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Medical Xpress / New insights into sleep uncover mechanisms with broad implications for boosting brainpower

While it's well known that sleep enhances cognitive performance, the underlying neural mechanisms, particularly those related to nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, remain largely unexplored. A new study by a team of researchers ...

Nov 22, 2024 in Neuroscience
Phys.org / Smarter city planning: Researchers use brain activity to predict visits to urban areas

Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023.

Nov 21, 2024 in Other Sciences
Phys.org / Algorithm predicts DNA methylation in ancient specimens, providing insight into human evolution

Research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution introduces a novel method for inferring DNA methylation patterns in non-skeletal tissues from ancient specimens, providing new insights into human evolution. As DNA methylation ...

Nov 20, 2024 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Early adult binge drinking has lasting impact on aging brain in mice

Binge drinking in early adults can lead to long-lasting and potentially permanent dysregulation in the brain, according to a new study in mice, led by researchers at Penn State. They found that neurons, cells that transmit ...

Nov 19, 2024 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Cocoa or green tea could protect you from the negative effects of fatty foods during mental stress, study finds

New research has found that a flavanol-rich cocoa drink can protect the body's vasculature against stress even after eating high-fat food.

Nov 18, 2024 in Health
Phys.org / Human brain organelles study shows dopamine neurons must work a lot harder than those in primate relatives

A team of neurologists, bioengineers and radiologists has found that two neurons in the human brain that code for dopamine production have to work harder than similar cells in primate relatives. The group has posted a paper ...

Nov 18, 2024 in Biology
Medical Xpress / Q&A: Generating data from neurons to teach AI the rules of the brain

The 2024 Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry were seen as a sweep for artificial intelligence (AI) tools which, at their conception, were inspired by neuroscience. By imitating the behavior of human brain cells, machine-learning ...

Nov 14, 2024 in Neuroscience
Medical Xpress / Distinct neural circuits mediate anti-anxiety and hallucination-like effects of psychedelics, research reveals

New research suggests that it could be possible to separate treatment from hallucinations when developing new drugs based on psychedelics. The anti-anxiety and hallucination-inducing qualities of psychedelic drugs work through ...

Nov 14, 2024 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / People with schizophrenia show distinct brain activity when faced with conflicting information, research finds

Scientists have known for decades that the classic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as jumping to conclusions or difficulty adjusting to new information, can be attributed to poor communication between the cerebral cortex ...

Nov 7, 2024 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / New study shows combination therapy slows cognitive decline in at-risk populations

An new study led by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and with partnership across several Toronto Dementia Research Alliance (TDRA) sites—Baycrest, Sunnybrook Health Science Center, Unity Health Toronto, ...

Medical Xpress / Magnetic field applied to both sides of brain shows rapid improvement for depression

A type of therapy that involves applying a magnetic field to both sides of the brain has been shown to be effective at rapidly treating depression in patients for whom standard treatments have been ineffective. The treatment—known ...

Oct 28, 2024 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Learning to learn: Researchers discover meta-learning of motor skills in the dorsal premotor cortex of the brain

Superior motor learning ability in athletes is not an innate talent but a skill that can be developed throughout life. Over the past decade, motor control scientists have observed significant variations in motor learning ...

Oct 28, 2024 in Neuroscience