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Researchers use brain scans to reveal mechanisms behind cognitive control of thoughts

How does the brain determine which direction to let its thoughts fly? Looking for the mechanisms behind cognitive control of thought, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of California and United States Army Research Laboratory have used brain scans to shed new light on this question.

7 Oct 2015

Dopamine transmission mediated by D1 receptors essential for controlling movements in Parkinson's disease

Dopamine deficiency in the basal ganglia (a set of subcortical structures) causes severe motor dysfunctions, such as slowness of movements (bradykinesia), as observed in Parkinson's disease. Dopamine binds D1 and D2 receptors that are expressed in the nerve cells of the striatum (a structure of the basal ganglia), and exerts different effects on the nerve cells. However, how dopamine controls through these receptors the information flow in the basal ganglia and voluntary movements is still not clear.

6 Oct 2015

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

In a newly published study, a multi-institutional team led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered an immune system gene associated with higher rates of amyloid plaque buildup in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and older adults at risk for the disease.

6 Oct 2015

Neuron firing patterns in IT cortex linked with object-recognition tasks

When the eyes are open, visual information flows from the retina through the optic nerve and into the brain, which assembles this raw information into objects and scenes.

6 Oct 2015

Researchers find neurons in human visual cortex that selectively react to intermediate colors

Researchers from Tohoku University's Research Institute of Electrical Communication and RIKEN BSI have found the presence of neurons in the human brain which can each selectively respond to an intermediate color; not just neurons of red, green, yellow and blue.

1 Oct 2015

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

In a study with more than 100 participants, Claus Lamm and his interdisciplinary team used an innovative experimental trick, the so-called placebo analgesia effect, to close an explanatory gap in the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of empathy.

30 Sep 2015

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

Discoveries about how the human brain contributes to our success - both as a species and as individuals - are among the first fruit of projects funded under the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative program as well as the Human Connectome Project.

30 Sep 2015

Study explains neural basis of size constancy, could help understand causes of size perception disorder

A group of researchers at Osaka University found that neurons in the monkey visual cortical area V4*1, one of the areas in the visual cortex, calculate the size of an object based on information on its retinal image size and the distance from the object.

29 Sep 2015

Ocean cells contribute to contextual learning process, shows research

When we misplace something, retracing our steps often helps us remember where we put it because environmental contexts are strongly linked to memory formation.

26 Sep 2015

UCSF researchers map genetic signature of unusual stem cells in the human brain

The human cerebral cortex contains 16 billion neurons, wired together into arcane, layered circuits responsible for everything from our ability to walk and talk to our sense of nostalgia and drive to dream of the future. In the course of human evolution, the cortex has expanded as much as 1,000-fold, but how this occurred is still a mystery to scientists.

25 Sep 2015

Neuroscientists reveal the brain malady responsible for tinnitus, chronic pain

Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center and Germany's Technische Universität München say they've uncovered the brain malady responsible for tinnitus and for chronic pain — the uncomfortable, sometimes agonizing sensations that persist long after an initial injury.

24 Sep 2015

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

When you remember a particular experience, that memory has three critical elements -- what, when, and where. MIT neuroscientists have now identified a brain circuit that processes the "when" and "where" components of memory.

24 Sep 2015

Healthy adults with larger orbitofrontal cortex are more optimistic, less anxious

A new study links anxiety, a brain structure called the orbitofrontal cortex, and optimism, finding that healthy adults who have larger OFCs tend to be more optimistic and less anxious.

23 Sep 2015

Reduced conflict-related brain activity linked to higher risk for psychosis

Researchers led by Bradley S. Peterson, MD, director of the Institute for the Developing Mind at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, have shown that lower levels of conflict-related brain activity are associated with a higher risk for later psychosis.

23 Sep 2015

Subtle differences in brain function make women react differently to negative emotions, shows research

Women react differently to negative images compared to men, which may be explained by subtle differences in brain function.

23 Sep 2015

Findings may suggest new therapeutic target to combat memory loss in aging, Alzheimer's disease

Northwestern Medicine scientists have examined activity in a little-studied part of the brain associated with memory and found for the first time the reason that neurons there become more active in old age, findings that may suggest a new target for future therapies to combat memory loss in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

23 Sep 2015

A three-step brain oscillation plays significant role in memory consolidation

Our long-term memory is consolidated when we sleep. Short-term memory traces in the hippocampus, an area deep in the brain, are then relocated to more outer parts of the brain. An international team of neuroscientists, among who Mathilde Bonnefond and Til Ole Bergmann from the Donders Institute at Radboud Universiy, now shows how a three-step brain oscillation plays an important part in that process.

22 Sep 2015

Precise mouse brain map may provide new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illnesses

Scientists at Duke University have released a highly detailed model of connections in the mouse brain that could provide generations of neuroscientists new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illness, such as depression and schizophrenia.

16 Sep 2015

Missing part of the brain may play vital role in how people understand the world

A study three years ago sparked a medical mystery when it revealed a part of the brain not found in any present-day anatomy textbooks.

15 Sep 2015

New study reveals link between cardiorespiratory fitness, brain activation and executive function in older adults

The aging process is associated with declines in brain function, including memory and how fast our brain processes information, yet previous research has found that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults leads to better executive function in the brain, which helps with reasoning and problem solving. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels have also been found to increase brain volume in key brain regions.

14 Sep 2015

Cortex News and Research

Researchers use brain scans to reveal mechanisms behind cognitive control of thoughts

Dopamine transmission mediated by D1 receptors essential for controlling movements in Parkinson's disease

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

Neuron firing patterns in IT cortex linked with object-recognition tasks

Researchers find neurons in human visual cortex that selectively react to intermediate colors

Understanding neurobiological mechanisms of empathy

Study explores how the human brain contributes to success

Study explains neural basis of size constancy, could help understand causes of size perception disorder

Ocean cells contribute to contextual learning process, shows research

UCSF researchers map genetic signature of unusual stem cells in the human brain

Neuroscientists reveal the brain malady responsible for tinnitus, chronic pain

MIT neuroscientists identify brain circuit critical in forming episodic memory

Healthy adults with larger orbitofrontal cortex are more optimistic, less anxious

Reduced conflict-related brain activity linked to higher risk for psychosis

Subtle differences in brain function make women react differently to negative emotions, shows research

Findings may suggest new therapeutic target to combat memory loss in aging, Alzheimer's disease

A three-step brain oscillation plays significant role in memory consolidation

Precise mouse brain map may provide new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illnesses

Missing part of the brain may play vital role in how people understand the world

New study reveals link between cardiorespiratory fitness, brain activation and executive function in older adults

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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