neuroscience

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cultured neuron with projecting dendrites

Apr 10, 2013 03:14 PM EDT

Neuroscientists Apply New 'Light Switch' Method to Decrypt Neuronal Microwiring

Applying a new method to decode the microwiring of the brain, Norwegian neuroscientists have used an optogenetic light switch to literally see which neurons communicate with each other in one small section of the brain.

Apr 05, 2013 03:34 PM EDT

Visual Imagery During Sleep Can be Detected and Decoded, Scientists Show

The process of dreaming is still a mystery and largely unknown, but a groundbreaking new brain imaging study probably answers one of the fundamental questions. Does our brain create the, often unreal, scenes we see in dreams in detail, or is it a more loose process based on fantasy in later thought ...

Mar 26, 2013 03:52 PM EDT

Neurological Basis of Decision-Making Shown by Brain Mapping in Rats

Mapping the brain and uncovering its very complex mechanisms is one of the biggest scientific projects, and it sees progress and breakthroughs every single day. After several years of research, a team of UC San Francisco scientists presented their discoveries how memory recall is linked to decision-...

Fast volumetric imaging of the larval zebrafish brain with light-sheet microscopy (credit: Misha B Ahrens, Philipp J Keller/Nature Methods)

Mar 19, 2013 04:10 PM EDT

Real-Time Whole Brain Neuronal Activity Imaging is Becoming Possible With New Technology

A new imaging technology is so fast and has such a high resolution that it can show the activity of single neurons firing in a brain.

Mar 08, 2013 01:53 PM EST

Adult Brain Can Become Young And Flexible Again By Molecular Switch

Researchers identified the crucial genetic switch that lets the brain mature, and also showed that the process can be reversed by switching it again.

Feb 18, 2013 01:41 PM EST

Human Brain's Seamless Backup Mechanism Observed

Research shows that a "back-up" team of secondary brain areas immediately activates when one brain area loses functionality, replacing not only the unavailable area but also its confederates and allows the individual’s thought process to continue with no decrease in comprehension performance.

Feb 11, 2013 11:36 AM EST

Light Activates Pain Nerve Cells With New Compound Tested by Scientists

Researchers searched for and found a compound that lets nerve cells, located anywhere on the body outside the eyes, react to light. Massachusetts General Hospital's David Kokel and colleagues identified the drug-like molecule named "optovin", which elicits movements in mice and fish when exposed to ...

Neurogenesis reactivated by blocking dickkopf1

Feb 08, 2013 03:39 PM EST

Molecular Switch for the Brains's Fountain of Youth Found

A molecule that accumulates with age and inhibits the formation of new neurons can be switched off to completely reverse the negative effect, found researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. The discovery could allow scientists to design therapies to prevent age-related...

Neuronal cell cultures through a confocal microscope

Jan 31, 2013 01:49 PM EST

Biomaterial Discovered That Helps Stemcells Repair Central Nervous System

While working on a project to develop an implant that allows brain repair and regeneration, a biomaterial that helps in generating new differentiated neural stem cells was discovered by researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the University of Barcelona in Spain.

Jan 25, 2013 02:23 PM EST

Progress on Medical Brain-Machine Interfaces for Neuro-Prosthetics

The development of non-invasive brain-machine interfaces for machines meant to help patients suffering from severe motor impairments is being advanced by a large European research program.

Jan 14, 2013 11:43 AM EST

Easy way found to convert stem cells into neurons, could heal Alzheimer's

It is possible to convert stem cells into functional neurons by repressing a single protein, scientists in the U.S. and China found, which could allow for huge progress in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Jan 08, 2013 06:15 PM EST

Brief interruptions spawn errors in surprising quantity

Short interruptions and distractions - like from emails, mobile phone notifications etc - have a surprisingly large effect on one's ability to accurately complete a task, according to new research by Michigan State University psychologists.