Neuroscience News

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...

Palaus et al collected and summarized studies looking at how video games can shape our brains and behavior. Image credit: Olichel Adamovich.

Video Games May Change Brain and Behavior, Review Finds

Jun 23, 2017 by News Staff

Playing video games may cause changes in many brain regions, according to a new review of previous research. Palaus et al collected and summarized studies...

According to Siu et al, vision keeps maturing until mid-life. Image credit: Pexels.

Vision Keeps Maturing until 30s – Early 40s, Study Finds

May 30, 2017 by News Staff

The human primary visual cortex — the brain’s vision-processing center that was previously thought to mature within the first few years of life...

Experiencing beauty requires thought, New York University neuroscientists find.

Immanuel Kant was Right: Beauty Requires Thought

May 11, 2017 by News Staff

Experiencing beauty requires thought, neuroscientists have found in a study that confirms a claim by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804),...

According to Leitao-Goncalves et al, gut bacteria control food choice and egg laying in Drosophila melanogaster. Image credit: Leitao-Goncalves et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000862.

Gut Bacteria ‘Speak’ to Brain to Control Food Choices in Animals

May 2, 2017 by News Staff

In a study published recently in the journal PLOS Biology, neuroscientists identified three gut bacteria species — Acetobacter pomorum, Lactobacillus...

Scientists Find Link between Immune System, Memory and Structure of Brain

Apr 27, 2017 by News Staff

In two separate studies, researchers have demonstrated that both the structure of the brain and several memory functions are linked to immune-related genes. The...

Drinking a beetroot juice before exercise makes the aging brain perform more efficiently. Image credit: Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University.

Beetroot Juice before Exercise Keeps Aging Brain Sharp

Apr 19, 2017 by News Staff

According to a study published recently in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, drinking a beetroot juice before exercise makes the brain of...

Neuroscientists Identify New Neural Pathway that Controls Hand Movements

Apr 5, 2017 by News Staff

A new neural pathway has been identified by a group of neuroscientists that could underlie our ability to make the coordinated hand movements needed to...

Dopaminergic system and reward processing: dopaminergic neurons are located in the midbrain structures substantia nigra (SNc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA); their axons project to the striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen and ventral striatum including nucleus accumbens), the dorsal and ventral prefrontal cortex; the mesolimbic dopamine pathway mediates the psychopharmacology of reward, whether that is a natural high or a drug-induced high, and is sometimes referred to as the pleasure center of the brain, with dopamine as the pleasure neurotransmitter. Image credit: Oscar Arias-Carrion et al, doi: 10.1186/1755-7682-7-29.

Study: Neurotransmitter Dopamine Plays Role in Human Bonding

Feb 20, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers have found for the first time that dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brain, is involved in human bonding. The results appear in the...

Morrissey et al found that there are specific groups of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex of a rat’s brain - the region most associated with long-term memory; these neurons develop codes to help store relevant, general information from multiple experiences while, over time, losing the more irrelevant, minor details unique to each experience. This image shows a rat hippocampal neuron. Image credit: ZEISS Microscopy / CC BY 2.0.

Neuroscientists Uncover How Brain Maintains Useful Memories

Feb 15, 2017 by News Staff

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Toronto in Canada has discovered a reason why we often struggle to remember small details of past experiences....

This image shows an ON Delayed retinal ganglion cell. Image credit: Adam Mani & Gregory W. Schwartz, Northwestern University.

Researchers Find Myopia-Causing Cells in Retina

Feb 13, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has discovered a type of retinal ganglion cell that may cause myopia when it dysfunctions. The study is...