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.

New research identifies cause of disruption in brain's communication channels linked to psychiatric disorders

New research has identified the mechanisms that trigger disruption in the brain's communication channels linked to symptoms in psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. The University of Bristol study, published today [17 Aug] in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, could have important implications for treating symptoms of brain disorders.

18 Aug 2015

Northwestern University researchers identify molecular difference in male and female brains

Male and female brains operate differently at a molecular level, a Northwestern University research team reports in a new study of a brain region involved in learning and memory, responses to stress and epilepsy.

13 Aug 2015

Study suggests that eye movements during REM sleep responsible for resetting dream 'snapshots'

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the period in which we experience vivid dreams, was discovered by scientists in the 1950s. Because REM sleep is associated with dreaming, on the one hand, and eye movement, on the other, it has been tempting to assume that each movement of the eye is associated with a specific dream image. But despite decades of intense research by leading international scientists, this intuitive hypothesis has remained unproven.

13 Aug 2015

McGill researchers identify brain structures involved in delayed gratification

Researchers at McGill have clearly identified, for the first time, the specific parts of the brain involved in decisions that call for delayed gratification. In a paper recently published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, they demonstrated that the hippocampus (associated with memory) and the nucleus accumbens (associated with pleasure) work together in making critical decisions of this type, where time plays a role.

5 Aug 2015

Same brain cells involved in encoding and retrieving memories

Are the same regions and even the same cells of the brain area called hippocampus involved in encoding and retrieving memories or are different areas of this structure engaged? This question has kept neuroscientists busy for a long time. Researchers at the Mercator Research Group "Structure of Memory" at RUB have now found out that the same brain cells exhibit activity in both processes.

29 Jul 2015

New Iowa State study finds strong link between insulin resistance and increased Alzheimer's disease risk

The fact that obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers is well known. But a new Iowa State University study adds to the growing evidence that memory loss should also be a top concern.

28 Jul 2015

Static synapses that lie between cell body and AIS critical for decreasing neuronal excitability

In biology, stability is important. From body temperature to blood pressure and sugar levels, our body ensures that these remain within reasonable limits and do not reach potentially damaging extremes.

25 Jul 2015

Researchers examine brain networks involved in PTSD and TBI

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have devastating consequences. Both are associated with high rates of disability and suicide, and although they are separate conditions, they commonly co-occur. For example, a soldier who has developed PTSD as a result of a traumatic experience may have also sustained a brain injury during that experience.

23 Jul 2015

Drug addiction expert uncovers molecular mechanisms that contribute to addiction resistance

Growing up in West Virginia, Jill Turner saw firsthand the kind of havoc that drug addiction can wreak. "I had a lot of friends who had very promising lives and promising careers ahead of them," the assistant professor in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy says, "but they ended up either overdosing or going to jail for drug-related stuff. It's one of the reasons I went into drug addiction research."

22 Jul 2015

Poverty has detrimental effects on child's brain development

An alarming 22 percent of U.S. children live in poverty, which can have long-lasting negative consequences on brain development, emotional health and academic achievement. A new study, published July 20 in JAMA Pediatrics, provides even more compelling evidence that growing up in poverty has detrimental effects on the brain.

21 Jul 2015

Stanford researchers identify iron-containing microglia in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

Examining post-mortem tissue from the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators identified what appear to be iron-containing microglia -- specialized scavenger cells that sometimes become inflammatory -- in a particular part of the hippocampus, a key brain structure whose integrity is critical to memory formation.

21 Jul 2015

Retrosplenial cortex serves as 'conjunction junction' for brain's navigation function

Ever wake at night needing a drink of water and then find your way to the kitchen in the dark without stubbing your toe?

10 Jul 2015

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, providing insight into how the condition may develop and respond to treatment, have been identified in an internationally collaborative study led by a Georgia State University scientist.

7 Jul 2015

New UCL research reveals how past events are reconstructed in the brain

When remembering something from our past, we often vividly re-experience the whole episode in which it occurred. New UCL research funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust has now revealed how this might happen in the brain.

2 Jul 2015

People with recurrent depression have significantly smaller hippocampus than healthy individuals

The brains of people with recurrent depression have a significantly smaller hippocampus - the part of the brain most associated with forming new memories - than healthy individuals, a new global study of nearly 9,000 people reveals.

30 Jun 2015

Neuralstem's HK532-IGF-1 neural stem cells therapy for Alzheimer's disease presented at ISSCR Annual Meeting

Neuralstem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company using neural stem cell technology to develop small molecule and cell therapy treatments for central nervous system diseases, announced that the poster "Human Neural Stem Cells Expressing IGF-1: A Novel Cellular Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease" was presented yesterday at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

27 Jun 2015

UC Riverside psychologist awarded NIA grant to study early influences on cognitive and physical health by middle age

University of California, Riverside psychologist Chandra A. Reynolds has been awarded a $7 million, five-year grant by the National Institute on Aging to study how early childhood influences versus recent influences affect cognitive and physical health by middle age.

27 Jun 2015

Rats have happy dreams about tasty treats in the future

When rats rest, their brains simulate journeys to a desired future such as a tasty treat, finds new UCL research funded by the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society.

26 Jun 2015

Fructose stimulates reward system in the brain to a lesser degree than glucose

Fructose not only results in a lower level of satiety, it also stimulates the reward system in the brain to a lesser degree than glucose. This may cause excessive consumption accompanied by effects that are a risk to health, report researchers from the University of Basel in a study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. Various diseases have been attributed to industrial fructose in sugary drinks and ready meals.