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Precise mouse brain map may provide new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illnesses

Scientists at Duke University have released a highly detailed model of connections in the mouse brain that could provide generations of neuroscientists new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illness, such as depression and schizophrenia.

16 Sep 2015

Missing part of the brain may play vital role in how people understand the world

A study three years ago sparked a medical mystery when it revealed a part of the brain not found in any present-day anatomy textbooks.

15 Sep 2015

New study reveals link between cardiorespiratory fitness, brain activation and executive function in older adults

The aging process is associated with declines in brain function, including memory and how fast our brain processes information, yet previous research has found that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults leads to better executive function in the brain, which helps with reasoning and problem solving. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels have also been found to increase brain volume in key brain regions.

14 Sep 2015

Study shows external brain stimulation temporarily improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) tend to slow down and decrease the intensity of their movements even though many retain the ability to move more quickly and forcefully.

10 Sep 2015

Nerve damage caused by leprosy linked to changes in the brain of patients

Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to change both anatomically and functionally in response to changes in the body or in the environment.

10 Sep 2015

Studies suggests that insular cortex may hold key to treating addiction

A pair of studies suggests that a region of the brain - called the insular cortex - may hold the key to treating addiction. Scientists have come to this conclusion after finding that smokers who suffered a stroke in the insular cortex were far more likely to quit smoking and experience fewer and less severe withdrawal symptoms than those with strokes in other parts of the brain.

8 Sep 2015

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

One of the longstanding debates in science, that has, perhaps unsurprisingly, permeated into the field of stem cell research, is the question of nature versus nurture influencing development.

4 Sep 2015

Diabetes may be linked to buildup of brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Diabetes may be linked to the buildup of tangles or tau in the brain, separate from Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the September 2, 2015, online version of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal how the brain manages multitasking

What makes someone better at switching between different tasks? Looking for the mechanisms behind cognitive flexibility, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Germany's Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and Charité University Medicine Berlin have used brain scans to shed new light on this question.

2 Sep 2015

SKA2 gene may play a role in development of PTSD

A gene linked in previous research, appears to predict more severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as a thinner cortex in regions of the brain critical for regulating strong emotions and coping with stressful experiences. This study is believed to be the first to show that the spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 2 (SKA2) gene may play a role in the development of PTSD.

2 Sep 2015

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can alleviate FOG, improve motor skills in PD patients

About 50% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience freezing of gait (FOG), an inability to move forward while walking. This can affect not only mobility but also balance. In a new study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers report that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can reduce FOG and improve other motor skills in PD patients.

1 Sep 2015

New way to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation can give relief for severe depression

A group of UK scientists have found a way of understanding how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can give relief to severely depressed patients. TMS is used as an alternative to Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT), but it is not known how it achieves its therapeutic effect. Understanding how it works may open the door to better, more targeted treatment for depression and other conditions.

31 Aug 2015

Study shows food craving may be hard-wired into the brain of overweight patients

An international group of researchers have found that food craving activates different brain networks between obese and normal weight patients.

31 Aug 2015

Cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain broadcast message throughout the cerebral cortex

When a large combat unit, widely dispersed in dense jungle, goes to battle, no single soldier knows precisely how his actions are affecting the unit's success or failure. But in modern armies, every soldier is connected via an audio link that can instantly receive broadcasts - reporting both positive and negative surprises - based on new intelligence. The real-time broadcasts enable dispersed troops to learn from these reports and can be critical since no solider has an overview of the entire unit's situation.

28 Aug 2015

Consumers willing to pay 30% more for Fair Trade products, study finds

Products labeled with a Fair Trade logo cause prospective buyers to dig deeper into their pockets. In an experiment conducted at the University of Bonn, participants were willing to pay on average 30 percent more for ethically produced goods, compared to their conventionally produced counterparts.

28 Aug 2015

Aphantasia: A condition that describes people born with diminished visual imagery ability

If counting sheep is an abstract concept, or you are unable to visualise the faces of loved ones, you could have aphantasia - a newly defined condition to describe people who are born without a "mind's eye".

28 Aug 2015

Study shows how difficulty making good decisions can make certain people vulnerable to suicide

Not even close to every person who faces challenges or lives with severe depression commits suicide. Some people are more vulnerable than others.

27 Aug 2015

Study provides insight into how the ability to inhibit an action affects attention and memory

You're driving on a busy road and you intend to switch lanes when you suddenly realize that there's a car in your blind spot. You have to put a stop to your lane change -- and quickly. A new study by Duke University researchers suggests that this type of scenario makes a person less likely to remember what halted the action -- for example, the make and model of the car in the blind spot.

27 Aug 2015

Research reveals why older adults who undergo general anesthesia experience postoperative delirium

Newly published research from the Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine explains why up to half of older adults who undergo general anesthesia develop postoperative delirium - the sudden onset of confusion, aggression or agitated behavior that could progress to dementia. The findings indicate that older patients who are undergoing surgery may benefit from a less-potent, slower-acting anesthetic.

26 Aug 2015

Brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form long-term memories

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have found how even brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form permanent, long-term brain connections, or memories, in a specific region of the brain. Moreover, the research team, working with rats, says it was able to chemically stimulate those biological pathways in the locus coeruleus -- the area of the brain best known for releasing the "fight or flight" hormone noradrenaline -- to heighten and improve the animals' hearing.

25 Aug 2015

Cortex News and Research

Precise mouse brain map may provide new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illnesses

Missing part of the brain may play vital role in how people understand the world

New study reveals link between cardiorespiratory fitness, brain activation and executive function in older adults

Study shows external brain stimulation temporarily improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients

Nerve damage caused by leprosy linked to changes in the brain of patients

Studies suggests that insular cortex may hold key to treating addiction

Researchers find intrinsic differences in mice’s neural stem cells using image-tracking technology

Diabetes may be linked to buildup of brain tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers reveal how the brain manages multitasking

SKA2 gene may play a role in development of PTSD

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can alleviate FOG, improve motor skills in PD patients

New way to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation can give relief for severe depression

Study shows food craving may be hard-wired into the brain of overweight patients

Cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain broadcast message throughout the cerebral cortex

Consumers willing to pay 30% more for Fair Trade products, study finds

Aphantasia: A condition that describes people born with diminished visual imagery ability

Study shows how difficulty making good decisions can make certain people vulnerable to suicide

Study provides insight into how the ability to inhibit an action affects attention and memory

Research reveals why older adults who undergo general anesthesia experience postoperative delirium

Brief exposure to sudden sounds or mild trauma can form long-term memories

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