Neuroscience

Finding Structure in the Brain’s Static

Much of the electrical activity in the brain looks like noise and is not associated with reactions to any particular stimuli. The scientists found that there was structure in the noise that could reveal the state of attentiveness in the brain. In this model of brain activity in the monkey visual cortex, the overall...

DETI Brain Mapping Technique Reveals Neural Code of Vision Handling With Time

DETI mapping results from the brain of a person viewing one of the stimuli used in the experiment (far left). The central column shows a flattened topographical map of the electrodes over the back of the head, illustrating the variation of DETI maps at each electrode across that scalp region. On the right-hand side,...

Robotic “Third Thumb” Use Can Change Just How the Hand Is Represented in the Brain

The ‘Third Thumb’ device being used to blow bubbles single-handedly. Credit: Dani ClodeUsing a robotic 'Third Thumb' can impact how the hand is represented in the brain, finds a new study led by University College London researchers.The group trained individuals to use an additional robotic thumb and found they could effectively carry out dextrous...

Neuromorphic Chip: Artificial Neurons Identify Biosignals in Real Time

The neuromorphic chip reliably and precisely detects high-frequency oscillations in previously recorded intracranial EEG. Credit: UZH, ETHZ, USZScientists from Zurich have created a portable, energy-efficient gadget made from synthetic neurons that can decode brainwaves. The chip uses information recorded from the brainwaves of epilepsy patients to determine which regions of the brain cause epileptic...

Brain Memory Signals Connected to Blood Glucose Levels in New Research

A set of brain signals known to assist memories form may additionally influence blood glucose levels, finds brand-new research in rats.Researchers at NYU Grossman College of Medicine discovered that a strange signaling pattern in the brain area called the hippocampus, connected by previous studies to memory development, likewise affects the metabolic process, the procedure...

Researchers Discover “Gorditas” and Other Unheard Types of Brain Cells

The newly described oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (green) contact long-distance neuronal axons (magenta) on the wall of the brain ventricles.According to a study published June 20 in Science, scientists discovered two types of glial cells in the brains of adult mice - an astrocyte and an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell - after pushing neural stem cells to...

Neurotransmitter Levels in the Brain Can Predict Math Ability

Scanning was completed both during Time 1 and Time 2 (approximately 1.5 years later) in each of the 5 age groups (6-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 14-year-olds, 16-year-olds, and 18+-year-olds). Credit: Zacharopoulos G, et al., 2021, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0The neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate have complementary functions - GABA inhibits neurons, while glutamate makes them extra active. Published...

Intestinal Microbes Can Help Reverse Brain Aging

On August 9, 2021, research from APC Microbiome Ireland (APC) at University College Cork (UCC), published in the leading international scientific journal Nature Aging, presents a new approach to invert aspects of brain deterioration and cognitive function related to aging through the microbes in the intestine.As our population ages, one of the leading global...