by Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown A fly hasn’t eaten for an entire day, and it’s starving. It finds a pile of edible gelatinous goo and begins eating, when a green light appears, and the food, which was far from delicious a moment ago, becomes irresistibly sweet. The fly, excited by the sudden improvement, eats...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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First-of-its-kind robotic arm works without brain implant
By Maria Cohut Fact checked by Carolyn Robertson The first experiments by scientists, using a noninvasive, high-fidelity interface to control a robotic arm, have been successful. In the future, the researchers aim to perfect the technology to make it more widely available. Robotic arms and other robotic instruments may sound like a futuristic development, but they...
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New therapy promotes vascular repair following stroke
by University of Zurich Following a stroke, antibodies that inhibit the signaling molecule Nogo-A can help repair blood vessels in the affected brain regions. This also promotes the regaining of motor functions, researchers at the University of Zurich have shown in a mouse model. The study opens up new avenues for treatment. Each year, around 16,000 people in Switzerland and 15 million people worldwide...
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Neuronal Parkinson inclusions are different than expected
by University of Basel An international team of researchers involving members of the University of Basel’s Biozentrum challenges the conventional understanding of the cause of Parkinson’s disease. The researchers have shown that the inclusions in the brain’s neurons, characteristic of Parkinson’s disease, are composed of a membranous medley rather than protein fibrils. The recently published study in Nature Neuroscience raises new questions about the...
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Scientists have ‘cracked the code’ of the human brain and can create a 3D-reconstruction of someone’s face using the information stored in a person’s mind when they think of them
University of Glasgow experts investigated how we remember each other’s faces Researchers had people compare their memory of faces with similar 3D models From this they could work out which features our brains use to identify faces The findings could have applications to AI, gaming and eyewitness testimony It’s great to spot a familiar face — and now researchers have ‘cracked the code’...
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Your nose knows when it comes to stronger memories
by New York University Memories are stronger when the original experiences are accompanied by unpleasant odors, a team of researchers has found. The study broadens our understanding of what can drive Pavlovian responses and points to how negative experiences influence our ability to recall past events. “These results demonstrate that bad smells are capable of producing memory enhancements in both adolescents...
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Sleeping Habits Can Have Effect On Alzheimer’s Progression Later In Life
In a new study, researchers found that a person’s sleeping habits can predict the accumulation of Alzheimer’s pathology protein in the brain later in life. A team from the University of California, Berkeley linked decrease in slow oscillations and sleep spindle synchronization on electroencephalogram (EEG) to higher tau. Meanwhile, reduced slow-wave-activity amplitude was associated with...
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Supplements for brain health show no benefit – a neurologist explains a new study
by Steven Dekosky, The Conversation Americans and others around the world have turned increasingly to dietary supplements in order to maintain or preserve their brain health. A recent study found that a quarter of adults over 50 take a supplement for brain-related health. But that same study, done by experts convened by the AARP, suggests that seniors should spend their money elsewhere. The supplements don’t work....
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The health benefits of sleeping on your side
by Len Canter, Healthday Reporter For a study done on animals, researchers used dynamic contrast magnetic resonance imaging to see the brain’s glymphatic pathway. That’s the system that clears waste and other harmful chemicals from the brain, much like the way the lymphatic system clears waste from organs. The researchers found that brain waste was...
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How the online world is affecting the human brain
By Lauren Sharkey Fact checked by Carolyn Robertson Technology has impacted human activities monumentally. Now, scientists want to know if human brains are being affected too. The internet has been around for less than 3 decades, but the technology has already had an immense impact on the way humanity functions. This is apparent to us all...