Newsline — Thursday, May 28, 2015 9:00
How the Brain Separates Our Ability to Talk and Write
Advanced MRI Scans Could Help Predict Risk of Schizophrenia
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 14:32
New scanning methods may allow early identification of individuals at risk for developing schizophrenia by targeting a regional pathway transmission, which is hindered in those at risk of developing the condition. Researchers from Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London and the University of Bristol have published their findings in the journal Human Brain Mapping, where they describe a specialized MRI that focuses on network wiring. The MRI was used to analyze the brains of 123 participants at-risk for schizophrenia, as well as a control group with no reported vulnerability. “The technique employs a branch of mathematics called ‘graph theory’, which allows us to examine complex architectural features of networks, such as efficiency of information transfer. This approach is traditionally used in computer science, but is now giving neuroscientists and psychiatrists new insights into how configurations of brain networks are altered in mental illness,” explained the author. To learn more about this study, click here.
How Does the Brain Respond to Hearing Loss?
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 9:00
Researchers from the University of Colorado applied fundamental principles of neuroplasticity — the ability of the brain to forge new connections — in order to determine the ways it can adapt to hearing loss, as well as the consequences of those changes. The research suggests that the portion of the brain devoted to hearing can become reorganized, or reassigned to other functions, even with early-stage hearing loss, and may play a role in cognitive decline. During the study, researchers utilized EEG recordings of adults and children with deafness, and lesser hearing loss, to help gain insight into the ways their brains respond when compared to those with normal hearing. Sound simulation, such as recorded speech syllables, was delivered via speakers, to elicit a response in the form of “brain waves” that originate in the auditory cortex. Researchers have recently discovered that the areas of the brain responsible for processing vision or touch can recruit, or take over areas in which hearing is normally processed, but which receive little or no stimulation in deafness. This is…
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It Doesn’t Take a Brain Injury to Have Headaches, Dizziness and Cognitive Impairment
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 13:00
New research proposes that general inflammation of the brain and related body parts — not just traditional concussion and neurotrauma — can cause the array of symptoms typically associated only with post-concussion syndrome. Researchers from McMaster University recently published a paper in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity detailing physical findings that milder inflammation can still cause post-concussion symptoms. “It’s inflammation that they have in common,” said the lead author of the paper. “Rather than a concussion, we’d like to propose a unifying umbrella term of post-inflammatory brain syndromes or PIBS. We know that the immune system can be modulated, or sensitized, by the current, and even the previous environment an individual was in. These social factors, such as pre-existing stressors, depression or anxiety, may actually be, in a way, biological factors.” The conclusion of this proposal is that traditional concussion treatments may also be usable in those suffering from similar symptoms, hopefully targeting the same mechanisms experiencing dysfunction. To learn more about this study, click here.
Researchers Find Neural Signals Align with Social Signals
Tuesday, May 26, 2015 9:00
In findings published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute found that our inherent risk-taking preferences affect how we view and act on information from other people. The brain scans taken during the study showed that participants increased their perceived value of a gamble after seeing other people take that same gamble. The neural signals also predicted the likelihood that participants would conform to others’ choices. “You’re more likely to follow the risky decisions of other people if you like to take risks, and you’re more likely to follow the cautious decisions of other people if you tend to be cautious,” said senior author of the study. The phrase, “birds of a feather flock together,” applies to these findings. However, the author of the study notes that risk taking is not inherently bad. Some risks can be healthy, such as trying out for a team. “Risk is uncertainty, and that appeals to some people more than others … This goes beyond negative peer pressure and demonstrates why strong social support…
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Fibromyalgia Has Central Nervous System Origins
Friday, May 22, 2015 14:51
New research proposes that the symptoms of fibromyalgia are heavily neurological in origin, which can often be overlooked by traditional treatment methods. A researcher from the University of Michigan presented the findings at the American Pain Society’s annual scientific meeting, illustrating the exact processes in which fibromyalgia pains occur through the nervous system, rather than in localized regions. “This does not imply that peripheral nociceptive input does not contribute to pain experienced by fibromyalgia patients, but they do feel more pain than normally would be expected from the degree of peripheral input. Persons with fibromyalgia and other pain states characterized by sensitization will experience pain from what those without the condition would describe as touch,” explained the author. The study recommends the integration of pharmacological treatments such as gabapentinoids, tryclclics, serotonin and reuptake inhibitors with proactive methods such as stress reduction and guided exercises. To learn more about this study, click here.
Yoga and Chronic Pain Have Opposite Effects on Gray Matter
Friday, May 22, 2015 9:55
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), yoga can be an important tool for preventing or reversing the effects of chronic pain on the brain. Researchers from NIH explained that many chronic pain patients show associated anxiety and depression, as well as deficits in cognitive functions. Additionally, imaging studies in rats and humans have shown alteration in gray matter volume and white matter integrity in the brain caused by the effects of chronic pain. However, compelling evidence from studies conducted at the NIH suggest that mind-body techniques, such as yoga and meditation, can counteract the effects of chronic pain in the brain. “Practicing yoga has the opposite effect on the brain as does chronic pain,” said a lead researcher from NIH. Furthermore, the studies show yoga practitioners have more gray matter than controls in multiple brain regions, including those involved in pain modulation. Some gray matter increases in yogis, according to researchers, correspond to duration of yoga practice, which suggests there is a causative link between yoga and gray matter increases. Assessing the impact…
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How Noise Changes the Way the Brain Gets Information
Thursday, May 21, 2015 11:57
New research indicates that auditory cells not only react to noise levels, but rearrange themselves and function differently in order to adapt to their environment for optimal sound perception. Researchers from the University of Buffalo and John Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in the journal Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that scanning of mice who were adapted to different noise environments revealed physical adaptations to the environment. The animals who were exposed to higher ambient noise levels displayed auditory nerves that were more frugally operative, effectively shielding the nerves from potential damage. Once relocated to a quiet habitat, the auditory cells released neurotransmitters normally and were quickly indistinguishable from mice that had not been kept in the louder environment. “The brain is amazingly adaptable: The way it receives information can change to accommodate for different conditions, and this is what we see in our research,” said the lead researcher of the study. “What we see is that the cells in the auditory nerve adjust. They change themselves so…
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Researchers Confirm Serotonin’s Involvement in SAD
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 9:51
In a study recently published in the journal Current Biology, a team of biologists took a major step toward identifying the underlying neurobiological mechanism responsible for seasonal affective disorders (SAD), a type of depression that occurs during winter months. Researchers propose that the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin may be involved in the disorder because high concentrations of serotonin are linked to feelings of well-being and happiness, and low levels are linked to depression — playing a major role in regulating an individual’s mood. During the study, researchers reported that they localized the seasonal light-cycle effects that cause SAD to a specific region in the mid-brain called the dorsal raphe nucleus in mouse-model experiments. The dorsal raphe nucleus is linked to the brain’s master biological clock and also responds to melatonin, a key hormone involved in the regulation of sleep, blood pressure and seasonal reproduction. To test the effect of seasonal light cycles, researchers divided mice into three groups. One group was born and raised in an environment with a summer-like light-cycle, the second with spring…
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Why Do Women Have More Strokes Than Men?
Monday, May 18, 2015 9:32
Each year, around 55,000 more women than men will have a stroke. Longer lifespans, pregnancies and hormones all contribute to the disparity, as do illnesses that tend to strike women more frequently. An associate professor of neurology at Saint Louis University says that one reason that stroke affects more women is simply because they live longer than men. The risk of stroke rises with age, and the longer a woman lives, the higher her risk for stroke. Other factors are tied to increased risk during pregnancy and from hormones. Eclampsia or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy contributes to a higher risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) later in life. Hypertension is one of the most significant risk factors for stroke. In addition, women are more frequently diagnosed with certain health conditions that are associated with stroke, such as migraines and lupus. Migraines, for instance, are linked to increased stroke risk. Inflammatory auto-immune diseases like lupus create an increased risk for blood clots, leading to a higher stroke risk. Though managing stroke risk will vary from person…
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