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Deep learning reveals disparities in brain aging across Latin America and the Caribbean

Study reveals that socioeconomic inequality, pollution, and health disparities significantly contribute to brain-age gaps, with Latin American and Caribbean populations, especially women and those with cognitive impairments, being most affected.

28 Aug 2024

Brain scans can detect consciousness in some unresponsive patients

New research co-led by experts at Mass General Brigham found that brain scans can detect consciousness in some patients with brain injury who are unresponsive.

14 Aug 2024

Preterm babies show diverse cognitive and behavioral patterns

About thirteen million babies each year are born prematurely, with preterm birth linked to increases in risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), problems with social development, and lower grades.

13 Aug 2024

Study reveals personalized brain connectivity in blind individuals

A study led by Georgetown University neuroscientists reveals that the part of the brain that receives and processes visual information in sighted people develops a unique connectivity pattern in people born blind. They say this pattern in the primary visual cortex is unique to each person - akin to a fingerprint.

31 Jul 2024

Psilocybin reconfigures brain networks, showing potential for lasting therapeutic effects

Researchers found that high-dose psilocybin significantly disrupts brain functional connectivity, particularly in the default mode network, with lasting effects linked to therapeutic benefits.

18 Jul 2024

Late-night REM sleep loss severely impacts brain connectivity, new study reveals

Research reveals that REM sleep deprivation disrupts brain connectivity, with the thalamus playing a key role in sensory information relay and REM sleep regulation.

4 Jul 2024

Research shows gut bacteria's role in mental resilience and reduced anxiety

Researchers characterized brain-gut microbiome (BGM) patterns related to stress resilience.

25 Jun 2024

One copy of the Christchurch variant may confer protection against familial Alzheimer's disease

A scientific story that began with a discovery in just one extraordinary patient is now panning out. In 2019, an international team that included researchers from two Mass General Brigham hospitals - Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) - reported on the case of a patient who did not develop cognitive impairment until her late 70s, despite being part of a family at extremely high genetic risk for developing early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

20 Jun 2024

Stanford study identifies six depression biotypes for personalized treatment

In the not-too-distant future, a screening assessment for depression could include a quick brain scan to identify the best treatment.

17 Jun 2024

New method provides a more accurate way to predict dementia up to nine years before diagnosis

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new method for predicting dementia with over 80% accuracy and up to nine years before a diagnosis.

6 Jun 2024

Weight loss drug may change how obese people perceive taste

Semaglutide improved taste sensitivity, changed gene expression in the tongue that's responsible for taste perception, and changed the brain's response to sweet tastes, according to research presented Saturday at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Mass.

3 Jun 2024

Study finds distinct link between sleep duration, social media usage, and brain activation in teens

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting found a distinct relationship between sleep duration, social media usage, and brain activation across brain regions that are key for executive control and reward processing.

30 May 2024

Light therapy may affect healing in the brains of people who suffered traumatic brain injury

Low-level light therapy appears to affect healing in the brains of people who suffered significant brain injuries, according to a study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

28 May 2024

COVID-19 survivors show lasting brain function alterations, fMRI study finds

The long-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on brain function.

14 May 2024

New brain connectivity maps offer insights into human consciousness

In a paper titled, "Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness," published today in Science Translational Medicine, a group of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Boston Children's Hospital, created a connectivity map of a brain network that they propose is critical to human consciousness.

2 May 2024

Study suggests a common brain network exists between heart rate deceleration and depression

A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, suggests a common brain network exists between heart rate deceleration and depression.

26 Apr 2024

Study finds dysfunction of key brain systems in people with psychosis

Inside the brains of people with psychosis, two key systems are malfunctioning: a "filter" that directs attention toward important external events and internal thoughts, and a "predictor" composed of pathways that anticipate rewards.

13 Apr 2024

Research reveals brain morphology and connectivity changes in postmenopausal women

A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 6, entitled, "Altered brain morphology and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women: automatic segmentation of whole-brain and thalamic subnuclei and resting-state fMRI."

1 Apr 2024

McGovern researchers debunk claims of direct neuronal activity imaging with MRI

A new way of imaging the brain with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not directly detect neural activity as originally reported, according to scientists at MIT's McGovern Institute.

27 Mar 2024

Decoding the cryptic connection between the brain's architecture and our consciousness

Imagine an alien spacecraft landing on Earth, a mysterious entity unlike anything ever seen before. Now, envision our brain as an intricate spaceship, and the researchers in the COST Action The neural architecture of consciousness (NeuralArchCon) as brilliant engineers determined to crack its inner workings.

19 Mar 2024