Neuroscience News

Dim Light Makes Us Dumber, New Study Suggests

African grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus) exposed to dim lights (DLD) for four weeks experienced, on average, a 30% decrease in the number of ‘dendritic spine’ connections in their brains, which are the tiny protrusions near the solid green line, a dendrite. These rats performed poorly on a maze-like task. Rats exposed to bright light (BLD), on the other hand, had many more of the dendritic connections and showed superior performance on the task. Image credit: Michigan State University.
Feb 7, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Hippocampus, spending too much time in dimly-lit environment may change the brain’s structure and hurt our ability to remember and learn. African grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus) exposed to dim lights (DLD) for four weeks experienced, on average, a 30% decrease in the number of ‘dendritic spine’ connections in their brains, which are the tiny protrusions near the solid green line, a dendrite....

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Parkinson et al show evidence for neural homophily -- neural responses when viewing audiovisual movies are exceptionally similar among friends, and that similarity decreases with increasing distance in a real-world social network. Image credit: Parkinson et al, doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02722-7.

On the Same Wavelength: New Study Illustrates How Similar Neural Responses Predict Friendship

Feb 2, 2018 by News Staff

According to a study published in the January 30 issue of the journal Nature Communications, we are exceptionally similar to our friends in how we perceive...

According to Hamrick et al, language is learned, in specific ways, by general-purpose neurocognitive mechanisms that pre-exist Homo sapiens. This image shows functional areas of the human brain; dashed areas shown are commonly left hemisphere dominant. Image credit: Blausen.com staff, doi: 10.15347/wjm/2014.010.

Study: Language is Learned in Ancient General-Purpose Brain Circuits that Predate Humans

Jan 30, 2018 by News Staff

It has often been claimed that we learn language using brain circuits that are specifically dedicated to this purpose. Now, new evidence suggests that...

Haller et al tracked the brain as it generated an antonym: the brain required 2-3 seconds to detect (yellow), interpret and search for an answer (red) and respond (blue), with sustained prefrontal lobe activity (red) to coordinate all areas of the brain involved. Image credit: University of California, Berkeley.

Neuroscientists Track Thought’s Trip through Brain

Jan 22, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers led by the University of California, Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute has tracked the progress of a thought through...

This study is the first to unveil a gut-brain connection linking high dietary salt intake to neurovascular and cognitive impairment. Image credit: Justin Kolenc.

Study: High-Salt Diet Causes Dementia in Mice

Jan 17, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, a high-salt diet reduces resting blood flow to the brain and causes dementia in...

According to Seidlitz et al, morphometric similarity mapping provides a novel, robust, and biologically plausible approach to understanding how human brain networks underpin individual differences in psychological functions. Image credit: Gordon Johnson.

Novel Technique Reveals Relationship between IQ and Brain Connectivity

Jan 8, 2018 by News Staff

A simple technique for mapping the wiring of the brain — called morphometric similarity mapping — has shown a correlation between how well...

The process of how information reaches the amygdala. Image credit: Manos Kefalas / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Danger Changes How Mammalian Brain Stores Innocuous Information

Jan 3, 2018 by News Staff

According to a study by University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers, a mammal’s brain changes how it stores information about innocuous events depending...

This image shows a perineuronal net (green) surrounding a neuron. Image credit: Kristian Lensjø.

Researchers Find Way to ‘Erase’ Remote Visual Fear Memories in Rats

Jan 2, 2018 by News Staff

How the brain is able to store memories over long periods of time has been a persistent mystery to scientists. In a new study in rats, a research team...

Neurons. Image credit: National Institute on Aging.

Study Identifies First Brain Cells that Respond to Sound

Dec 21, 2017 by News Staff

A new study by University of Maryland’s Professor Patrick Kanold and co-authors is the first to identify a mechanism that could explain an early link...

Plants infused with the luminescence of fireflies could help reduce our dependence on conventional lighting. Image credit: Seon-Yeong Kwak.

Researchers Create Nanobionic Light-Emitting Plants

Dec 14, 2017 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found a way to infuse plants with the luminescence...

According to Alvarenga et al, dogs are brainier than cats. Image credit: Rihaij.

Dogs Have More Brain Neurons Than Cats, New Study Says

Dec 1, 2017 by News Staff

According to the first study to count the number of cortical neurons in the brains of a number of carnivores, dogs have about 530 million cortical neurons...

Heisz et al examined the combined effect of physical exercise and cognitive training on memory and neurotrophic factors in healthy, young adults. Image credit: Sasin Tipchai.

Study: Intense Physical Exercise Boosts Memory

Nov 28, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers has found that six weeks of intense exercise — short bouts of interval training over the course of 20 minutes — showed...

Exercise can improve memory function and brain health. Image credit: Olga.

Study: Aerobic Exercise Increases Brain Size, Improves Neuronal Health

Nov 14, 2017 by News Staff

In a new study published in the journal NeuroImage, an international team of researchers examined the effects of aerobic exercise on a region of the brain...

Brain of the sweat bee Megalopta genalis (body length: 1-2 cm). Highlight/inset shows compass regions. Abbreviations: CBL - lower division of the central body, CBU - upper division of the central body, LBU - lateral bulb, MBU - medial bulb, NO – noduli, PB - protocerebral bridge. Scale bars - 200 μm. Image credit: A. Narendra / Stone et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.052.

New Study Shows How Bee’s Brain Functions to Guide It Home

Oct 10, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new study led by Lund University scientist Stanley Heinze, a network of compass and speed neurons in the bee brain integrates every detail...

Tanycyte cells reacting to a puff of the amino acid lysine. Scale bar - 20 μm. Image credit: Nicholas Dale / Greta Lazutkaite.

Researchers Identify Brain Cells that Control Our Appetite

Sep 29, 2017 by News Staff

Tanycytes — cells found in part of the brain that controls energy levels — detect two key amino acids in food and tell the brain directly that...

Migraines take a toll on around 1 billion people. This work by Baksa et al. indicates that individuals with certain gene variants in the CLOCK gene, which is involved in circadian rhythms, are at a higher risk of migraines when they are exposed to financial hardship. Image credit: Sasha Wolff / CC BY 2.0.

Study: Circadian Rhythm Gene Variants Increase Risk of Migraines from Financial Hardship

Sep 5, 2017 by Zvi Cramer

Researchers have shown that financial stress may cause more migraines in individuals with variants in the circadian rhythm gene CLOCK, suggesting that...

Eating both bland (left panel) and delicious (right panel) meals triggered significant opioid release in the brain. Image credit: University of Turku.

Eating Triggers Release of Endogenous Opioids in Human Brain, Study Reveals

Aug 29, 2017 by News Staff

A recent study conducted at the University of Turku, Finland, has revealed that eating leads to the widespread opioid release in the human brain, likely...

Dr. Gustafson with a mother-to-be in the fetal biomagnetometer. Image credit: University of Kansas.

Research Provides First Evidence for Fetal Language Discrimination

Aug 10, 2017 by News Staff

According to new research published in the journal NeuroReport, a month before they are born, fetuses can distinguish between someone speaking to them...

3D surface and midsagittal images illustrating regional sex differences in rCBF (regional cerebral blood flow). Image credit: Daniel G. Amen et al, doi: 10.3233/JAD-170432.

Study: Women Have More Active Brains than Men

Aug 8, 2017 by News Staff

In the largest functional brain imaging study to date, researchers have identified specific differences between the brains of females and males. 3D surface...

The encephalophone is a musical instrument that can be played by the mind alone. Image credit: University of Washington.

Encephalophone: Novel Thought-Controlled Musical Instrument Allows People to Make Music with Their Minds

Jul 13, 2017 by News Staff

An international group of researchers has created a hands-free, thought-controlled musical instrument, the encephalophone. The encephalophone is a musical...

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