FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·May 29, 2020Age, sex and smoking influence opioid receptor function in the brainAge, sex, and gender influence the organization of the brain's opioid system. Findings shed light on why there are significant differences between the opioid system on an individual level, and why some are more prone to developing opioid-linked pathologies than others. Read More
auditory neuroscienceFeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·May 26, 2020Schizophrenia: When the thalamus misleads the earA new study reports hyper-connectivity between substructures of the thalamus, and the cerebral cortex may be responsible for auditory hallucinations associated with schizophrenia. Read More
auditory neuroscienceFeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·May 12, 2020How the brain responds to the sudden sound of silent dangerStudy provides insight into the neural mechanisms of how prey animals use the sounds or actions of others to infer danger and respond defensively. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·May 4, 2020Exercise boosts motor skill learning via changes in brain’s transmittersNeurons in the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus, an area of the brain that regulates motor coordination, switch neurotransmitters from acetylcholine to GABA as a result of exercise. The switch appears to provide feedback control that regulates motor coordination and skill learning. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 15, 2020How expectations influence learningOur brains make predictions based on experience during episodes of learning. Researchers found expectations during the predictions affect the activity of various brain networks. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 5, 2020COVID-19 linked to rare form of encephalitisA patient who tested positive for COVID-19 developed acute necrotizing encephalitis (ANE) as a result of the coronavirus infection. An MRI scan revealed the patient had lesions in the thalamus and temporal lobes, areas of the brain implicated in consciousness, sensation, and memory function. Researchers advise doctors to look out for COVID-19 patients who present with altered levels of consciousness, as this may be symptomatic of ANE. Read More
artificial intelligencedeep learningFeaturedmachine learningNeuroscienceneurotechPsychology·March 1, 2020Second Type of Schizophrenia DiscoveredCombining neuroimaging data with artificial intelligence, researchers have identified two distinct neuroanatomical subtypes of schizophrenia. The first, more typical subtype is associated with a lower widespread volume of gray matter compared to healthy controls. In the second subtype, gray matter volume is largely similar to healthy brains. Read More
FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·February 23, 2020Iron in brain shows cognitive decline in people with Parkinson’sThe measure of iron in the brain may help doctors predict which patients with Parkinson's disease are most likely to develop dementia. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 19, 2020Researchers identify neurons capable of coordinating functional networks in the brainA single neuron, through its axon, is capable of simultaneously producing different effects in separate areas of the cerebral cortex. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeurosciencePsychology·February 12, 2020Multi-center neuroimaging study offers new insights on schizophreniaThose with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome had significantly lower brain volume, as well as lower volumes in specific structures, including the thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·February 12, 2020Researchers stimulate areas vital to consciousness in monkeys’ brains, and it wakes them upStimulating the central lateral thalamus in monkeys under anesthesia was enough to wake the animals and elicit normal waking behaviors. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceRobotics·January 30, 2020Patterns in the brain shed new light on how we functionThe way neurons are structured, and the patterns they make can be used to explain how they behave and function. The findings have implications for creating intelligent robots. Read More
