Science News About Brain Anatomy and Physiology
- Researchers Find Order in the Language of the Brain
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New research supported by NIMH used mathematical approaches to explain how neurons in the brain communicate over time to support information processing.
- HIV Can Persist for Years in Myeloid Cells of People on Antiretroviral Therapy
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A subset of white blood cells, known as myeloid cells, can harbor HIV in people who have been virally suppressed for years on antiretroviral therapy, according to findings from a small study supported by the National Institutes of Health.
- COVID-19 Pandemic Associated With Worse Mental Health and Accelerated Brain Development in Adolescents
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An NIMH-supported study suggests that adolescents living through the COVID-19 pandemic may be experiencing more anxiety and depression symptoms and accelerated brain aging.
- NIMH Creates Publicly Accessible Resource With Data From Healthy Volunteers
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The NIMH Healthy Research Volunteer Study aims to build a comprehensive, publicly accessible resource with a range of brain and behavioral data from healthy volunteers.
- Researchers Develop Method to Study Brain Connectivity, Functionality
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Scientists have developed a research method that allows for a much more detailed examination of the brain processes involved in some neurological and mental disorders.
- NIH BRAIN Initiative Launches Projects to Develop Cell Atlases and Molecular Tools for Cell Access
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The National Institutes of Health has launched two transformative projects supported by the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative: The BRAIN Initiative® Cell Atlas Network and the Armamentarium for Precision Brain Cell Access.
- Personalizing Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression
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A recent NIMH-supported study investigated whether deep brain stimulation could be personalized for individuals with treatment-resistant depression.
- NIH BRAIN Initiative Unveils Detailed Atlas of the Mammalian Primary Motor Cortex
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The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) has unveiled an atlas of cell types and an anatomical neuronal wiring diagram for the mammalian primary motor cortex, derived from detailed studies of mice, monkeys, and humans.
- Eating Disorder Behaviors Alter Reward Response in the Brain
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A new NIMH-supported study found that eating disorder behaviors alter the brain’s reward response process and food intake control circuitry, which can reinforce the behaviors.
- Mapping ‘Imbalance’ in Brain Anatomy Across the Lifespan
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Researchers in the NIMH Intramural Research Program have developed a new way to measure the degree to which the proportions of an individual person’s brain differ from the proportions typically seen in the broader population. This technique yields new insights into brain development and offers tools for further study.
- New Experiences Enhance Learning by Resetting Key Brain Circuit
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A study of spatial learning in mice shows that exposure to new experiences dampens established representations in the brain’s hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, allowing the mice to learn new navigation strategies.
- NIH-funded Study Sheds Light on Abnormal Neural Function in Rare Genetic Disorder
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A genetic study has identified neuronal abnormalities in the electrical activity of cortical cells derived from people with a rare genetic disorder called 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
- Study Shows Highly Reproducible Sex Differences in Aspects of Human Brain Anatomy
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A scientific analysis of more than 2,000 brain scans found evidence for highly reproducible sex differences in the volume of certain regions in the human brain.
- Brain Cells Can Harbor and Spread HIV Virus to the Body
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Researchers funded by NIMH have found that astrocytes, a type of brain cell, can harbor HIV and then spread the virus to immune cells that traffic out of the brain and into other organs.
- Brain Processes Underlying the Extinction and Reactivation of Fear Memories
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In a study published in 2019 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health investigated the neurobiological changes that occur in the brain circuits of mice when contextual fear memories — fear of a place where an aversive event occurred — are formed and extinguished.
- Fast-Fail Trial Shows New Approach to Identifying Brain Targets for Clinical Treatments
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An innovative NIMH-funded trial shows that a receptor involved in the brain’s reward system may be a viable target for treating anhedonia (or lack of pleasure), a key symptom of several mood and anxiety disorders.
- Neural Signature Identifies People Likely to Respond to Antidepressant Medication
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NIH-funded research uses machine learning algorithm to predict individual response to a commonly-prescribed antidepressant.
- Reading the Brain’s Map: Coordinated Brain Activation Supports Spatial Learning and Decision-Making
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NIH-supported study finds that spatial “replay” in neurons may help rats learn how to navigate toward goals.
- New BRAIN Initiative Awards Accelerate Neuroscience Discoveries
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The NIH has announced its continued support for the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative by funding more than 180 new BRAIN Initiative awards, bringing the total 2019 budget for the program to more than $424 million.
- Study Reveals Sex-Based Differences in the Development of Brain Hubs Involved in Memory and Emotion
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Researchers have uncovered sex-based differences in the development of the hippocampus and amygdala—brain areas that have been implicated in the biology of several mental disorders that impact males and females differently.
- Fifth Annual BRAIN Initiative Investigators Meeting
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On April 11-13, 2019, approximately 1,500 scientists from many disciplines will attend the fifth annual Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN)® Initiative Investigators Meeting in Washington, DC. This open meeting provides a forum for discussing scientific developments and potential new directions, and to identify areas for collaboration and research coordination.
- NIH Study Reveals Differences in Brain Activity in Children with Anhedonia
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Researchers have identified changes in brain connectivity and brain activity during rest and reward anticipation in children with anhedonia, a condition where people lose interest and pleasure in activities they used to enjoy.
- Neuromelanin-Sensitive MRI Identified as a Potential Biomarker for Psychosis
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Researchers have shown that a type of magnetic resonance imaging — called neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) — is a potential biomarker for psychosis. NM-MRI signal was found to be a marker of dopamine function in people with schizophrenia and an indicator of the severity of psychotic symptoms in people with this mental illness.
- New Findings Reveal Surprising Role of the Cerebellum in Reward and Social Behaviors
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A new study in rodents has demonstrated, for the first time, that the brain’s cerebellum plays a role in controlling reward and social preference behavior—findings that shed light on the brain circuits critical to the affective and social dysfunction seen across multiple psychiatric disorders.