Neocortex News and Research

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Cannabinoid 1 receptor expression displays sexually dimorphic pattern in the mouse brain

A major challenge in neuroscience lies in understanding how molecular and circuit differences in the brain synergistically contribute to sex differences in behavioral phenotypes. Sex differences in the brain may arise from the identity, distribution and relative abundance of cell types.

17 Mar 2020

Innovative method bolsters memory processes in the brain during sleep

A new joint study by Tel Aviv University and Weizmann Institute of Science researchers has yielded an innovative method for bolstering memory processes in the brain during sleep.

5 Mar 2020

Study unveils new layers of mystery about visual memory, amblyopia

In decades of studying how neural circuits in the brain's visual cortex adapt to experience, MIT Professor Mark Bear's lab has followed the science wherever it has led, yielding the discovery of cellular mechanisms serving visual recognition memory, in which the brain learns what sights are familiar so it can focus on what's new, and of a potential therapy for amblyopia, a disorder where children born with disrupted vision in one eye can lose visual acuity there permanently without intervention.

14 Dec 2019

Research identifies neural pathway involved in memory consolidation during sleep

A new study could supply the missing link in the story of the brain consolidates floating memories into a permanent structure while we sleep. The study, published in the journal eNeuro, shows how a brain region, appropriately called the nucleus reuniens, ‘goes between’ two other memory-linked structures – the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex.

6 Nov 2019

Neural networks predict which images optimally excite particular neurons

A new study published in Neuroscience reveals how computation can be used to find out the visual stimulation to which the brain cells respond most frequently and productively.

5 Nov 2019

More brain pathology and hospitalizations associated with faster rate of cognitive decline

Older people who experienced more hospitalizations and also had more Alzheimer's pathology in their brain experienced the fastest rates of cognitive decline, according to study results published in the October 15 online issue of the Annals of Neurology.

22 Oct 2019

Neuroscientists show how different brain regions interact to create and retrieve memories

Neuroscientists at the University of Birmingham have proved how different parts of the human brain work together to create and retrieve episodic memory.

10 Oct 2019

Researchers identify how neurons in the mouse neocortex form billion synaptic connections

The structure of synaptic connections between neurons shapes their activity and function. Measuring a comprehensive snapshot of this so-called connectome has so far only been accomplished within tiny volumes, smaller than the head of a pin.

30 Aug 2019

Researchers uncover how the brain remembers motor sequences

Ever wondered what was going on in the brain of John Coltrane when he played the famous solo on his album Giant Steps? Researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan, and Western University, Canada, have succeeded in visualizing how information is represented in a widespread area in the human cerebral cortex during a performance of skilled finger movement sequences.

28 Aug 2019

Researchers identify previously unknown pathways for sensory learning in the brain

We've all heard the saying that individuals learn at their own pace. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an automated, robotic training device that allows mice to learn at their leisure.

19 Jul 2019

Researchers discover 'mystical' psychedelic compound in normal brains

In the past few years, thrill-seekers from Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond have been travelling to South America to take part in so-called Ayahuasca retreats.

27 Jun 2019

New mathematical algorithm objectively classifies shapes of neurons in the brain

For nearly 100 years, scientists have been trying to name cells. They have been describing them in the same way that Darwin described animals and trees. Now the Blue Brain Project has developed a mathematical algorithm to objectively classify the shapes of the neurons in the brain.

22 Mar 2019

Tactile and proprioceptive stimulation improves effects of perinatal brain injuries in mice

A research conducted by the INc-UAB shows that the same perinatal brain injury caused by hypoxia and ischemia have differentiated effects on each gender, but can be improved through tactile and proprioceptive stimuli.

5 Mar 2019

Researchers discover key mechanism in the brain that enables us to rapidly focus attention

University of Queensland researchers have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that may underlie our ability to rapidly focus attention.

28 Dec 2018

Thickness of the brain's outer layer influences how neurons process information

Researchers at the University of Queensland have discovered that the thickness of the brain's outer layer influences how individual neurons process information.

22 Nov 2018

Researchers elucidate new rules of connectivity of neurons in the neocortex

As the adage goes "neurons that fire together, wire together," but a new paper published today in Neuron demonstrates that, in addition to response similarity, projection target also constrains local connectivity.

9 Nov 2018

Lateral inhibition avoids overlap between similar memories

When you park in the office car park, you usually have no problem finding your car again at the end of the day. The next day, you might park a few spots further away. However, in the evening, you find your car, even though the memories of both days are very similar.

2 Nov 2018

Toxicological evaluation and dosimetry estimation of potential PET radiotracer

The SR101 N-(3-[18F]Fluoropropyl) sulfonamide ([18F]SRF101) is a Sulforhodamine 101 derivative that was previously synthesized by our group.

25 Sep 2018

Researchers discover genetic mutation underlying debilitating childhood brain disorder

Ashleigh Schaffer, PhD, assistant professor of genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and a team of global genetics experts have discovered a genetic mutation and the faulty development process it triggers, causing a debilitating brain-based disorder in children.

9 Aug 2018

Neuroscientists identify one single control center for sleep-wake cycle in the brain

Until now, it was thought that multiple brain areas were needed to control sleep and wakefulness. Neuroscientists from Bern have now identified one single control center for the sleep-wake cycle in the brain. The findings are of great importance for finding new sleep therapies.

11 Jun 2018