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Growth of neuronal and vascular networks is controlled by same signaling molecules

Neurons and blood vessels often traverse the body side by side, a fact observed as early as the 16th century by the Flemish anatomist Andreas Vesalius. Only over the last ten years, however, researchers have discovered that the growth of neuronal and vascular networks is controlled by the same molecules.

14 May 2015

Brain protein plays key role in controlling binge drinking

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that a brain protein has a key role in controlling binge drinking in animal models. They found that deleting the gene for this protein in mice ramped up alcohol consumption and prevented the brain from signaling the rewarding properties of alcohol.

12 May 2015

Malfunction of brain architecture can prompt neuron to make 'early-career' switch

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered that the role of neurons -- which are responsible for specific tasks in the brain -- is much more flexible than previously believed.

12 May 2015

Researchers record moment-by-moment fluctuations in brain signals

Researchers studying how the brain makes decisions have, for the first time, recorded the moment-by-moment fluctuations in brain signals that occur when a monkey making free choices has a change of mind.

6 May 2015

Researchers reconstruct 3D models of neuronal networks for studying cortex organization

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (Germany), VU University Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (USA) succeed in reconstructing the neuronal networks that interconnect the elementary units of sensory cortex - cortical columns.

6 May 2015

Common electric brain stimulation has significant detrimental effect on IQ scores

Using a weak electric current in an attempt to boost brainpower or treat conditions has become popular among scientists and do-it-yourselfers, but a new University of North Carolina School of Medicine study shows that using the most common form of electric brain stimulation had a statistically significant detrimental effect on IQ scores.

6 May 2015

Ground-breaking study characterizes early-stage Alzheimer's abnormalities in the intact brain

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that strikes at the heart of what makes us human: the ability to think, to feel, to remember and to communicate with those around us. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that there is currently no cure, no treatment, and no diagnostic method capable of identifying Alzheimer's at its early stages.

6 May 2015

New study shows that depression can make your brain go 'fuzzy'

People with depression or bipolar disorder often feel their thinking ability has gotten "fuzzy", or less sharp than before their symptoms began. Now, researchers have shown in a very large study that effect is indeed real - and rooted in brain activity differences that show up on advanced brain scans.

5 May 2015

Electroclinical triggers for repeat MRI in intractable epilepsy identified

Researchers have outlined the electroclinical features typically associated with bottom-of-sulcus dysplasia, the surgical removal of which often cures epilepsy in affected patients.

30 Apr 2015

Emotion regulation deficits specific to bipolar I disorder

Emotion regulation deficits associated with bipolar I disorder may not extend to bipolar II disorder, say researchers.

29 Apr 2015

UO researchers uncover how the brain encodes and translates sounds

When people hear the sound of footsteps or the drilling of a woodpecker, the rhythmic structure of the sounds is striking, says Michael Wehr, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon.

24 Apr 2015

Researchers pinpoint specific brain regions that control defensive and offensive strategies

We often make quick strategic decisions to attack an opponent or defend our position, yet how we make them is not well understood. Now, researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have pinpointed specific brain regions related to this process by examining neural activity in people playing shogi, a Japanese form of chess.

21 Apr 2015

Study provides detailed brain map of language impairments in aphasia after stroke

The exchange of words, speaking and listening in conversation, may seem unremarkable for most people, but communicating with others is a challenge for people who have aphasia, an impairment of language that often happens after stroke or other brain injury.

16 Apr 2015

Study paves way for greater understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Researchers at the Angiocardioneurology Department of the Neuromed Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care of Pozzilli (Italy), have found, in animal models, that the absence of a certain enzyme causes a syndrome resembling the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

16 Apr 2015

Lack of fish oil fatty acids can limit brain growth during fetal development and early in life

While recent reports question whether fish oil supplements support heart health, UC Irvine scientists have found that the fatty acids they contain are vitally important to the developing brain.

16 Apr 2015

Phase–amplitude coupling changes may underlie DBS success in parkinsonism

Deep-brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus may improve motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease by reducing excessive cortical phase–amplitude coupling, researchers report in Nature Neuroscience.

14 Apr 2015

Mindfulness meditation can reduce pain, anxiety in healthy individuals

When Rebecca Erwin was a varsity rower at the University of North Carolina, the coach had the team's members take a yoga and meditation class.

10 Apr 2015

Study changes our understanding of how position and touch signals are combined in brain

Two types of touch information — the feel of an object and the position of an animal's limb — have long been thought to flow into the brain via different channels and be integrated in sophisticated processing regions.

10 Apr 2015

fMRI can predict language development outcomes in ASD toddlers

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers say it may be possible to predict future language development outcomes in toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), even before they've been formally diagnosed with the condition.

10 Apr 2015

Mental practice, physical therapy effective for stroke survivors

A combination of mental practice and physical therapy is an effective treatment for people recovering from a stroke, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

9 Apr 2015

Cortex News and Research

Growth of neuronal and vascular networks is controlled by same signaling molecules

Brain protein plays key role in controlling binge drinking

Malfunction of brain architecture can prompt neuron to make 'early-career' switch

Researchers record moment-by-moment fluctuations in brain signals

Researchers reconstruct 3D models of neuronal networks for studying cortex organization

Common electric brain stimulation has significant detrimental effect on IQ scores

Ground-breaking study characterizes early-stage Alzheimer's abnormalities in the intact brain

New study shows that depression can make your brain go 'fuzzy'

Electroclinical triggers for repeat MRI in intractable epilepsy identified

Emotion regulation deficits specific to bipolar I disorder

UO researchers uncover how the brain encodes and translates sounds

Researchers pinpoint specific brain regions that control defensive and offensive strategies

Study provides detailed brain map of language impairments in aphasia after stroke

Study paves way for greater understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Lack of fish oil fatty acids can limit brain growth during fetal development and early in life

Phase–amplitude coupling changes may underlie DBS success in parkinsonism

Mindfulness meditation can reduce pain, anxiety in healthy individuals

Study changes our understanding of how position and touch signals are combined in brain

fMRI can predict language development outcomes in ASD toddlers

Mental practice, physical therapy effective for stroke survivors

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