Regional Cortical Volume and Thickness Associations With Early Substance Use Initiation in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Credit: *JAMA Network Open* (2024).

A new study has identified neuroanatomical differences in children associated with early substance use initiation.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) shows a positive treatment effect and improved quality of life (QoL) among patients with treatment-resistant depression according to two studies published in Brain Stimulation.

A new analysis of U.S. mortality data reveals the disproportionate impact of traumatic brain injuries on older adults, males and certain racial and ethnic groups.

Gender differences define how the human brain ages and telltale biomarkers in the blood may be strongly suggestive of cognitive impairment and dementia, according to a comprehensive new study involving more than 500 people.

Researchers have identified genetic variations in brain cells, particularly microglia and oligodendrocytes, that influence both aging and Alzheimer’s risk.

New research shows that not all brain cells age equally, with certain cells, such as those in the hypothalamus, experiencing more age-related genetic changes. These changes include reduced activity in neuronal circuitry genes and increased activity in immunity-related genes.

A recent study has found that menopause revs up the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Researchers have discovered that pupil size during non-REM sleep correlates with memory consolidation. When pupils contract, the brain focuses on consolidating new memories; when dilated, it processes older ones. This separation prevents “catastrophic forgetting,” allowing the brain to efficiently manage both new and existing knowledge. These findings could lead to better memory enhancement techniques for humans and inspire more efficient artificial neural networks.

A new study shows head trauma may activate latent viruses, leading to neurodegeneration.

A collaborative effort between Mount Sinai and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shed valuable light on how monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and now histamine help regulate brain physiology and behavior through chemical bonding of these monoamines to histone proteins, the core DNA-packaging proteins of our cells.

Finally this week, sex differences in brain structure are present from birth, new research shows.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

December 13, 2024December 12, 2024Leave a comment

A new way of mapping activity and connections between different regions of the brain has revealed fresh insights into how higher-order functions like language, thought and attention, are organized.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that the brain’s ability to learn certain skills can be significantly enhanced if both the brain and nervous system are primed by carefully-calibrated, precisely-timed electrical and magnetic stimulations. This new research has the potential to open entirely new perspectives in rehabilitation and possibly elite sports.

A study of patients with epilepsy shows how making new neurons benefits cognition.

New AI software can read the brain scans of patients who have had a stroke to more accurately pinpoint when it happened and help doctors work out whether it can be successfully treated. It is hoped that the new technology will ultimately enable faster and more accurate emergency treatment of patients in a hospital setting.

Researchers have discovered the structural details of a brain receptor called GPR6, which could lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

Living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods is associated with higher blood pressure and lower cognitive performance, even in individuals without mild cognitive impairment. Researchers analyzed over 500 adults, finding that poor social and economic resources in neighborhoods exacerbate cardiometabolic health issues and reduce brain function.

Scientists have developed a new approach to learning through noninvasive manipulation of brain activity patterns.

A new study is helping solve the mystery as to why the brain shrinks in a unique pattern, known as atrophy, in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Published in Acta Neuropathologica, this research provides novel evidence that cumulative repetitive head impacts are driving the specific patterns of brain degeneration found at the base of the folds of the surface of the brain, known as the cortical sulcus.

A global research collaboration has revealed a hidden cause of a rare intellectual disorder associated with severe language delay, epileptic seizures, motor impairment and brain abnormalities.

A multi-sensory digital treatment protocol, incorporating sensory integration, sensory substitution, and sensory masking (e.g., blindfolding), significantly improved participants’ performance on spatial memory tasks. Resting-state fMRI analysis showed that these improvements were associated with enhanced connectivity between memory-related brain regions, executive frontal areas, and the default mode network (DMN).

People with high blood pressure who also lack sleep may be at increased risk of reduced cognitive performance and greater brain injury, new research has found.

Researchers have uncovered a groundbreaking mechanism called Electro-Calcium (E-Ca) coupling that integrates electrical and calcium signaling in brain capillaries. This process ensures precise blood flow delivery to active neurons, crucial for brain health and cognitive function.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have made a breakthrough in understanding what neural mechanisms allow the extreme sensitivity of human vision in darkness.

New research reveals that music can do more than trigger memories—it can alter their emotional tone. When participants recalled neutral stories while listening to emotionally charged music, they later remembered the stories as matching the music’s mood. These findings hint at music’s potential for therapeutic interventions, like reframing negative memories in depression or PTSD.

Finally this week a recent study has found that high blood sugar may impair brain health even in people without diabetes.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

November 29, 2024November 27, 2024Leave a comment

The four sensory networks of the brain network partition. The partition comprises four sensory networks, with the somatomotor network encompassing the somatosensory cortex. The thalamus contains parcels of each sensory network. Credit: Molecular Psychiatry (2024).

Researchers have uncovered a potential new biomarker for psychosis diagnosis.

A new approach to analyzing brain scans could help researchers better understand psychiatric illness using much smaller groups of patients than previously thought necessary, potentially accelerating the development of more precise mental health treatments.

A new study reveals how specific brain cells called interneurons can act as our in-built traffic controllers. The findings are published in the journal PLOS Biology.

Younger and middle-aged patients seem to be disproportionately affected by neurologic manifestations of post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (Neuro-PASC), according to a study published in the Annals of Neurology.

Investigators have defined new biologic and clinical biomarkers for better identifying patients with different stages of Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Researchers have developed the most detailed 3D computational models of key brain regions, including the hippocampus and sensory cortices, to better understand their roles in memory formation and connectivity.

Healing the gut may be the key to improving long-term recovery in stroke patients, scientists at Texas A&M University have found.

New research provides critical insights into the role of sleep in motor learning for individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study sheds light on how sleep, specifically a short nap, influences brain activity associated with motor skill improvement, with implications for optimizing rehabilitation strategies.

A recent study of high school football players found that concussions affect an often-overlooked but important brain signal.

Researchers have uncovered that stress changes how our brain encodes and retrieves aversive memories, and discovered a promising new way to restore appropriate memory specificity in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Cognitive neuroscientists at Trinity College Dublin have published new research describing a brand new approach to making habit change achievable and lasting.

A new study uncovers constant communication between the human brain’s social cognitive network, responsible for understanding others’ thoughts, and the amygdala, known for processing fear and emotions. High-resolution brain scans revealed that this connection helps the brain integrate emotional importance into social interactions. This insight could lead to non-invasive treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for anxiety and depression by targeting these regions. The findings highlight how evolutionary brain expansion enhances social understanding while linking it to ancient emotional processing centers.

Neuroscientists have demonstrated that dopamine and serotonin work in opposition to shape learning.

Researchers have identified a novel role for the brain’s ‘locus coeruleus’ in sleep and its disruptions. This brain region facilitates the transition between NREM and REM sleep states while maintaining an unconscious vigilance toward the external world. Stress disrupts its functions and negatively impacts on sleep quality.

A future treatment for Alzheimer disease may involve a nasal spray.

A new method to profile gene activity in the living human brain has been developed by researchers at FutureNeuro, the Research Ireland Center for Translational Brain Science and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, in collaboration with international partners. This innovative approach, published in JCI Insight, opens new avenues for understanding and treating neurological conditions such as epilepsy.

A study led by the University of Glasgow has revealed differences in the brains of pediatric and adult patients that might explain the sometimes catastrophic outcomes seen in children following a traumatic brain injury.

Finally this week, new research has examined the relationship of emotion regulation to real-world responses to stress to better understand stress-related increases in suicide risk in depression.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

October 26, 2024Leave a comment

*Cerebral networks and reciprocal connectivity between the cerebellum and cerebrum, supporting social and emotional learning. Credit: Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2024).*

A recent publication in Nature Reviews Neuroscience sheds light on the often-overlooked role of the cerebellum in both motor and social-cognitive processes.

New research has shown that Alzheimer’s disease impacts the brain in two primary phases: an early, gradual phase that damages select cell types and a late phase marked by rapid, widespread damage as symptoms emerge.

Playing video games may boost your cognitive abilities and exercise can improve your mental health, but not the other way around, a large-scale study has found.

A large meta-analysis of over 600,000 people shows that experiencing loneliness significantly raises the risk of developing dementia by 31%. Researchers found that loneliness is a key factor in cognitive decline, contributing to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, regardless of age or sex.

Researchers have found that senescent cells—non-dividing “zombie” cells—accumulate in the skin as people age and may influence aging in other parts of the body.

A new study reveals that visual clutter alters how information flows between neurons in the brain’s primary visual cortex, but not the order in which it’s processed. Researchers found that the efficiency of information transfer changes depending on the location of clutter in the visual field.

An innovative study, published in Nature Communications, reveals the mechanism behind two seemingly contradictory effects of fear memories: the inability to forget yet the difficulty to recall.

After only one to three days of a whiplash injury, scientists can predict which patients will develop chronic pain based on the extent of cross “talk” between two regions of the brain, and the person’s anxiety level after the injury, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Women who began an aerobic exercise program during chemotherapy for breast cancer reported improved cognitive function and quality of life compared to those who received standard care.

A new study reveals that setting reminders can eliminate some age-related declines in memory. The findings offer a significant breakthrough in addressing the cognitive challenges faced by older adults, particularly in the context of prospective memory, which is the ability to remember to perform an intended action at the right moment, like taking medication or attending appointments.

Concussion researchers have recognized a new concussion sign that could identify up to 33% of undiagnosed concussions.

In a study published in the journal Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Concordia researchers use neuroimaging methods to examine brain resilience in regions of the brain linked to language and aging. They found that the hippocampus in bilinguals with Alzheimer’s disease was noticeably larger than those who were monolingual when matched for age, education, cognitive function and memory.

People in early middle age who have poor sleep quality, including having difficulty falling or staying asleep, have more signs of poor brain health in late middle age, according to a recent study.

New research shows that prolonged mental exertion weakens connectivity between the brain’s frontal and parietal lobes, impacting cognitive efficiency. However, the brain has built-in compensatory mechanisms that adjust neural connections to preserve function under fatigue.

Finally this week, cannabis use may lead to thinning of the cerebral cortex in adolescents, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

October 4, 2024Leave a comment

*Credit: The Journal of Physiology (2024).*

The team that first recorded vagus nerve signals in humans has now isolated the electrical activity of individual neurons responsible for cardiovascular regulation. Published in the Journal of Physiology, the Monash University-led discovery paves the way for more research into how and why cardiovascular disease develops.

New research reveals that dopamine is not directly responsible for the formation of placebo analgesia, contrary to previous beliefs.

Scientists have developed a new brain-mapping tool called START, which combines transcriptomics and viral tracing to map the connections between specific neuronal subtypes with unprecedented detail. This technology allows researchers to identify distinct patterns of connectivity in inhibitory neurons within the cerebral cortex, providing a blueprint of the brain’s circuits.

A new study has demonstrated that emotion enhances memory for contextual details, challenging the view that emotion impairs the ability to remember such information.

Researchers compared the diagnostic accuracy of GPT-4 based ChatGPT and radiologists using 150 brain tumor MRI reports. ChatGPT achieved 73% accuracy, slightly outperforming neuroradiologists (72%) and general radiologists (68%).

Deep brain stimulation may provide immediate improvement in arm and hand strength and function weakened by traumatic brain injury or stroke.

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience visual hallucinations have reduced brain responses to unexpected visual changes, a marker known as visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). Using EEG, researchers compared brain activity in PD patients with and without hallucinations and discovered that those with hallucinations showed weaker vMMN signals

Lower attention ability in adolescence can predict cigarette and cannabis use in young adulthood, according to new research from Trinity College Dublin.

New research has found that frequent consumption of fizzy drinks and fruit juice significantly increases the risk of stroke. The study, which analyzed data from nearly 27,000 participants across 27 countries, showed a 22% increased risk of stroke from drinking fizzy drinks, with the risk rising further with multiple servings per day. Additionally, drinking more than four cups of coffee daily raised stroke risk by 37%, while tea consumption was associated with a reduced stroke risk.

New research shows that even pollution levels that are below government air-quality standards are associated with differences in children’s brains.

University of Queensland researchers have made a significant step towards enabling women with epilepsy safer access to a common and highly effective anti-seizure medication.

A new study shows that brain synchronization between a neurotypical person and someone with autism is weaker compared to two neurotypical individuals interacting. Using EEG hyperscanning, researchers observed reduced inter-brain synchrony during hand movement imitation between mixed pairs, with autistic individuals more likely to follow than lead.

Certain immune cells play an important role in the early stages of multiple sclerosis, a twin study shows.

New evidence from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing indicates that older adults who experience a stroke for the first time will have substantial immediate and accelerated long term-cognitive decline. The new research, published in JAMA Network Open, looked at finding out exactly how a stroke impacts a person’s cognitive abilities.

A new study shows how individual brain cells in the hippocampus respond to pronouns.

Scientists are examining the brains of individuals with asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease who, despite having amyloid plaque and tau buildup—the primary indicators of Alzheimer’s—did not show diagnosable dementia symptoms while alive. They’ve identified crucial mechanisms that may safeguard against cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally this week, In a first-of-its-kind study, University of South Florida researchers are finding that music can help boost cognition in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

September 13, 2024September 12, 2024Leave a comment

Pupillary light reflex (PLR) assessment in open-eye and closed-eye conditions. Credit: *Communications Medicine* (2024).

A new technological advancement now enables researchers to observe changes in pupil size and gaze direction behind closed eyelids for the first time, using non-contact infrared imaging. This capability is expected to aid in identifying wakefulness states during sleep, anesthesia, and intensive care by monitoring pupil size variations. It could also be instrumental in gauging sedation levels, detecting seizures and nightmares, and acknowledging pain or responsiveness following trauma or within intensive care settings.

Neuroscientists have uncovered serotonin’s role in resilience.

A recent study using artificial intelligence has yielded a new understanding of how the brain anticipates future occurrences and processes data. It was found that the brain’s inherent activity, even in the absence of external stimuli, is crucial to our cognitive and emotional processes.

New research shows that varied cognitive training, rather than repetitive tasks, helps older adults improve working memory.

Scientists have mapped how propofol, a widely used anesthetic, alters brain connectivity to induce unconsciousness. Using fMRI, they found that propofol disrupts connections in the thalamus, reducing complex information processing and limiting sensory integration.

Research on older individuals indicates that vision impairment may be responsible for one in five dementia cases.

A new technology that uses harmless light waves to measure activity in babies’ brains has provided the most complete picture to date of brain functions like hearing, vision and cognitive processing outside a conventional, restrictive brain scanner.

Heat waves can worsen abnormal excitability of the brain in people with epilepsy, finds a new small-scale patient study.

Scientists have developed an innovative approach to studying brain connections using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Recently published in Cell Systems, this work introduces a new way of understanding brain architecture through dynamic functional networks, challenging the traditional static approach.

New research identifies potential therapeutic target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

A new study published in Nature Communications examines how the brain initiates spontaneous actions. In addition to demonstrating how spontaneous action emerges without environmental input, this research has implications for the origins of slow ramping of neural activity before movement onset—a commonly-observed but poorly understood phenomenon.

Researchers have published a novel study exploring the effects of delayed feedback on learning in individuals with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

A breakthrough in medical imaging is making it possible for researchers to observe brain activity during movement and pick up the early signs of disorders that affect brain-to-body coordination, such as Parkinson’s disease.

A new study investigated the origin of ataxia in the brain of patients with stroke and found a significant number of the stroke lesions in the patients were located outside the cerebellum.

Researchers have developed a noninvasive technique that could dramatically improve the way doctors monitor intracranial hypertension, a condition where increased pressure in the brain can lead to severe outcomes like strokes and hemorrhages.

Robotic ‘coaches’ aiding upper limb rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury survivors have been successfully trialed in Vienna, Austria.

Scientists have created a dynamic technique to monitor swift changes in brain activity, particularly those associated with cravings. This method differs from conventional neuroimaging by offering a continuous perspective on the variations in craving intensity. The research revealed that individuals with intense cravings tend to remain longer in brain states that intensify these cravings and do not activate the brain networks that could diminish them.

A recent study highlights the interaction between brain structure and social context, suggesting that some children are more vulnerable to social stressors than others.

With maps of the connections between neurons and artificial intelligence methods, researchers can now do what they never thought possible: predict the activity of individual neurons without making a single measurement in a living brain.

A review highlighting recent advances in genetically encoded fluorescent tools for labeling and selectively manipulating synapses has been published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Researchers have investigated the correlations between outdoor nighttime light pollution and Alzheimer’s disease, finding that excessive light pollution may elevate the risk of Alzheimer’s, particularly in younger individuals.

Finally this week, brain waves can be manipulated while in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a sleep stage associated with memory and cognition, a new study from the University of Surrey finds.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

August 24, 2024Leave a comment

*Credit: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2024)*

Scientists have determined that more than 60% of people who contracted COVID-19 have neurological symptoms that impact their cognitive function and quality of life, even two and three years after COVID-19.

Lip-read words can be decoded from the brain’s auditory regions similarly to heard speech, according to a new report that looked at how vision supports verbal perception.

Exercising is healthy, but not always appealing. Now research may have found a “switch” that activates the desire to get moving, as it shows that during exercise the muscle activates proteins which encourage further activity. The paper is published in Science Advances.

Researchers have demonstrated that a simple blood test that reflects brain health can predict which people are most at risk of suffering a stroke.

Our brain interprets visual information by combining what we see with what we already know. A study published in the journal Neuron, reveals a mechanism for learning and storing this existing knowledge about the world.

A newly developed brain-computer interface translates brain signals into speech with up to 97% accuracy, making it the most precise system of its kind.

Researchers have discovered that spontaneous brain activity during early development drives neural wiring before sensory experiences shape the brain. This spontaneous activity in neurons strengthens connections, following Hebb’s rule, where “cells that fire together wire together.”

According to new research, cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are linked to brain network organization.

A recently published study has unveiled significant findings that could enhance brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, marking a crucial step towards more intuitive neuroprosthetic control and advanced rehabilitation therapies.

Researchers have discovered that the hippocampus stores multiple copies of a single memory, each within different neuron groups that develop at different stages.

Scientists have developed a promising preventative therapeutic approach against Alzheimer’s disease, targeting the amyloid beta biomolecule that typically triggers nerve cell hyperactivity in the early stages of the brain disease.

A new study finds that COVID-19 proteins left in the brain may lower cortisol levels, leading to heightened inflammation and an exaggerated response to stressors.

Through a large-scale brain imaging study, an international research team has identified five patterns of age-related degeneration in older people experiencing mental decline. In their study, the team conducted the multi-year study of thousands of MRI scans using machine learning applications to find patterns in brain degeneration as people age.

A new machine learning model, AutMedAI, can predict autism in children under two with nearly 80% accuracy, offering a promising tool for early detection and intervention.

Researchers have discovered the neurons responsible for “item memory,” deepening our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves the details of “what” happened and offering a new target for treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Contrary to previous research, a new study of female participants finds no link between migraine and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Children who have persistently raised inflammation are at a higher risk of experiencing serious mental health disorders including psychosis and depression in early adulthood, according to a study published today in JAMA Psychiatry.

Researchers have identified a link between brain overgrowth and the severity of social and communication symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are far less likely than those without the condition to have the molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. The discovery suggests a new avenue of research through which to seek Alzheimer’s treatment.

Scientists have discovered a new method to regulate the receptors responsible for the sense of touch, potentially leading to more effective treatments for chronic pain.

Researchers have found that nondeceptive placebos—placebos given with the full knowledge that they are placebos—can effectively manage stress, even when administered remotely. In a two-week randomized controlled trial, participants experiencing prolonged stress were divided into two groups: one group received nondeceptive placebos, while the other served as a control.

Return to work two years after a breast cancer diagnosis is associated with higher cognitive speed performance before and after treatment, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers have discovered a mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that enhances its ability to infect the central nervous system, potentially explaining neurological symptoms and long COVID. The mutation was found to allow the virus to better infiltrate the brain, with implications for future treatments targeting COVID-19’s effects on the brain.

Finally, this week, while everyone knows that a good night’s sleep restores energy, a new study finds it resets another vital function: memory.

Weekly Neuroscience Update

July 12, 2024July 13, 2024Leave a comment

*Distribution of cholesterol in the human brain. Credit: Maria Osetrova*

Scientists have found that 93% of the lipids in brain tissue are distributed differently in the white and gray matter, the subcortex, the visual and motor cortices, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making, social behavior, and other functions.

Researchers have shown how glial cells are reprogrammed into neurons via epigenetic modifications.

Young adults who have higher levels of inflammation, which is associated with obesity, physical inactivity, chronic illness, stress and smoking, may experience reduced cognitive function in midlife, a new study has found.

A paper recently published in Nature Communications advances our understanding of how the brain responds to emotionally charged objects and scenes.

A new study finds that higher inflammation in young adulthood is associated with reduced cognitive function in midlife. Inflammation due to factors like obesity and smoking can impact memory and processing speed. This link, previously noted in older adults, now extends to early adulthood, suggesting long-term brain health effects. Reducing inflammation through lifestyle changes may help prevent cognitive decline.

Researchers have discovered why migraines are often one-sided, revealing that proteins released during aura are carried to pain-signaling nerves via cerebrospinal fluid.

A recent study has pinpointed brain regions associated with mood fluctuations and pleasure responses in bipolar disorder. The findings revealed that people with bipolar disorder show heightened activity in the ventral striatum during rewards, explaining extreme mood shifts.

In groundbreaking research, scientists have determined the structure of molecules within a human brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

A global research team has discovered a gene whose variants potentially cause neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in hundreds of thousands of people across the world. The findings published in Nature, are an exciting first step towards the development of future treatments for the disorders which have devastating impacts on learning, behavior, speech, and movement.

A longitudinal study has found that high-intensity interval exercise improves brain function in older adults for up to five years.

A new research collaboration has harnessed a powerful machine learning model to predict concussion status in patients.

A new study shows that human biases in handedness and visual field processing have social and cognitive implications. Researchers found that people with a reversed bias (left hand, right visual) are more likely to have social difficulties and conditions like autism or ADHD.

A recent study sheds light on how the brain adapts hearing in different listening situations.

Finally this week, a study investigating the effect of sleep on brain performance has found a link between an individual’s preference for morning or evening activity and their brain function, suggesting that self-declared “night owls” generally tend to have higher cognitive scores.