Neuroscience

Scientists Target Protein to Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer Spread

According to a study conducted by Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators, targeting a particular protein usually overexpressed in prostate cancer can assist stop or retard the disease from spreading to other body parts.The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, opens the possibility of using available commercial medications, including one approved by the Fda for...

Research Examines Why the Memory of Fear is Seared Into Our Brains

Illustration of the brain. Credit: Capillary Technologies.Experiencing a frightening incident is likely something you will always remember. Why does it remain with you when other kinds of events become increasingly hard to remember with time?A mechanism for the formation of fear memories in the amygdala, the emotional center of the brains, has been identified...

Astrocytes Help Manipulate Synaptic Activity in Learning and Memory

A micrograph showing a labeled astrocyte. Yukiko Goda and her team have demonstrated how astrocytes play a prominent part in tuning the changes in neuronal activity that enable memory formation. Credit: RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Thomas ChaterBetter learning and longer memoriesRIKEN neuroscientists have identified an intriguing system for how neuronal activity in mice...

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...