During high stress situations such as making a goal in soccer; some athletes experience a rapid decline in performance under pressure, known as “choking.” Now, Salk Institute researchers have uncovered what might be behind the phenomenon: one-way signals from the brain’s emotion circuit to the movement circuit. The study, which published online on September 6,…
Research from the lab of Mark Alkema, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology; sheds light on how the “flight-or-flight” response impairs long-term organism health. The study, conducted in the nematode worm, C. elegans, a common research model; was published in Nature. When humans perceive a dangerous or stressful situation, the body releases stress hormones such as adrenalin.…
One of the first studies of its kind focusing on South African children’s language ability; and mental health outcomes, has found clear evidence for a link between low language ability; and depression in young people. The study, published today in the journal PLOS One from researchers at the University of Bath (UK) and Stellenbosch University…
Researchers from the brain cognition and plasticity group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL); and the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro); have led an innovative study that identifies modifications in the connectivity of cerebral white matter associated with the heterogeneous nature of apathy in Huntington’s disease (HD); making it possible to…
New research has found that higher levels of serotonin in the blood after a seizure are linked to a lower incidence of seizure-related breathing problems called apneas, when a person temporarily stops breathing. “Serotonin, a hormone that transmits signals between nerve cells in the brain, known to regulate breathing and waking from sleep; but what…
Researchers at Oregon State University have made an important advance toward understanding why certain cells; in the nervous system are prone to breaking down and dying; which is what happens in patients with ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. The study into the role a protein known as heat shock protein 90 plays in intracellular signaling;…
Kessler Foundation researchers have found a correlation between deficits in facial emotion recognition; and poor community integration in individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Their findings have implications for the development of rehabilitative interventions to reduce social isolation in this population, improve outcomes; and increase quality of life. Individuals with traumatic brain injury…
Nearly 15 million babies are born prematurely, or before 37 weeks of pregnancy, around the world each year. When born too early, a baby’s immature respiratory center in the brain often fails to signal it to breathe; resulting in low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, in the brain. Research published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows…
Help may be on the way for people who might lose contact with reality through a psychotic disorder; such as schizophrenia. People who may hear and see things; that are not there could have symptoms of psychosis, better known as psychotic disorders. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found neurological markers in the…
Schwann cells form a protective sheath around nerve fibres and ensure that nerve impulses are transmitted rapidly. If these cells are missing or damaged, severe neurological diseases may occur as a result. Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have succeeded in demonstrating a complex interaction within Schwann cells which plays an important role for correct cell…
Over the course of a decade, out-of-pocket costs for multiple sclerosis drugs; rose more than seven fold for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, according to a JAMA Neurology study published today by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. Using Medicare claims data from 2006-2016; the researchers looked at trends in multiple sclerosis drug prices over time.…
The advance offers brain researchers the chance to better understand; how different kinds of neurons are contributing to behavior, perception and memory; and how they are malfunctioning in cases of psychiatric or neurological diseases. Neuroscientists have relied on a technique for reading out electrical signals of brain activity in live; behaving subjects that tells them…