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Max Planck Institute

This shows three different facial expression of the mice

·April 2, 2020·4 min read

Mice make different facial expressions based on emotion

Mouse show different facial expression depending on their emotional state. Using machine learning, researchers were able to link five different emotional states to the facial expressions of mice.

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·March 23, 2020·3 min read

Tuberculosis BCG-based vaccine may be effective against COVID-19

VPM1002, a vaccine candidate based on the tuberculosis BCG vaccine, may be effective in protecting against COVID-19. Previous studies in mice have shown the BCG vaccine is effective at protecting against several respiratory viral infections. If effective against coronavirus, researchers hope the vaccine can bridge the time gap until a specific SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is available.

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·March 9, 2020·4 min read

Brain-doping produced by your own body

Cognitive challenges trigger a slight oxygen deficit in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This increases the production of erythropoietin (Epo) and its receptors in the active neurons, stimulating neighboring precursor cells to form new neurons and enhancing connectivity.

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·March 9, 2020·3 min read

The brain has two systems for thinking about others’ thoughts

Study reveals two different brain structures are implicated in implicit and explicit theory of mind, and both regions mature at different ages to fulfill their function. The supramarginal gyrus matures earlier, enabling theory of mind to occur slightly earlier than believed. Full ability for theory of mind occurs at age four when the temporoparietal junction matures.

This shows a person holding a drawing of a heart and brain on a scale

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 25, 2020·4 min read

A weak heart also damages the brain

Heart insufficiency has a negative impact on gray matter in the brain. Weak heart function was linked to decreased gray matter in areas of the brain associated with memory and learning, including the hippocampus and parietal medial cortex. This may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

This shows synaptic transmission in action

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·February 24, 2020·4 min read

Antibodies: The body’s own antidepressants

When autoantibodies are able to enter the bran and act on NMDA receptors, people experience relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

This shows the endocast of the human brain

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·February 15, 2020·5 min read

Researchers were not right about left brains

Brain imprints on cranial bones from humans and great apes refute the long-standing belief that the human pattern of brain asymmetry is unique. Researchers noted similar patterns of asymmetry in our great ape ancestors. However, there was more variability in this pattern in humans. Findings suggest lateralized and uniquely human cognitive abilities, such as language, evolved by adapting an ancestral brain asymmetry pattern.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·February 10, 2020·3 min read

Sensory perception is not superficial brain work

When exposed to auditory stimulation, visual areas of the brain decreased in activity. Findings suggest sound can strongly draw attention away from what we are looking at.

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·January 25, 2020·4 min read

Shaping the social networks of neurons

Researchers have identified a protein complex that both attracts and repels neurons during brain development.

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·December 2, 2019·3 min read

Decision-making process becomes visible in the brain

Study tracks how and where zebrafish brains transform the movement of the environment into a decision that causes the fish to swim in a specific direction.