Cortex News and Research

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Harvard neurobiologists provide new insights into the mystery of scent

The premiere of the movie Scent of Mystery in 1960 marked a singular event in the annals of cinema: the first, and last, motion picture debut "in glorious Smell-O-Vision."

3 Jul 2020

Genetic dysfunction of brain astrocytes promotes head pain in familial migraine

Neuroscientists of the University of Zurich shed a new light on the mechanisms responsible for familial migraine: They show that a genetic dysfunction in specific brain cells of the cingulate cortex area strongly influences head pain occurrence.

25 Jun 2020

EEG study in split-brain patients shines light on sleep slow waves

The particular kind of waves that the brain produces during sleep, which repeatedly sweep the surface of the cerebral cortex, travel through the anatomical "highways" that connect distant areas of the cortical mantle, a new study in The Journal of Neuroscience shows.

18 Jun 2020

Inhibitory interneurons excite the developing brain, study finds

Brain function depends on inhibitory cells that balance or 'brake' excitation. These neurons allow the brain to process information and also prevent runaway seizures.

15 Jun 2020

Single-cell-resolution technologies help map brain regions in humans and primates

Using the single-cell-resolution transcriptomics technologies, researchers have performed a large-scale analysis of gene expression in 33 different brain regions of chimpanzees, bonobos, macaques, and humans, and successfully generated a map of the various brain regions with their particular cell structures.

5 Jun 2020

Study identifies brain structure that controls our behavior

For our social life and our profession we must be able to deal with our environment and other people. Executive functions, meaning the basic intellectual abilities that control human thought and action, help us to do this.

20 May 2020

New head-mounted microscope allows access to inner workings of the brain

Scientists working at caesar have developed a small head-mounted microscope that allows access to the inner workings of the brain.

20 May 2020

Foxg1 gene works like a molecular knob to modulate electrical activity of the neurons

It works like a very fine "molecular knob" able to modulate the electrical activity of the neurons of our cerebral cortex, crucial to the functioning of our brain.

8 May 2020

New tool may shed more light on neurodegenerative diseases

About 350 years ago, Robert Hooke provided an initial description of a cell in Micrographia, and since then, microscopy has played a major role in figuring out life’s rules.

6 May 2020

Study shows some genetic variants have stronger effects on RNA expression even before birth

The prefrontal cortex of the human brain experiences a wider spectrum of developmental activity right from early prenatal development until childhood.

8 Apr 2020

New microscopy technique reveals movements of cell muscles in unprecedented detail

For the first time, researchers from the University of Warwick have observed the movements of cell muscles in the form of minute filaments of proteins at unparalleled detail.

From The University of Warwick 8 Apr 2020

Memory cells that help to interpret new situations identified

Imagine you are meeting a friend for dinner at a new restaurant. You may try dishes you haven't had before, and your surroundings will be completely new to you. However, your brain knows that you have had similar experiences -- perusing a menu, ordering appetizers, and splurging on dessert are all things that you have probably done when dining out.

7 Apr 2020