Bioelectric Drugs Can Repair and Prevent Defects in Developing Frog Brains
Researchers suggest the discovery offers a roadmap for exploration of therapeutic drugs that could help repair birth defects in humans. Researchers led by biologists at…
Neuroscience
A Child’s Unique Brain Activity Reveals Their Memory Ability
Brain network activity predicts working memory abilities during development. A child’s unique brain activity reveals how good their memories are, according to research recently published…
New Rare Disease Uncovered With Own Facial Features, Cardiac Defects and Developmental Delay
TRAF7 syndrome: The first 45 patients An international multicenter study describes a rare disease characterized by a series of recognizable facial features, cardiac defects and…
How Touching Is Perceived in the Brain – Investigated With Two-Person MRI Scans on Couples
An MRI in each other’s arms shows how physical contact alters the brains of couples. Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have developed…
Scientists Identify Gene Linked to Thinness – Unique to People That Can Eat Anything and Not Gain Weight
While others may be dieting and hitting the gym hard to stay in shape, some people stay slim effortlessly no matter what they eat. In…
Brain Stimulation From Ultrasonic Waves Used to Control Monkeys’ Behavior
Remote, brain region-specific control of choice behavior with ultrasonic waves. Noninvasive pulses of ultrasound waves aimed at specific regions in the brains of macaque monkeys…
“Superpower” Discovered in Squids: They Can Massively Edit Their Own Genetics
Revealing yet another super-power in the skillful squid, scientists have discovered that squid massively edit their own genetic instructions not only within the nucleus of…
Unlocking the Neuroscience of How Experiencing Traumatic Stress Leads to Aggression
Strengthened amygdala pathways increase aggression, may be targets for PTSD treatment. Traumatic stress can cause aggression by strengthening two brain pathways involved in emotion, according…
Learning What’s Dangerous Is Costly: Unlocking Fear Response of Social Animals
What would you do if the person standing next to you would suddenly scream and run away? Would you be able to carry on calmly…
Scientific Study Shows Acupuncture May Be Effective for Easing Indigestion Symptoms
A 4-week course of acupuncture increased self-reported relief and improvement of symptoms for patients with a subtype of indigestion known as postprandial distress syndrome (PDS)….
Neuroscientists May Have Just Discovered Why Some People Are More Prone to Anxiety
Increased levels of serotonin transporters in the amygdala may be to blame. Anxiety-prone people can blame serotonin cleanup proteins gone awry in their amygdala, according…
Unexpected Mental Processes Revealed in How the Brain Links Events to Form a Memory
2-photon calcium imaging (5x speed) of the activity responses of neurons in hippocampal area CA1 of a mouse as it learns to associate a neutral…
Herpes Simplex Virus Can Infect the Brain by Evading the Immune Response
Herpes simplex virus’s VP1-2 protein can deactivate the early immune response. Herpes simplex virus (HSV1) infections are initiated at mucosal surfaces where the virus infects…
A New Complete, High-Resolution 3D Map of the Mouse Brain [Video]
The reference atlas, years in the making, offers common ground to put neuroscience findings in context. After three years of intensive data-gathering and careful drawing,…
Remote Control of Hormone Release Using Magnetic Nanoparticles
Using magnetic nanoparticles, scientists stimulate the adrenal gland in rodents to control release of hormones linked to stress. Abnormal levels of stress hormones such as…
MIT Neuroscientists Identify Memory Cells That Help Us Interpret New Situations
Neurons that store abstract representations of past experiences are activated when a new, similar event takes place. Imagine you are meeting a friend for dinner…
Shocking Research Shows That Antibiotic Use May Increase Risk for Opioid Abuse
When Sierra Simpson was in college, she was sick for a year with recurring fevers and vomiting. Her doctors couldn’t figure out what she had….
Microbes Have Memory: Surprising Parallels Between Simple Microrganisms and Sophisticated Neurons
Discovery draws surprising parallels between low-level organisms and sophisticated neurons; lays the groundwork for memory-capable biological systems. Biologists studying collectives of bacteria, or “biofilms,” have…