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Study to help scientists better understand brain behavior, treat brain disease

A cross-disciplinary collaboration of researchers in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis explores the neural synchrony between circuits in the brain and their behavior under simulated drug addiction.

5 Jun 2013

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

For many older adults, the aging process seems to go hand-in-hand with an annoying increase in clumsiness - difficulties dialing a phone, fumbling with keys in a lock or knocking over the occasional wine glass while reaching for a salt shaker.

5 Jun 2013

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, however, have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved.

5 Jun 2013

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

A team of researchers led by a neuroscientist at the University of California, Riverside has been awarded a nearly $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense to investigate the role of sleep in memory and learning.

5 Jun 2013

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Highly educated individuals with mild cognitive impairment that later progressed to Alzheimer's disease cope better with the disease than individuals with a lower level of education in the same situation, according to research published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

4 Jun 2013

Findings could lead to better understanding of learning and memory

Students preparing for final exams might want to wait before pulling an all-night cram session - at least as far as their neurons are concerned. Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists have discovered a new intermediate phase in neuronal development during which repeated exposure to a stimulus shrinks synapses.

30 May 2013

UCLA researchers show that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function

UCLA researchers now have the first evidence that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function in humans. In an early proof-of-concept study of healthy women, they found that women who regularly consumed beneficial bacteria known as probiotics through yogurt showed altered brain function, both while in a resting state and in response to an emotion-recognition task.

29 May 2013

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss-taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 May 2013

Neuroscientists identify key circuit elements that contribute to everyday decision in ACC

You are sitting on your couch flipping through TV channels trying to decide whether to stay put or get up for a snack. Such everyday decisions about whether to "stay" or to "go" are supported by a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is part of the prefrontal cortex.

27 May 2013

Researchers are exploring how healthy people who hear voices can help schizophrenics

How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen. Researchers from the Bergen fMRI Group at the University of Bergen (UiB) are working on how to help schizophrenics, who hear voices. The way they do this is by studying people who also hear voices, but who do not suffer from a mental illness.

27 May 2013

Study highlights human's potential to cultivate compassion

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion - the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

24 May 2013

Drug addiction can be visualized in specific regions of brain that determine decision-making

New research shows that craving drugs such as nicotine can be visualized in specific regions of the brain that are implicated in determining the value of actions, in planning actions and in motivation.

24 May 2013

NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Scientists have reversed behavioral and brain abnormalities in adult mice that resemble some features of schizophrenia by restoring normal expression to a suspect gene that is over-expressed in humans with the illness.

23 May 2013

Neuroscientist receives Karl Spencer Lashley Award from APS for pioneering work on neuroscience of vision

The American Philosophical Society (APS) has awarded New York University neuroscientist J. Anthony Movshon its 2013 Karl Spencer Lashley Award in recognition of his "pioneering work on the neuroscience of vision."

22 May 2013

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution associated with higher hyperactivity

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

21 May 2013

Difficult-to-interpret patterns important for complex brain functions

Many brain researchers cannot see the forest for the trees. When they use electrodes to record the activity patterns of individual neurons, the patterns often appear chaotic and difficult to interpret. "But when you zoom out from looking at individual cells, and observe a large number of neurons instead, their global activity is very informative," says Mattia Rigotti, a scientist at Columbia University and New York University who is supported by the SNSF and the Janggen-Pöhn-Stiftung.

21 May 2013

Multiple studies examine ideal biomarkers for Huntington's disease

While Huntington's disease (HD) is currently incurable, the HD research community anticipates that new disease-modifying therapies in development may slow or minimize disease progression. The success of HD research depends upon the identification of reliable and sensitive biomarkers to track disease and evaluate therapies, and these biomarkers may eventually be used as outcome measures in clinical trials. Biomarkers could be especially helpful to monitor changes during the time prior to diagnosis and appearance of overt symptomatology.

21 May 2013

Disruption of brain developmental processes caused by premature birth can affect cognitive function

Researchers from King's College London have for the first time used a novel form of MRI to identify crucial developmental processes in the brain that are vulnerable to the effects of premature birth.

21 May 2013

Students receive Addiction Science Award at 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

An exploration of electronic "screen time" and sleep on mood, memory and learning was given the top Addiction Science Award at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair - the world's largest science competition for high school students.

20 May 2013

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation, shown to improve memory.

20 May 2013

Cortex News and Research

Study to help scientists better understand brain behavior, treat brain disease

New research shows seniors use less effective reference frames to visualize nearby objects

Scientists identify brain functions involved in relieving anxiety

UC Riverside researchers awarded grant to investigate role of sleep in memory and learning

Study: Neural reserve, neural compensation activated in highly educated prodromal Alzheimer's patients

Findings could lead to better understanding of learning and memory

UCLA researchers show that bacteria ingested in food can affect brain function

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Neuroscientists identify key circuit elements that contribute to everyday decision in ACC

Researchers are exploring how healthy people who hear voices can help schizophrenics

Study highlights human's potential to cultivate compassion

Drug addiction can be visualized in specific regions of brain that determine decision-making

NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Neuroscientist receives Karl Spencer Lashley Award from APS for pioneering work on neuroscience of vision

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution associated with higher hyperactivity

Difficult-to-interpret patterns important for complex brain functions

Multiple studies examine ideal biomarkers for Huntington's disease

Disruption of brain developmental processes caused by premature birth can affect cognitive function

Students receive Addiction Science Award at 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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