by National Institutes of Health Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers have found that blocking certain acetylcholine receptors in the lateral habenula (LHb), an area of the brain that balances reward and aversion, made it harder to resist seeking cocaine in a rat model of impulsive behavior. These findings identify a new role for these receptors that...
by Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain ANSTO health researchers have contributed to an international study published in Nature Neuroscience that sheds light on the mechanism by which anti-anxiety drugs act on the brain which could lead to cognitive impairment in vulnerable individuals. The research critically depended on a unique laboratory model developed...
by University of Basel Credit: CC0 Public Domain Even before carbohydrates reach the bloodstream, the very sight and smell of a meal trigger the release of insulin. For the first time, researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have shown that this insulin release depends on a short-term inflammatory response that takes...
On its surface, the subreddit for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a den of tongue-in-cheek humor; its logo reimagines the classic Reddit alien gripping its gut in discomfort, scatological memes abound, and the most active members sit “on the porcelain throne.” Beyond the joking veneer, however, the online community shares stories of how the disorder has tinged almost every...
by University of Montreal Testing plasticity model generalization on the L4-PC to L2/3-PC connection type. a 3-D rendering of a representative pair of connected L4-PC to L2/3-PC in the in silico model. Inset shows a magnified view of the synapses mediating the connection (yellow spheres). b Evolution over time of simulated EPSP amplitude during a typical...
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – LOS ANGELES HEALTH SCIENCES Our brains rarely record single memories—instead, they store memories into groups so that the recollection of one significant memory triggers the recall of others connected by time. As we age, however, our brains gradually lose this ability to link related memories. Now UCLA researchers have discovered...
by University of Wisconsin-Madison Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In the mid-20th century, new evidence showed that the brain could be “plastic,” and that experience could create changes in the brain. Plasticity has been linked to learning new skills, including spatial navigation, aerobic exercise and balance training. Yet it has remained an open question whether mindfulness...
by Roberto Inchingolo, Human Brain Project Cortical representation learning through perturbed and adversarial dreaming. Credit: Deperrois et al A new study by researchers from the University of Bern, Switzerland suggests that dreams—especially those that simultaneously appear realistic, but, upon a closer look, bizarre—help our brain learn and extract generic concepts from previous experiences. The study,...
An international team that includes University of Manchester scientists has demonstrated that nerve signals are exchanged between clogged-up arteries and the brain for the first time. The discovery of the previously unknown electrical circuit is a breakthrough in our understanding of atherosclerosis, a potentially deadly disease where plaques form on the innermost layer of arteries. The mice...
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Word comprehension is lost for some patients, others lose grammar Most extensive study to date on PPA Disease is often misdiagnosed in early stages, missing chance for treatment Not all dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s disease CHICAGO — There are five different diseases that attack the language areas in the left hemisphere of the...
