Hippocampus News and Research

RSS

The hippocampus is a part of the forebrain, located in the medial temporal lobe. It belongs to the limbic system and plays major roles in short term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain.

Research shows that hippocampus is dedicated to memory formation, not to spatial skills

In work that reconciles two competing views of brain structures involved in memory and spatial perception, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have conducted experiments that suggest the hippocampus - a small region in the brain's limbic system - is dedicated largely to memory formation and not to spatial skills, such as navigation.

3 Apr 2015

Complete review of amyloid-beta protein behind Alzheimer's disease

"It will still take many years to understand the mechanisms leading to the formation of the characteristic plaques seen in brains affected by Alzheimer's disease", explains Alessandro Laio, SISSA professor. "We know they are mostly a build-up of amyloid-beta peptide, the protein that research is currently focusing on". And, as of today, all those involved in biomolecular research on Alzheimer's will have access to a new and important instrument: an extensive and complete review of all scientific knowledge about this "killer protein" has in fact just been published in the journal Chemical Reviews.

31 Mar 2015

Blueberries may be effective in treatment for PTSD

Up to 8 percent of people in the U.S. suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the result of witnessing or being the victim of a traumatic event. People with PTSD have been in a situation in which they were at risk of death, serious injury or sexual violence or have seen first-hand loved ones faces such threats. They may experience flashbacks, emotional detachment and jumpiness, among other symptoms that affect their ability to function in everyday life.

30 Mar 2015

Neuroscientists discover key building block for learning and memory formation

Researchers have been fascinated for a long time by learning and memory formation, and many questions are still open. Bochum-based neuroscientists Prof Dr Denise Manahan-Vaughan and Dr Hardy Hagena have discovered a key building block for this complex process.

30 Mar 2015

Researchers present new studies on cognition and reasoning at CNS conference in San Francisco

Even rats can imagine: A new study finds that rats have the ability to link cause and effect such that they can expect, or imagine, something happening even if it isn't.

30 Mar 2015

UCLA-led team validates first standardized protocol for tracking early signs of Alzheimer's disease

After six years of painstaking research, a UCLA-led team has validated the first standardized protocol for measuring one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease -- the atrophy of the part of the brain known as the hippocampus.

26 Mar 2015

Study: Progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

By examining more than 3,600 postmortem brains, researchers at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rochester, Minnesota, have found that the progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives the cognitive decline and memory loss seen in Alzheimer's disease.

24 Mar 2015

Brief sleep can significantly improve memory performance

Generations of school students have gone to bed the night before a maths exam or a vocabulary test with their algebra book or vocabulary notes tucked under their pillow in the hope that the knowledge would somehow be magically transferred into their brains while they slept.

23 Mar 2015

Hypermethylation serves as protective barrier inhibiting development of ALS, FTD

Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that hypermethylation - the epigenetic ability to turn down or turn off a bad gene implicated in 10 to 30 percent of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) - serves as a protective barrier inhibiting the development of these diseases.

21 Mar 2015

Cannabis abuse affects long-term memory, finds new Northwestern Medicine study

Teens who were heavy marijuana users - smoking it daily for about three years -- had an abnormally shaped hippocampus and performed poorly on long-term memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

12 Mar 2015

Existing epilepsy drug reverses aMCI in elderly patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease

A novel therapeutic approach for an existing drug reverses a condition in elderly patients who are at high risk for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found.

12 Mar 2015

Rat study reveals role of lead in schizophrenia

A study of the brains of rats exposed to lead has uncovered striking similarities with what is known about the brains of human schizophrenia patients, adding compelling evidence that lead is a factor in the onset of schizophrenia.

12 Mar 2015

McGill researchers discover key epigenetic factor that controls development of hippocampus

McGill researchers have discovered, for the first time, the importance of a key epigenetic regulator in the development of the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with learning, memory and neural stem cells.

11 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

Anxiety and déjà vu: an interview with Dr Christine Wells, Sheffield Hallam University

It’s thought that the neural basis of déjà vu is located in the temporal lobes, a region of the brain strongly associated with the storage and retrieval of memories. One source of support for this is evidence from individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy, some of whom experience déjà vu episodes as part of seizure-related auras...

3 Mar 2015

New study challenges scientific theory about role of hippocampus in unconscious memory

A new study by a UT Dallas researcher challenges a long-accepted scientific theory about the role the hippocampus plays in our unconscious memory.

27 Feb 2015

Scientists show pattern of connectivity in newly-generated hippocampal neurons

Research by a team of scientists from Cologne, Munich and Mainz has shown an unprecedented degree of connectivity reorganization in newly-generated hippocampal neurons in response to experience, suggesting their direct contribution to the processing of complex information in the adult brain.

9 Feb 2015

New study heightens concerns over the detrimental impact of APOE ε4 in urban children

A new study by researchers at the Universities of Montana, Carleton, and North Carolina, and the Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, heightens concerns over the detrimental impact of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele -- the most prevalent genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease -- upon cognition, olfaction, and metabolic brain indices in healthy urban children and teens.

9 Feb 2015

Resveratrol found in red grapes, peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory

A compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory, according to new research published by a faculty member in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

5 Feb 2015

Researchers identify a common pattern across different psychiatric disorders

In a study analyzing whole-brain images from nearly 16,000 people, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine identified a common pattern across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders that are widely perceived to be quite distinct.

4 Feb 2015

Hippocampus News and Research

Further Reading

Research shows that hippocampus is dedicated to memory formation, not to spatial skills

Complete review of amyloid-beta protein behind Alzheimer's disease

Blueberries may be effective in treatment for PTSD

Neuroscientists discover key building block for learning and memory formation

Researchers present new studies on cognition and reasoning at CNS conference in San Francisco

UCLA-led team validates first standardized protocol for tracking early signs of Alzheimer's disease

Study: Progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Brief sleep can significantly improve memory performance

Hypermethylation serves as protective barrier inhibiting development of ALS, FTD

Cannabis abuse affects long-term memory, finds new Northwestern Medicine study

Existing epilepsy drug reverses aMCI in elderly patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease

Rat study reveals role of lead in schizophrenia

McGill researchers discover key epigenetic factor that controls development of hippocampus

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Anxiety and déjà vu: an interview with Dr Christine Wells, Sheffield Hallam University

New study challenges scientific theory about role of hippocampus in unconscious memory

Scientists show pattern of connectivity in newly-generated hippocampal neurons

New study heightens concerns over the detrimental impact of APOE ε4 in urban children

Resveratrol found in red grapes, peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory

Researchers identify a common pattern across different psychiatric disorders

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News