Thalamus News and Research

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The Thalamus is an area of the brain that helps process information from the senses and transmit it to other parts of the brain.

NIH-funded study explores how thalamic reticular nucleus influences consciousness

Ever wonder why it's hard to focus after a bad night's sleep? Using mice and flashes of light, scientists show that just a few nerve cells in the brain may control the switch between internal thoughts and external distractions.

16 Aug 2014

SWI provides information about pathophysiological changes of brain after acute hemorrphagic anemia

Acute hemorrhagic anemia can decrease blood flow and oxygen supply to brain, and affect its physiological function. Detecting changes in brain function in patients with acute hemorrhagic anemia is helpful for preventing neurological complications and evaluating therapeutic effects.

16 Jul 2014

NIH funds Phase II 90-subject pediatric clinical trial at UCLA

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based life sciences company focused on commercialization of its non-invasive Monarch eTNS System for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded UCLA a grant that funds a Phase II 90-subject pediatric clinical trial at the University of California, Los Angeles focused on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with NeuroSigma's external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) System.

10 Jul 2014

Brain circuit problem may contribute to auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified problems in a connection between brain structures that may predispose individuals to hearing the "voices" that are a common symptom of schizophrenia. The work appears in the June 6 issue of the journal Science.

6 Jun 2014

Biologists identify how T-type channels change electrochemical signaling of heart and brain cells

Biologists have discovered how an outer shield over T-type channels change the electrochemical signaling of heart and brain cells. Understanding how these shields work will help researchers eventually develop a new class of drugs for treating epilepsy, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

26 Apr 2014

Neuroinflammation levels higher in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, in collaboration with Osaka City University and Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, have used functional PET imaging to show that levels of neuroinflammation, or inflammation of the nervous system, are higher in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome than in healthy people.

4 Apr 2014

NeuroSigma gets approval to market Monarch eTNS System in Australia

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based life-sciences company focused on commercialization of its non-invasive Monarch eTNS System for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that it has received approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration to market its Monarch eTNS System in Australia.

1 Apr 2014

Neurosurgeons use MRI-guided laser technology to treat deep brain tumor

Using a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided laser technology, neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System have successfully treated a malignant tumor deep inside a patient's brain. This is the first time that this FDA-approved laser-based treatment has been performed in California.

25 Feb 2014

Omega-3 supplements, sertraline could help prevent onset of depression and dementia in later life

A University of Sydney study is looking into the effectiveness of omega-3 supplements and the antidepressant, sertraline, in reducing depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in older people, in a bid to prevent the onset of depression and dementia in later life.

24 Feb 2014

Drug abuse appears to foster brain changes that resemble schizophrenia

Teens who were heavy marijuana users -- smoking it daily for about three years -- had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine- study.

16 Dec 2013

Underlying loss of awareness during partial seizures is same as deep sleep

Epilepsy patients with complex partial seizures have impaired consciousness during seizure episodes and typically have no memory of the event. However, the mechanisms of seizure unconsciousness are unclear.

9 Dec 2013

UCL scientists show widespread differences in how genes get expressed in men and women's brains

UCL scientists have shown that there are widespread differences in how genes, the basic building blocks of the human body, are expressed in men and women's brains.

25 Nov 2013

Gray matter changes reflect psychosis burden

Changes in gray matter volume may be associated with psychosis burden rather than clinical diagnosis, research suggests.

14 Nov 2013

Natural painkiller system in the brain responds to social rejection

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," goes the playground rhyme that's supposed to help children endure taunts from classmates. But a new study suggests that there's more going on inside our brains when someone snubs us - and that the brain may have its own way of easing social pain.

11 Oct 2013

Odour of newborns activates neural reward circuit in mothers, elicits maternal care functions

What woman has not wanted to gobble up a baby placed in her arms, even if the baby is not hers? This reaction, which everyone has noticed or felt, could have biological underpinnings related to maternal functions.

23 Sep 2013

‘Risk circuits’ for schizophrenia refined

A study sheds further light on the brain circuits that may underlie risk for schizophrenia.

16 Sep 2013

Discovery sheds light on boundaries between brain regions

If the violins were taken away from the musicians performing Beethoven's 9th symphony, the resulting composition would sound very different. If the violins were left on stage but the violinists were removed, the same mutant version of the symphony would be heard.

13 Sep 2013

InSightec: First patient treated in ExAblate Neuro Phase III pivotal trial for tremor

InSightec Ltd, the global leader in MR guided focused ultrasound, announced that the first patient has been treated as part of an ExAblate Neuro Phase III pivotal trial. The trial is a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment using the ExAblate Neuro in medication-refractory essential tremor patients.

11 Sep 2013

Neural clue to poor daytime concentration in insomnia

Researchers have found abnormal neural function in patients with primary insomnia, which may help explain why these patients find it hard to concentrate on daytime tasks despite the absence of objectively measured cognitive deficits.

9 Sep 2013

UCLA study suggests third possible cause for AD: Iron accumulation

Alzheimer's disease has proven to be a difficult enemy to defeat. After all, aging is the No. 1 risk factor for the disorder, and there's no stopping that.

21 Aug 2013