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Selective attention increases both gain and feature selectivity of the human auditory cortex

On Sept. 19, a research report by Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory of Computational Engineering scientists will appear in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE, showing that selective attention increases both gain and feature selectivity of the human auditory cortex.

20 Sep 2007

N-cofilin molecule protects from neuronal disorders

Many neuronal disorders, including epilepsy, schizophrenia and lissencephaly – a form of mental retardation - result from abnormal migration of nerve cells during the development of the brain.

17 Sep 2007

Discovery of gene responsible for binocular vision

In work that could lead to new treatments for sensory disorders in which people experience the strange phenomena of seeing better with one eye covered, MIT researchers report that they have identified the gene responsible for binocular vision.

13 Sep 2007

Shape encoding may start in the retina

New evidence from the University of Southern California suggests that there may be dedicated cells in the retina that help compile small bits of information in order to recognize objects.

13 Sep 2007

New clues to cracking brain's neural code

Decoding the complex electrical signals that brain cells use to "talk" to each other is a new and important frontier in neuroscience, one that could revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disease.

12 Sep 2007

Fetal neurons play role in adult brain

Subplate neurons - once thought to die after directing the wiring of the cerebral cortex or gray matter - remain in the white matter of the adult brain in small numbers and maintain activity, communicating with other neurons in the brain said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a report that appears in today's issue of the Journal of Neuroscience

12 Sep 2007

Novel mechanism discovered that balances the sizes of functional areas in the brain

In the cerebral cortex, the brain's powerful central processing unit responsible for higher functions, specialized subdivisions known as areas are laid out like a map, but little is known about the genetic forces that shape the geography of our brains.

11 Sep 2007

Brain does most of the work in seeing the difference between colours, rather than the eye

Colour contrast is detected much earlier in the brain than previously thought, a new study shows. Scientists at Durham University have confirmed that colour contrast is first detected by part of the brain called primary visual cortex, which is located at the very back of the head where visual information first enters the cortex of the brain.

10 Sep 2007

Ability of a brain area to change its functioning after stroke

New evidence from a patient shows that the area of the brain that processes visual inputs can reorganize after an injury caused by stroke.

5 Sep 2007

Impact of mild hearing loss on neurological processes

Mild to moderate forms of hearing loss can have a lasting impact on the auditory cortex, according to findings by researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science.

30 Aug 2007

Damp, moldy homes lead to depression

A groundbreaking public health study has found a connection between damp, moldy homes and depression.

30 Aug 2007

Why we remember bad events

Do you remember exactly where you were when you learned of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks?

29 Aug 2007

Brain function is even more impaired in cirrhotic than non-cirrhotic alcoholics

Sustained exposure to alcohol can cause scarring and dysfunction of the liver, referred to as cirrhosis.

28 Aug 2007

Alcoholics tend to be deficient in both cognitive and emotional processes

Alcoholics tend to be deficient in both cognitive and emotional processes.

28 Aug 2007

Alcoholics carry untold liability for brain damage

Researchers know that heavy alcohol intake can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, but have not been able to establish direct links between these changes and specific cognitive functions.

28 Aug 2007

Potential new strategies for treating obsessive compulsive disorder

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit.

24 Aug 2007

High-density diffuse optical tomography helps scan infant brains

Researchers hoping to better understand the development of the infant brain have long been stymied by a formidable obstacle: babies just don't want to sit still for brain scans.

22 Aug 2007

New understanding of neural basis for decision making, or free will

The area of the brain responsible for self-control, where the decision not to do something occurs after thinking about doing it, is separate from the area associated with taking action, scientists say in the August 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

22 Aug 2007

Memory storage molecule PKMzeta stores memories in neocortex

The memory storage molecule PKMzeta maintains long-term memories in the neocortex and its presence is continually required in order for the memory to endure, according to a finding by researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

17 Aug 2007

Brain imaging reveals breakdown of normal emotional processing

Brain imaging has revealed a breakdown in normal patterns of emotional processing that impairs the ability of people with clinical depression to suppress negative emotional states.

17 Aug 2007