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Biological basis for visual hallucinations identified

Visual hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia may be caused by hyperconnectivity in a specific area of the brain, say researchers.

19 Mar 2014

Neurexin proteins play key role in formation of synaptic connections

Neuroscientists and bioengineers at Stanford are working together to solve a mystery: how does nature construct the different types of synapses that connect neurons -- the brain cells that monitor nerve impulses, control muscles and form thoughts.

19 Mar 2014

Researcher to test brain stimulation, gait training to improve patients' ability to walk after stroke

A University of Illinois at Chicago researcher will test whether brain stimulation combined with gait training can improve patients' ability to walk after a stroke, under a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

18 Mar 2014

Frontal lobe atrophy identified in poor sleepers

US researchers have used neuroimaging to show that war veterans with poor sleep quality have reduced frontal lobe volumes.

17 Mar 2014

EEG-based biomarker can help predict psychotic disorder in high-risk individuals

Only one third of individuals identified as being at clinical high risk for psychosis actually convert to a psychotic disorder within a 3 year follow-up period. This risk assessment is based on the presence of sub-threshold psychotic-like symptoms.

17 Mar 2014

Study sheds new light on how humans perceive and produce sounds

Research from McGill University reveals that the brain's motor network helps people remember and recognize music that they have performed in the past better than music they have only heard.

13 Mar 2014

Study: Musical aptitude is affected by a combination of genes involved in auditory pathway

Multiple regions in the human genome are reported to be linked to musical aptitude, according to a study published this week in Molecular Psychiatry.

13 Mar 2014

Study focuses on delinquent adolescents diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder

Adolescents with antisocial personality disorder inflict serious physical and psychological harm on both themselves and others. However, little is yet known about the underlying neural processes.

12 Mar 2014

Researchers identify distinct profiles of brain activity present when making decisions

Although choosing to do something because the perceived benefit outweighs the financial cost is something people do daily, little is known about what happens in the brain when a person makes these kinds of decisions.

12 Mar 2014

Compensatory brain mechanisms at play in siblings of bipolar patients

Patients with bipolar disorder and their unaffected siblings have deficits in a part of the brain responsible for automatic regulation of emotions, report researchers.

11 Mar 2014

Damage to brain cells plays role in development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for epilepsy, though the relationship is not understood. A new study in mice, published in Cerebral Cortex, identifies increased levels of a specific neurotransmitter as a contributing factor connecting traumatic brain injury (TBI) to post-traumatic epilepsy. The findings suggest that damage to brain cells called interneurons disrupts neurotransmitter levels and plays a role in the development of epilepsy after a traumatic brain injury.

11 Mar 2014

Music does not speak to everyone

Although it is not associated with any apparent biological advantagess or useful value (such as money), music is ranked among the highest sources of pleasure. Music's important role in our society and culture has led to the assumption that its ability to induce pleasure is universal. However, this assumption has never been empirically tested.

10 Mar 2014

Findings provide new target for development of novel therapies to manage chronic pain

Scientists have shown for the first time that the abnormalities in the way the brain experiences pain may be to blame for the chronic pain suffered by osteoarthritis patients.

10 Mar 2014

Researchers identify high levels of certain protein in brains of people suffering from essential tremor

A team of researchers from Universit- Laval and CHU de Qu-bec identified unusually high levels of a certain protein in the brains of people suffering from essential tremor (ET), a movement disorder that affects 4% of the adult population.

5 Mar 2014

Study: Thickness of brain's cortex linked with person's change in IQ

Rate of change in the thickness of the brain's cortex is an important factor associated with a person's change in IQ, according to a collaborative study by scientists in five countries including researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre.

5 Mar 2014

Young adult smokers may experience changes in structures of brains due to cigarette smoking

The young, it turns out, smoke more than any other age group in America. Unfortunately, the period of life ranging from late adolescence to early adulthood is also a time when the brain is still developing.

5 Mar 2014

More support for interhemispheric disconnectivity in bipolar disorder

A UK study supports a role for interhemispheric disconnectivity in bipolar disorder, showing reduced corpus callosum area and thickness in patients with the condition.

4 Mar 2014

Researchers identify eight neural subnetworks in mammalian cerebral cortex

The mammalian cerebral cortex, long thought to be a dense single interrelated tangle of neural networks, actually has a "logical" underlying organizational principle, reveals a study appearing Feb. 27 in the journal Cell.

4 Mar 2014

New study may open door to better diagnosis, treatment for chronic insomnia

Johns Hopkins researchers report that people with chronic insomnia show more plasticity and activity than good sleepers in the part of the brain that controls movement.

3 Mar 2014

Scientists carry out first studies of living biological cells using high-energy X-rays

G-ttingen-based scientists working at DESY's PETRA III research light source have carried out the first studies of living biological cells using high-energy X-rays. The new method shows clear differences in the internal cellular structure between living and dead, chemically fixed cells that are often analysed.

28 Feb 2014

Cortex News and Research

Biological basis for visual hallucinations identified

Neurexin proteins play key role in formation of synaptic connections

Researcher to test brain stimulation, gait training to improve patients' ability to walk after stroke

Frontal lobe atrophy identified in poor sleepers

EEG-based biomarker can help predict psychotic disorder in high-risk individuals

Study sheds new light on how humans perceive and produce sounds

Study: Musical aptitude is affected by a combination of genes involved in auditory pathway

Study focuses on delinquent adolescents diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder

Researchers identify distinct profiles of brain activity present when making decisions

Compensatory brain mechanisms at play in siblings of bipolar patients

Damage to brain cells plays role in development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury

Music does not speak to everyone

Findings provide new target for development of novel therapies to manage chronic pain

Researchers identify high levels of certain protein in brains of people suffering from essential tremor

Study: Thickness of brain's cortex linked with person's change in IQ

Young adult smokers may experience changes in structures of brains due to cigarette smoking

More support for interhemispheric disconnectivity in bipolar disorder

Researchers identify eight neural subnetworks in mammalian cerebral cortex

New study may open door to better diagnosis, treatment for chronic insomnia

Scientists carry out first studies of living biological cells using high-energy X-rays

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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