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brain mapping

An image of fly spinal cord equivalent is shown.

·October 11, 2012·6 min read

Novel Mechanisms Underlying Major Childhood Neuromuscular Disease Identified

A study suggests that spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic neuromuscular disease in infants and children, results primarily from motor circuit dysfunction, not motor neuron or muscle cell dysfunction, as is commonly thought. In a second study, the researchers identified the molecular pathway in SMA that leads to problems with motor function.

A statue of a child playing an accordion is shown.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 9, 2012·2 min read

Neuroscientists Launch 5 Year Study of Music Education and Child Brain Development

Researchers at USC Brain and Creativity Institute will explore the effects of intense music training on cognitive development in LA Phil's YOLA at HOLA program. The five-year research project will offer researchers an opportunity to provide new insights and add data about the role of early music engagement in learning and brain function.

A brain image is next to a drawing of a 1918 brain map.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 4, 2012·2 min read

Researchers Create a Universal Map of Vision in the Human Brain

Researchers create a map of vision in the brain based upon an individual's brain structure, even for people who cannot see. Their result can, among other things, guide efforts to restore vision using a neural prosthesis that stimulates the surface of the brain.

Autism Featured

·September 19, 2012·5 min read

Autistic Adults Have Unreliable Neural Responses, Carnegie Mellon-Led Research Team Finds

Neuroscientists take the first step toward deciphering the connection between general brain function and emergent behavioral patterns in autism. Study shows that autistic adults have unreliable neural sensory responses to visual, auditory and somatosensory, or touch, stimuli.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 19, 2012·4 min read

Human Brains Share a Consistent Genetic Blueprint and Possess Enormous Biochemical Complexity

Scientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science reported that human brains share a consistent genetic blueprint and possess enormous biochemical complexity. The findings stem from the first deep and large-scale analysis of the vast data set publicly available in the Allen Human Brain Atlas.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 17, 2012·4 min read

Blue Brain Project Accurately Predicts Connections Between Neurons

Proof of concept: Researchers identify principles to support brain simulation models. Blue Brain Project has identified key principles that determine synapse-scale connectivity by virtually reconstructing a cortical microcircuit and comparing it to a mammalian sample. These principles now make it possible to predict the locations of synapses in the neocortex.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 7, 2012·4 min read

Predicting How Patients Respond to Therapy

A new study led by MIT neuroscientists has found that brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder can help predict whether they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Featured Neurology

·August 30, 2012·3 min read

New Diagnostic Biomarkers Offer Ray of Hope for Alzheimer’s Disease

Investigators report on the development of imaging-based biomarkers that will have an impact on diagnosis before the Alzheimer's disease process is set in motion.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 29, 2012·2 min read

Math Ability Requires Crosstalk in the Brain

A new study finds strength of communication between the left and right brain hemispheres predicts performance on basic arithmetic problems. Findings shed light on the neural basis of human math abilities and suggest a possible route to aiding those who suffer from dyscalculia - an inability to understand and manipulate numbers.

Electrophysiology Featured Neurology Neuroscience Videos

·August 24, 2012·3 min read

Researchers Discover New Non-Invasive Method for Diagnosing Epilepsy

Researchers published a study outlining how a new type of non-invasive brain scan taken immediately after a seizure gives additional insight into possible causes and treatments for epilepsy patients.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 23, 2012·4 min read

The Roots of Human Self-Awareness

Neuroscientists have believed that three brain regions are critical for self-awareness: the insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the medial prefrontal cortex. Patient R is helping a research team show that self-awareness is more a product of a diffuse patchwork of pathways in the brain—including other regions—rather than confined to specific areas.

Electrophysiology Featured Psychology

·August 20, 2012·5 min read

Psychologists Link Emotion to Vividness of Perception and Creation of Vivid Memories

Have you ever wondered why you can remember things from long ago as if they happened yesterday, yet sometimes can't recall what you ate for dinner last night? A new study suggests it's because how much something means to you actually influences how you see it as well as how vividly you can recall it later.