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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

Brains of different people respond in same way to music, Stanford study says

Do the brains of different people listening to the same piece of music actually respond in the same way? An imaging study by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists says the answer is yes, which may in part explain why music plays such a big role in our social existence.

12 Apr 2013

Further research needed into therapeutic potential of rTMS for focal hand dystonia

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is being increasingly explored as a therapeutic tool for movement disorders associated with deficient inhibition throughout the central nervous system. This includes treatment of focal hand dystonia (FHD), characterized by involuntary movement of the fingers either curling into the palm or extending outward.

11 Apr 2013

People who practice sport have better cognitive performance, researchers say

New scientific evidence seems to confirm the famous Roman saying "Mens sana in corpore sano". Researchers from the University of Granada have demonstrated that people who normally practice sport have a better cognitive performance than those with bad physical health.

11 Apr 2013

Physicians stimulate patients' medial forebrain bundles to reduce major depression

Researchers from the Bonn University Hospital implanted pacemaker electrodes into the medial forebrain bundle in the brains of patients suffering from major depression with amazing results: In six out of seven patients, symptoms improved both considerably and rapidly.

10 Apr 2013

Study provides detail on cellular-level effects of anesthetics on developing brain in newborn mouse

Exposure to the anesthetic agent isoflurane increases "programmed cell death" of specific types of cells in the newborn mouse brain, reports a study in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

9 Apr 2013

Study: Altering brain activity with laser light eliminates addictive behavior in rats

By stimulating one part of the brain with laser light, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have shown that they can wipe away addictive behavior in rats - or conversely turn non-addicted rats into compulsive cocaine seekers.

4 Apr 2013

Study shows relationship between cocaine-induced brain deficits in prefrontal cortex and cocaine-seeking

Could drug addiction treatment of the future be as simple as an on/off switch in the brain? A study in rats has found that stimulating a key part of the brain reduces compulsive cocaine-seeking and suggests the possibility of changing addictive behavior generally.

4 Apr 2013

New report addresses presence of cerebral abnormalities in eating disorders

A report from the University of Freiburg that is published in one of the last issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics address the presence of cerebral abnormalities in eating disorders.

3 Apr 2013

Low anterior cingulate activity linked to repeat offenses

A new study conducted by The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., shows that neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal will reoffend following release from prison.

29 Mar 2013

Migraines are related to brain abnormalities, new study suggests

A new study suggests that migraines are related to brain abnormalities present at birth and others that develop over time.

26 Mar 2013

Atrophy of thalamus is important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

A growing body of research by multiple sclerosis investigators at the University at Buffalo and international partners is providing powerful new evidence that the brain's gray matter reflects important changes in the disease that could allow clinicians to diagnose earlier and to better monitor and predict how the disease will progress.

22 Mar 2013

Two genes associated with rare autism-related disorders linked to general forms of autism: Study

A new study finds that two genes individually associated with rare autism-related disorders are also jointly linked to more general forms of autism. The finding suggests a new genetic pathway to investigate in general autism research.

22 Mar 2013

Dysfunction of Calcium channel in neurons of cerebellum causes different motor diseases

A dysfunction of a certain Calcium channel, the so called P/Q-type channel, in neurons of the cerebellum is sufficient to cause different motor diseases as well as a special type of epilepsy.

22 Mar 2013

Cortex News and Research

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

Brains of different people respond in same way to music, Stanford study says

Further research needed into therapeutic potential of rTMS for focal hand dystonia

People who practice sport have better cognitive performance, researchers say

Physicians stimulate patients' medial forebrain bundles to reduce major depression

Study provides detail on cellular-level effects of anesthetics on developing brain in newborn mouse

Study: Altering brain activity with laser light eliminates addictive behavior in rats

Study shows relationship between cocaine-induced brain deficits in prefrontal cortex and cocaine-seeking

New report addresses presence of cerebral abnormalities in eating disorders

Low anterior cingulate activity linked to repeat offenses

Migraines are related to brain abnormalities, new study suggests

Atrophy of thalamus is important predictor of clinically definite MS, study shows

Two genes associated with rare autism-related disorders linked to general forms of autism: Study

Dysfunction of Calcium channel in neurons of cerebellum causes different motor diseases

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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