Category: Brain Development

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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Microscopic photos observed through changes of the flourescence of the synapse sensor (SynapShot) by cultivating the neurons of an experimental rat and expressing the SynapShot. The changes in the synapse that is created when the pre- and post-synaptic terminals come into contact and the synapse that disappears after a certain period of time are measured by the fluorescence of the SynapShot. Credit: KAIST Optogenetics & RNA therapeutics Lab

New research has observed the processes of memory and cognition in real-time.

A new study reveals significant findings in the fight against Long Covid. Through a comprehensive analysis of blood serum from 113 patients, researchers discovered changes in blood serum proteins related to the complement system, coagulation, and tissue injury in Long Covid patients.

New research has found that exercising both before and after learning optimizes memory formation, with a notable 10% improvement in remembering motor skills.

A new study employs generative AI to shed light on how the human brain processes memories for learning, imagination, and planning. The study used a computational model resembling the hippocampus and neocortex’s neural networks to simulate memory encoding and retrieval.

A new study has reported that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, can infect dopamine neurons in the brain and trigger senescence—when a cell loses the ability to grow and divide.

Researchers have taken the first steps to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Type 2 diabetes by creating multiple patent-pending compounds shown to inhibit protein aggregation associated with those diseases.

A neuroscientific study is paving the way for improving the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

A new study reveals limitations in the current use of mathematical models for personalized medicine, particularly in schizophrenia treatment. Although these models can predict patient outcomes in specific clinical trials, they fail when applied to different trials, challenging the reliability of AI-driven algorithms in diverse settings.

Research into the nature of memory reveals how cells that store information are stabilized over time.

A new study explores how infants and toddlers acquire language. Findings reveal early comprehension begins around 6-7 months, and significant improvements in language understanding occur around a child’s first birthday.

New research looks at ways to predict when a migraine attack will occur.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found overactivation in many brain regions, including the frontal and parietal lobes and the amygdala, in unmedicated children with anxiety disorders. They also showed that treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) led to improvements in clinical symptoms and brain functioning.

An international research has proposed a new model for classifying Parkinson’s disease.

A ribbon of brain tissue called cortical gray matter grows thinner in people who go on to develop dementia, and this appears to be an accurate biomarker of the disease five to 10 years before symptoms appear, scientists report.

3D bioprinting sheds light on why blood vessel curvature may foster brain cancer metastasis.

Researchers achieved a significant advancement in robotics by replicating human-like variable speed walking using a musculoskeletal model. This model, steered by a reflex control method akin to the human nervous system, enhances our understanding of human locomotion and sets new standards for robotic technology.

There is a difference between how the brains of healthy older adults perceive color compared to younger adults, finds a new study.

Researchers conducted a study to explore the neuroscientific basis of fairness in social situations, investigating the interplay between personal interests and societal norms. By applying electric brain stimulation to 60 participants, the researchers pinpointed specific brain regions crucial to fairness decisions.

Finally this week, scientists have made a significant discovery using an artificial neural network model, suggesting that musical instinct may emerge naturally from the human brain.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

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Three experiments to test how dopamine affects cognitive performance during acute exercise. Credit: The Journal of Physiology (2024)

A study exploring the mechanisms behind why cognitive performance improves in response to exercise, has found that dopamine plays a key role.

Researchers have discovered that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) develop distinct attentional preferences compared to typically developing children, focusing more on non-social stimuli like objects and textures.

Brain structure predicts treatment response to antidepressant and placebo medications, according to a new study.

Recent research contrasts the learning mechanisms of the human brain with those of deep learning in AI. Despite having fewer layers and slower, noisier dynamics, the brain can perform complex classification tasks as effectively as AI with hundreds of layers.

A new study uncovers a unique aspect of human memory: our ability to recall events is sharper after experiencing negative emotions.

A major clinical trial has shown that by using MRI and tracking to guide the delivery of magnetic stimulation to the brains of people with severe depression, patients will see their symptoms ease for at least six months, which could vastly improve their quality of life.

New research reveals that coming off antidepressants like Prozac can cause not only physical symptoms but also emotional, cognitive, and social difficulties.

Through transcriptomic profiling of more than 300,000 cells in human substantia nigra, a part of the brain that helps control the body’s movements, a research team has identified a previously unreported neuron type with vulnerability in Parkinson’s disease. This novel finding could help explain the complexity of the disease symptoms and direct new therapeutics development.

Researchers have found evidence suggesting that children exposed to elevated levels of early life adversity exhibit an accelerated pattern of brain development during the preschool years.

New research for the first time reveals the function of a little-understood junction between cells in the brain that could have important treatment implications for conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to Alzheimer’s disease, to a type of brain cancer known as glioma.

Finally this week, a third major study finds that multivitamin supplements improve memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults.

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Credit: Nature Neuroscience (2024)

A new study has identified a neural coding mechanism that allows the transfer of information back and forth between perceptual regions to memory areas of the brain. The results are published in Nature Neuroscience.

Perceived time has a significant impact on the actual time it takes to heal physical wounds, according to new research.

Researchers have identified a wide range of risk factors for young-onset dementia. The findings challenge the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition, laying the groundwork for new prevention strategies.

Scientists have uncovered a key brain pathway mediating panic disorder symptoms.

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking synaptic transistor inspired by the human brain. This device can simultaneously process and store information, mimicking the brain’s capacity for higher-level thinking.

People who have more disrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, according to new research published in Neurology. 

With help from an artificial language network, neuroscientists have discovered what kind of sentences are most likely to fire up the brain’s key language processing centers. The new study reveals that more complex sentences, either because of unusual grammar or unexpected meaning, generate stronger responses in these language processing centers. Very straightforward sentences barely engage these regions, and nonsensical sequences of words don’t do much for them either.

Finally this week, scientists have identified a molecular anchor that stabilizes mitochondria near synapses to support memory formation.

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Credit: Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3754

A team of researchers has created the first “multiome” atlas of brain cell development in the human cerebral cortex across six broad developmental time points from fetal development into adulthood, shedding new light on their roles during brain development and disease. “Multiome” refers to the simultaneous analysis of multiple types of genetic information within the same biological sample. They can include the genome, the DNA encoded in our cells; the transcriptome, the RNA copies that the cell makes from the genome; and the epigenome, chemical modifications and regulatory factors that determine the accessibility of chromatin.

Scientists have established how the activity of our brain during imaginary movement differs from that during real action.

A new study reveals ancestries around the world possess a shared genetic architecture for problematic alcohol use (PAU)—habitual heavy drinking, accompanied by harmful consequences. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, could help scientists understand the genetic basis of PAU, a major cause of health problems in many age groups.

Researchers have demonstrated that differences in the gut microbiome are associated with overall cognitive function and brain structure in healthy children.

In an innovative study, researchers have conducted the first systematic investigation of the effects of cognitive fatigue by using two different tasks across three distinct populations: multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and controls.

A new study details that markers of brain injury are present in the blood many months after COVID-19 infection, despite inflammation blood tests being normal. 

Finally this week, new research investigates the impact of binaural beat (BB) on language skills. BB is a sound that occurs when two slightly mismatched pure tones are heard. There is a growing interest in using BB as a non-invasive neuromodulation to enhance cognitive performance.

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Examples of inputs and outputs from the MADRC dataset. 

Researchers have developed a suite of free tools for analyzing vast amounts of brain dissection photographs at brain banks worldwide to enhance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

A new study reveals a strong link between regular physical activity and enhanced brain health. Analyzing MRI scans from 10,125 individuals, researchers found that exercise, even moderate exercise like walking, is associated with increased brain volumes in crucial areas like gray matter, white matter, and the hippocampus. The study underscores exercise’s role in reducing dementia risk and maintaining brain size.

Scientists have discovered that a part of the brain associated with working memory and multisensory integration may also play an important role in how the brain processes social cues.

In a first-of-its-kind study published in Nature, researchers recorded activity from hundreds of individual neurons while participants listened to spoken sentences, giving us an unprecedented view into how the brain analyzes the sounds in words.

A new study has unveiled three distinct cognitive deficits contributing to reading difficulties in individuals with left-sided neglect dyslexia, a condition that often follows a right-hemisphere stroke.

Researchers have unveiled a significant similarity between AI memory processing and human hippocampal functions. This discovery, bridging AI and neuroscience, highlights a parallel in memory consolidation – a process crucial in transforming short-term to long-term memories – in both AI models and the human brain.

A new study highlights the significant role of imagination in evoking empathy and driving prosocial behaviour. 

A so-called pathological protein long associated with Parkinson’s disease has been found in a new study to trigger cells to increase protein synthesis, an event that eventually kills the subset of brain cells that die off in this neurodegenerative condition.

A new study presents a promising treatment for restoring the sense of smell in long-COVID patients.

Researchers have found that amyloid oligomers play a role in speeding up mitochondrial energetics during the early stages of Alzheimer’s, in contrast to what has been previously found in more advanced Alzheimer’s brain tissues. The results are published in Nature Communications.

Research led by the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, has found an increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with long-term ADHD medication use.

New research has uncovered a potential early marker for autism in infants: abnormally enlarged perivascular spaces (PVS) in the brain. The study found that infants with enlarged PVS had a 2.2 times greater chance of developing autism compared to those with the same genetic risk. The researchers followed infants with a higher likelihood of autism due to having an older sibling with the condition.

A pilot clinical trial has found electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is feasible, well-tolerated and shows therapeutic potential to treat depression.

Signs of injury to the brain’s white matter called white matter hyperintensities, as seen on brain scans, may be tied more strongly to vascular risk factors, brain shrinkage, and other markers of dementia in former tackle football players than in those who did not play football, according to a study published in Neurology.

Artificial intelligence, coupled with data from an iPad coloring game, could assist in early diagnosis of autism, a new study shows.

A review in the Journal of Internal Medicine explores the potential of non-invasive interventions such as light, sound, and magnets to stimulate gamma brain waves for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Such strategies may be beneficial because Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by reduced fast brain oscillations in the gamma range (30–100 Hz).

Finally this week, researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the genetic basis of anxiety disorders (ADs), which affect over 280 million people globally.

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Credit: Communications Biology (2023).

Researchers have demonstrated the use of AI-selected natural images and AI-generated synthetic images as neuroscientific tools for probing the visual processing areas of the brain. The goal is to apply a data-driven approach to understand how vision is organized while potentially removing biases that may arise when looking at responses to a more limited set of researcher-selected images.

A first-line therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) reshapes connectivity of the brain, according to a new study

A new analysis of the brain activity of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the first to reveal that traumatic memories are represented in the brain in an entirely different way than sad autobiographical memories.

Researchers have identified objective evidence of how the neck muscles are involved in primary headaches.

Optimal windows exist for action and perception during the 0.8 seconds of a heartbeat, according to research published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The sequence of contraction and relaxation is linked to changes in the motor system and its ability to respond to stimulation, and this could have implications for treatments for depression and stroke that excite nerve cells.

In a new study, researchers say they found high levels of a repair protein present long after a traumatic brain injury such as a concussion takes place.

A new study shows that individuals who report tinnitus, which presents as a ringing in the ears in more than 1 out of 10 adults worldwide, are experiencing auditory nerve loss that is not picked up by conventional hearing tests.

An international study group has identified how three novel genes cause neurodevelopmental disorders.

A new study has demonstrated that a novel treatment is effective in most patients with major depressive symptoms even after multiple failed courses of antidepressant medication. The treatment, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), may work even more rapidly than past findings have suggested, starting to alleviate symptoms as quickly as one week.

Finally this week, newborn babies can perceive the beat in music, new research has confirmed. 

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Credit: eLife (2023)

Researchers have investigated the shared and unique neural processes that underlie different types of long-term memory: general semantic, personal semantic, and episodic memory, suggesting that these memory types all use the same network of the brain, rather than relying on different areas of the brain altogether. This questions a previous theory that characterizes general semantic and episodic memory as two distinct systems. Instead, the authors suggest that different long-term memory types could be viewed as a spectrum, where they rely on activating the same areas of the brain at differing magnitudes.

Scientists can now pinpoint where someone’s eyes are looking just by listening to their ears.

Using a specialized device that translates images into sound, neuroscientists have shown that people who are blind recognize basic faces using the part of the brain known as the fusiform face area, a region that is crucial for the processing of faces in sighted people.

People with long COVID exhibit patterns of changes in the brain that are different from fully recovered COVID-19 patients, according to new research.

What is the mechanism that allows our brains to incorporate new information about the world, and form memories? New work led by Dr. Tomás Ryan from Trinity College Dublin shows that learning occurs through the continuous formation of new connectivity patterns between specific engram cells in different regions of the brain.

New research indicates that acoustic stimulation of the brain may ease persistent symptoms in individuals who have experienced mild traumatic brain injury in the past.

Scientists have discovered that Alzheimer’s-related changes in brain networks extend beyond memory and attention, impacting sensory and motor circuits. These findings challenge previous assumptions about Alzheimer’s effects.

A pivotal discovery in addiction science has found a correlation between microstructural deficits in the prefrontal cortex-habenula tract and the development and maintenance of addiction.

Researchers have unveiled a pioneering technique for charting the intricate conversations occurring within our brains. Such insights are key to decoding behavioral alterations in neurological disease patients. The innovative tool, CaMPARI, allows scientists to witness brain activity in real-time, marking active neurons red and inactive ones green. This breakthrough could offer pathways to better treatments and understanding of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

A team of neuroscientists has found evidence suggesting that the neural development of babies still in the womb is impacted by the language they hear spoken by their mothers as they carry them.

A new study has discovered a link between a new gene pathway and structural brain anomalies in some people who stutter into adulthood, opening up promising research avenues to enhance the understanding of persistent developmental stuttering.

Finally this week, researchers have developed a tool that simplifies the identification of errors in neural networks used for image recognition.

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(A) Brain regions where spectra were measured (yellow box) (B) 1H MR spectrum in the hippocampus: Hippocampal taurine signal shown at 3.4 ppm (arrow). Black line: actual measured spectrum. Red line: LCModel fitting spectrum. Credit: Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)

For the first time, a research team in Korea has discovered there is a significant relationship between depression and the taurine concentration in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning functions. This discovery provides the opportunity to publicize the role and importance of taurine in future prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of depression.

A recent study reveals that individuals who experienced childhood adversity, such as neglect or abuse, faced higher chances of COVID-19 hospitalization or mortality in adulthood.

Time spent watching television or playing computer games has measurable and long-term effects on children’s brain function, according to a review of 23 years of neuroimaging research, which—while showing negative impacts—also demonstrates some positive effects.

A first-of-its-kind study has identified overactive inflammation and loss of critical protection mechanisms in the brain as potential contributors to suicide risk.

An international team of scientists has uncovered the vital role of microglia, the immune cells in the brain that acts as its dedicated defense team, in early human brain development. By incorporating microglia into lab-grown brain organoids, scientists were able mimic the complex environment within the developing human brain to understand how microglia influence brain cell growth and development.

A novel study finds a link between childhood physical fitness and cerebellar grey matter volume in adolescents.

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified new scoring criteria allowing for the detection of treatable forms of rapidly progressive dementia (RPD) with reasonably high confidence during a patient’s first clinical visit. This scoring criteria may allow physicians to substantially reduce the time it takes to begin treatment. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology.

A new sudy has identified the top three genes responsible for traumatic brain injury complications.

Researchers have made a discovery that sheds light on how our brain cells manage to efficiently replace older proteins. This process is crucial for maintaining effective neural communication and ensuring optimal cognitive function.

A pair of studies has uncovered novel cellular mechanisms that are involved in two types of genetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, psychological assessments indicated that people who regularly use cannabis, or marijuana, tend to have a greater understanding of the emotions of others. Brain imaging tests also revealed that cannabis users’ anterior cingulate—a region generally affected by cannabis use and related to empathy—had stronger connectivity with brain regions related to sensing the emotional states of others within one’s own body.

Finally this week, researchers have unearthed the genetic connection between the heart and brain related to fainting spells.

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Credit: Nature Mental Health (2023)

Researchers have identified important new methods for accurately identifying possible biomarkers in adolescent brains that can reliably predict cognitive developments and psychiatric issues.

A new study has examined the neural processes underlying odor processing in the human olfactory system and how the brain handles odor information from different nostrils and details the finding that each nostril has its own sense of smell, recording a distinct representation of the odor information it encounters.

A groundbreaking discovery suggests that dendrites could be pivotal in learning processes and may even influence our understanding of brain states and degenerative diseases.

A new study reveals the brain’s swift response to human errors compared to unintended outcomes. The study found that the brain recognizes an error within one second and then engages in a longer process to prevent future errors. This process was absent when the outcome wasn’t a direct result of an action, indicating a specialized error-awareness mechanism in the brain.

Researchers have identified new therapeutic targets for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), an incurable brain disorder with symptoms mimicking Parkinson’s and dementia.

A speech prosthetic developed by a collaborative team of neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, and engineers can translate a person’s brain signals into what they’re trying to say. The new technology might one day help people unable to talk due to neurological disorders regain the ability to communicate through a brain-computer interface.

It’s been debated for decades, but now researchers have suggested that left-handedness is not linked to better spatial skills.

A new study sheds light on when adolescents start thinking like adults. Researchers found that executive function, critical for task-switching and focus, typically matures around 18 years old. Drawing from over 10,000 participants and multiple datasets, this large-scale study offers a developmental chart for teen cognitive growth. These findings are invaluable for education, psychiatry, and the judicial system.

Emerging research underscores the profound connection between mental health and heart disease, with depression and anxiety hastening the onset of cardiovascular risk factors.

Researchers have discovered a potential link between the microbe C. perfringens and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study hints at the prospect of developing a vaccine or alternative treatments in the near future.

In a new study, researchers use a very large dataset to identify predictive brain imaging-based biomarkers of mental illness in adolescents.

Using advanced brain scanning technology, a research team has revealed insights into what happens in the brain during an advanced form of meditation called jhana. By uncovering distinct patterns of activity in different regions of the brain during jhana, the research suggests exciting possibilities for innovative therapies merging ancient meditation practices with modern neuroscience to improve well-being.

Finally this week, new research suggests your biological age, more than the years you’ve lived, may predict your risk of dementia and stroke in the future.

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Acetylcholine wave traveling from lateral (L) to medial (M) in the striatum Credit: Dr. Joshua Goldberg, Prof. Jeffery Wickens, Dr. Nicolas Tristch

A new study unveils the existence of traveling waves of the neurochemical acetylcholine in the striatum, a region of the brain responsible for motivating actions and habitual behaviors.

Researchers have conducted a study aimed at better understanding the patterns in neural network communication associated with ‘bad’ decisions made while gambling. Their paper, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, shows that different types of ‘bad’ decisions made while gambling, namely avoidant and approach decisions, are associated with distinct neural communication patterns.

What determines how a teenager’s brain is structured and how it evolves? Researchers have established a close link between brain activity and a maturation process called cortical thinning.

Researchers have found COVID-19 does not appear to cause direct brain damage or viral invasion. In blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples, no abnormal biomarkers were found. The findings thus suggest that post-COVID condition is not the result of ongoing infection, immune activation, or brain damage.

A recent study finds differences in functional brain connectivity in people with and without psychosis and schizophrenia that could help researchers understand the neural underpinnings of this disease.

Brain health in people over age 50 deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic, even if they didn’t have COVID-19, according to major new research linking the pandemic to sustained cognitive decline. The cognitive decline seems to have been exacerbated by several factors during the pandemic, including an increase in loneliness and depression, a decrease in exercise, and higher alcohol consumption.

Prenatal lead exposure is associated with an increased risk for cognitive developmental delay in children, according to a new study.

Children who are too short for their age can suffer reduced cognitive ability arising from differences in brain function as early as six months of age, according to new research. Stunted growth had previously been linked with poor cognitive outcomes later in life, but this is the first time that this association has been found in infancy. It is also the first time stunted growth has been linked to functional differences in how the brain works in early development.

Finally this week, researchers have developed a new method for mapping how the parts of the brain “speak” to each other, critical to understanding behavior changes in patients with neurological disease.