Cortex News and Research

RSS

Study reveals the phenomenon behind apple’s cusp formation

Apples are somewhat spherical besides the characteristic dimple at the top where the stem grows. How do apples attain that unique shape?

7 Oct 2021

Study identifies vital factor involved in the evolution of the human brain

Humans have a huge and intricately folded neocortex, the reason for various intellectual abilities, setting apart humans from all other species.

17 Sep 2021

Study reveals how 3D space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain's 'GPS'

In a new study published in Nature today, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers, in collaboration with colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, unveiled for the first time how three-dimensional space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain's "GPS" system.

13 Aug 2021

Study reveals causal gene in autism model mice with copy number variation

A new study has unraveled a causal gene (Necdin, NDN) in autism model mice that exhibit the chromosomal abnormality known as copy number variation.

13 Jul 2021

Making memories necessitates a lot of DNA breakage

The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open their DNA in numerous locations--more than previously realized, according to a new study--to provide quick access to genetic instructions for the mechanisms of memory storage.

7 Jul 2021

Brain study provides new insights on dementia

The largest study to date has provided a better understanding of how genes are controlled in dementia, including the identification of 84 novel genes associated with the condition.

From University of Exeter 11 Jun 2021

Study shows why “the brain's memory center” is vulnerable to damage, degeneration

In a world first, scientists from the University of Sussex have recorded blood oxygen levels in the hippocampus and provided experimental proof for why the area, commonly referred to as 'the brain's memory center', is vulnerable to damage and degeneration, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

31 May 2021

Study: REAER is a promising therapy for improving the lives of patients with multiple sclerosis

A team of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts at Kessler Foundation led the first pilot randomized controlled trial of robotic-exoskeleton assisted exercise rehabilitation (REAER) effects on mobility, cognition, and brain connectivity in people with substantial MS-related disability.

31 May 2021

New probe allows real-time imaging of molecular orientations in live cells

Monitoring alignments of the building blocks of cells is important to understand how the cells are built. By collaborating with imaging scientists at the MBL, researchers from Japan have developed a new probe which they call POLArIS, allowing real-time imaging of molecular orientations in live cells.

17 May 2021

Lack of functional GAS2 gene causes severe hearing impairment in mice

A gene called GAS2 plays a key role in normal hearing, and its absence causes severe hearing loss, according to a study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 May 2021

Unique mini-microscope enables imaging of brain activity in freely moving mice

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering and Medical School have developed a unique head-mounted mini-microscope device that allows them to image complex brain functions of freely moving mice in real time over a period of more than 300 days.

6 Apr 2021

Innovative computational model of cells could help better understand neurodevelopmental disorders

For a long time, researchers have attempted to gain better insights into the development of the cerebral cortex and its layers, since pathologies are associated with this process.

From University of Surrey 1 Apr 2021

Retinoic acid induces synaptic plasticity in the human brain

Neuroscientists agree that a person's brain is constantly changing, rewiring itself and adapting to environmental stimuli. This is how humans learn new things and create memories. This adaptability and malleability is called plasticity.

1 Apr 2021

New technique can mitigate the effects of brain injury in preterm babies

One in 10 babies are born prematurely in the United States, leading to complications that can impact the infants’ locomotor development and affect basic tasks.

9 Mar 2021

Study reveals new mechanism through which cells build “mini-muscles”

Research teams have revealed how the motor protein, called myosin, which is responsible for causing the contraction of skeletal muscles, also functions in non-muscle cells.

3 Mar 2021

First-in-human clinical trial to test safety, efficacy of gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

From UC San Diego 19 Feb 2021

Regular caffeine intake can change gray matter of the brain

Coffee, cola, or an energy drink: caffeine is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. Researchers from the University of Basel have now shown in a study that regular caffeine intake can change the gray matter of the brain. However, the effect appears to be temporary.

17 Feb 2021

Using insights from neuroscience to build modern robots

Today, neuroscience and robotics are developing hand in hand. Mikhail Lebedev, Academic Supervisor at HSE University's Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces, spoke about how studying the brain inspires the development of robots.

4 Feb 2021

Gene therapy helps paralyzed mice to walk again

For the first time, scientists have successfully used gene therapy to make mice walk again after these animals suffered a complete cross-sectional injury.

18 Jan 2021

Innovative gene therapy approach for regeneration of functional new neurons

Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes disability and seriously compromises quality of life. While decades of research have made significant progress in axonal regeneration after SCI, most of the interventions have not been translated into clinical therapies.

18 Dec 2020