Our neurons’ growth can be shaped by tiny cues from spinning microparticles in the fluids that surround them, a new study reports. The branching and growth of neurons is based on several kinds of guides, including their chemical environment, their location within the brain, and the dense network of glial cells that support and protect them. But as [...]
Archive for December, 2011
The Colors, Man! The Colors!
December 21st, 2011 
The Connectome Scientists have discovered direct neural correlates of synesthesia, a new study reports. Not only have they detected activation patterns corresponding to synesthesic activity (such as “seeing” certain colors when thinking of certain numbers or sounds) – they’ve isolated an actual functional difference in the brains of synesthesic people. And what’s more, they’ve discovered a way to crank [...]
Posted in Brain News 
Tags: music, neurophysiology, psychology, senses, synesthesia, technology, vision 
No Comments »Stress Intervention
December 15th, 2011 The Connectome Scientists have discovered a way to shut down the brain’s “stress process” before it gets going, says a new study. By blocking the brain’s ability to manufacture certain chemicals called neurosteroids, researchers have managed to temporarily cut off a biological process crucial for stressful behavior – and for many stressful feelings as well. Animals from amphibians [...]
Posted in Brain News Tags: anxiety, biochemistry, depression, emotions, fear, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, stress 1 Comment »I Know Kung Fu
December 12th, 2011 The Connectome New technology may soon enable us download knowledge directly into our brains, says a new study. By decoding activation patterns from fMRI scans and then reproducing them as direct input to a precise area of the brain, the new system may be able to “teach” neural networks by example – priming them to fire in [...]
The Brain Lab Tour
December 6th, 2011 The Connectome This past weekend, I got to visit one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen: the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI). So just for today, I’m gonna take a break from news reporting, and tell you a little about what goes on inside an actual cutting-edge neuroscience lab. Sound good? OK, let’s go! I’m [...]
