Latest Neurophysiology Stories

In 1619, the pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler published Harmonices Mundi in which he analyzed data on the movement of planets and asserted that the laws of nature governing the movements of planets show features of harmonic relationships in music. In so doing, Kepler provided important support for the, then controversial, model of the universe proposed by Copernicus. In the latest issue of Biological Psychiatry, researchers at the University of California in San Diego suggest that...

Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction. That reduction drives structural changes in the brain, which produce greater sensitivity to the rewarding effects of cocaine. The finding suggests a potential new target for development of a treatment for cocaine addiction. It was published last month in Nature Neuroscience by researchers at the University at...

Percentage of patients reporting a return to normal activities more than tripled following treatment with NeuroStar TMS Therapy New data released today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association show that patients with unipolar, non-psychotic Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with NeuroStar TMS Therapy® achieved significant improvements in both depression symptoms and in quality of life measurements. Overall, 58 percent of...

New method offers automated way to record electrical activity inside neurons in the living brain Gaining access to the inner workings of a neuron in the living brain offers a wealth of useful information: its patterns of electrical activity, its shape, even a profile of which genes are turned on at a given moment. However, achieving this entry is such a painstaking task that it is considered an art form; it is so difficult to learn that only a small number of labs in the world practice...

The brain's neurons are coupled together into vast and complex networks called circuits. Yet despite their complexity, these circuits are capable of displaying striking examples of collective behavior such as the phenomenon known as "neuronal avalanches," brief bursts of activity in a group of interconnected neurons that set off a cascade of increasing excitation. In a paper published in the American Institute of Physics' journal Chaos, an international team of researchers from China, Hong...

New insight into the mechanisms that enable us to remember events precisely Scientists now have a better understanding of how precise memories are formed thanks to research led by Prof. Jean-Claude Lacaille of the University of Montreal's Department of Physiology. "In terms of human applications, these findings could help us to better understand memory impairments in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease," Lacaille said. The study looks at the cells in our brains, or...

CCNY Advances Electrical Brain Stimulation to Tap Pain Network Migraine pain sits at the upper end of the typical pain scale – an angry-red section often labeled “severe.” At this intensity, pain is debilitating. Yet many sufferers do not get relief from – or cannot tolerate – over-the-counter and commonly prescribed pain medications. Recently, a team of researchers that includes Dr. Marom Bikson, associate professor of biomedical engineering in CCNY’s Grove School of...

UI researchers explore how one cell binds itself to another, shedding light on neurodevelopmental disorders University of Iowa biologists have advanced the knowledge of human neurodevelopmental disorders by finding that a lack of a particular group of cell adhesion molecules in the cerebral cortex—the outermost layer of the brain where language, thought and other higher functions take place —disrupts the formation of neural circuitry. Andrew Garrett, former neuroscience graduate...

Jason Farmer for RedOrbit.com A recent study by the CDC found that more than 40 million American workers, which are about 30 percent of the nation’s civilian workforce, are getting fewer than six hours of sleep per night. The CDC says these sleep deprived workers are posing a real and potentially fatal risk to themselves and their coworkers by not getting a good seven to nine hours of sleep, the recommended amount by the National Sleep Foundation. According to the CDC, in 2010...

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...