Hippocampus News and Research

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The hippocampus is a part of the forebrain, located in the medial temporal lobe. It belongs to the limbic system and plays major roles in short term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain.

Neurons in visual cortex of the brain change their responses over time, research reveals

New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals that neurons in the visual cortex - the part of the brain that processes visual stimuli - change their responses to the same stimulus over time.

28 Aug 2021

Memory of specific events does not deteriorate with age in cuttlefish

Cuttlefish can remember what, where, and when specific events happened - right up to their last few days of life, researchers have found.

18 Aug 2021

Scientists identify the main components driving amyloid beta-associated synapse degeneration

Healthy adult brains are endowed with a vast number of synapses, structures that relay signals across nerve cells to enable communications, information processing and storage throughout the nervous system.

18 Aug 2021

Scientists could elucidate how and why gut microbes contribute to cognitive impairment

Recent research has found that changes in the gut microbiota - the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the intestines - can alter the brain and behavior. Now, a study led by scientists at UCLA could elucidate how and why that phenomenon occurs.

17 Aug 2021

Research shines light on histamine as a potential key player in depression

Bodily inflammation dampens levels of a ‘feel-good molecule’ and antidepressants’ ability to boost them, according to new research in mice.

17 Aug 2021

Children in poverty have smaller volumes of certain subcortical brain regions, study finds

Children in poverty are more likely to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties than their better-off peers. Plenty of past research has looked into the physical effects of childhood poverty, or documented mental health disparities between socioeconomic classes.

16 Aug 2021

Scientists find clues to how a specific synapse type regulates anxiety-like behavior

The mechanisms behind the organization of neuronal synapses remain unclear owing to the sheer number of genes, proteins, and neuron types involved.

12 Aug 2021

Brain memory signals may influence blood sugar levels, rat study finds

A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats.

11 Aug 2021

Beige fat cells mediate subcutaneous fat's brain protection from dementia

Beige is considered a calming paint color, and scientists have new evidence that beige fat has a similar impact on the brain, bringing down the inflammation associated with the more common white fat and providing protection from dementia.

10 Aug 2021

Study uncovers link between corticosteroid receptors and ciliary, neuroplasticity genes in the brain

Chronic stress is a well-known cause for mental health disorders. New research has moved a step forward in understanding how glucocorticoid hormones ('stress hormones') act upon the brain and what their function is.

6 Aug 2021

Cerebral cortex may actually be responsible for sleep control

Why we sleep, and the processes behind sleep, are amongst the most interesting questions in modern neuroscience.

4 Aug 2021

Researchers discover brain's switching system used in information processing and storing of memories

A team of scientists has uncovered a system in the brain used in the processing of information and in the storing of memories--akin to how railroad switches control a train's destination. The findings offer new insights into how the brain functions.

3 Aug 2021

Study reveals novel mechanism underlying infantile spasms-associated learning deficits

Researchers report that infantile spasms, a rare but serious seizure disorder in babies, appear to be the result of a molecular pathway gone awry.

3 Aug 2021

Research provides insights into how the hippocampus contributes to memory storage in the cortex

A new MIT study of how a mammalian brain remembers what it sees shows that while individual images are stored in the visual cortex, the ability to recognize a sequence of sights critically depends on guidance from the hippocampus, a deeper structure strongly associated with memory but shrouded in mystery about exactly how.

27 Jul 2021

Central amygdala micro-circuits play active role in regulation of fear responses

The brain mechanisms underlying the suppression of fear responses have attracted a lot of attention as they are relevant for therapy of human anxiety disorders.

16 Jul 2021

Scientists decipher the activity of the brain in deep sleep

Thanks to a unique system that decodes brain activity during sleep, a UNIGE team is deciphering the neuronal mechanisms of memory consolidation.

16 Jul 2021

Metal-based molecule inhibits the build-up of Alzheimer's peptides in lab tests

In lab tests, Imperial researchers have created a metal-based molecule that inhibits the build-up of a peptide associated with Alzheimer's disease.

14 Jul 2021

UCR scientists receive additional federal funding to boost research on brain injury

Earlier this year, Viji Santhakumar, an associate professor of molecular, cell and systems biology at the University of California, Riverside, received funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disaster and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to further pursue research on moderate concussive brain injury.

12 Jul 2021

Researchers develop normalized brain growth curve charts for children

In the United States, nearly every pediatric doctor's visit begins with three measurements: weight, height and head circumference. Compared to average growth charts of children across the country, established in the 1970s, a child's numbers can confirm typical development or provide a diagnostic baseline to assess deviations from the curve.

9 Jul 2021

Brain cells snap DNA strands in numerous locations to make memories

The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open their DNA in numerous locations--more than previously realized, according to a new study--to provide quick access to genetic instructions for the mechanisms of memory storage.

6 Jul 2021