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Artificial vibration has potential to help stroke patients recover their mobility more quickly

By artificially vibrating certain muscle parts, the brain areas and neuronal pathways responsible for movement can be trained. This has the potential to help stroke patients recover their mobility more quickly. These are the results of PhD research by Maarten Steyvers of the Department of Kinesiology, K.U.Leuven.

15 Jun 2004

Size and shape of synapses among neurons in the cerebral cortex determine long term memory capability

In a study to appear in the June 10 issue of Neuron, neuroscientists at the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at MIT show for the first time that storage of long-term memories depends on the size and shape of synapses among neurons in the outer part of the brain, the cerebral cortex.

14 Jun 2004

Brain builds early warning detection system by working out the odds on potentially harmful experiences

An experiment conducted by Dr Ben Seymour and colleagues at the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, revealed that volunteers couldn’t recall the details of a specific test which had resulted in them receiving a mild electric shock.

10 Jun 2004

Howard Hughes researchers find Alzheimer's may leave some forms of memory intact

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have made the surprising discovery that people with Alzheimer's disease retain the capability for a specific form of memory used for rote learning of skills, even as their memories of people and events are extinguished.

10 Jun 2004

Genetic signature associated with the aging human brain

Unraveling the mysteries of the aging brain is a major goal for brain science, especially given the exploding population of senior citizens and the obvious desire to preserve brain function as long as possible.

9 Jun 2004

Tongue Display Unit allows blind people to see with their tongue

The Tongue Display Unit (TDU) can activate areas that are normally reserved for visual information and are unused when someone suffers from congenital blindness.

2 Jun 2004

Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

The brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is among the last to mature, a new study graphically reveals. The decade-long magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of normal brain development, from ages 4 to 21, by researchers at NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that such "higher-order" brain centers, such as the prefrontal cortex, don't fully develop until young adulthood.

18 May 2004

Magnetic brain therapy may help spinal cord damage

A preliminary study has shown for the first time that it may be possible to help people who have suffered partial damage to their spinal cord by applying a magnetic therapy to their brain.

11 May 2004

Risk of prostate cancer greater in men over 50 with high levels of testosterone

Men over 50 years of age with high blood levels of testosterone have an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging. The finding throws some doubt on the safety of testosterone replacement therapy, the investigators say.

11 May 2004

Neurobiologists pinpoint region of the brain responsible for storing distant memories

For the first time, UCLA neurobiologists have pinpointed a region of the brain called the anterior cingulate as responsible for retrieving and storing distant memories. Published in the May 7 edition of Science, the findings may suggest new ways of treating memory disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

6 May 2004

SPECT imaging may lead to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently afflicts approximately 4.5 million Americans. One of the most feared diseases of old age, AD robs its victims of their memories and personalities long before it takes their lives.

5 May 2004

A burst of brain energy depends more on a unique molecular cycle than on blood flow variation

A century old mystery is taking place in your head as you read these words. Blood vessels in regions of your brain are widening, bathing cells in an increased blood flow.

28 Apr 2004

Cognitive Neuroscientists Reveal Creative Brain Processes

Think Isaac Newton getting hit on the head with an apple or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone. While these creative or “Aha!” moments often are associated with scientific discoveries and inventions, most people occasionally feel the thrill of insight when a solution that had eluded them suddenly becomes obvious.

20 Apr 2004

Brain cells can improve their ability when working together

Team work is just as important in your brain as it is on the playing field: A new study published online on April 19 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that groups of brain cells can substantially improve their ability to discriminate between different orientations of simple visual patterns by synchronizing their electrical activity.

19 Apr 2004

New information about how the brain processes information about an object's brightness

Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists at The Salk Institute have discovered a new class of optical illusion that they have studied in detail to show that humans use both the timing and spatial context of a visual stimulus to judge brightness.

19 Apr 2004

New evidence that brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the desire for food

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have produced new evidence that brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the desire for food.

19 Apr 2004

New scanning technology allows researchers to look into a kidney

Kidney disease may affect as many as one in twelve people, and causes millions of deaths each year. Currently, the diagnosis of kidney function relies mainly on blood and urine tests, an indirect means of figuring out how well they’re working.

19 Apr 2004

Brain folding could be an indication of how smart a person is

A study by Melbourne scientists has provided the first direct evidence that differences in the way the surface of the human brain is folded could be an indication of how smart a person is.

18 Apr 2004

On-board brain chips could help stroke and cerebral palsy victims

Cyberkinetics Inc has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin a clinical trial in which four-square-millimetre chips will be placed beneath the skulls of paralyzed patients.

18 Apr 2004

Research shows giving Tourette Syndrome patients the drug levodopa normalizes brain activity

Scientists have known for years that abnormal activity involving a brain chemical called dopamine is somehow connected to the movements and vocalizations, or tics, associated with Tourette syndrome. Now neuroscience researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found brain activity in these patients is abnormal during memory tasks, as well.

5 Apr 2004

Cortex News and Research

Artificial vibration has potential to help stroke patients recover their mobility more quickly

Size and shape of synapses among neurons in the cerebral cortex determine long term memory capability

Brain builds early warning detection system by working out the odds on potentially harmful experiences

Howard Hughes researchers find Alzheimer's may leave some forms of memory intact

Genetic signature associated with the aging human brain

Tongue Display Unit allows blind people to see with their tongue

Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

Magnetic brain therapy may help spinal cord damage

Risk of prostate cancer greater in men over 50 with high levels of testosterone

Neurobiologists pinpoint region of the brain responsible for storing distant memories

SPECT imaging may lead to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

A burst of brain energy depends more on a unique molecular cycle than on blood flow variation

Cognitive Neuroscientists Reveal Creative Brain Processes

Brain cells can improve their ability when working together

New information about how the brain processes information about an object's brightness

New evidence that brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the desire for food

New scanning technology allows researchers to look into a kidney

Brain folding could be an indication of how smart a person is

On-board brain chips could help stroke and cerebral palsy victims

Research shows giving Tourette Syndrome patients the drug levodopa normalizes brain activity

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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