Stroke survivors who listened to vocal music had improved recovery of structural connectivity of language networks in the left frontal lobe compared to those who listened to audiobooks.
Children who are physically active have higher cognitive function and increased functional connectivity in the brain later in life than those who are less active, a new study reports.
Patients with schizophrenia, but not those with social anhedonia, exhibited deficits in real-life social network size. Those with schizophrenia and those with social anhedonia had reversals functional connectivity to one another. People with schizophrenia showed decreased segregation and functional connectivity in brain areas associated with social behaviors, while those with social anhedonia had an increase in connectivity and segregation.
Functional connectivity was reduced within and between several brain networks in children raised in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Researchers say a positive home and school environment can mitigate some of the effects.
Researchers have uncovered the neural mechanism underlying rumination. The study reports when rumination occurs, coupling between the core and medial temporal lobe subsystems of the default mode network becomes elevated, while coupling between the core and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex decreases.
Cortical thickness and regional brain connectivity pay an equally important role in linking brain and behavior.
Examining the brains of frequent cannabis users, researchers have identified a pattern of connectivity related to craving the substance. The findings add weight to the idea that brain regions do not work in isolation, but via the connectivity of multiple networks that signal to each other depending on state and need. Brain connectivity during cannabis cravings is not static but has fluctuations in connection patterns between the central executive network and nucleus accumbens.
Patterns of functional connectivity reliably predict when people were more or less focused on a task.
The strength of the brain's global signal fluctuation decreases as the day progresses.
Binaural beats, a form of auditory illusion, caused far apart brain regions to synchronize with each other at a different frequency than the beat. The auditory illusion did not, however, alter mood.
Genetics testing revealed those with a greater susceptibility to stress have at least one copy of a variation in the serotonin transporter gene. Additionally, changes to connections in the middle temporal gyrus related to changes in cognitive performance during stress.
Functional connectivity in the human brain changes in two distinct ways during adolescence.
