
A UChicago and Argonne National Laboratory study analyzing over 15,000 individual synapses in macaques and mice found that primate neurons have two to five times fewer synapses in the visual cortex compared to mice – and the difference may be due to the metabolic cost of maintaining synapses.
New Model for Solving Novel Problems Uses Mental Map
How do we make decisions about a situation we have not encountered before?
Gene Messengers, Rather Than Genes, May Provide Best Disease Clues
Genes can be expressed in different ways depending on how cells process their messengers, aka splicing isoforms. Genetic mutations can damage some splicing isoforms but not others. UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that splicing isoforms hit by…
Struggling to learn a new language? Blame it on your stable brain
A study in patients with epilepsy is helping researchers understand how the brain manages the task of learning a new language while retaining our mother tongue.
Neurons in visual cortex of the brain ‘drift’ over time
New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals that neurons in the visual cortex — the part of the brain that processes visual stimuli — change their responses to the same stimulus over time.
Neuroactive Steroids May Induce Prolonged Antidepressant Effects by Altering Brain States
A new study by researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine and Sage Therapeutics discovered that neurosteroids (allopregnanolone analogs) may alter network states in brain regions involved in emotional processing, which may explain the prolonged antidepressant effects of these compounds.
New research on the brain’s relay processes could guide treatment for certain brain disorders
New research shows cells gather more data than once believed inside the thal-amus, a relay station of sensory and motor abilities in the brain. That could change how medicine treats schizophrenia, epilepsy and other brain disorders.
Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos
Obesity is a major public health issue among Latinos, and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. But in a new study, researchers at UC San Diego report that cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as hypertension, are more strongly associated with cognitive decline than obesity alone.
Scientists uncover how decisions about what we see are relayed back through the brain
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that decisions based on visual information, which involve a complex stream of data flowing forward and backwards along the brain’s visual pathways, is broadcast widely to neurons in the visual system, including to those that are not being used to make the decision.
Johns Hopkins APL, Amazon Partner to Accelerate Access to High-Res Brain Mapping Data
An expanded collaboration between APL and the Amazon Web Services’ Open Data Sponsorship Program will further enable the storage and accessibility of ever-expanding neuroimaging datasets generated by the neuroscience research community.
UChicago researchers re-create sense of touch and motor control in paralyzed patient
After surgical implantation of electrodes into his motor and sensory cortices, Scott Imbrie can manipulate a virtual robotic arm — and feel sensory feedback in his fingertips.
Bleak Cyborg Future from Brain-Computer Interfaces if We’re Not Careful
The most promising method to achieve real-world BCI applications is through electroencephalography, a method of monitoring the brain’s electrical activity. EEG-based BCIs will require a number of technological advances prior to widespread use, but more importantly, they will raise a variety of social, ethical, and legal concerns. Researchers conducted a review of modern commercial brain-computer interface devices and discuss the primary technological limitations and humanitarian concerns of these devices in APL Bioengineering.
3D “Assembloid” Shows How SARS-CoV-2 Infects Brain Cells
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine have produced a stem cell model that demonstrates a potential route of entry of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, into the human brain.
Engineered Neural Networks Help ID Responses Associated with Abnormalities in Parkinson’s Disease
Article title: Early functional changes associated with alpha-synuclein proteinopathy in engineered human neural networks Authors: Vibeke D. Valderhaug, Kristine Heiney, Ola Huse Ramstad, Geir Bråthen, Wei-Li Kuan, Stefano Nichele, Axel Sandvig, Ioanna Sandvig From the authors: “In this study, we investigate the…
Cooked Crustaceans, Cannabis and a Budder Way
Researchers expose live lobsters to vaporized cannabis and confirm the crustaceans absorb THC. Whether the psychoactive compound affects behavior remains open question.
NIH-funded study shows children recycle brain regions when acquiring new skills
Scientists studied the brain activity of school-aged children during development and found that regions that activated upon seeing limbs (hands, legs, etc.) subsequently activated upon seeing faces or words when the children grew older. The research, by scientists at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, reveals new insights about vision development in the brain and could help inform prevention and treatment strategies for learning disorders. The study was funded by the National Eye Institute and is published in Nature Human Behaviour.
Researchers Translate a Bird’s Brain Activity into Song
It is possible to re-create a bird’s song by reading only its brain activity, shows a first proof-of-concept study from UC San Diego. Reproducing the songbird’s complex vocalizations – down to the pitch, volume and timbre of the original – lays the foundation for building vocal prostheses for humans who have lost their ability to speak.
Neuroscience scholarship dedicated to golf journalist Tim Rosaforte ’77
The University of Rhode Island has established an endowed scholarship for undergraduates in the field of neuroscience. The scholarship is named in honor of James Tim Rosaforte III ’77, an accomplished sports journalist and author well known in the world of professional golf. Rosaforte retired last year after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, following a distinguished 40-year career in newspapers and television.
New research may offer hope for Alzheimer’s patients
University of Kentucky Neuroscience Professor Greg Gerhardt’s new research program will provide answers to long-standing questions about the role of neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. A culmination of his nearly 40 years of brain research, Gerhardt’s study could help to develop new treatments for the disease.
Social Justice as Part of the Remedy for What Ails Us
The T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion has opened its newest center, focused on addressing issues of social justice in health care.
Rush Researchers Develop New Measure of Brain Health
A new measure of brain health developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center may offer a novel approach to identifying individuals at risk of memory and thinking problems, according to research results published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association on June 1.
Electric fish — and humans — pause before communicating key points
Research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals an underlying mechanism for how pauses allow neurons in the midbrain to recover from stimulation.
Itch Insight: Skin Itch Mechanisms Differ on Hairless Versus Hairy Skin
Researchers at Georgia Tech have uncovered differences in itch on hairy versus non-hairy skin that could lead to more effective treatments for patients with persistent skin itching.
Research suggests fly brains make predictions — possibly by using universal design principles
New research in flies indicates that prediction may be a universal principle among animal nervous systems to enable rapid behavioral changes.
Case Western Reserve researchers identify potential new approach to better controlling epileptic seizures
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University have identified a potential new approach to better controlling epileptic seizures. Lin Mei, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, who led the new study in mouse models, said the team found a new chemical reaction that could help control epileptic seizures.
Weizmann Institute Optogeneticists Use Mosquito Rhodopsins to Boost Brain Research
The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Ofer Yizhar and colleagues used mosquito rhodopsins to create an optogenetics tool that is more precise, selective, and controllable than current techniques. In addition to increasing our understanding of the brain and advancing the field of optogenetics, the technology could lead to improved therapies for neurological and psychiatric conditions.
LLNL-developed thin-film electrodes reveal key insight into human brain activity
Thin-film electrodes developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have been used in human patients at the University of California, San Francisco, generating never-before-seen recordings of brain activity in the hippocampus, a region responsible for memory and other cognitive functions.
Early Screening Tool Leads to Earlier Diagnosis and Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chemotherapy can induce a painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a chronic condition and common adverse effect for cancer patients undergoing treatment. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used a mouse model to demonstrate the pivotal role of cholesterol in CIPN, and proposed a novel therapeutic approach to reverse it.
Care Protocol for Innovative Stroke Treatment at Hackensack Meridian Health JFK University Medical Center Published in Neurology Clinical Practice
A new treatment protocol that standardizes medical care for patients with acute stroke using an innovative clot-dissolving drug, has been reported by the stroke team at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center’s Stroke and Neurovascular Center at the Neuroscience Institute.
WVU student selected to present research to U.S. Congress
A biology student’s neuroscience research on zebrafish took her to Capitol Hill this week – virtually. Abreanne Andlinger is among 60 students selected nationally by the Council on Undergraduate Research to participate in Posters on the Hill April 27-28.
PsychLight Sensor to Enable Discovery of New Psychiatric Drugs
UC Davis researchers develop PsychLight, a sensor that could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse.
Neural implant monitors multiple brain areas at once, provides new neuroscience insights
How do different parts of the brain communicate with each other during learning and memory formation? A study by researchers at UC San Diego takes a first step at answering this fundamental neuroscience question, thanks to a neural implant that monitors multiple brain regions at the same time.
Stem cell therapy promotes recovery from stroke and dementia in mice
A one-time injection of an experimental stem cell therapy can repair brain damage and improve memory function in mice with conditions that replicate human strokes and dementia, a new UCLA study finds.
Experimental Biology 2021 Press Materials Available Now
Embargoed press materials are now available for the virtual Experimental Biology (EB) 2021 meeting, featuring cutting-edge multidisciplinary research from across the life sciences. EB 2021, to be held April 27–30, is the annual meeting of five scientific societies bringing together thousands of scientists and 25 guest societies in one interdisciplinary community.
Not a Musician? Your Brain Can Still Tell What’s Music
New research suggests that people without musical training have areas of the brain that can identify and respond to music, even if they are unfamiliar with the genre. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurophysiology (JNP).
Not a Musician? Your Brain Can Still Tell What’s Music
Article title: Music-selective neural populations arise without musical training Authors: Dana Boebinger, Samuel Norman-Haignere, Josh H. McDermott, Nancy Kanwisher From the authors: “We show that music-selective neural populations are clearly present in people without musical training, demonstrating that they are a fundamental…
Disrupted biochemical pathway in the brain linked to bipolar disorder
In new research, scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found for the first time that disruptions to a particular protein called Akt can lead to the brain changes characteristic of bipolar disorder. The results offer a foundation for research into treating the often-overlooked cognitive impairments of bipolar disorder, such as memory loss, and add to a growing understanding of how the biochemistry of the brain affects health and disease.
National Neurosurgery Organizations Collaborate to Establish Professionalism Policy for Meetings, Professional Events
Ellen Air, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program at Henry Ford Health System and Chair-Elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Joint Section on Women in Neurosurgery, is co-author of a new Professionalism and Harassment Model Policy created to provide a code of ethical behavior that promotes professional growth and the free exchange of ideas at neurosurgical meetings, educational courses, conferences and other sponsored events.
Pain Sensitivity Differences in Males, Females – Does Dopamine Play a Role?
This discovery from UNC School of Medicine scientists, published in the journal Neuron, could help the scientific community devise better pain management strategies, particularly for women, who are disproportionally affected by pain throughout their lifespans.