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Memory impairments linked to object perception among people with early stage Alzheimer's

A new study from Georgia Tech and the University of Toronto suggests that memory impairments for people diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's disease may be due, in part, to problems in determining the differences between similar objects.

2 Oct 2012

Novel target identified for fragile X-linked autism

Researchers have elucidated a novel mechanism through which fragile X syndrome may contribute to behavioural symptoms of autism and identified a potential therapeutic target.

1 Oct 2012

Fear hard to extinguish from the teenage brain

A new study by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers shows that adolescents' reactions to threat remain high even when the danger is no longer present. According to researchers, once a teenager's brain is triggered by a threat, the ability to suppress an emotional response to the threat is diminished which may explain the peak in anxiety and stress-related disorders during this developmental period.

28 Sep 2012

Competition between two brain regions influences the ability to make healthy choices

Almost everyone knows the feeling: you see a delicious piece of chocolate cake on the table, but as you grab your fork, you think twice. The cake is too fattening and unhealthy, you tell yourself. Maybe you should skip dessert.

27 Sep 2012

Study elucidates memory-forming signal transmission in the hippocampus

The hippocampus represents an important brain structure for learning. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich discovered how it filters electrical neuronal signals through an input and output control, thus regulating learning and memory processes.

27 Sep 2012

Study reveals key difference in brain development between human and chimpanzee

Research comparing brain development in humans and our closest nonhuman primate relatives, chimpanzees, reveals how quickly myelin in the cerebral cortex grows, shedding light on the evolution of human cognitive development and the vulnerability of humans to psychiatric disorders, a GW professor finds.

26 Sep 2012

Increasing marijuana-like chemicals in the brain can help correct behavioral issues related to fragile X

American and European scientists have found that increasing natural marijuana-like chemicals in the brain can help correct behavioral issues related to fragile X syndrome, the most common known genetic cause of autism.

26 Sep 2012

NeuroSigma to launch Monarch eTNS system at 10th European Congress on Epileptology

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, announced today that its Monarch eTNS system for the adjunctive treatment of epilepsy and depression will make its debut at the 10th European Congress on Epileptology, which takes place in London, England from September 30 to October 4, 2012.

25 Sep 2012

Researchers solve mystery of radial glial cells

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have solved an important piece of one of neuroscience's outstanding puzzles: how progenitor cells in the developing mammalian brain reproduce themselves while also giving birth to neurons that will populate the emerging cerebral cortex, the seat of cognition and executive function in the mature brain.

24 Sep 2012

New mouse models can help scientists study SECISBP2 syndrome

New mouse models can help scientists study a rare disease, called SECISBP2 syndrome, that causes abnormal thyroid hormone metabolism, delayed bone maturation, as well as other abnormal characteristics that vary by individual, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

24 Sep 2012

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency

New mouse models can help scientists study MCT8 deficiency, an inherited genetic disorder affecting children, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

21 Sep 2012

First extensive analysis of Allen Human Brain Atlas

Scientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science reported in the latest issue of the journal Nature that human brains share a consistent genetic blueprint and possess enormous biochemical complexity. The findings stem from the first deep and large-scale analysis of the vast data set publicly available in the Allen Human Brain Atlas.

21 Sep 2012

Teen BD patients show specific gray matter deficits

Results from a US study show that adolescents with bipolar I disorder who have experienced their first episode of mania have gray matter deficits in the left subgenual cingulate cortex.

18 Sep 2012

Childhood abuse linked to thalamus size in violent mental health patients

Childhood psychosocial deprivation is associated with significantly reduced thalamic volume among violent individuals with antisocial personality disorder or schizophrenia, researchers report.

14 Sep 2012

Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation: an interview with Dr Leon Ekchian, President and CEO of NeuroSigma

Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) is a novel medical treatment in which mild electrical signals stimulate branches of the trigeminal nerve in order to change the activity of targeted brain regions. The trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve, and provides sensation to the face and head. Because it is a large sensory nerve, the trigeminal offers a high-bandwidth pathway for electrical signals to enter the brain. The brain areas targeted by TNS are known to play key roles in seizures, mood, and attention.

14 Sep 2012

Genes predict the brain's reaction to smoking

Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes. A study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University shows that people with genetically fast nicotine metabolism have a significantly greater brain response to smoking cues than those with slow nicotine metabolism.

12 Sep 2012

Specific white matter connectivity reduced in anxiety patients

Patients with generalized anxiety disorder have reduced functional connectivity between areas of the brain associated with fight-or-flight response and emotion regulation, researchers report.

11 Sep 2012

People with generalized anxiety disorder have weak brain connections

A new University of Wisconsin-Madison imaging study shows the brains of people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have weaker connections between a brain structure that controls emotional response and the amygdala, which suggests the brain's "panic button" may stay on due to lack of regulation.

5 Sep 2012

NeuroSigma's external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation system awarded CE Certification

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, announced today that it received CE Certification for its external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) system, called the Monarch, for the adjunctive treatment of epilepsy and major depressive disorder, for adults and children 9 years and older.

5 Sep 2012

Posterior medial cortex more specifically engaged in recall or imagination

You already know it's hard to balance your checkbook while simultaneously reflecting on your past. Now, investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine - having done the equivalent of wire-tapping a hard-to-reach region of the brain - can tell us how this impasse arises.

4 Sep 2012