Hippocampus News and Research

RSS

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.

Daily caffeine consumption can change the gray matter of the brain

Coffee, cola or an energy drink: caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. Researchers from the University of Basel have now shown in a study that regular caffeine intake can change the gray matter of the brain. However, the effect appears to be temporary.

16 Feb 2021

Traumatic or stressful events in childhood may lead to changes in key brain structures

A new study from University of Alberta researchers has shown that traumatic or stressful events in childhood may lead to tiny changes in key brain structures that can now be identified decades later.

9 Feb 2021

New molecular voltage sensor helps observe propagation of electrical signals in neurons

A type of novel molecular voltage sensor makes it possible to watch nerve cells at work. The principle of the method has been known for some time. However, researchers at the University of Bonn and the University of California in Los Angeles have now succeeded in significantly improving it.

4 Feb 2021

Study finds sex differences in the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on autism-related genes

A new study by researchers from Chulalongkorn University, Tohoku University, and The George Washington University is the first to identify autism candidate genes that may be responsible for the sex-specific effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the brain.

19 Jan 2021

Researchers measure brain volume differences in HIV-infected individuals

Nearly 38 million people around the world are living with HIV, which, with access to treatment, has become a lifelong chronic condition. Understanding how infection changes the brain, especially in the context of aging, is increasingly important for improving both treatment and quality of life.

16 Jan 2021

Groundbreaking research project shows how brain health can traverse generations

Your father's exercise routine may have made you smarter according to EU-funded researchers studying how lifestyle choices affect brain function and memory. The findings could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

5 Jan 2021

Researchers find mechanism underlying plasticity in adult brains

Developing brains constantly sprout new neuronal connections called synapses as they learn and remember. Important connections — the ones that are repeatedly introduced, such as how to avoid danger — are nurtured and reinforced, while connections deemed unnecessary are pruned away.

24 Dec 2020

Study depicts previously unknown molecular mechanism underlying healthy brain development

A research team led by Michael Fox, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has identified the type of brain cell that produces collagen 19, a protein that is crucial for the formation of inhibitory circuits in the brain.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers explore why seizures happen in a subset of MS patients

A research team at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine has identified a pathway involving astrocytes, a class of central nervous system support cells, that could shed light on why seizures happen in a subset of multiple sclerosis, or MS, patients.

21 Dec 2020

Stem cells in the brain divide over months to create new nerve cells

For the first time, scientists at the University of Zurich have been able to observe stem cells in the adult mouse brain that divide over the course of several months to create new nerve cells. The study shows that brain stem cells are active over a long period, and thus provides new insights for stem cell research.

21 Dec 2020

Study reveals critical role of perirhinal cortex in managing learning process

The famous patient Henry Molaison (long known as H.M.) suffered damage to his hippocampus after a surgical attempt to cure his epilepsy. As a result, he had anterograde amnesia, which meant that things he learned never made it past his short-term memory.

21 Dec 2020

University of Ottawa earns 10 Canada research chairs covering a broad scope of subjects

The University of Ottawa has earned a total of 10 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) covering a broad scope of subjects, from the exploration of disruptive impacts of stress on higher brain functions to the need to preserve Indigenous traditional cultural memories, and emerging computing technologies that pave the way to smart cities.

18 Dec 2020

Scientists show a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people

This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health.

15 Dec 2020

Study shows long-term consequences of peripubertal stress

This work has investigated the long-term consequences of stress experienced at this critical period of life in rodents, in collaboration with the Behavioural Genetics laboratory at the Brain and Mind Institute of the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (Switzerland), led by the Spanish researcher Carmen Sandi.

14 Dec 2020

Healthy gut microbiota contributes to normal brain function, study shows

Depression is a mental disorder that affects more than 264 million people of all ages worldwide. Understanding its mechanisms is vital for the development of effective therapeutic strategies.

11 Dec 2020

Researchers receive $651,997 funding to study memory dysfunction in MS

Researchers at Montclair State University and Kessler Foundation have received funding totaling $651,997 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to measure memory-related abilities in individuals with and without multiple sclerosis (MS) for clues to how such cognitive processes are altered by MS. Joshua Sandry, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Montclair State and Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, research scientist in the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research at Kessler Foundation, collaborate on the 4-year study, titled "Neuroimaging of Hippocampally Mediated Memory Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis."

10 Dec 2020

Study shows how brain function and memory abilities shape each other in children

In early childhood, memory skills predict the strength of future brain connections, and conversely, the strength of early brain connections predict future memory acuity.

10 Dec 2020

Scientists shed light on how neurons form long-term memories

On a late summer day in 1953, a young man who would soon be known as patient H.M. underwent experimental surgery. In an attempt to treat his debilitating seizures, a surgeon removed portions of his brain, including part of a structure called the hippocampus. The seizures stopped.

9 Dec 2020

Study sheds new light on how brain encodes time and place into memories

Two studies led by UT Southwestern researchers shed new light on how the brain encodes time and place into memories. The findings, published recently in PNAS and Science, not only add to the body of fundamental research on memory but could eventually provide the basis for new treatments to combat memory loss from conditions such as traumatic brain injury or Alzheimer's disease.

8 Dec 2020

Free radicals may be important for the brain to remain adaptable

Reactive oxygen molecules, also known as "free radicals", are generally considered harmful. However as it now turns out, they control cellular processes, which are important for the brain's ability to adapt - at least in mice.

5 Dec 2020