Hippocampus News and Research

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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.

Schizophrenia patients misinterpret anger

A study shows that patients with schizophrenia struggle to recognize angry facial expressions, often mistaking them for fear.

25 Apr 2013

CI therapy appears to benefit children with cerebral palsy

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) report that children with cerebral palsy who underwent Constraint Induced Movement therapy (CI therapy) saw a significant increase in grey matter volume in areas of the brain associated with movement.

22 Apr 2013

Study: Stem cell transplant heals neurological deficits in mice

For the first time, human embryonic stem cells have been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember.

22 Apr 2013

Research reveals how three-dimensional, volumetric, space is perceived in mammalian brains

Animals navigate and orient themselves to survive - to find food and shelter or avoid predators, for example. Research conducted by Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky and research student Michael Yartsev of the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department, published today in Science, reveals for the first time how three-dimensional, volumetric, space is perceived in mammalian brains.

22 Apr 2013

Excess glutamate drives schizophrenia in high-risk individuals

An excess of the brain neurotransmitter glutamate may cause a transition to psychosis in people who are at risk for schizophrenia, reports a study from investigators at Columbia University Medical Center published in the current issue of Neuron.

19 Apr 2013

Tel Aviv University researcher reveals the missing link between brain patterns and Alzheimer's

Evidence indicates that the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, is critical for the development of Alzheimer's disease, which impacts 5.4 million Americans.

19 Apr 2013

New research reveals how acute stress primes brain for improved performance

Overworked and stressed out? Look on the bright side. Some stress is good for you. "You always think about stress as a really bad thing, but it's not," said Daniela Kaufer, associate professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley.

17 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

Researchers employ new techniques to identify neuron communication in rat brain

There are cells in your brain that recognize very specific places, and have that as one of their main jobs. These cells, called place cells, are found in an area behind your temple called the hippocampus. While these cells must be sent information from nearby cells to do their job, so far no one has been able to determine exactly what kind of nerve cells, or neurons, work with place cells to craft the code they create for each location.

5 Apr 2013

Epileptic seizures can propagate via anatomically connected networks in brain

The seizures that affect people with temporal-lobe epilepsy usually start in a region of the brain called the hippocampus.

4 Apr 2013

New born neurons as a therapeutic strategy: an interview with Mi-Hyeon Jang, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

There are two regions in the brain that continue to produce new neurons well into adulthood. One of these regions is the hippocampus and as we converse this region is actively involved in memory formation, mood regulation and cognition.

2 Apr 2013

Scientists identify key molecule responsible for triggering chemical processes in brain

Scientists have identified a key molecule responsible for triggering the chemical processes in our brain linked to our formation of memories. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Neural Circuits, reveal a new target for therapeutic interventions to reverse the devastating effects of memory loss.

30 Mar 2013

New research shows surgical menopause increases cognitive decline and dementia

Women who abruptly and prematurely lose estrogen from surgical menopause have a two-fold increase in cognitive decline and dementia.

30 Mar 2013

Salk scientists discover how brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories

Ever find yourself racking your brain on a Monday morning to remember where you put your car keys? When you do find those keys, you can thank the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for storing and retrieving memories of different environments-such as that room where your keys were hiding in an unusual spot.

22 Mar 2013

Mayo Clinic neurology experts present research findings at AAN meeting

Mayo Clinic neurology experts will present research findings on Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sleep disorders, concussions, multiple sclerosis and more at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in San Diego, March 16-23.

20 Mar 2013

Autism spectrum disorders affect brain activity of children and adults differently

Newly released findings from Bradley Hospital published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry have found that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect the brain activity of children and adults differently.

14 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to new sleep therapies to improve memory disorders

A team of sleep researchers led by UC Riverside psychologist Sara C. Mednick has confirmed the mechanism that enables the brain to consolidate memory and found that a commonly prescribed sleep aid enhances the process.

13 Mar 2013

CALHM1 channel protein releases ATP to make neural taste connections

Saying that the sense of taste is complicated is an understatement, that it is little understood, even more so. Exactly how cells transmit taste information to the brain for three out of the five primary taste types was pretty much a mystery, until now.

7 Mar 2013

Research illuminates why stimulating environment may protect against Alzheimer's disease

"Use it or lose it." The saying could apply especially to the brain when it comes to protecting against Alzheimer's disease.

7 Mar 2013

mTORC2 plays key role in regulating memory formation

Introductions at a party seemingly go in one ear and out the other. However, if you meet someone two or three times during the party, you are more likely to remember his or her name. Your brain has taken a short-term memory - the introduction - and converted it into a long-term one.

7 Mar 2013