Cortex News and Research

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Early Alzheimer’s detection - cost effective and easy

Boston researchers have reported a new method for detecting subtle brain changes in people who have no memory problems but who may already be in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

27 Dec 2011

Scientists model brain structure to help computers recognize objects

An essential question confronting neuroscientists and computer vision researchers alike is how objects can beidentified by simply "looking" at an image. Introspectively, we know that the human brain solves this problem very well. We only have to look at something to know what it is.

22 Dec 2011

People with smaller regions of brain's cortex more likely to develop early Alzheimer's

New research suggests that, in people who don't currently have memory problems, those with smaller regions of the brain's cortex may be more likely to develop symptoms consistent with very early Alzheimer's disease.

22 Dec 2011

Kessler Foundation researcher earns Humboldt award for brain and behavior study

Jordan Grafman, PhD, director of traumatic brain injury research at Kessler Foundation, has received a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This prestigious award encourages collaborative research between German scientists and renowned investigators like Dr. Grafman, who specializes in the study of the human prefrontal cortex and cognitive neuroplasticity.

20 Dec 2011

Researchers identify genetic factors responsible for neurons in the thalamus

The thalamus is the central translator in the brain: Specialized nerve cells (neurons) receive information from the sensory organs, process it, and transmit it deep into the brain. Researchers from the Institute of Toxicology and Genetics (ITG) of KIT have now identified the genetic factors Lhx2 and Lhx9 responsible for the development of these neurons.

15 Dec 2011

Acetylcholine can weaken synaptic connections between neurons in brain

Researchers from the University of Bristol have discovered that a chemical compound in the brain can weaken the synaptic connections between neurons in a region of the brain important for the formation of long-term memories.

14 Dec 2011

New method for detailed analyses of electrical activity in brain

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) and Forschungszentrum J-lich in Germany have developed a new method for detailed analyses of electrical activity in the brain.

12 Dec 2011

Cortex plays a key role in fear learning

The study, initiated by the Swiss researchers and published in Nature, constitutes ground-breaking work in exploring emotions in the brain.

12 Dec 2011

MS may progress from outermost layers of brain to its deep parts

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may progress from the outermost layers of the brain to its deep parts, and isn't always an "inside-out" process as previously thought, reported a new collaborative study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic.

8 Dec 2011

Visual cortex cells play a key role in reconstructing 3D shape

As dizzying as it may sound, the impression that we are living in a 3D world is actually a continuous fabrication of our brains. When we look at things, the world gets projected onto the retina and information about the third dimension is lost - a bit like when a 3D object casts a shadow onto a flat, 2D wall. Somehow the brain is able to reconstruct the third dimension from the image, allowing us to experience a convincing 3D world.

8 Dec 2011

First realistic 3-D diagram of thalamocortical column in rodent brain

Researchers from the lab of Nobel laureate Bert Sakmann, MD, PhD at the Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) are reporting that, using a conceptually new approach and state-of-the-art research tools, they have created the first realistic three-dimensional diagram of a thalamocortical column in the rodent brain.

8 Dec 2011

Researchers identify brain area that controls voluntary movement after damage

Researchers have identified the area of the brain that controls our ability to correct our movement after we've been hit or bumped -- a finding that may have implications for understanding why subjects with stroke often have severe difficulties moving.

6 Dec 2011

Autism linked with disorganized structure of brain's white matter

It's still unclear what's different in the brains of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but evidence from genetic and cell studies points to abnormalities in how brain cells (neurons) connect to each other. A study at Children's Hospital Boston now provides visual evidence associating autism with a disorganized structure of brain connections, as well as defects in myelin -- the fatty, insulating coating that helps nerve fibers conduct signals and that makes up the brain's white matter.

6 Dec 2011

The head plays key role in tiring endurance performances

Researchers from the University of Zurich have now studied in detail what sportsmen and women know from experience: The head plays a key role in tiring endurance performances.

5 Dec 2011

Evaluating passive harms requires more thought, finds study

People typically say they are invoking an ethical principle when they judge acts that cause harm more harshly than willful inaction that allows that same harm to occur. That difference is even codified in criminal law.

3 Dec 2011

Different brain structures control eye reflexes in the course of life

Structures in the midbrain that developed early in evolution can be responsible for functions in newborns which in adults are taken over by the cerebral cortex. New evidence for this theory has been found in the visual system of monkeys by a team of researchers from the RUB. The scientists studied a reflex that stabilizes the image of a moving scene on the retina to prevent blur, the so-termed optokinetic nystagmus.

1 Dec 2011

New review article: Pitch center does not exist in auditory cortex

The perceptual feature of sound known as pitch is fundamental to human hearing, allowing us to enjoy the melodies and harmonies of music and recognize the inflection of speech. Previous studies have suggested that a particular hotspot in the brain might be responsible for perceiving pitch. However, auditory neuroscientists are still hotly debating whether this "pitch center" actually exists.

30 Nov 2011

Direct link between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk

People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Study finds structure-function impairments in people addicted to cocaine

The more gray matter you have in the decision-making, thought-processing part of your brain, the better your ability to evaluate rewards and consequences. That may seem like an obvious conclusion, but a new study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory is the first to show this link between structure and function in healthy people - and the impairment of both structure and function in people addicted to cocaine.

30 Nov 2011

More neural connecting pathways in the language network than originally thought

While it has long been recognized that certain areas in the brain's left hemisphere enable us to understand and produce language, scientists are still figuring out exactly how those areas divvy up the highly complex processes necessary to comprehend and produce language.

29 Nov 2011