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Mouse study shows how tungsten accumulates in the bones

New research shows how and where tungsten accumulates in bones of mice exposed to the element through drinking water. The findings, by a team of chemists and biologists at McGill University, could add to doubts over the once-universal assumption that tungsten poses little or no health risk to the general human population.

17 Apr 2018

Discordance between brain regions could lead to attention deficit disorders

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and colleagues have discovered how two brain regions work together to maintain attention, and how discordance between the regions could lead to attention deficit disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

6 Apr 2018

Negative fateful life events appear to accelerate brain aging, study finds

Conflict, a death in the family, financial hardship and serious medical crises are all associated with accelerated physical aging. In a new study, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that such negative fateful life events -- or FLEs -- appear to also specifically accelerate aging in the brain.

5 Apr 2018

Largest-ever study to examine anatomical alterations in the brains of epilepsy patients

An international research consortium used neuroimaging techniques to analyze the brains of more than 3,800 volunteers in different countries. The largest study of its kind ever conducted set out to investigate anatomical similarities and differences in the brains of individuals with different types of epilepsy and to seek markers that could help with prognosis and treatment.

4 Apr 2018

Monkeys' brain synchrony influenced by proximity and social status, research suggests

Though their purpose and function are still largely unknown, mirror neurons in the brain are believed by some neuroscientists to be central to how humans relate to each other. Deficiencies in mirror neurons might also play a role in autism and other disorders affecting social skills.

30 Mar 2018

Ultra-slow waves in the brain directly linked to consciousness

If you keep a close eye on an MRI scan of the brain, you'll see a wave pass through the entire brain like a heartbeat once every few seconds. This ultra-slow rhythm was recognized decades ago, but no one quite knew what to make of it. MRI data are inherently noisy, so most researchers simply ignored the ultra-slow waves.

29 Mar 2018

New tracing methods reveal breadth of neural communication in visual cortex

An international collaboration of neuroscientists have today published a paper in Nature demonstrating the breadth of neural communication in visual cortex using a combination of methods for tracing the projections of individual neurons across the brain.

29 Mar 2018

Researchers measure whether transcranial direct current stimulation generates EFs in deep brain areas

A defining characteristic of stroke is the loss of motor control due to structural damage in specific brain areas. In fact, motor impairments (or deficits) are the number one complication after stroke.

27 Mar 2018

New study reveals why some visual cues remain subliminal

Understanding conscious perception is a major challenge for neuroscience. A new study published on March 22nd in Science now shows why weak visual stimuli of the same strength are sometimes detected and other times remain subliminal: As the signals travel from visual areas to the prefrontal cortex, fluctuating brain dynamics can make the difference, elevating some signals above the threshold of conscious experience and stopping others in their tracks.

27 Mar 2018

Choline intake during pregnancy increases brain grey and white matter in young pigs

Choline intake during pregnancy can influence infant metabolism and brain development, according to a series of studies from the University of Illinois. Although the role of choline in neurodevelopment has been studied before in rodents, the new research, done with pigs, has more relevance to humans.

27 Mar 2018

Neuroscientists investigate brain mechanisms of altruistic behavior

There are two war veterans, both with penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a gunshot. One of them tends to donate his own money to societal entities he believes in, and the other one punishes institutions that don't represent him.

26 Mar 2018

Mother's stress during pregnancy changes brain connectivity in-utero

The time babies spend in the womb is far from idle. The brain is changing more rapidly during this time than at any other time in development. It is an active time for the fetus to grow and explore, and of course connect to its mother.

26 Mar 2018

Researchers develop ultrathin endoscope to capture neurons firing deep in the brain

Researchers have developed an endoscope as thin as a human hair that can image the activity of neurons in the brains of living mice. Because it is so thin, the endoscope can reach deep into the brain, giving researchers access to areas that cannot be seen with microscopes or other types of endoscopes.

26 Mar 2018

Menopausal hormone therapy taken soon after menopause may benefit the brain

Taking menopausal hormone therapy soon after menopause to relieve symptoms may also benefit the brain, according to a study published in the March 21, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Mar 2018

New study identifies key role for particular gene in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome

In a new study of one of the most common genetic causes of autism, neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have identified a specific molecular mechanism that appears to undermine the ability of neurons in affected mice to properly incorporate changes driven by experience.

20 Mar 2018

Neuroscientists identify role of primary visual cortex in integrating head and visual movement signals

Neuroscientists at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre have identified a circuit in the primary visual cortex (V1) of the brain that integrates head- and visual-motion signals.

15 Mar 2018

New study provides clues about how ADHD drugs affect healthy brains

A new study shows that healthy people who take attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs experience a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. And that increase in glutamate is associated with subsequent changes in positive emotion.

14 Mar 2018

Study highlights divergent molecular mechanisms contributing to depression in men and women

Men and women with major depressive disorder have opposite changes in the expression of the same genes, according to a new postmortem brain study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.

14 Mar 2018

Study highlights significant clinical differences between men and women with sleep apnea

Researchers from the UCLA School of Nursing examined clinical records and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans of patients who were recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, and discovered several apparent connections between thinning of the brain's cerebral cortex and apnea symptoms.

13 Mar 2018

Air pollution exposure during fetal life related to brain abnormalities, cognitive impairment in children

A new study performed in the Netherlands has linked exposure to residential air pollution during fetal life with brain abnormalities that may contribute to impaired cognitive function in school-age children. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, reports that the air pollution levels related to brain alterations were below those considered to be safe.

8 Mar 2018

Cortex News and Research

Mouse study shows how tungsten accumulates in the bones

Discordance between brain regions could lead to attention deficit disorders

Negative fateful life events appear to accelerate brain aging, study finds

Largest-ever study to examine anatomical alterations in the brains of epilepsy patients

Monkeys' brain synchrony influenced by proximity and social status, research suggests

Ultra-slow waves in the brain directly linked to consciousness

New tracing methods reveal breadth of neural communication in visual cortex

Researchers measure whether transcranial direct current stimulation generates EFs in deep brain areas

New study reveals why some visual cues remain subliminal

Choline intake during pregnancy increases brain grey and white matter in young pigs

Neuroscientists investigate brain mechanisms of altruistic behavior

Mother's stress during pregnancy changes brain connectivity in-utero

Researchers develop ultrathin endoscope to capture neurons firing deep in the brain

Menopausal hormone therapy taken soon after menopause may benefit the brain

New study identifies key role for particular gene in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome

Neuroscientists identify role of primary visual cortex in integrating head and visual movement signals

New study provides clues about how ADHD drugs affect healthy brains

Study highlights divergent molecular mechanisms contributing to depression in men and women

Study highlights significant clinical differences between men and women with sleep apnea

Air pollution exposure during fetal life related to brain abnormalities, cognitive impairment in children

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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