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Targeting one brain region with alternating current could decrease symptoms of chronic pain

For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine showed they could target one brain region with a weak alternating current of electricity, enhance the naturally occurring brain rhythms of that region, and significantly decrease symptoms associated with chronic lower back pain.

9 Nov 2018

Researchers elucidate new rules of connectivity of neurons in the neocortex

As the adage goes "neurons that fire together, wire together," but a new paper published today in Neuron demonstrates that, in addition to response similarity, projection target also constrains local connectivity.

9 Nov 2018

Maximal longevity in species can be better explained by number of neurons in the brain

Scientists have thought that the main determinant of maximal longevity in warm-blooded animals--which varies from as little as 2 to as many as 211 years--is a species' metabolic rate, which is inversely related to body size. It follows that at 2 years of life, small animals with high metabolic rates are already old, but large animals with low metabolic rates are still young.

9 Nov 2018

Rats and humans share ability to selectively forget distracting memories

Our ability to selectively forget distracting memories is shared with other mammals, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

7 Nov 2018

World's largest neuromorphic supercomputer being switched on for the first time

The world's largest neuromorphic supercomputer designed and built to work in the same way a human brain does has been fitted with its landmark one-millionth processor core and is being switched on for the first time.

2 Nov 2018

Retinal sheet transplants restore vision in blind rats

Sheets of fetal cells integrate into the retina and generate nearly normal visual activity in the brains of blind rats, reports new research published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 1 Nov 2018

Texas A&M study identifies new brain region involved in inhibiting fear

A study conducted at Texas A&M University has identified a new area in the brain involved in inhibiting fear, a discovery that holds potential for clinical interventions in patients with psychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

31 Oct 2018

Brain may have more influence on lifespan and sexual maturity of humans than their body

New Vanderbilt research finds how long humans and other live--and when they reach sexual maturity-- may have more to do with their brain than their body. More specifically, it is not animals with larger bodies or slower metabolic rates that live longer; it is animals with more neurons in the cerebral cortex, whatever the size of the body.

31 Oct 2018

Researchers find existence of specific networks in the brain much earlier than previously thought

A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School, the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, have used the brain's spontaneously generated patterns of activity to glean novel insights into network structure and development.

30 Oct 2018

UTHealth's Valentin Dragoi wins $1.6 million NIH award to unlock mysteries of the brain

Working to further the understanding of how the brain processes information, Valentin Dragoi, Ph.D., of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded a three-year, $1.6 million award from the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.

30 Oct 2018

Researchers find unique patterns of neural communication in the brains of children with autism

Think of the brain as a complex transportation hub, a place where neural traffic heads off in any number of directions to make connections while processing something as simple as a mother's smile.

26 Oct 2018

Researchers discover surprising network activity in early developing visual cortex

One of the outstanding mysteries of the cerebral cortex is how individual neurons develop the proper synaptic connections to form large-scale, distributed networks.

25 Oct 2018

Long spaceflight causes structural changes in the brain

Spending long periods in space not only leads to muscle atrophy and reductions in bone density, it also has lasting effects on the brain. However, little is known about how different tissues of the brain react to exposure to microgravity, and it remains unclear whether and to what extent the neuroanatomical changes so far observed persist following return to normal gravity.

25 Oct 2018

New study finds evidence that animals can judge time

Are you taking your time when feeding your pet? Fluffy and Fido are on to you -- and they can tell when you are dawdling.

24 Oct 2018

Neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines

Single neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines, even though the cellular makeup of the neurons is constantly changing, according to a new study by Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists, led by Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Sandra Kuhlman.

24 Oct 2018

Brain plasticity associated with perceptual learning more ubiquitous than initially thought

Life-changing moments are also brain-changing moments: everything from a first kiss to a last goodbye modifies cells within the skull.

24 Oct 2018

How does our brain perceives the environment?

Nearly 30 years ago, scientists demonstrated that visually recognizing an object, such as a cup, and performing a visually guided action, such as picking the cup up, involved distinct neural processes, located in different areas of the brain.

23 Oct 2018

Study shows correlation between spatial memory and the sense of smell

People who have better spatial memory are also better at identifying odors, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.

20 Oct 2018

Human neurons employ highly compartmentalized signaling, study shows

Human neurons are much larger than those of model organisms mice and rats, so it's been unclear whether it's size that makes a difference in our brain's computational power.

19 Oct 2018

Weight loss success associated with brain areas involved in self-control

New research suggests that higher-level brain functions have a major role in losing weight. In a study among 24 participants at a weight-loss clinic, those who achieved greatest success in terms of weight loss demonstrated more activity in the brain regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex associated with self-control.

19 Oct 2018

Cortex News and Research

Targeting one brain region with alternating current could decrease symptoms of chronic pain

Researchers elucidate new rules of connectivity of neurons in the neocortex

Maximal longevity in species can be better explained by number of neurons in the brain

Rats and humans share ability to selectively forget distracting memories

World's largest neuromorphic supercomputer being switched on for the first time

Retinal sheet transplants restore vision in blind rats

Texas A&M study identifies new brain region involved in inhibiting fear

Brain may have more influence on lifespan and sexual maturity of humans than their body

Researchers find existence of specific networks in the brain much earlier than previously thought

UTHealth's Valentin Dragoi wins $1.6 million NIH award to unlock mysteries of the brain

Researchers find unique patterns of neural communication in the brains of children with autism

Researchers discover surprising network activity in early developing visual cortex

Long spaceflight causes structural changes in the brain

New study finds evidence that animals can judge time

Neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines

Brain plasticity associated with perceptual learning more ubiquitous than initially thought

How does our brain perceives the environment?

Study shows correlation between spatial memory and the sense of smell

Human neurons employ highly compartmentalized signaling, study shows

Weight loss success associated with brain areas involved in self-control

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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