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Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function, say life scientists from UCLA and Australia who have pinpointed the regions of the brain involved in creating those alternate pathways - often far from the damaged site.

17 May 2013

RIKEN researchers visualize memory formation for first time in zebrafish

In our interaction with our environment we constantly refer to past experiences stored as memories to guide behavioral decisions. But how memories are formed, stored and then retrieved to assist decision-making remains a mystery.

17 May 2013

Nearly 1/10 stroke patients suffer from chronic and debilitating pain

Nearly 1 in 10 stroke patients suffer chronic and debilitating pain, typically described as sharp, stabbing or burning. It's called central poststroke pain syndrome (CPSP). It was first described more than 100 years ago, and it is treatable with medications and magnetic or electrical stimulation of the brain.

9 May 2013

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

How does San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval swat a 95 mph fastball, or tennis icon Venus Williams see the oncoming ball, let alone return her sister Serena's 120 mph serves? For the first time, vision scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed how the brain tracks fast-moving objects.

9 May 2013

Researchers identify genetic mutations that appear to underlie rare syndrome

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University have identified genetic mutations that appear to underlie a rare but devastating syndrome combining reproductive failure with cerebellar ataxia - a lack of muscle coordination - and dementia.

9 May 2013

Scientists discover how Alzheimer's pharmaceuticals sharpen the brain's performance

Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered how the predominant class of Alzheimer's pharmaceuticals might sharpen the brain's performance.

8 May 2013

New form of electroconvulsive therapy could prevent adverse cognitive side effects

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective acute treatment for severe major depression. However, even with newer forms of ECT, there remains a significant risk of adverse cognitive effects, particularly memory problems.

7 May 2013

NeuroSigma receives Class 2 medical device license for Monarch eTNS System from Health Canada

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based medical device company, today announced that it has received a Class 2 medical device license for its Monarch eTNS (external trigeminal nerve stimulation) System from Health Canada.

2 May 2013

Researchers identify key regulator that controls expansion and folding of brain during fetal development

During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex undergoes a marked expansion in surface area in some species, which is accommodated by folding of the tissue in species with most expanded neuron numbers and surface area. Researchers have now identified a key regulator of this crucial process.

26 Apr 2013

Research supports polygenic phenotype in schizophrenia

Cumulative genetic risk for schizophrenia has been linked to impaired prefrontal brain activity, in findings that support an additive genetic risk model for a polygenic phenotype.

25 Apr 2013

Research shows association between cognition, brain activity in response to televised anti-smoking ads

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of the Pennsylvania have shown that an area of the brain that initiates behavioral changes had greater activation in smokers who watched anti-smoking ads with strong arguments versus those with weaker ones, and irrespective of flashy elements, like bright and rapidly changing scenes, loud sounds and unexpected scenario twists.

25 Apr 2013

fMRI study shows unique brain regions are devoted to social self-evaluations during puberty

A specific region of the brain is in play when children consider their identity and social status as they transition into adolescence -- that often-turbulent time of reaching puberty and entering middle school, says a University of Oregon psychologist.

24 Apr 2013

Animal models of Huntington's disease allow better insights into disease's genetics

Scientific progress in Huntington's disease (HD) relies upon the availability of appropriate animal models that enable insights into the disease's genetics and/or pathophysiology.

23 Apr 2013

Advanced microscope reveals process where mutations lead to autism and other diseases

Using spinning disk microscopy on barely day-old zebra fish embryos, University of Oregon scientists have gained a new window on how synapse-building components move to worksites in the central nervous system.

22 Apr 2013

Study shows how brain mobilizes to track down person, animal or thing

A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that when we embark on a targeted search, various visual and non-visual regions of the brain mobilize to track down a person, animal or thing.

22 Apr 2013

Scientists probe source of pulsing signal in the sleeping brain

New findings clarify where and how the brain's "slow waves" originate. These rhythmic signal pulses, which sweep through the brain during deep sleep at the rate of about one cycle per second, are assumed to play a role in processes such as consolidation of memory.

19 Apr 2013

Neuroscientists develop reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children

Neuroscientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto have developed an efficient and reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children.

18 Apr 2013

High frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation of brain reduces cravings for nicotine

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally. Unfortunately smoking cessation is difficult, with more than 90% of attempts to quit resulting in relapse

17 Apr 2013

Study examines capabilities, limits of fMRI brain scans for detecting memories

Brain scans are increasingly able to reveal whether or not you believe you remember some person or event in your life. In a new study presented at a cognitive neuroscience meeting today, researchers used fMRI brain scans to detect whether a person recognized scenes from their own lives, as captured in some 45,000 images by digital cameras.

17 Apr 2013

Working-memory training can improve range of skills, new study reveals

A brain-training task that increases the number of items an individual can remember over a short period of time may boost performance in other problem-solving tasks by enhancing communication between different brain areas.

16 Apr 2013

Cortex News and Research

Research shows new neural circuits arise when hippocampus is disabled

RIKEN researchers visualize memory formation for first time in zebrafish

Nearly 1/10 stroke patients suffer from chronic and debilitating pain

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

Researchers identify genetic mutations that appear to underlie rare syndrome

Scientists discover how Alzheimer's pharmaceuticals sharpen the brain's performance

New form of electroconvulsive therapy could prevent adverse cognitive side effects

NeuroSigma receives Class 2 medical device license for Monarch eTNS System from Health Canada

Researchers identify key regulator that controls expansion and folding of brain during fetal development

Research supports polygenic phenotype in schizophrenia

Research shows association between cognition, brain activity in response to televised anti-smoking ads

fMRI study shows unique brain regions are devoted to social self-evaluations during puberty

Animal models of Huntington's disease allow better insights into disease's genetics

Advanced microscope reveals process where mutations lead to autism and other diseases

Study shows how brain mobilizes to track down person, animal or thing

Scientists probe source of pulsing signal in the sleeping brain

Neuroscientists develop reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children

High frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation of brain reduces cravings for nicotine

Study examines capabilities, limits of fMRI brain scans for detecting memories

Working-memory training can improve range of skills, new study reveals

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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