Hippocampus News and Research

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The hippocampus is a part of the forebrain, located in the medial temporal lobe. It belongs to the limbic system and plays major roles in short term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain.

Novel antidepressant appears to be safe, effective against depression in clinical trial

A small clinical trial of a novel antidepressant that stimulates neurogenesis - the production of new brain cells - shows that the compound appears to be safe and may be effective against depression.

9 Dec 2015

BMBF, US-American National Institute of Health invest over 900,000 euros in memory research

Investing more than 900,000 euros, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the US-American National Institute of Health are funding a close research cooperation between Prof Dr Sen Cheng from the Mercator Research Group "Structure of Memory" at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Prof Dr Kamran Diba from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

1 Dec 2015

Discovery opens up new avenue for research on potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers led by UNSW Australia scientists has discovered how connections between brain cells are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease - work that opens up a new avenue for research on possible treatments for the degenerative brain condition.

27 Nov 2015

Physical exercise can enhance development of new brain cells

Exercise can enhance the development of new brain cells in the adult brain, a process called adult neurogenesis. These newborn brain cells play an important role in learning and memory. A new study has determined that mice that spent time running on wheels not only developed twice the normal number of new neurons, but also showed an increased ability to distinguish new objects from familiar objects.

25 Nov 2015

High-fat diet appears to prompt immune cells to start consuming connections between neurons

When a high-fat diet causes us to become obese, it also appears to prompt normally bustling immune cells in our brain to become sedentary and start consuming the connections between our neurons, scientists say.

24 Nov 2015

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

20 Nov 2015

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

A study led by the University of Utah School of Medicine provides new insights into how the subtle changes within cells, caused by disruptions in a gene called Kirrel3, could underlie some types of intellectual disability and autism.

18 Nov 2015

Study: Eating sweet foods causes the brain to form memories that may control eating behaviors

Eating sweet foods causes the brain to form a memory of a meal, according to researchers at Georgia State University, Georgia Regents University and Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.

13 Nov 2015

Brain's hippocampus essential for recognizing previously encountered events

The hippocampus, a brain structure known to play a role in memory and spatial navigation, is essential to one's ability to recognize previously encountered events, objects, or people - a phenomenon known as recognition memory - according to new research from the departments of Neurosurgery and Psychology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

4 Nov 2015

Underlying processes of working memory more complex than previously thought, say researchers

In order to retain a piece of information for a short time, working memory is required. The underlying processes are considerably more complex than hitherto assumed, as researchers from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Bonn University report in the journal "Cell Reports". Two brain states must alternate rhythmically in order for a piece of information to be successfully maintained.

31 Oct 2015

Study finds no major difference in hippocampal size between men and women

A research study at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science has debunked the widely-held belief that the hippocampus, a crucial part of the brain that consolidates new memories and helps connect emotions to the senses, is larger in females than in males.

30 Oct 2015

Learning detailed navigation information causes hippocampal brain changes

Fifteen years ago, a study showed that the brains of London cab drivers had an enlargement in the hippocampus, a brain area associated with navigation. But questions remained: Did the experience of navigating London's complex system of streets change their brains, or did only the people with larger hippocampi succeed in becoming cab drivers? Now, Carnegie Mellon University scientists have determined that learning detailed navigation information causes the hippocampal brain changes.

28 Oct 2015

MGH researchers identify mechanism behind the spread of neurofibrillary tangles

Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have discovered a mechanism behind the spread of neurofibrillary tangles - one of the two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease - through the brains of affected individuals.

27 Oct 2015

Scientists decode central signal switch associated with epileptic seizures

Scientists at the University of Bonn and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have decoded a central signal cascade associated with epileptic seizures. If the researchers blocked a central switch in epileptic mice, the frequency and severity of the seizures decreased. Using a novel technology, it was possible to observe the processes prior to the occurrence of epileptic seizures in living animals.

27 Oct 2015

Findings suggest a potential "early warning" detection system for Alzheimer's disease

The findings suggest a potential "early warning" detection system for Alzheimer's disease, even in young and asymptomatic individuals.

23 Oct 2015

Memories exist at different resolutions in the brain

Neuroscientists from Radboud University's Donders Institute have shown that memories of the same events co-exist at different resolutions in the brain. Coarse and fine memory scales are distributed across different parts of the hippocampus, a brain area that plays an important part in memory.

22 Oct 2015

Plaques impair memory formation in Alzheimer’s disease during sleep

Alzheimer’s patients frequently suffer from sleep disorders, mostly even before they become forgetful. Furthermore, it is known that sleep plays a very important role in memory formation.

22 Oct 2015

Restoring memory in aging mice

A new study, led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VA) and University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine shows that increasing a crucial cholesterol-binding membrane protein in nerve cells (neurons) within the brain can improve learning and memory in aged mice.

22 Oct 2015

New clique topology method can reveal geometric structure in neural activity in the brain

A newly-developed mathematical method can detect geometric structure in neural activity in the brain. "Previously, in order to understand this structure, scientists needed to relate neural activity to some specific external stimulus," said Vladimir Itskov, associate professor of mathematics at Penn State University.

20 Oct 2015

Reward and daytime nap combo key to learning, new study suggests

A new study suggests that receiving rewards as you learn can help cement new facts and skills in your memory, particularly when combined with a daytime nap.

19 Oct 2015

Hippocampus News and Research

Further Reading

Novel antidepressant appears to be safe, effective against depression in clinical trial

BMBF, US-American National Institute of Health invest over 900,000 euros in memory research

Discovery opens up new avenue for research on potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Physical exercise can enhance development of new brain cells

High-fat diet appears to prompt immune cells to start consuming connections between neurons

Exercise can impact cortical thickness in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

Study: Eating sweet foods causes the brain to form memories that may control eating behaviors

Brain's hippocampus essential for recognizing previously encountered events

Underlying processes of working memory more complex than previously thought, say researchers

Study finds no major difference in hippocampal size between men and women

Learning detailed navigation information causes hippocampal brain changes

MGH researchers identify mechanism behind the spread of neurofibrillary tangles

Scientists decode central signal switch associated with epileptic seizures

Findings suggest a potential "early warning" detection system for Alzheimer's disease

Memories exist at different resolutions in the brain

Plaques impair memory formation in Alzheimer’s disease during sleep

Restoring memory in aging mice

New clique topology method can reveal geometric structure in neural activity in the brain

Reward and daytime nap combo key to learning, new study suggests

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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