Successful epilepsy surgery can improve brain connectivity similar to patterns seen in people without epilepsy, according to a new study published in the journal Neurosurgery. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) study of 15 people with temporal lobe epilepsy is the first to show improvements in brain networks after surgery compared to a group of healthy subjects. Periods…
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to researchers that the protein galectin-3 is involved in inflammatory diseases in the brain. A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden now shows the de facto key role played by the protein in Alzheimer’s disease. When the researchers shut off the gene that produces…
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that features declines of judgment, cognition, memory, and behavior. AD is the leading cause of dementia, becoming one of the largest public health concerns. Currently, 30 million people suffer from AD, and the World Health Organization has reported that the number of patients will triple over the next…
Learning to avoid negative experiences requires an interplay of two distinct brain circuits, one to interpret and drive learning, and the other, unexpectedly; to dial in the strength of that memory, a new fruit fly study shows. “This kind of gain control is probably present in many levels of the nervous system; in many organisms,”…
The two primary hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease are clumps of sticky amyloid-beta (Aβ); protein fragments known as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles of a protein called tau. Abnormal accumulations of both proteins are needed to drive the death of brain cells, or neurons. But scientists still have a lot to learn about how amyloid impacts…
Neurodegenerative disease is an umbrella term for a range of conditions which primarily affect the neurons; in the human brain. Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord. The team of scientists has shown experimentally, for the first time; how mutations ultimately set off an anti-viral like…
The Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has provided new insights; into the functional role of the PPC in decision-making. They report compelling evidence showing that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays an essential role in decision-making; under critical conditions that largely ignored in previous studies. To make judgments about an unknown…
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable border that separates the circulating blood; from the brain and extracellular fluid in the central nervous system (CNS). The blood-brain barrier is formed by endothelial cells of the capillary wall, astrocyte end-feet ensheathing the capillary; pericytes embedded in the capillary basement membrane. The non-invasive procedure uses low-intensity focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain…
An international clinical trial has found that a new drug for Huntington disease is safe and that treatment; with the drug successfully lowers levels of the abnormal protein that causes the debilitating disease in patients. In a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine; researchers from UBC and their colleagues have demonstrated for…
Hand movements (and not especially lip movements, as is often thought); are the best way to recognize language in noisy situations. The best solution is a combination of lip and hand movements. This is the conclusion of a study by a cognitive neuroscientist. A recognizable situation; in a busy café with a lot of background…
The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. Is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. The most complex organ in a vertebrate’s body. In a human, the cerebral cortex contains approximately 14–16 billion neurons; the…
Physicians have defined a new form of dementia that may be more common than Alzheimer’s disease. The findings published in the latest issue of the journal Brain and involved researchers from around the world; including the United States, Australia, Austria, Sweden, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The researchers have named the new condition “LATE”, which…