Once viewed merely as a producer of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bathing the brain and spinal cord, the choroid plexus is now known to be a key player in brain development and immunity. These fronds of brain tissue, located in the CSF-filled brain cavities known as ventricles, secrete instructive cues into the CSF to regulate […]
Home »
How the brains of obese people function differently from those of healthy weight
A research group from Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) of the University of Granada (UGR) has been studying the issue of excess weight from a neuroscientific perspective for many years, to determine the precise role played by the brain. In a study recently published in the International Journal of Obesity—based on the doctoral […]
Ultrasound treatment ‘jump-started’ the brains of 2 people in coma-like state
An experimental treatment may have “jump-started” the brains of two patients who had been in a minimally conscious state for months following a coma, according to a new study. Both patients had severe brain injuries and had shown only limited signs of consciousness for more than a year. But after receiving the treatment — which […]
Childhood lead exposure leads to structural changes in middle-aged brains
More than three decades after they were found to have elevated blood lead levels as children, a group of middle-aged adults were found to have some small but significant changes in brain structure that corresponded to their dose of lead exposure in early life. MRI scans at age 45 revealed some small but significant changes […]
Changes to the brain’s reward system may drive overeating in mice
A combination of innate differences and diet-induced changes to the reward system may predispose some mice to overeat, according to research recently published in JNeurosci. Food is fuel, but the rising levels of sugar and fat in modern diets make the brain treat it as a reward. One brain region called the ventral pallidum (VP) […]
Humans are born with brains ‘prewired’ to see words
Humans are born with a part of the brain that is prewired to be receptive to seeing words and letters, setting the stage at birth for people to learn how to read, a new study suggests. Analyzing brain scans of newborns, researchers found that this part of the brain—called the ‘visual word form area’ (VWFA) […]
Researching why our brains are able learn and memorize
The long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of the strength of hippocampal excitatory synapse involved in learning and memory formation in brain have been separately explained, but the molecular mechanism that comprehensively explains them has not been elucidated. Associate Professor Dr. Tomonari Sumi, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, and Assistant Professor Dr. […]
Biochemists discover new insights into what may go awry in brains of Alzheimer’s patients
More than three decades of research on Alzheimer’s disease have not produced any major treatment advances for those with the disorder, according to a UCLA expert who has studied the biochemistry of the brain and Alzheimer’s for nearly 30 years. “Nothing has worked,” said Steven Clarke, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “We’re ready […]
Gender identity leaves imprint on human brains, neuroscience researchers find
Society’s expectations about gender roles alter the human brain at the cellular level, according to a paper published by a group of neuroscience researchers at Georgia State University. “We are just starting to understand and study the ways in which gender identity, rather than sex, may cause the brain to differ in males and females,” […]
Inside the brains of hungry worms, researchers find clues about how they hunt
Perpetually hungry, worms are strategic when it comes to searching for food. The microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, or C. elegans, is known to spend up to 20 minutes seeking out snacks in its immediate surroundings before endeavoring to look elsewhere. Now, Rockefeller scientists have identified circuits in the C. elegans brain that underlie this behavior. […]