Neuroscience News and Research

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Caltech researchers discover brain region that judges intensity, ambiguity of facial expressions

Have you ever thought someone was angry at you, but it turned out you were just misreading their facial expression? Caltech researchers have now discovered that one specific region of the brain, called the amygdala, is involved in making these (sometimes inaccurate) judgments about ambiguous or intense emotions.

25 Apr 2017

Low levels of NPTX2 protein in the brain may lead to learning and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease

Working with human brain tissue samples and genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers together with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, the University of California San Diego Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Columbia University, and the Institute for Basic Research in Staten Island say that consequences of low levels of the protein NPTX2 in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may change the pattern of neural activity in ways that lead to the learning and memory loss that are hallmarks of the disease.

25 Apr 2017

Novel mechanism of antidepressant action may benefit patients unresponsive to SSRI treatment

Antidepressants treat symptoms of depression by increasing levels of brain signaling molecules such as serotonin, as with the most widely used type of antidepressant, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

25 Apr 2017

Combination of genetics and experience gives each individual a unique sense of smell, study finds

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have shown that receptors in the noses of mice exposed to certain smells during life are different to genetically similar mice that lived without those smells.

25 Apr 2017

New guidelines provide practical information on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

There is an uncommon risk of death that people with epilepsy and their loved ones may not know about. The risk is called sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP. Now the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society have co-developed a new guideline on SUDEP, published in the April 24, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and presented at the 69th AAN Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

25 Apr 2017

Placebo can help reduce intensity of emotional pain from romantic rejection, study finds

Feeling heartbroken from a recent breakup? Just believing you're doing something to help yourself get over your ex can influence brain regions associated with emotional regulation and lessen the perception of pain.

25 Apr 2017

Researchers discover gene that may play role in restoring hearing after noise exposure

Researchers have discovered that a protein implicated in human longevity may also play a role in restoring hearing after noise exposure. The findings, where were published in the journal Scientific Reports, could one day provide researchers with new tools to prevent hearing loss.

24 Apr 2017

New model for toxicity risk assessment could reduce reliance on animal testing

Traditional toxicological investigations performed on animals (in vivo) are expensive, time-consuming and may cause animal suffering.

24 Apr 2017

Researchers show how fish oil component helps in survival of injured retina, brain cells

A team of researchers led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has shown for the first time that NDP1, a signaling molecule made from DHA, can trigger the production of a protective protein against toxic free radicals and injury in the brain and retina.

21 Apr 2017

Johns Hopkins researchers discover group of nerve cells in the skin responsible for ‘active touch’

Working with genetically engineered mice -- and especially their whiskers -- Johns Hopkins researchers report they have identified a group of nerve cells in the skin responsible for what they call "active touch," a combination of motion and sensory feeling needed to navigate the external world.

21 Apr 2017

FDA approves gammaCore for treatment of pain linked to cluster headache

electroCore, a neuroscience and technology company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through technological advancement, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the use of gammaCore (non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator) for the acute treatment of pain associated with episodic cluster headache in adult patients.

21 Apr 2017

Preliminary study reveals promising results of new treatment for progressive MS

A small, preliminary study may show promise of a new type of treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

20 Apr 2017

Traditional hearing tests fail to diagnose patients with common inner ear damage

Traditional clinical hearing tests often fail to diagnose patients with a common form of inner ear damage that might otherwise be detected by more challenging behavioral tests, according to the findings of a University at Buffalo-led study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

20 Apr 2017

Neuroscience research has rapidly grown over the years, study finds

A study of the impact and research topics of neuroscience papers from 2006-2015 has shown that the number of papers and highly-productive core neuroscience journals has grown, while psychology and behavioral sciences have become more popular research areas.

20 Apr 2017

Mindfulness class provides clear benefit for women, study finds

In a new study of a Brown University scholarly course on mindfulness that also included meditation labs, researchers found that the practice on average significantly helped women overcome "negative affect" -- a downcast mood -- but did not help men.

20 Apr 2017

Rat study reveals new clues to devastating neurological disease

After a 29-year quest, Ian Duncan, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has finally pinpointed the cause of a serious neurologic disease in a colony of rats.

20 Apr 2017

Study finds link between circadian variations in body temperature and arousal in brain-injured patients

For people with severe brain injuries, researchers have found that the rhythm of daily fluctuations in body temperature is related to their level of consciousness, according to a preliminary study published in the April 19, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Apr 2017

Study shows evidence that old drug may provide relief for advanced Parkinson's disease patients

New research provides evidence that an old drug may provide relief for people with advanced Parkinson's, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

20 Apr 2017

Cannabidiol shows promise to reduce seizures for people with difficult-to-treat epilepsy

Taking cannabidiol may cut seizures in half for some children and adults with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a severe form of epilepsy, according to new information released today from a large scale controlled clinical study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 22 to 28, 2017.

19 Apr 2017

FSU study finds no evidence that brain games improve cognitive function

Be skeptical of ads declaring you can rev up your brain's performance by challenging it with products from the growing brain-training industry.

17 Apr 2017

Neuroscience News and Research

Caltech researchers discover brain region that judges intensity, ambiguity of facial expressions

Low levels of NPTX2 protein in the brain may lead to learning and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease

Novel mechanism of antidepressant action may benefit patients unresponsive to SSRI treatment

Combination of genetics and experience gives each individual a unique sense of smell, study finds

New guidelines provide practical information on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

Placebo can help reduce intensity of emotional pain from romantic rejection, study finds

Researchers discover gene that may play role in restoring hearing after noise exposure

New model for toxicity risk assessment could reduce reliance on animal testing

Researchers show how fish oil component helps in survival of injured retina, brain cells

Johns Hopkins researchers discover group of nerve cells in the skin responsible for ‘active touch’

FDA approves gammaCore for treatment of pain linked to cluster headache

Preliminary study reveals promising results of new treatment for progressive MS

Traditional hearing tests fail to diagnose patients with common inner ear damage

Neuroscience research has rapidly grown over the years, study finds

Mindfulness class provides clear benefit for women, study finds

Rat study reveals new clues to devastating neurological disease

Study finds link between circadian variations in body temperature and arousal in brain-injured patients

Study shows evidence that old drug may provide relief for advanced Parkinson's disease patients

Cannabidiol shows promise to reduce seizures for people with difficult-to-treat epilepsy

FSU study finds no evidence that brain games improve cognitive function

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