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Brain structure changes differ between schizophrenia symptoms

The specific areas of the brain with reduced grey matter in patients with schizophrenia differ according to whether they have predominant positive, negative or disorganised symptoms, research suggests.

2 Oct 2014

Dendritic spine density also reduced in bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder have significant dendritic spine loss in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, postmortem findings show.

2 Oct 2014

UMD gets NIH grant to study how neurons process sensory information

A University of Maryland-led research team has been awarded a three-year $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop new imaging technologies and data analysis techniques that will further our understanding of how large networks of neurons in the brain interact to process sensory information.

1 Oct 2014

New study reports how TMS treatment works in people with depression

On Star Trek, it is easy to take for granted the incredible ability of futuristic doctors to wave small devices over the heads of both humans and aliens, diagnose their problems through evaluating changes in brain activity or chemistry, and then treat behavior problems by selectively stimulating relevant brain circuits.

30 Sep 2014

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation to honor 8 scientists for achievements in psychiatric research

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation will honor eight scientists with its 2014 Outstanding Achievement Prizes for work delving into psychiatric disorders that affect one in four people. The awards, which celebrate the transformative power of neuroscience and psychiatric research to improve the lives of people with mental illness, will be presented at the Foundation's National Awards Dinner at the Pierre Hotel.

30 Sep 2014

Neural recordings can be used to forecast spontaneous decisions

You're waiting at a bus stop, expecting the bus to arrive any time. You watch the road. Nothing yet. A little later you start to pace. More time passes. "Maybe there is some problem", you think. Finally, you give up and raise your arm and hail a taxi. Just as you pull away, you glimpse the bus gliding up. Did you have a choice to wait a bit longer? Or was giving up too soon the inevitable and predictable result of a chain of neural events?

30 Sep 2014

Scientists reveal that human brain can trigger random behavior

Many of the choices we make are informed by experiences we've had in the past. But occasionally we're better off abandoning those lessons and exploring a new situation unfettered by past experiences.

29 Sep 2014

Identification of neurotransmitter imbalance in Tourette Syndrome offers new treatment hope

Recent research, published yesterday, has identified a chemical transmitter in the brain that plays a vital role in Tourette Syndrome. This latest finding presents the potential for developing targeted, and therefore more effective, treatments to suppress the distressing symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.

26 Sep 2014

Study shows how complex tactile sensations are coded at cellular level in brain

The traditional understanding in neuroscience is that tactile sensations from the skin are only assembled to form a complete experience in the cerebral cortex, the most advanced part of the brain.

26 Sep 2014

Early language delay leaves a 'signature' in the brain

Individual differences in early language development, and in later language functioning, are associated with changes in the anatomy of the brain in autism.

23 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on longstanding question about role of mitochondria in motor neuron diseases

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine sheds light on a longstanding question about the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases and resulted in a new mouse model to study such illnesses.

22 Sep 2014

Researchers identify control mechanism for mood disorders

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a control mechanism for an area of the brain that processes sensory and emotive information that humans experience as "disappointment."

19 Sep 2014

Resting-state brainwaves altered in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have increased resting-state gamma-band connectivity in a distinct region of the brain, and the increases correlate with clinical symptoms, research shows.

18 Sep 2014

UAB researchers discover novel mechanism involved in formation of memory, learning

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham report the discovery of a novel mechanism in the brain involved in the formation of memory and learning. In findings reported online this week in Nature, the research team describes the role of a histone subunit known as H2A.Z.

18 Sep 2014

Urgency breeds aggression in schizophrenia patients

Increased urgency is a major contributor to aggression in patients with schizophrenia, suggests research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

17 Sep 2014

Scientists develop new method to get clearer picture of how drug abuse affects the brain

One thing leads to another, especially in research. When Stony Brook University School of Medicine scientists developed a new method to measure how cocaine disrupts blood flow in the brains of mice, doctors and researchers got a way to form a clearer picture of how drug abuse affects the brain.

16 Sep 2014

New research illustrates how fear arises in the brain

An estimated 8% of Americans will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point during their lifetime. Brought on by an overwhelming or stressful event or events, PTSD is the result of altered chemistry and physiology of the brain.

16 Sep 2014

Brain stimulation increases cravings for high-calorie foods, shows study

Magnetic stimulation of a brain area involved in "executive function" affects cravings for and consumption of calorie-dense snack foods, reports a study in the September issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

16 Sep 2014

New study measures neurodevelopment in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is generally considered to be a disorder of brain development and it shares many risk factors, both genetic and environmental, with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability.

15 Sep 2014