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Disruption of 'slow waves' can lead to cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s in mice

While unconscious during deep sleep, millions of neurons' activity travels across the cerebral cortex. This phenomenon, known as slow waves, is related to the consolidation of memory.

5 Sep 2017

Aberrant neural activity in lab mice presents potential challenges to study healthy brain

Multiple laboratories have observed unusual neural activity resembling epilepsy in some lines of genetically modified mice widely used in neuroscience research.

4 Sep 2017

Long-term alcohol use changes brain functions differently in young men and women

Scientists have found that brain functions in young men and women are changed by long-term alcohol use, but that these changes are significantly different in men and women.

4 Sep 2017

Study suggests neural mechanism behind contagious yawning

A study named “A neural basis for contagious yawning” conducted at the University of Nottingham suggests that primitive reflexes that originate in the primary motor cortex, a section of the brain accountable for motor function, are responsible for automatically initiating the human tendency for contagious yawning.

1 Sep 2017

Researchers explore causal link between perirhinal neurons and mnemonic judgment of objects

Cognitive neuroscience research on non-human primates demonstrated that judgments of whether humans have previously seen or not seen an object are causally determined by neuronal signals generated in the temporal cortex of the brain. The findings are published in Science (August 2017).

1 Sep 2017

Human propensity for contagious yawning triggered by primitive reflexes in the brain, research suggests

Feeling tired? Even if we aren't tired, why do we yawn if someone else does? Experts at the University of Nottingham have published research that suggests the human propensity for contagious yawning is triggered automatically by primitive reflexes in the primary motor cortex -- an area of the brain responsible for motor function.

31 Aug 2017

Study finds transcranial direct-current stimulation to be less effective than anti-depressants

A new study questions the efficacy of treatments for depression based on stimulating brain areas with low-intensity electric current. The technique, known as transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), was considered a promising alternative to treatment with antidepressant drugs.

31 Aug 2017

Two distinct brain regions involve in decision-making process, research shows

Often when we make a decision, we calculate its "expected value," by multiplying the value of something (how much we want or need it) with the probability that we might be able to obtain it, a concept first introduced by 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal.

30 Aug 2017

Defect in DNA repair machinery causes underdevelopment of neural network

DNA is the computer code that programs every event in the body. Despite the importance of DNA fidelity, as the body develops, cells grow and replicate, DNA is constantly turned over. This repeated process can compromise the DNA, which is why the body has many DNA repair machineries.

30 Aug 2017

New study pinpoints origin of abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder

The origins of autism remain mysterious. What areas of the brain are involved, and when do the first signs appear? New findings published in Biological Psychiatry brings us closer to understanding the pathology of autism, and the point at which it begins to take shape in the human brain.

29 Aug 2017

Magnetic stimulation of the prefrontal cortex improved test subjects’ evaluation of own performance

Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki have succeeded for the first time ever in affecting metacognition of a tactile working memory task by combining neural pathway imaging and magnetic stimulation of the brain.

29 Aug 2017

Second Sight achieves milestone with conditional FDA approval to start Orion feasibility clinical trial

Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable visual prosthetics to provide useful vision to blind patients, today announced that the Company has received conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin the Orion™ Cortical Visual Prosthesis System feasibility clinical study.

29 Aug 2017

Low depth of sleep linked to higher risk-seeking behavior

Sleepiness, reduced concentration and performance - more and more people are suffering from the consequences of a chronic lack of sleep.

28 Aug 2017

Reduced activity in the brain's self-regulation system may be early predictor of obesity

In a small study that scanned the brains of teenagers while exposing them to tempting "food cues," researchers report that reduced activity in the brain's "self-regulation" system may be an important early predictor of adult obesity.

22 Aug 2017

Bionic vision restoration: could future technologies restore sight?

The brain is very plastic, which means that the brain is able to adapt to new signals. In the case of bionic vision restoration, the photoreceptors have died, the brain is not receiving anything biologically, and you are going to then send something which is artificial, prosthetic, and has been created outside the body.

21 Aug 2017

Teenagers’ impulsive and risk taking behavior not related to brain deficit symptoms

A popular theory in recent neuroscience proposes that slow development of the prefrontal cortex - and its weak connectivity with brain reward regions - explains teenagers' seemingly impulsive and risky behavior.

17 Aug 2017

Scientists use magnetic nanoparticles to trigger activity deep inside the brain

Scientists have used magnetism to activate tiny groups of cells in the brain, inducing bodily movements that include running, rotating and losing control of the extremities -- an achievement that could lead to advances in studying and treating neurological disease.

17 Aug 2017

Researchers discover new brain area involved in spatial memory and navigation

Navigation in mammals including humans and rodents depends on specialized neural networks that encode the animal's location and trajectory in the environment, serving essentially as a GPS, findings that led to the 2014 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

16 Aug 2017

Simple odor identification tests may help track progression of Alzheimer's disease

By the time you start losing your memory, it`s almost too late. That`s because the damage to your brain associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may already have been going on for as long as twenty years.

16 Aug 2017

Scientists map learning and memory center of fruit fly larva brain

A Johns Hopkins University mathematician and computer scientist joined an international team of neuroscientists to create a complete map of the learning and memory center of the fruit fly larva brain, an early step toward mapping how all animal brains work.

11 Aug 2017

Cortex News and Research

Disruption of 'slow waves' can lead to cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer’s in mice

Aberrant neural activity in lab mice presents potential challenges to study healthy brain

Long-term alcohol use changes brain functions differently in young men and women

Study suggests neural mechanism behind contagious yawning

Researchers explore causal link between perirhinal neurons and mnemonic judgment of objects

Human propensity for contagious yawning triggered by primitive reflexes in the brain, research suggests

Study finds transcranial direct-current stimulation to be less effective than anti-depressants

Two distinct brain regions involve in decision-making process, research shows

Defect in DNA repair machinery causes underdevelopment of neural network

New study pinpoints origin of abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder

Magnetic stimulation of the prefrontal cortex improved test subjects’ evaluation of own performance

Second Sight achieves milestone with conditional FDA approval to start Orion feasibility clinical trial

Low depth of sleep linked to higher risk-seeking behavior

Reduced activity in the brain's self-regulation system may be early predictor of obesity

Bionic vision restoration: could future technologies restore sight?

Teenagers’ impulsive and risk taking behavior not related to brain deficit symptoms

Scientists use magnetic nanoparticles to trigger activity deep inside the brain

Researchers discover new brain area involved in spatial memory and navigation

Simple odor identification tests may help track progression of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists map learning and memory center of fruit fly larva brain

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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