Latest Neuroanatomy Stories

Glial cells pass on metabolites to neurons Around 100 billion neurons in the human brain enable us to think, feel and act. They transmit electrical impulses to remote parts of the brain and body via long nerve fibers known as axons. This communication requires enormous amounts of energy, which the neurons are thought to generate from sugar. Axons are closely associated with glial cells which, on the one hand, surround them with an electrically insulating myelin sheath and, on the other...

Brett Smith for Redorbit.com Scientists may have just found a ‘missing link’ in the form of a partial, duplicate gene that appears to be responsible for human brain development - the most distinguishing characteristic of our species. The genetic variation occurred in man’s ape-like ancestor about two or three million years ago, according to a pair of studies published online in the journal Cell. A team led by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute found that a partial...

Image Credit: Photos.com UCSF study offers path for studying learning, decision-making, PTSD UCSF scientists have identified patterns of brain activity in the rat brain that play a role in the formation and recall of memories and decision-making. The discovery, which builds on the team's previous findings, offers a path for studying learning, decision-making and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The researchers previously identified patterns of brain activity in the rat...

A new imaging study has reportedly discovered a link between diminished activity in part of the brain with the likelihood that a teenager will start smoking, drinking, or abusing drugs. The research, said to be the largest imaging study of the human brain ever conducted, was completed by an international team of scientists including Robert Whelan and Hugh Garavan of the University of Vermont. The researchers looked at nearly 1,900 14-year-old participants, and discovered that many of the...

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN-KNAW) have now discovered how the adult brain can adapt to new situations. Their study may be significant in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia. Ability to learn Our brain processes information in complex networks of nerve cells. The cells communicate and excite one another through...

A study by a new member of the Medical Faculty of the University of Geneva and a group of American researchers opened a novel window on the neuronal circuits involved What happens at the level of individual neurons while we learn? This question intrigued the neuroscientist Daniel Huber, who recently arrived at the Department of Basic Neuroscience at the UNIGE. During his stay in the United States, he and his team tried to unravel the network mechanisms underlying learning and memory at the...

Newly developed analytic device 'Flywalk' allows accurate studies of insect behavior to be made In collaboration with colleagues from Portugal and Spain, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have developed an apparatus that automatically applies odors to an airstream, while filming and analyzing the behavior of insects simultaneously. The system is called Flywalk and consists of glass tubes, airstream regulators, and a video camera. The reactions...

Circadian rhythm disturbances in elderly mice traced to weakened cells Older animals show cellular changes in the brain "clock" that sets sleep and wakeful periods, according to new research in the April 25 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may help explain why elderly people often experience trouble sleeping at night and are drowsy during the day. Like humans, mice experience shifts in daily activities and sleep patterns as they age. To find out why, researchers...

New technology bypasses spinal cord and delivers electrical signals from brain directly to muscles A new Northwestern Medicine brain-machine technology delivers messages from the brain directly to the muscles -- bypassing the spinal cord -- to enable voluntary and complex movement of a paralyzed hand. The device could eventually be tested on, and perhaps aid, paralyzed patients. "We are eavesdropping on the natural electrical signals from the brain that tell the arm and hand how to...

Breakdown of white-matter pathways affects decision-making as we age If you are an aging baby boomer and you've noticed it's a bit harder to drive to unfamiliar locations or to pick a new brand of olive oil at the supermarket, you can blame it on the white matter in your brain. A brain-mapping study, published in the Apr. 11 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, has found that people's ability to make decisions in novel situations decreases with age and is associated with a reduction in...