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.

New technique identifies specific neural pathways involved in executive functions of the brain

The human brain is a wonderfully enigmatic organ, helping to juggle multiple tasks efficiently to help us get through a long day! This feature, called executive function, seats primates like us at the pinnacle of evolution.

2 Jul 2021

Study uncovers common neural mechanism for cognitive impairment in autism and schizophrenia

Many neurodevelopmental disorders share similar symptoms, such as learning disabilities or attention deficits.

30 Jun 2021

Study shows that neurons establish functional connections only with one retina

The visual thalamus is classically known to relay visual stimuli coming from the retina to the cerebral cortex. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show that although neurons in the mouse visual thalamus connect to both eyes, they establish strong functional connections only with one retina.

21 Jun 2021

Alarming COVID study indicates long-term loss of gray matter and other brain tissue

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv* by Prof. Gwenaëlle Douaud et al. (June 15th, 2021), participants that had taken part in a brain study prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were invited back for a series of follow-up tests, revealing significant losses of grey matter surrounding the olfactory and gustatory system in those that had been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Jun 2021

REAER is a promising therapy for improving the lives of people with multiple sclerosis

A team of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts at Kessler Foundation led the first pilot randomized controlled trial of robotic-exoskeleton assisted exercise rehabilitation (REAER) effects on mobility, cognition, and brain connectivity in people with substantial MS-related disability.

29 May 2021

Study highlights the importance of sensory connections in fear learning

Has your heart ever started to race at the thought of an upcoming deadline for work? Or has the sight of an unknown object in a dark room made you jump? Well, you can probably thank your amygdala for that.

25 May 2021

Researchers reveal how the brain may adapt to processing complex information

Human decision-making depends on the flexible processing of complex information, but how the brain may adapt processing to momentary task demands has remained unclear.

29 Apr 2021

Research provides deep and detailed look at how common anesthetic causes unconsciousness

In a uniquely deep and detailed look at how the commonly used anesthetic propofol causes unconsciousness, a collaboration of labs at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that as the drug takes hold in the brain, a wide swath of regions become coordinated by very slow rhythms that maintain a commensurately languid pace of neural activity.

27 Apr 2021

Study provides mechanistic insight into effects of regular coffee drinking on the brain’s network

A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry and sponsored by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), provides unique insights into the functional and connectivity changes that happen within the brain of regular coffee drinkers.

22 Apr 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Study provides detailed insight into neural mechanisms underlying placebo effects

A large proportion of the benefit that a person gets from taking a real drug or receiving a treatment to alleviate pain is due to an individual's mindset, not to the drug itself.

2 Mar 2021

Sounds appear to change the brain’s wiring patterns that process sound earlier than assumed

Scientists have yet to answer the age-old question of whether or how sound shapes the minds of fetuses in the womb, and expectant mothers often wonder about the benefits of such activities as playing music during pregnancy.

14 Feb 2021

Study: Oligodendrocytes play key role in the distribution of energy-rich molecules

The human brain has about as many neurons as glial cells. These are divided into four major groups: the microglia, the astrocytes, the NG2 glial cells, and the oligodendrocytes.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers measure brain volume differences in HIV-infected individuals

Nearly 38 million people around the world are living with HIV, which, with access to treatment, has become a lifelong chronic condition. Understanding how infection changes the brain, especially in the context of aging, is increasingly important for improving both treatment and quality of life.

16 Jan 2021

Anesthesia and sleep have surprisingly similar effects on brain activity, finds study

What happens in the brain when our conscious awareness fades during general anesthesia and normal sleep? Finnish scientists studied this question with novel experimental designs and functional brain imaging.

29 Dec 2020

Changes in consciousness linked to the same brain network for sleep and anesthesia

The loss and return of consciousness is linked to the same network of brain regions for both sleep and anesthesia, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

23 Dec 2020

New AI tool may soon offer the right treatment for stroke survivors

An AI developed by Japanese researchers might soon help stroke survivors get the right treatment by detecting a patient's post-stroke depression (PSD) type, a frequently seen but often overlooked neuropsychiatric manifestation after a stroke that could impair functional recovery.

15 Dec 2020

Researchers identify key source of signals encoding past experiences in the brain

Researchers identify a region of the brain as a key source of signals encoding past experiences in the neocortex.

16 Nov 2020

Serious ongoing symptoms in COVID-19 survivors

Although predominantly a respiratory illness, emerging data suggests that multi-organ injury is common, particularly in moderate to severe infections. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 describes the illness's sequelae in the months after recovery.

20 Oct 2020

Study could shed light on psychopathy and other disorders

The processes our brains use to avoid harming other people are automatic and reflexive - and quite different from those used when avoiding harm to ourselves, according to new research.

16 Oct 2020