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thalamus

·August 31, 2020·4 min read

Researchers Discover a Specific Brain Circuit Damaged by Social Isolation During Childhood

Social isolation experienced during childhood has an impact on adult brain function and behavior. Following two weeks of social isolation immediately following weaning in male mice, researchers noticed a failure in activation of medial prefrontal cortex neurons projecting to the posterior paraventricular thalamus during social exposure in adulthood. Findings suggest medial prefrontal cortex neurons required for sociability are profoundly affected by social isolation at a young age.

This shows the neurons mapped in the TRN

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·July 22, 2020·6 min read

Mapping the Brain’s Sensory Gatekeeper

Mapping the thalamic reticular nucleus, researchers have identified two distinct subnetworks of neurons with different functions. Findings offer insight into more specific targets for therapeutics to alleviate some sensory, sleep, and attention symptoms associated with ASD and other disorders characterized by sensory hypersensitivity.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·July 1, 2020·4 min read

Auditory hallucinations rooted in aberrant brain connectivity

Auditory hallucinations, a common feature of psychosis and schizophrenia, may be the result of increased connectivity between sensory and language processing areas in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 5, 2020·3 min read

NMDA receptors may link psychosis and sleep deficits

NMDA receptor hypofunction is involved in the reduction of sleep spindles and delta oscillations, which appear in the brain during deep natural sleep. Findings confirm the role NMDA receptors play in sleep disorders that accompany psychotic states.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 29, 2020·3 min read

Age, sex and smoking influence opioid receptor function in the brain

Age, 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.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 26, 2020·5 min read

Schizophrenia: When the thalamus misleads the ear

A new study reports hyper-connectivity between substructures of the thalamus, and the cerebral cortex may be responsible for auditory hallucinations associated with schizophrenia.

This shows a woman in a creepy house looking scared

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 12, 2020·2 min read

How the brain responds to the sudden sound of silent danger

Study provides insight into the neural mechanisms of how prey animals use the sounds or actions of others to infer danger and respond defensively.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 4, 2020·4 min read

Exercise boosts motor skill learning via changes in brain’s transmitters

Neurons 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.

This shows the tactile stimulation device

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 15, 2020·5 min read

How expectations influence learning

Our brains make predictions based on experience during episodes of learning. Researchers found expectations during the predictions affect the activity of various brain networks.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·April 5, 2020·2 min read

COVID-19 linked to rare form of encephalitis

A 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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 1, 2020·6 min read

Second Type of Schizophrenia Discovered

Combining 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.