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Study provides insights into genetic, neuronal circuit mechanisms linked to autism's impaired sociability

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have gained new insight into the genetic and neuronal circuit mechanisms that may contribute to impaired sociability in some forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

16 Mar 2017

CUMC researchers discover common genetic variant that impacts brain aging

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have discovered a common genetic variant that greatly impacts normal brain aging, starting at around age 65, and may modify the risk for neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Mar 2017

Changes in the brain regions that process speech may be potential predictor of early dementia

Early dementia is typically associated with memory and thinking problems; but older adults should also be vigilant about hearing and communication problems, suggest recent findings in a joint Baycrest-University of Memphis study.

15 Mar 2017

UGR scientists show link between magnetic systems and certain states of brain activity

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) have proven for the first time that there is a close relationship between several emerging phenomena in magnetic systems (greatly studied by condensed matter physicists) and certain states of brain activity.

13 Mar 2017

Brain networks at rest appear to be in state of potentiation for action, study suggests

Just as a sprinter's body and muscles are ready for action as they wait for the starting gun to fire, brain networks at rest appear to be waiting in a state of potentiation to execute even the simplest of behaviors.

10 Mar 2017

UCLA study provides new insights into how the brain works

A new UCLA study could change scientists' understanding of how the brain works — and could lead to new approaches for treating neurological disorders and for developing computers that "think" more like humans.

10 Mar 2017

Researchers identify potential alcoholism mechanisms linked to dynamical dopamine imbalance

Researchers from the Higher School of Economics, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, Indiana University and the Russian Academy of Sciences Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Applied Physics have identified potential alcoholism mechanisms, associated with altered dopaminergic neuron response to complex dynamics of prefrontal cortex neurones affecting dopamine release.

9 Mar 2017

New dimensional, multi-informant approach uncovers brain marker for ADHD symptoms

Despite diagnoses for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) occurring in a reported 11 percent of U.S. school-aged kids, clinicians still don't fully understand the underlying causes of this common condition.

8 Mar 2017

Study reports presence of structural changes in the brain during medication treatment for depression

A study led by Ravi Bansal, PhD, and Bradley S. Peterson, MD, of The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has found structural differences in the cerebral cortex of patients with depression and that these differences normalize with appropriate medication.

7 Mar 2017

Research project explores link between mood and overeating in healthy, bulimic individuals

While fear and aggression tend to curb our appetite, sadness and frustration seem to stimulate it. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF looks into the connections between mood and overeating in healthy and bulimic individuals.

7 Mar 2017

Novel statistical approach reveals details about brains' internal networks in patients with epilepsy

A novel statistical approach to analyzing patients with epilepsy has revealed details about their brains' internal networks. The findings may lead to better understanding and treatment of the disease, according to Rice University researchers.

6 Mar 2017

Specialized nerve cells play key role in controlling information flow in the brain, study finds

Specialized nerve cells, known as somatostatin-expressing (Sst) interneurons, in the outer part of the mammalian brain (or cerebral cortex) — play a key role in controlling how information flows in the brain when it is awake and alert.

3 Mar 2017

Neuroprotective compound could save brain cells during stroke, rat study shows

Researchers from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have shown that a neuroprotective compound tested in rats provides two-pronged protection for brain cells during stroke and improves physical and cognitive outcomes in the treated animals.

2 Mar 2017

Newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease is caused by thymomas, study finds

A Japanese research group has discovered that a newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease that leads to hypopituitarism is caused by thymomas (a type of tumor originating from the thymic gland).

2 Mar 2017

Brains of some adults with autism may compensate for language comprehension challenges

Results of a small study of adults with autism at Johns Hopkins has added to evidence that their brains can learn to compensate for some language comprehension challenges that are a hallmark of the disorder in children.

1 Mar 2017

Cerebellum can be responsible for brain alterations linked to drug addiction, research shows

An international research team led by the Universitat Jaume I has shown that the cerebellum, contrary to what was thought, fulfils functions that go beyond the motor sphere and can be co-responsible for the brain alterations associated with addictive consumption of drugs.

23 Feb 2017

Vision scientists uncover reasons behind unusual perceptual properties of the eye's fovea

Vision scientists have uncovered some of the reasons behind the unusual perceptual properties of the eye's fovea. Only humans and other primates have this dimple-like structure in their retinas.

23 Feb 2017

Mouse model shows how chronic demyelination may cause seizures in MS patients

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that affects nearly 2.3 million people worldwide.

22 Feb 2017

Researchers provide insight into causes of left or right-handedness

A preference for the left or the right hand might be traced back to that asymmetry. "These results fundamentally change our understanding of the cause of hemispheric asymmetries," conclude the authors. The team report about their study in the journal eLife.

17 Feb 2017

Brain scans reveal link between oxytocin and paternal caregiving in fathers

Fathers given boosts of the hormone oxytocin show increased activity in brain regions associated with reward and empathy when viewing photos of their toddlers, an Emory University study finds.