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Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves

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New research has discovered that the strength of the connection between our brain and internal organs is linked to how we feel about our appearance.

Published in the journal Cortex, the study is the first to investigate, and first to identify, the association between body image and the brain’s processing of internal signals that occur unconsciously.

Carried out by a team of psychologists and neuroscientists at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study found that adults whose brains are less efficient at detecting these internal messages are more likely to experience body shame and weight preoccupation. [Read more…] about Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves

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  • Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying down
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    Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying downYou’re agitated by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around your head. The buzzing stops. You feel the tiny pinprick and locate the target. Whack! It’s over. It’s a simple sequence, but it demands complex processing. How did you know where the mosquito was before you could even see it?…
    Tags: brain, body, internal, news

Learning foreign languages can affect the processing of music in the brain

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Research has shown that a music-related hobby boosts language skills and affects the processing of speech in the brain. According to a new study, the reverse also happens – learning foreign languages can affect the processing of music in the brain.

Research Director Mari Tervaniemi from the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Educational Sciences investigated, in cooperation with researchers from the Beijing Normal University (BNU) and the University of Turku, the link in the brain between language acquisition and music processing in Chinese elementary school pupils aged 8-11 by monitoring, for one school year, children who attended a music training programme and a similar programme for the English language.

Brain responses associated with auditory processing were measured in the children before and after the programmes. Tervaniemi compared the results to those of children who attended other training programmes.

“The results demonstrated that both the music and the language programme had an impact on the neural processing of auditory signals,” Tervaniemi says. [Read more…] about Learning foreign languages can affect the processing of music in the brain

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  • Top educational apps for children might not be as beneficial as promised
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    Top educational apps for children might not be as beneficial as promisedLog on to any app store, and parents will find hundreds of options for children that claim to be educational. But new research suggests these apps might not be as beneficial to children as they seem. A new study analyzed some of the most downloaded educational apps for kids using…
    Tags: children, study, learning, news, education
  • Why writing by hand makes kids smarter
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    Why writing by hand makes kids smarterProfessor Audrey van der Meer at NTNU believes that national guidelines should be put into place to ensure that children receive at least a minimum of handwriting training. Results from several studies have shown that both children and adults learn more and remember better when writing by hand. Now another…
    Tags: brain, children, learning, training, news
  • Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain
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    Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brainAn enhanced learning environment during the first five years of life shapes the brain in ways that are apparent four decades later, say Virginia Tech and University of Pennsylvania scientists writing in the June edition of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. The researchers used structural brain imaging to detect the developmental…
    Tags: brain, study, learning, children, education, language
  • Measurable changes observed in brain activity during first few months of studying a new language
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    Measurable changes observed in brain activity during first few months of studying a new languageA study with first-time learners of Japanese has measured how brain activity changes after just a few months of studying a new language. The results show that acquiring a new language initially boosts brain activity, which then reduces as language skills improve. "In the first few months, you can quantitatively…
    Tags: language, brain, news, education
  • High-resolution microscope built from LEGO and bits of phone
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    High-resolution microscope built from LEGO and bits of phoneMicroscopy is an essential tool in many fields of science and medicine. However, many groups have limited access to this technology due to its cost and fragility. Now, researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Münster have succeeded in building a high-resolution microscope using nothing more than children's plastic building…
    Tags: children, news, education

Russian researchers present ultra-precise brain imaging tool

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A joint team from the Russian Quantum Center, Skoltech, and the Higher School of Economics has presented a novel supersensitive solid-state magnetometer operating at room temperature. The researchers for the first time used it to detect and record brain electrical activity with a technique called magnetoencephalography, which could become dozens of times cheaper with the new device. The paper was published in Human Brain Mapping.

High accuracy is a key advantage of magnetoencephalography (MEG) over other similar techniques used for studying the electrical activity of the brain. Biological tissues are transparent for magnetic fields. However, only a very limited number of laboratories around the world have MEG equipment, which uses either extremely cold liquid helium or high-temperature gas and is very expensive and difficult to manufacture.

A team from the Russian Quantum Center (RQC) developed a new sensor using yttrium-iron garnet films. This is the first solid-state supersensitive room-temperature magnetometer in the world. It is based on a quantum sensor and is capable of registering very weak or deep electrical sources in the brain. Owing to its wide dynamic range, the device requires less magnetic shielding, which means a lower cost of both the hardware and the entire research infrastructure. [Read more…] about Russian researchers present ultra-precise brain imaging tool

Deep learning model classifies brain tumors with single MRI scan

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A team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have developed a deep learning model that is capable of classifying a brain tumor as one of six common types using a single 3D MRI scan, according to a study published in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence.

“This is the first study to address the most common intracranial tumors and to directly determine the tumor class or the absence of tumor from a 3D MRI volume,” said Satrajit Chakrabarty, M.S., a doctoral student under the direction of Aristeidis Sotiras, Ph.D., and Daniel Marcus, Ph.D., in Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology’s Computational Imaging Lab at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. [Read more…] about Deep learning model classifies brain tumors with single MRI scan

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  • A neural network learns when it should not be trusted
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    A neural network learns when it should not be trustedIncreasingly, artificial intelligence systems known as deep learning neural networks are used to inform decisions vital to human health and safety, such as in autonomous driving or medical diagnosis. These networks are good at recognizing patterns in large, complex datasets to aid in decision-making. But how do we know they're…
    Tags: network, neural, deep, learning, data, researchers, model
  • New deep learning models: Fewer neurons, more intelligence
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    New deep learning models: Fewer neurons, more intelligenceArtificial intelligence has arrived in our everyday lives – from search engines to self-driving cars. This has to do with the enormous computing power that has become available in recent years.  But new results from AI research now show that simpler, smaller neural networks can be used to solve certain…
    Tags: learning, deep, network, neural, model, news

Microbes turn back the clock as research discovers their potential to reverse aging in the brain

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As our population ages one of the key global challenges is to develop strategies to maintain healthy brain function.

This ground-breaking  research opens up a potentially new therapeutic avenues  in the form of microbial-based interventions to slow down brain aging and associated cognitive problems.

The work was carried out by researchers in the Brain-Gut-Microbiota lab in APC led by Prof John F. Cryan, Vice President for Research & Innovation, University College Cork as well as a Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland  an SFI Research Centre,  based in in University College Cork and Teagasc Moorepark. [Read more…] about Microbes turn back the clock as research discovers their potential to reverse aging in the brain

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  • Tick tock in the brain: Chinese scientists provide molecular insights into primate hippocampal aging
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    Tick tock in the brain: Chinese scientists provide molecular insights into primate hippocampal agingDeep inside our brain is a region called the hippocampus. It plays a crucial role in learning and memory, and its progressive deterioration with age is functionally linked to a variety of human neurodegenerative diseases. But what drives it down the path of aging? The hippocampus is a complex structure…
    Tags: aging, brain, therapeutic, function, study, news, health
  • Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not
    30
    Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe notIt's generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests…
    Tags: study, cognitive, health, brain, news

Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying down

by

You’re agitated by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around your head. The buzzing stops. You feel the tiny pinprick and locate the target. Whack! It’s over.

It’s a simple sequence, but it demands complex processing. How did you know where the mosquito was before you could even see it?

The human body is covered in about two square metres of skin, but somehow even before looking you knew the precise location of the spindly predator. After visual confirmation, your hand found its way to the scene of the crime and applied fatal force to the bug, but you didn’t hurt yourself in the process. [Read more…] about Our brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying down

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  • How modern robots are developed
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    How modern robots are developedToday, neuroscience and robotics are developing hand in hand. Mikhail Lebedev, academic supervisor at HSE University’s Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces, spoke about how studying the brain inspires the development of robots. Robots are interesting to neuroscience and neuroscience is interesting to robots – this is what the article “Neuroengineering challenges…
    Tags: human, example, brain, system, news
  • Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves
    36
    Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselvesNew research has discovered that the strength of the connection between our brain and internal organs is linked to how we feel about our appearance. Published in the journal Cortex, the study is the first to investigate, and first to identify, the association between body image and the brain’s processing…
    Tags: body, brain, internal, news
  • Empathy may be in the eye of the beholder
    31
    Empathy may be in the eye of the beholderEmpathy is talked about a lot these days. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a divisive political climate in the United States, calls for empathy have become louder and more urgent. We encourage empathy for those inflicted with Covid-19 and those struggling with unemployment. We reminisce about the…
    Tags: participants, people, news

Motivation depends on how the brain processes fatigue

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How do we decide whether or not an activity which requires work is ‘worth the effort’? Researchers at the University of Birmingham & University of Oxford have shown that the willingness to work is not static, and depends upon the fluctuating rhythms of fatigue.

Fatigue – the feeling of exhaustion from doing effortful tasks – is something we all experience daily. It makes us lose motivation and want to take a break. Although scientists understand the mechanisms the brain uses to decide whether a given task is worth the effort, the influence of fatigue on this process is not yet well understood.

The research team conducted a study to investigate the impact of fatigue on a person’s decision to exert effort. They found that people were less likely to work and exert effort – even for a reward – if they were fatigued. The results are published in Nature Communications. [Read more…] about Motivation depends on how the brain processes fatigue

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  • 'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals
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    'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study revealsFrom the thrill of hearing an ice cream truck approaching to the spikes of pleasure while sipping a fine wine, the neurological messenger known as dopamine has been popularly described as the brain's "feel good" chemical related to reward and pleasure. A ubiquitous neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells,…
    Tags: researchers, study, news, brain
  • Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiology
    36
    Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiologyTo understand our brains, scientists need to know their components. This theme underlies a growing effort in neuroscience to define the different building blocks of the brain – its cells. With the mouse's 80 million neurons and our 86 billion, sorting through those delicate, microscopic building blocks is no small…
    Tags: brain, researchers, study, activity, team, news
  • Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not
    35
    Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe notIt's generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests…
    Tags: activity, study, people, researchers, brain, news
  • Touch-and-know: Brain activity during tactile stimuli reveals hand preferences in people
    34
    Touch-and-know: Brain activity during tactile stimuli reveals hand preferences in peopleHave you ever wondered whether the brains of right-handed people work differently from those of left-handers? Is it possible to distinguish between them by observing their brain activity in response to stimuli or tasks? These are important questions from the perspectives of both basic sciences and application-based fields such as…
    Tags: brain, study, people, activity, work, team
  • Brain activity foreshadows changes in stock prices
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    Brain activity foreshadows changes in stock pricesSociety for Neuroscience Activity in the brains' risk circuits can forecast changes in stock prices Forecasting changes in stock prices may be possible with the help of brain activity in regions associated with how people feel before making investment choices. Scientists could accurately forecast market price changes based on the…
    Tags: activity, brain, news

Tick tock in the brain: Chinese scientists provide molecular insights into primate hippocampal aging

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Deep inside our brain is a region called the hippocampus. It plays a crucial role in learning and memory, and its progressive deterioration with age is functionally linked to a variety of human neurodegenerative diseases. But what drives it down the path of aging?

The hippocampus is a complex structure with a highly heterogeneous cell composition, so it is difficult to accurately reveal the molecular regulatory networks of various cell types contributing to the aging process with traditional techniques.

In addition, due to the ethical restrictions, it is difficult to obtain disease-free human brain tissues of both young and old ages. All these factors limited our understanding of the aging mechanism in the human hippocampus, let alone the development of therapeutic interventions. [Read more…] about Tick tock in the brain: Chinese scientists provide molecular insights into primate hippocampal aging

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  • Tracing the many paths of vision
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    Tracing the many paths of visionRetinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the bottleneck through which all visual impressions flow from the retina to the brain. A team from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, University of California Berkeley and Harvard University created a molecular catalog that describes the different types of these neurons. In this way,…
    Tags: types, brain, cell, molecular, function, news
  • Microbes turn back the clock as research discovers their potential to reverse aging in the brain
    33
    Microbes turn back the clock as research discovers their potential to reverse aging in the brainAs our population ages one of the key global challenges is to develop strategies to maintain healthy brain function. This ground-breaking  research opens up a potentially new therapeutic avenues  in the form of microbial-based interventions to slow down brain aging and associated cognitive problems. The work was carried out by…
    Tags: brain, aging, function, study, therapeutic, health, news
  • Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiology
    31
    Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiologyTo understand our brains, scientists need to know their components. This theme underlies a growing effort in neuroscience to define the different building blocks of the brain – its cells. With the mouse's 80 million neurons and our 86 billion, sorting through those delicate, microscopic building blocks is no small…
    Tags: cell, brain, types, cells, study, news
  • A new gene therapy strategy, courtesy of Mother Nature
    31
    A new gene therapy strategy, courtesy of Mother NatureScientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes. Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in…
    Tags: cells, brain, therapeutic, news, health

There’s a man in the moon: Why our brains see human faces everywhere

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It’s so commonplace we barely give it a second thought, but human brains seem hardwired to see human faces where there are none – in objects as varied as the moon, toys, plastic bottles, tree trunks and vacuum cleaners. Some have even seen an imagined Jesus in cheese on toast.

Until now scientists haven’t understood exactly what the brain is doing when it processes visual signals and interprets them as representations of the human face.

Neuroscientists at the University of Sydney now say how our brains identify and analyse real human faces is conducted by the same cognitive processes that identify illusory faces. [Read more…] about There’s a man in the moon: Why our brains see human faces everywhere

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  • Society is not ready to make human brains
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    Society is not ready to make human brainsStem cell research has allowed medicine to go places that were once science fiction. Using stem cells, scientists have manufactured heart cells, brain cells and other cell types that they are now transplanting into patients as a form of cell therapy. Eventually, the field anticipates the same will be possible…
    Tags: brain, human, features

Scientists discover a new class of memory cells in the brain

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Scientists have long searched in vain for a class of brain cells that could explain the visceral flash of recognition that we feel when we see a very familiar face, like that of our grandmothers.

But the proposed “grandmother neuron” – a single cell at the crossroads of sensory perception and memory, capable of prioritizing an important face over the rabble – remained elusive.

Now, new research reveals a class of neurons in the brain’s temporal pole region that links face perception to long-term memory. It’s not quite the apocryphal grandmother neuron – rather than a single cell, it’s a population of cells that collectively remembers grandma’s face. [Read more…] about Scientists discover a new class of memory cells in the brain

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  • Scientists identify many genes involved in neuron development
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    Scientists identify many genes involved in neuron developmentNeurons result from a highly complex and unique series of cell divisions. For example, in fruit flies, the process starts with stem cells that divide into mother cells (progenitor cells), that then divide into precursor cells that eventually become neurons. A team of the University of Michigan (U-M), spearheaded by…
    Tags: cell, neuron, cells, brain, neurons, news
  • Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiology
    30
    Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiologyTo understand our brains, scientists need to know their components. This theme underlies a growing effort in neuroscience to define the different building blocks of the brain – its cells. With the mouse's 80 million neurons and our 86 billion, sorting through those delicate, microscopic building blocks is no small…
    Tags: cell, brain, cells, neurons, news