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Study provides new insights into how visual information transformed from retina to cortical representations

Neurons in our brain do a remarkable job of translating sensory information into reliable representations of our world that are critical to effectively guide our behavior. The parts of the brain that are responsible for vision have long been center stage for scientists' efforts to understand the rules that neural circuits use to encode sensory information.

30 Apr 2016

Feeding breast milk during first month of life may spur brain growth in preterm infants

Feeding premature babies mostly breast milk during the first month of life appears to spur more robust brain growth, compared with babies given little or no breast milk.

30 Apr 2016

Changes in the brain make people prone to alcoholism

The brain tissue of persons with alcohol dependence shows a variety of changes compared to non-alcoholic control persons. All alcoholics' brains share some characteristics, but some are exclusive to the brain tissue of anxiety-prone type 1 alcoholics or impulsive type 2 alcoholics, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland.

29 Apr 2016

Disrupted memory pathways uncovered in epilepsy patients

A study in rats, backed up by results in patients, has revealed how interictal epileptiform discharges may lead to memory impairments in patients with epilepsy.

29 Apr 2016

Researchers identify role of darks in visual brain maps

Scientists have been studying how visual space is mapped in the cerebral cortex for many decades under the assumption that the map is equal for lights and darks. Surprisingly, recent work demonstrates that visual brain maps are dark-centric and that, just as stars rotate around black holes in the Universe, lights rotate around darks in the brain representation of visual space.

28 Apr 2016

Scientists build semantic atlas to show how human brain organizes language

What if a map of the brain could help us decode people's inner thoughts? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have taken a step in that direction by building a "semantic atlas" that shows in vivid colors and multiple dimensions how the human brain organizes language. The atlas identifies brain areas that respond to words that have similar meanings.

28 Apr 2016

Group of gamma-protocadherins linked with neurons help regulate growth of dendrites

When you think of a neuron, imagine a tree. A healthy brain cell indeed looks like a tree with a full canopy. There's a trunk, which is the cell's nucleus; there's a root system, embodied in a single axon; and there are the branches, called dendrites.

28 Apr 2016

Study sheds light on mechanism of empty memories in epileptic patients

Between seizures and continually, brain cells in epileptic patients send signals that make "empty memories," perhaps explaining the learning problems faced by up to 40 percent of patients. This is the finding of a study in rats and humans led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and published April 25 in Nature Medicine.

26 Apr 2016

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

25 Apr 2016

Spatial navigation task used to access cognitive map skills can detect preclinical Alzheimer's disease

Long before Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed clinically, increasing difficulties building cognitive maps of new surroundings may herald the eventual clinical onset of the disorder, finds new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

22 Apr 2016

New study shows visuomotor errors accumulate during memory delay

Who will win the women's singles tennis title at the 2016 Rio Olympics this August? That's a question recent York U brain research can help answer.

21 Apr 2016

Researchers discover new, previously underappreciated role for immature dentate gyrus granule cells

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have proposed a model that resolves a seeming paradox in one of the most intriguing areas of the brain -- the dentate gyrus.

20 Apr 2016

Psilocybin administration reduces reaction to social rejection in associated brain areas

Social ties are vital for mental and physical health. However, psychiatric patients in particular frequently encounter social exclusion and rejection. Furthermore, psychiatric patients often react more strongly to social rejection than healthy persons and this can have negative consequences for the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

19 Apr 2016

Research finds high prevalence of smoking, low cessation rates in people with schizophrenia

Smoking addiction in schizophrenia can be explained by significantly increased activation of the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a region involved in the brain reward system. These new data, the result of a study by researchers at the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and the University of Montreal confirms the tendency to smoke and low smoking cessation rates of people with schizophrenia.

18 Apr 2016

Slow-wave sleep may promote consolidation of recent memories

Research strongly suggests that sleep, which constitutes about a third of our lives, is crucial for learning and forming long-term memories. But exactly how such memory is formed is not well understood and remains, despite considerable research, a central question of inquiry in neuroscience.

16 Apr 2016

NeuroLife device helps paralyzed man to perform complex functional movements

Six years ago, he was paralyzed in a diving accident. Today, he participates in clinical sessions during which he can grasp and swipe a credit card or play a guitar video game with his own fingers and hand. These complex functional movements are driven by his own thoughts and a prototype medical system that are detailed in a study published online today in the journal Nature.

15 Apr 2016

Safe electrical stimulation of the brain can enhance creative thinking

Safe levels of electrical stimulation can enhance your capacity to think more creatively, according to a new study by Georgetown researchers.

15 Apr 2016

Brain implant enables paralyzed man to move his hand

Researchers have developed an electrical device that has helped a quadriplegic man to move his hand, wrist and several fingers, enabling him to carry out basic movements such as picking up a bottle and pouring a glass of water.

14 Apr 2016

Common antihistamine may partially reverse damage to visual system in multiple sclerosis patients

A common antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergies and the common cold, called clemastine fumarate, partially reversed damage to the visual system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

13 Apr 2016

Manipulation of signals in nervous system can enhance recovery after traumatic injury

Neurobiologists at UC San Diego have discovered how signals that orchestrate the construction of the nervous system also influence recovery after traumatic injury. They also found that manipulating these signals can enhance the return of function.

12 Apr 2016

Cortex News and Research

Study provides new insights into how visual information transformed from retina to cortical representations

Feeding breast milk during first month of life may spur brain growth in preterm infants

Changes in the brain make people prone to alcoholism

Disrupted memory pathways uncovered in epilepsy patients

Researchers identify role of darks in visual brain maps

Scientists build semantic atlas to show how human brain organizes language

Group of gamma-protocadherins linked with neurons help regulate growth of dendrites

Study sheds light on mechanism of empty memories in epileptic patients

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Spatial navigation task used to access cognitive map skills can detect preclinical Alzheimer's disease

New study shows visuomotor errors accumulate during memory delay

Researchers discover new, previously underappreciated role for immature dentate gyrus granule cells

Psilocybin administration reduces reaction to social rejection in associated brain areas

Research finds high prevalence of smoking, low cessation rates in people with schizophrenia

Slow-wave sleep may promote consolidation of recent memories

NeuroLife device helps paralyzed man to perform complex functional movements

Safe electrical stimulation of the brain can enhance creative thinking

Brain implant enables paralyzed man to move his hand

Common antihistamine may partially reverse damage to visual system in multiple sclerosis patients

Manipulation of signals in nervous system can enhance recovery after traumatic injury

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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