Brain mapping study suggests motor regions for the hand also connect to the entire body
The hand knob area of the premotor cortex operates across a wide range of motor functions and body areas. ... Read More...
motor cortex
Optical stimulation causes marmosets to move their forelimbs
Optogenetic stimulation of the motor cortex causes marmosets to move their forelimbs in an almost puppet-like fashion.... Read More...
Some learning is a whole-brain affair
Motor learning induces widespread cortical synaptic potentiation by increasing the trafficking of AMPAR into dendritic spines.... Read More...
How playing the drums changes the brain
Drummers have higher microstructural diffusion in the corpus callosum, an area of the brain that connects the two hemispheres and which plays a critical role in motor planning.... Read More...
Key to learning and forgetting identified in sleeping brain
Using optogenetics to dampen delta waves of rats during sleep resulted in weaker memory reactivation and promoted forgetting. The findings could have significant implications for treating PTSD in humans.... Read More...
How emotion affects action
Researchers have identified a comprehensive circuit mechanism that governs how emotional states can influence movement through connections in the basal ganglia. The mechanism represents a way in which emotional states relate to changes in action control in depression, anxiety, and OCD.... Read More...
How your brain remembers motor sequences
Humans encode motor sequences in terms of a three-level hierarchy.... Read More...
Learning fine motor coordination changes the brain
Study identifies a population of neurons in an area of the midbrain, called the red nucleus, that alter when fine motor skills are learned. The more an action is practiced, the stronger the connections between these neurons become. ... Read More...
Research provides important insight on the brain-body connection
Neurons in the motor cortex of rats fall into two categories, those that are externally focused and relay information to other parts of the body, and those that are internally focused. When inhibition is increased, the externally focused neurons switch to internally focused cells.... Read More...
New role for sensory signals in the brain
Optogenetic stimulation causes signals in the sensory cortex to halt actions during a behavioral task, while altering signals in the motor cortex to cause mice to act more impulsively. ... Read More...
Five Australian patients to trial new brain reading device to help speech and movement
A minimally invasive brain implant is to be tested on humans for the first time. The device, named Stentrode, will be placed in blood vessels in the motor cortex, and researchers believe it will help improve movement and speech for those with a range of neurological disorders.... Read More...
Training Beyond Exhaustion Can Prevent Learning
Overuse of our motor skills causes fatigue that can actually harm rather than help when it comes to sports training, practicing music or art, and rehabilitating injury.... Read More...