Neuroscience News

Märtin et al define the molecular identity of striatal projections neurons, focusing on the characterization of the patch and matrix compartments; genetic labeling of mu opioid receptor (Oprm1)-expressing neurons reveals the identity of neuron subtypes, and also establishes spatial markers for the identification of subregions in striatum. Image credit: Märtin et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.096.

Scientists Create Molecular Map of Striatum

Dec 24, 2019 by News Staff

Striatum, the inner part of the brain, is considered central to decision-making and the development of various addictions. In mouse models and with methods...

Forensic facial reconstruction of another Australopithecus species - A. afarensis. Image credit: Cicero Moraes / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Living Great Apes are Smarter than Australopithecines, New Research Suggests

Nov 18, 2019 by News Staff

New research challenges the long-held idea that, because the brain of human ancestors called australopithecines was larger than that of many modern great...

Healthy sleep linked to brain-wave bursts that mathematically mimic earthquakes. Image credit: Wang et al.

Animal Study Links Healthy Sleep to Earthquake-Like Brain-Wave Bursts

Nov 15, 2019 by News Staff

Cortical arousals and brief awakenings during sleep exhibit non-equilibrium dynamics and complex organization across time scales necessary for spontaneous...

A male zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) in Karratha, Pilbara, Western Australia. Image credit: Jim Bendon / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Neuroscientists Identify Song-Learning Neurons in Birds

Nov 8, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Japan and South Korea has found that a set of neurons called corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons are important for vocal...

An anatomical illustration from Sobotta's Human Anatomy, 1908, shows the structure of a human brain. Image credit: Dr Johannes Sobotta.

New Study Reveals Key Component in Neurophysiology of Sleep

Nov 7, 2019 by News Staff

A new study, led Boston University researchers, shows that slow oscillating neural activity during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep triggers waves of...

Jagiello et al used electroencephalography and pupillometry to reveal the temporal signatures of the brain processes that allow differentiation between a familiar, well liked, and unfamiliar piece of music. Image credit: Gordon Johnson.

Study: Our Brain Takes Less Than a Second to Recognize Familiar Song

Oct 31, 2019 by News Staff

Our brain can recognize familiar music within just 100-300 milliseconds (0.1-0.3 of a second), according to a new study published in the journal Scientific...

Rats Taught How to Drive Tiny Cars

Oct 24, 2019 by Natali Anderson

Rats can learn the complex task of navigating a rodent-operated vehicle (ROV) to a desired area, according to new research from the University of Richmond. Crawford...

Li et al provide the first evidence of the positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure. Image credit: Larisa Myshun.

Drinking Tea Improves Brain Efficiency, New Study Shows

Sep 16, 2019 by News Staff

Habitual tea drinking has positive effects on brain organization and gives rise to greater efficiency in functional and structural connectivity, according...

Left: structural differences in three dog breeds. Right: composite scan from 33 breeds displaying areas that vary the most. Image credit: Hecht et al, doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0303-19.2019.

Selective Breeding Altered Brain Anatomy in Dogs, Study Says

Sep 5, 2019 by News Staff

A new study published in the JNeurosci shows that through selective breeding, humans have significantly altered the brains of different lineages of domestic...

Weekend recovery sleep doesn’t prevent weight gain or reduce insulin sensitivity. Image credit: Wok & Apix.

Researchers Identify Second Short-Sleep Gene

Sep 4, 2019 by News Staff

Sleep is crucial for our survival, and many conditions, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s, are linked to...

A single bout of exercise may provide a boost to the mind. Image credit: Mabel Amber.

Single Session of Aerobic Exercise Boosts Cognition and Memory Performance in Older Adults: Study

Sep 2, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of Iowa has found that a single bout of aerobic exercise improves cognitive functions and working memory in older...

A juvenile rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) in Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico. Image credit: Geoff Gallice / CC BY 2.0.

Impulsiveness in Adolescence is Not Uniquely Human

Aug 30, 2019 by News Staff

Human and non-human primate studies show that in adolescence, a time of increased reactive behavior, self control is limited. A juvenile rhesus macaque...

A honeybee (Apis mellifera). Image credit: Vijaya Narasimha.

Study Provides New Insights into Honeybee ‘Waggle Dance’ Communication

Aug 29, 2019 by News Staff

According to a study published in the journal eNeuro (bioRxiv.org preprint), changes in vibration-sensitive neurons may equip forager honeybees for waggle...

Astrocytes tagged with green fluorescent antibody. Image credit: Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes / António Pinto-Duarte.

Astrocytes Help Brain Establish Long-Lasting Memories, Animal Study Finds

Aug 27, 2019 by News Staff

Astrocytes, long considered to be passive elements in the brain, are required to establish long-lasting memories, according to a study in mice. Astrocytes...

Abdo et al discovered a meshlike organ covering the skin that senses dangerous environmental stimuli. Image credit: Tarkan K.

Researchers Discover New Pain Organ in Human Skin

Aug 19, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Karolinska Institutet has discovered a previously unknown meshlike organ in the skin that is sensitive to painful mechanical damage,...

Short bursts of exercise directly boost the function of a gene that increases connections between neurons in the hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with learning and memory. Image credit: Matan Ray Vizel.

Brief Periods of Exercise Enhance Brain Function, Animal Study Shows

Jul 5, 2019 by News Staff

In a study done in mice, a team of researchers found that short-term bursts of exercise — the human equivalent of a weekly game of pickup basketball,...

Scholars argue that consciousness is a fundamental quality of the Universe. Image credit: NASA / ESA / JPL-Caltech / STScI / Sci-News.com.

Is Consciousness a Fundamental Quality of the Universe?

Jun 14, 2019 by The Conversation

Scientists have long been trying to understand human consciousness — the subjective ‘stuff’ of thoughts and sensations inside our minds. There...

Farmer et al used genetic techniques to make glowing brain cells or rendered them sensitive to laser light to alter their activity; these brain cells are now thought to coordinate activity across the cardiovascular system. Image credit: Farmer et al, doi: 10.1113/JP277661.

Researchers Find Blood Flow Command Center in Brain

May 20, 2019 by News Staff

A research team led by Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health and Macquarie University scientists has discovered a group of cells in the...

The normal form of amyloid beta has been tagged with a yellow marker in these cells, making healthy cells a uniform pale yellow (left). Contact with prion forms of amyloid beta -- for example in extracts from human brain tissue -- forces these yellow proteins into the sticky prion form as well, leading to the formation of bright yellow clumps (right). Image credit: Prusiner Lab / UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Alzheimer’s Amyloid-Beta and Tau Proteins Act as Prions, New Research Finds

May 7, 2019 by News Staff

Prions are misfolded versions of a protein that can spread like an infection by forcing normal copies of that protein into the same self-propagating, misfolded...