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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

MRI image of a patient with multiple sclerosis is shown.

·October 2, 2012·4 min read

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to More Severe Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds, suggesting a potential link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of longer-term disability from the autoimmune disorder.

Brain Cancer Featured

·September 21, 2012·2 min read

‘Fingerprinting’ Breakthrough Offers Improved Brain Tumor Diagnosis

Researchers have shown that infrared and Raman spectroscopy – coupled with statistical analysis – can be used to tell the difference between normal brain tissue and the different tumor types that may arise in this tissue, based on its individual biochemical-cell ‘fingerprint’.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 21, 2012·4 min read

Research Identifies Protein that Regulates Key Fate Decision in Cortical Progenitor Cells

Researchers solved an important piece of one of neuroscience's outstanding puzzles: how progenitor cells in the developing mammalian brain reproduce themselves while also giving birth to neurons that will populate the emerging cerebral cortex, the seat of cognition and executive function in the mature brain.

Featured Psychology

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Fear Can Be Erased from the Brain

Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain.The findings may represent a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. This is shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a study being published by Science.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Brain Study Reveals the Roots of Chocolate Temptations

Researchers have new evidence in rats to explain how it is that chocolate candies can be so completely irresistible. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of a natural, opium-like chemical.

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 Neurology

·September 19, 2012·4 min read

Scientists Show Biological Mechanism Can Trigger Epileptic Seizures

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center report that molecular disruptions in small neurons called granule cells – located in the dentate gyrus region of the brain – caused brain seizures in mice similar to those seen in human temporal lobe epilepsy.

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 18, 2012·2 min read

Brain Neurons and Diet Influence Onset of Obesity and Diabetes in Mice

The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

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

·September 17, 2012·3 min read

Toxic Protein Build-up in Blood Shines Light on Fatal Brain Disease

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells.

Autism Featured Neurology

·September 14, 2012·2 min read

Disorder of Neural Circuits in Autism Mouse Model is Reversible

Scientists have now identified a specific dysfunction in neuronal circuits that is caused by autism. The scientists also report about their success in reversing these neuronal changes in mouse models.