Cortex News and Research

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New device uses electromagnetic waves to reverse Alzheimer’s

A new study, to be published in the September 3, 2019, issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, provides something to cheer about for the estimated 44 million patients who have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the US, and their hard-pressed caregivers.

18 Sep 2019

Brain imaging reveals mechanisms underlying auditory processing in nonverbal children with autism

Even though nonverbal or minimally verbal people who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make up between 25 and 30 percent of the total autistic population, almost no studies have been done focusing on this group and their particular needs.

18 Sep 2019

Research shows how the brain repurposes unused regions in blind people

In adults that are born blind, the “visual” cortex is activated in a similar way during a listening task, according to new research in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 18 Sep 2019

Social isolation in adolescence disrupts brain development, mice study shows

Female mice housed alone during adolescence show atypical development of the prefrontal cortex and resort to habitual behavior in adulthood, according to new research published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 17 Sep 2019

Foods rich in LH dipeptide may help maintain good mental health

A research group led by Professor Tomoyuki Furuyashiki and Associate Professor Shiho Kitaoka (Graduate School of Medicine) in collaboration with researcher Yasuhisa Ano of Kirin Holdings have made discoveries regarding the effect of the dipeptide Leucine-Histidine in suppressing microglial activation and depression-associated emotional disturbances.

13 Sep 2019

New gene therapy helps stroke patients develop new neurons

Ischemic stroke is a condition in which parts of the brain lose their blood supply, causing nerve damage. Once brain tissue suffers irreparable harm, the patient will experience irreversible disability or death, depending on the extent of neuronal loss.

12 Sep 2019

Study provides new insights into how astrocytes help the brain process information

A collaboration between the laboratories of Vincent Bonin (NERF, empowered by VIB, imec and KU Leuven) and Matthew Holt (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) reveals that noradrenaline plays a key role in how astrocytes - star-shaped cells in the brain closely associated with neurons - track distinct information during behavior.

12 Sep 2019

Researchers discover mechanism that enables skillful fingering of pianists

In Japan Science and Technology Agency's Strategic Basic Research Programs, Dr. Masato Hirano of Sony Computer Science Laboratories and his colleagues discovered a sensorimotor function integration mechanism that enables the skillful fingering of pianists.

12 Sep 2019

Researchers identify mechanism responsible for spatial issues in people with Down syndrome

Researchers reveal that an imbalance of gene Grik1 is behind the spatial issues that people with Down syndrome experience.

11 Sep 2019

Brain circuit regulates individual responses to temptation cues, rat study finds

Differences in a key brain circuit may suggest why some individuals are less able than others to resist tempting cues, according to a study in rats published today in eLife.

11 Sep 2019

Scientists unveil key brain cells that suppress drug cravings

Illicit drug use has been linked to disability, death, and the risk for many diseases. But more, it is associated with risks to the person’s family, friends, and the community.

10 Sep 2019

Salk researchers develop method to reveal epigenetic features of brain cells

The brain's prefrontal cortex, which gives us our ability to solve problems and plan ahead, contains billions of cells. But understanding the large diversity of cell types in this critical region, each with unique genetic and molecular properties, has been challenging.

10 Sep 2019

Brain networks develop differently in boys and girls at puberty, research shows

Scientists have found that brain networks develop differently in males and females at puberty, with boys showing an increase in connectivity in certain brain areas, and girls showing a decrease in connectivity as puberty progresses.

9 Sep 2019

Neuroscientists discover how brain rhythms organize our visual perception

To investigate how information of different visual features is processed in the brain, the neuroscientists from the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute of Primate Research in Göttingen, Germany, the Iran University of Science and Technology and the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences in Tehran, Iran measured the activity of individual nerve cells in the brain of rhesus monkeys, while the animals performed a visual perception task.

9 Sep 2019

Schizophrenia and brain noise filtering

The sheer abundance of noise that surrounds us makes it necessary for the brain to filter out selective components so that we can focus on what we need or want to hear. This is called filtering. When we hear two sounds that are exactly the same, the brain filters out the second sound by simply reducing the amount of nerve circuits that participate in its reception.

9 Sep 2019

Deep brain magnetic stimulation can improve symptoms of OCD

Researchers have found that focusing powerful non-invasive magnet stimulation on a specific brain area can improve the symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

8 Sep 2019

Scientists discover brain areas for understanding metaphors in healthy and schizophrenic people

Scientists have used MRI scanners to discover the parts of the brain which understand metaphors, in both healthy volunteers and people with schizophrenia.

8 Sep 2019

Inhibitory inputs to neurons in the visual cortex are more diverse than previously thought

Neurons are complex, highly connected cells engaged with multiple networks throughout the brain, and they exhibit a wide range of activity.

6 Sep 2019

Neuroscientists reveal how our brain filters sounds

Our sound environment is extremely dense, which is why the brain has to adapt and implement filtering mechanisms that allow it to hold its attention on the most important elements and save energy.

6 Sep 2019

Lefthandedness genes change the way the brain develops

A new study has discovered four genes related to left-handedness, and the associated differences in the way the brain is organized. About a tenth of people are left-handed, making this a not uncommon trait. However, the new findings point to greater verbal fluency with this alternate version of the brain, compared to right-handedness.

6 Sep 2019