Neuroscience posts
- November 27, 2015
- 03:05 PM
- 407 views
Synapse discovery could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A team of researchers led by UNSW Australia scientists has discovered how connections between brain cells are destroyed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease – work that opens up a new avenue for research on possible treatments for the degenerative brain condition.... Read more »
Leshchyns’ka, I., Liew, H., Shepherd, C., Halliday, G., Stevens, C., Ke, Y., Ittner, L., & Sytnyk, V. (2015) Aβ-dependent reduction of NCAM2-mediated synaptic adhesion contributes to synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Communications, 8836. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9836
- November 23, 2015
- 07:00 PM
- 453 views
Dopamine measurements reveal insights into how we learn
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have reported measurements of dopamine release with unprecedented temporal precision in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. The measurements, collected during brain surgery as the conscious patients played an investment game, demonstrate how rapid dopamine release encodes information crucial for human choice.... Read more »
Kenneth T. Kishida, Ignacio Saez, Terry Lohrenz, Mark R. Witcher, Adrian W. Laxton, Stephen B. Tatter, Jason P. White, Thomas L. Ellis, Paul E. M. Phillips, & P. Read Montague. (2015) Subsecond dopamine fluctuations in human striatum encode superposed error signals about actual and counterfactual reward. Proceedings of the natural sciences academy of the United States of America. info:/10.1073/pnas.1513619112
- November 23, 2015
- 12:06 PM
- 573 views
Gambling and Brain Frontal-Striatum Connections
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
For the remainder of 2015, Brain Posts will focus on pathological gambling and also highlight the top-viewed posts for the year.Functional connectivity is a relatively recent brain imaging technique that provides a new look at brain circuitry at rest and with tasks.Resting state connectivity using fMRI provides a snapshot of brain connections in each individual. There is increasing study of resting connectivity in individuals with disorders in neuroscience medicine compared to control population........ Read more »
Koehler S, Ovadia-Caro S, van der Meer E, Villringer A, Heinz A, Romanczuk-Seiferth N, & Margulies DS. (2013) Increased functional connectivity between prefrontal cortex and reward system in pathological gambling. PloS one, 8(12). PMID: 24367675
- November 23, 2015
- 12:58 AM
- 700 views
Happiness Is a Large Precuneus
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
What is happiness, and how do we find it? There are 93,290 books on happiness at Amazon.com. Happiness is Life's Most Important Skill, an Advantage and a Project and a Hypothesis that we can Stumble On and Hard-Wire in 21 Days.The Pursuit of Happiness is an Unalienable Right granted to all human beings, but it also generates billions of dollars for the self-help industry.And now the search for happiness is over! Scientists have determined that happiness is located in a small region of your righ........ Read more »
Habel, U., Klein, M., Kellermann, T., Shah, N., & Schneider, F. (2005) Same or different? Neural correlates of happy and sad mood in healthy males. NeuroImage, 26(1), 206-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.01.014
Sato, W., Kochiyama, T., Uono, S., Kubota, Y., Sawada, R., Yoshimura, S., & Toichi, M. (2015) The structural neural substrate of subjective happiness. Scientific Reports, 16891. DOI: 10.1038/srep16891
- November 22, 2015
- 10:30 PM
- 372 views
History of neuroscience: The mystery of trepanation
by neurosci in Neuroscientifically Challenged
In 1867, an archaeologist and diplomat named Ephraim George Squier sought out the help of Paul Pierre Broca, the esteemed anatomist and surgeon. He was trying to solve a mystery about an ancient Incan skull that had been given to him by a wealthy artifact collector in Peru. In addition to its age, the Neolithic skull had a unique feature: on the top of the cranium a rectangular piece of bone had been removed. The presence of several cross-cuts surrounding the hole suggested that it was not a sim........ Read more »
Clower, W., & Finger, S. (2001) Discovering Trepanation: The Contribution of Paul Broca. Neurosurgery, 49(6), 1417-1426. DOI: 10.1097/00006123-200112000-00021
- November 22, 2015
- 03:01 PM
- 476 views
Neuroscience and the search for happiness
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Exercising, meditating, scouring self-help books… we go out of our way to be happy, but do we really know what happiness is? Wataru Sato and his team at Kyoto University have found an answer from a neurological perspective.... Read more »
Sato, W., Kochiyama, T., Uono, S., Kubota, Y., Sawada, R., Yoshimura, S., & Toichi, M. (2015) The structural neural substrate of subjective happiness. Scientific Reports, 16891. DOI: 10.1038/srep16891
- November 20, 2015
- 03:06 PM
- 544 views
Multiple Personalities, Blindness and the Brain
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic_Discover
A new paper reports the fascinating and perplexing case of a woman who reported that she was host to multiple personalities - some of whom were completely blind. The paper is called Sight and blindness in the same person: gating in the visual system, authored by German psychologists Hans Strasburger and Bruno Waldvogel.
The patient in this case, "B. T.", aged 33, has a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID), a condition formerly known as multiple personality disorder (MPD). B. ... Read more »
Strasburger H, & Waldvogel B. (2015) Sight and blindness in the same person: Gating in the visual system. PsyCh journal. PMID: 26468893
- November 20, 2015
- 02:43 PM
- 461 views
Inflammation linked to weakened reward circuits in depression
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
About one third of people with depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood. New research indicates that persistent inflammation affects the brain in ways that are connected with stubborn symptoms of depression, such as anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure.... Read more »
Felger, J., Li, Z., Haroon, E., Woolwine, B., Jung, M., Hu, X., & Miller, A. (2015) Inflammation is associated with decreased functional connectivity within corticostriatal reward circuitry in depression. Molecular Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.168
- November 19, 2015
- 07:55 PM
- 397 views
Yin and yang of serotonin neurons in mood regulation
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Low levels of serotonin in the brain are known to play a role in depression and anxiety, and it is customary to treat these disorders with medications that increase the amount of this neurotransmitter. However, a new study carried out by researchers suggests that this approach may be too simple. It appears that neighboring serotonin-producing brainstem regions exert different and sometimes opposing effects on behavior.... Read more »
Anne Teissier, Alexei Chemiakine, Benjamin Inbar, Susan M. Dymecki, Holly Moore, & Mark S. Ansorge. (2015) Activity of Raphe´ Serotonergic Neurons Controls Emotional Behaviors. Cell Reports. info:/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.10.061
- November 18, 2015
- 07:37 PM
- 441 views
Master switch for brain development
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz have unraveled a complex regulatory mechanism that explains how a single gene can drive the formation of brain cells. The research is an important step towards a better understanding of how the brain develops. It also harbors potential for regenerative medicine.... Read more »
Pataskar, A., Jung, J., Smialowski, P., Noack, F., Calegari, F., Straub, T., & Tiwari, V. (2015) NeuroD1 reprograms chromatin and transcription factor landscapes to induce the neuronal program. The EMBO Journal. DOI: 10.15252/embj.201591206
- November 18, 2015
- 01:00 PM
- 525 views
Predictors of Poor Outcome After Traumatic Brain Injury
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
The outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often unpredictable and variable.Two individuals with similar types of TBI can have quite different outcomes ranging from total disability to functional employment.Torun Finnanger and colleagues from Norway and Australia recently reported on a study that examined a number of predictor variables on self-reported outcome following TBI.In this study, 67 adolescents and adults with moderate to severe TBI completed baseline assessments and were fo........ Read more »
Finnanger TG, Olsen A, Skandsen T, Lydersen S, Vik A, Evensen KA, Catroppa C, Håberg AK, Andersson S, & Indredavik MS. (2015) Life after Adolescent and Adult Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Self-Reported Executive, Emotional, and Behavioural Function 2-5 Years after Injury. Behavioural neurology, 329241. PMID: 26549936
- November 17, 2015
- 04:48 PM
- 505 views
What’s in a name? More than you think…
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
What’s in a name? In the case of the usernames of video gamers, a remarkable amount of information about their real world personalities, according to research. Analysis of anonymised data from one of the world’s most popular computer games by scientists in the Department of Psychology at York also revealed information about their ages.... Read more »
Kokkinakis, A., Lin, J., Pavlas, D., & Wade, A. (2016) What's in a name? Ages and names predict the valence of social interactions in a massive online game. Computers in Human Behavior, 605-613. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.034
- November 16, 2015
- 08:37 PM
- 379 views
Strongest evidence yet of a link between breakfast and educational outcomes
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A direct and positive link between pupils’ breakfast quality and consumption, and their educational attainment, has for the first time been demonstrated in a ground-breaking new study carried out by public health experts at Cardiff University. The study of 5000 9-11 year-olds from more than 100 primary schools sought to examine the link between breakfast consumption and quality and subsequent attainment in Key Stage 2 Teacher Assessments* 6-18 months later.... Read more »
Littlecott, H., Moore, G., Moore, L., Lyons, R., & Murphy, S. (2015) Association between breakfast consumption and educational outcomes in 9–11-year-old children – CORRIGENDUM. Public Health Nutrition, 1. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980015003365
- November 16, 2015
- 11:40 AM
- 602 views
Smell Test in Screening for Parkinson's Disease Risk
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Molecular model of polypeptide parkinIdentification of early or prodromal stages of the diseases of neuroscience medicine is an important clinical and research goal.Identification of prodromal illness allows for enhanced surveillance and initiation of secondary prevention interventions.Impairment of smell or olfactory sensation is a key early clue for Parkinson's disease (PD).Danna Jennings and colleagues recently published an important study of the role of smell impairment in prodromal PD.This ........ Read more »
Jennings D, Siderowf A, Stern M, Seibyl J, Eberly S, Oakes D, Marek K, & PARS Investigators. (2014) Imaging prodromal Parkinson disease: the Parkinson Associated Risk Syndrome Study. Neurology, 83(19), 1739-46. PMID: 25298306
- November 16, 2015
- 05:50 AM
- 745 views
The Neuroscience of Social Media: An Unofficial History
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
There's a new article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences about how neuroscientists can incorporate social media into their research on the neural correlates of social cognition (Meshi et al., 2015). The authors outlined the sorts of social behaviors that can be studied via participants' use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.: (1) broadcasting information; (2) receiving feedback; (3) observing others' broadcasts; (4) providing feedback; (5) comparing self to others.Meshi, Tamir, and Heekeren / Tr........ Read more »
Meshi D, Tamir TI, Heekeren HR. (2015) The Emerging Neuroscience of Social Media. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. info:/10.1016/j.tics.2015.09.004
- November 15, 2015
- 07:34 AM
- 485 views
Meta-Neuroscience: Studying the Brains of Neuroscientists
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic_Discover
How do neuroscientists' brains work?
In a remarkable (and very meta) new paper, German researchers Frieder Michel Paulus et al. scanned some neuroscientists (their own colleagues) using fMRI, to measure the brain response to seeing neuroscience papers. The study is out now in PLoS ONE: Journal Impact Factor Shapes Scientists' Reward Signal in the Prospect of Publication
Paulus et al.'s paper has already got a lot of attention: it's been featured on the famous Improbable Research blog, ... Read more »
Paulus FM, Rademacher L, Schäfer TA, Müller-Pinzler L, & Krach S. (2015) Journal Impact Factor Shapes Scientists' Reward Signal in the Prospect of Publication. PloS one, 10(11). PMID: 26555725
- November 15, 2015
- 06:51 AM
- 365 views
Know your brain: Vestibular system
by neurosci in Neuroscientifically Challenged
Where is the vestibular system?The vestibular system is comprised of several structures and tracts, but the main components of the system are found in the inner ear in a system of interconnected compartments called the vestibular labyrinth. The vestibular labyrinth is made up of the semicircular canals and the otolith organs (all discussed below), and contains receptors for vestibular sensations. These receptors send vestibular information via the vestibulocochlear nerve to the cerebellum and to........ Read more »
Khan S, Chang R. (2013) Anatomy of the vestibular system: A review. NeuroRehabilitation, 32(3), 437-443. info:/
- November 14, 2015
- 04:18 PM
- 413 views
3-D printing aids in understanding food enjoyment
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Tasting food relies on food volatiles moving from the back of the mouth to the nasal cavity, but researchers have wondered why airflow doesn’t carry them in the other direction, into the lungs. Now a team of engineers, using a 3D printed model of the human airway from nostril to trachea, has determined that the shape of the airway preferentially transfers volatiles to the nasal cavity and allows humans to enjoy the smell of good food.... Read more »
Ni, R., Michalski, M., Brown, E., Doan, N., Zinter, J., Ouellette, N., & Shepherd, G. (2015) Optimal directional volatile transport in retronasal olfaction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1511495112
- November 12, 2015
- 02:13 PM
- 389 views
It’s music to my eyes
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
When people are listening to music, their emotional reactions to the music are reflected in changes in their pupil size. Researchers from the University of Vienna and the University of Innsbruck, Austria, are the first to show that both the emotional content of the music and the listeners’ personal involvement with music influence pupil dilation. This study demonstrates that pupil size measurement can be effectively used to probe listeners’ reactions to music.... Read more »
Gingras, B., Marin, M., Puig-Waldmüller, E., & Fitch, W. (2015) The Eye is Listening: Music-Induced Arousal and Individual Differences Predict Pupillary Responses. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00619
- November 12, 2015
- 11:51 AM
- 517 views
Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Sunset in Blanchard, OK courtesy of Dr. Tim YatesThere is a significant need for improvement in the tools available for screening for cognitive impairment in a variety of disorders in neuroscience medicine.The Mini-Mental State Examination Score (MMSE) is a widely used 30-item scale for screening dementia and other neurological conditions.However, the MMSE has some significant weaknesses for use in the clinical setting.Jin Qiao and colleagues from China recently published a study testing th........ Read more »
Qiao J, Zheng X, Wang X, Lu W, Cao H, & Qin X. (2015) Neuropsychological profile in Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease and normal global cognition according to Mini-Mental State Examination Score. International journal of clinical and experimental medicine, 8(8), 13755-61. PMID: 26550322
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