A new study reports babies’ brains are sensitive to different emotional tones they hear in voices. Researchers suggest maternal interactions may help to shape the same brain region adults use for emotional processing.
Researchers report brain alterations associated with heightened feelings of negative emotion and alienation in people who have a dependence on cannabis.
Further evidence that the brain undergoes a continuous phase transition when we awaken from sleep has been discovered.
A new deep learning algorithm can predict those at risk of psychosis with 93% accuracy by examining the latent semantic content of an individual’s speech.
Scientists in Sweden have found that some viruses can increase the buildup of protein ‘plaques’ linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a discovery that could lead to new vaccines treating the condition.
Individual differences in the striatum of habitual cannabis users distinguish between who is at increased risk of addiction and cannabis use disorder.
A new studyreports areas of the brain housing alertness and determination may be on the right side for left dominant people. The new theory suggests the location of a person’s neural system for emotion depends on their handedness.
Finally this week, new research shows that 2 hours a week is a key dose of nature for health and wellbeing.
Music and mindful music listening may help people who have suffered strokes recover their impaired cognitive abilities more effectively, new research suggests.
The loss of memory and cognitive function known to afflict survivors of septic shock is the result of a sugar that is released into the bloodstream and enters the brain during the life-threatening condition. This finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains the premature mental aging that follows septic shock and may shed light on memory loss in other diseases.
Researchers have identified a new autoimmune disease that causes muscle pain and weakness.
Scientists used brain signals recorded from epilepsy patients to program a computer to mimic natural speech–an advancement that could one day have a profound effect on the ability of certain patients to communicate.
Scientists have created a “neural decoder” that translates brain activity into speech.
Autism diagnosis becomes stable starting at 14 months of age, researchers report. The accurate diagnosis of ASD, four months earlier than previously believed, leads to more opportunities for early interventions.
A new two-tier diagnostic blood test which evaluates both amyloid beta and tau, can help detect Alzheimer’s disease in presymptomatic patients.
Researchers are officially defining a new brain disorder that mimics Alzheimer’s disease. The disorder will be known as LATE, which stands for limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy.
Finally this week, a new deep learning algorithm can reliably determine what visual stimuli neurons in the visual cortex respond best to.
How quickly do we experience the benefits of exercise? A new study of healthy older adults shows that just one session of exercise increased activation in the brain circuits associated with memory – including the hippocampus – which shrinks with age and is the brain region attacked first in Alzheimer’s disease.
Using a unique computational framework they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia.
Reduced connectivity between the amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex has been identified in children on the autism spectrum who exhibit disruptive behaviors, compared to those on the spectrum who do not. Findingssuggest this distinct brain network could be independent of core autism symptoms.
A specially designed computer program can help diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans by analyzing their voices.
Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, researchers identified actionable pathways responsible for the growth of glioblastoma stem cells. By reverse engineering brain cancer cells, multiple potential new targets for cancer treatments have been uncovered.
Obesity is associated with alterations in brain structure, including lower grey matter volume and smaller globus pallidus volume according to new research.
Researchers have found certain clues in the brain waves that show the reason why angry dreams occur when a person sleeps. The results of the study titled, “EEG Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Dream Affect: Alpha Oscillations Over the Right Frontal Cortex During REM Sleep and Pre-Sleep Wakefulness Predict Anger in REM Sleep Dreams,” were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
People with the specific genotype of the Cannabinoid receptor 1 gene may be more prone to cannabis use disorder.
A rapid memory system transition from the hippocampus to the posterior parietal cortex is stabilized as we sleep. Sleep and repeated rehearsal of memory jointly contribute to long-term memory consolidation.
A new study confirms that a simple blood test can reveal whether there is accelerating nerve cell damage in the brain.
Finally, this week, using a combination of movie clips and neuroimaging, researchers find people have positive biases to those they feel are more like them, even if they are unable to see the person’s face.
Contrary to a popular theory, researchers have discovered the brain remains connected during non-REM sleep. The study reports not all forms of communication within the cerebral cortex are disrupted during this sleep phase.
UCLA neuroscientists are the first to show that rhythmic waves in the brain called theta oscillations happen more often when someone is navigating an unfamiliar environment, and that the more quickly a person moves, the more theta oscillations take place — presumably to process incoming information faster.
Researchers have identified a brain network that allows the brain to record memories of new places.
A new study reveals deep brain stimulation not only improves motor function, but can also increase survival rates for those with Parkinson’s disease.
A build up of urea in the brain to toxic levels may cause brain damage, eventually leading to dementia, a new study reports.
A new method to measure brain connectivity has found that people with depression have changes in the brain systems involved in memory and reward.
Researchers have developed a single cell sequencing method that can map the cellular origin of a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Finally this week, a new study reveals why some people find it more difficult than others to meet switching demands and change focus as efficiently.
An experimental therapy which involves a face-to-face discussion between a person with schizophrenia and an avatar representing their auditory hallucination may help reduce symptoms, when provided alongside usual treatment, according to a study led by King’s College London and published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.
Researchers have identified a number of variable locations in the genome that influence hippocampal gene activity and may contribute to brain disorders.
For the first time, scientists have found a connectionbetween abnormalities in how the brain breaks down glucose and the severity of the signature amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain, as well as the onset of eventual outward symptoms, of Alzheimer’s disease.
A new study reports the rhythm of your breathing can influence neural activity that enhances memory recall and emotional judgment.
The amount of close and comforting contact between infants and their caregivers can affect children at the molecular level, an effect detectable four years later, according to new research.
The brain’s auditory system can be shaped by exposure to different auditory environments, such as native language and musical training.
Contrary to a popular theory, a new study has discovered the brain remains connected during non-REM sleep. The study reports not all forms of communication within the cerebral cortex are disrupted during this sleep phase.
Cannabis use in youth is linked to bipolar symptoms in young adults, finds new research.
According to researchers, when shifting attention from one spot to another, the brain blinks. They report these blinks are momentary unconscious gaps in visual perception.
How well we are able to complete simple and complex tasks depends upon the organization of subnetworks in the brain, a new study reports.
Researchers are working to create a neurochip capable of transmitting a signal to healthy brain cells. The neurochip can be used in devices intended to replace damaged parts of the brain.
A new brain mapping study reveals smokers could be predisposed to their addiction due to the molecular make up of their brains.
In a new study, researchers describe a unique model for the biology of Alzheimer’s disease which may lead to an entirely novel approach for treating the disease. The findings appear in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Scientists hope to have found a new neurobiological marker to help recognise patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Researchers have identified a mechanism that drives hunger. A new study reports the sight or smell of food can temporarily turn of AgRP neurons, which drive the urge to eat. These neurons remain inactive until the brain receives a signal from the gut that calories have been consumed.
Finally this week, a new study reports that certain brain regions interact more closely, while others are less engaged, in people with higher intelligence.
John Gaspar, an SFU psychology doctoral student, places 128 electrodes into a cap. The electrodes will pick up tiny changes in the wearer’s brain activity. Image is adapted from the SFU press release.
A new study has found that differences in an individual’s working memory capacity correlate with the brain’s ability to actively ignore distraction.
A research team has connected neurons using ultrashort laser pulses. With their study, which was published in Scientific Reports, the team became the first ever to find a way to bond neurons.
Physicians and biomedical engineers from Johns Hopkins report what they believe is the first successful effort to wiggle fingers individually and independently of each other using a mind-controlled artificial “arm” to control the movement.
Researchers have identified a gene which can be used to predict how susceptible a young person is to the mind-altering effects of smoking cannabis.
Young adults with hostile attitudes or those who don’t cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to a study published in the March 2, 2016, online issue of Neurology.
Researchers have found how lactate, a waste product of glucose metabolism can protect neurons from damage following acute trauma such as stroke or spinal cord injury.
Neuroscientists have discovered a specific enzyme that plays a critical role in spinal muscular atrophy, and that suppressing this enzyme’s activity, could markedly reduce the disease’s severity and improve patients’ lifestyles.
Birds that migrate the greatest distances have more new neurons in the regions of the brain responsible for navigation and spatial orientation, suggests a new paper published in Scientific Reports.
Scientists have now described the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator, providing pathways to understanding complex neurological disorders.
Children with autism and other similar conditions often have difficulties in several areas of communication. A new doctoral thesis in linguistics from the University of Gothenburg shows that these children can develop speech, gestures and a sense of rhythm and melody by listening to various speech sounds.
Finally this week, new research suggests that small numbers are processed in the right side of the brain, while large numbers are processed in the left side of the brain.
This a follow on post from last month’s Your Brain On Cannabis, which has become one of the most widely read posts on Inside the Brain.
The effects of marijuana on your brain
The drug acts in areas of the brain involved in memory and emotion by interacting with two receptors – the so-called CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors – to cause a profound effect on recent memory. Long term memories are not affected. One brain region called the hippocampus has receptors for endogenous “marijuana” (anandamide). Hippocampal damage is associated with failure to make new memories and if the CB1 and CB2 receptors are stimulated activity decreases in this brain region. Interestingly, with repeated use, tolerance to loss of memory develops but this is often associated with a further increase in drug intake.
Learning and marijuana don’t mix
Marijuana also changes the way sensory information is processed in the brain and is associated with poor performance in school and increased delinquency. There is impairment in the ability to learn. Listening and repetition learning is also compromised. Heavy marijuana use is associated with deficits in mathematical skill and verbal expression. Taken together these effects can lead to catastrophic social and psychological consequences particularly for the young abuser – not to mention the lost employee productivity, public health care costs, accidents and crashes and loss of income – Americans spent $10.6 billion on marijuana purchases in 1999.
Marijuana is addictive
Marijuana addicts experience withdrawal and an animal model for dependence has been developed by scientists to understand how this happens. Withdrawal has been described after 21 days of heavy use and starts 10 hours after stopping and includes insomnia, nausea, anorexia, agitation, restlessness, irritability, depression and shaking (tremor). The symptoms peak within 48 hours and gradually wear off by the fifth day of abstinence.
The war on marijuana starts with spreading the word
During the 1970s in the US it was decided that a liberal approach be adopted to marijuana use and 11 states decriminalized marijuana, 30,000 head shops were allowed to spring up and “responsible-use” messages were promoted. The drinking age was lowered to 18 years and the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to teens was tolerated. By 1979 35% of adolescents, 65%of high school seniors and 70%of young adults had tried an illicit drug. These facts and the increase in drug-related crime prompted universal outrage and the laws were tightened up. As a result – from 1979 to 1992 marijuana use has dropped by 2/3 among adolescents, and young adults and daily marijuana use has dropped by 500%. However, it has taken over 20 years to undo the damage in the US.
In tackling the marijuana problem head-on – the following common myths need to be debunked (i) marijuana is harmless, (ii) marijuana is not addictive (iii) youth experimentation is inevitable and (iv) the criminalization of marijuana use is what leads to crime, not the drug itself.
In the final part of this series on the effects of cannabis on your brain, we will take a look at the possible medicinal uses of marijuana.
inside-the-brain.com 