Cortex News and Research

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MIT neuroscientists create a model that can localize sounds in the real world

The human brain is finely tuned not only to recognize particular sounds, but also to determine which direction they came from. By comparing differences in sounds that reach the right and left ear, the brain can estimate the location of a barking dog, wailing fire engine, or approaching car.

28 Jan 2022

Respiration entrains and coordinates neuronal activity in various brain regions

LMU neuroscientists have shown that breathing coordinates neuronal activity throughout the brain during sleep and quiet.

25 Jan 2022

Scientists use fruit fly embryos to study immune cell invasion

To fight infections and heal injuries, immune cells need to enter tissue. They also need to invade tumors to fight them from within.

7 Jan 2022

Experts carry out the first major genetic study into cortical folding patterns

The brain’s surface, the cortex, is folded into an intricate pattern of grooves (sulci) and bumps (gyri). Individual differences in this pattern are associated with cognitive performance and brain disorders, however very little is known on how the “bumpiness and grooviness” of the cortex is determined.

23 Dec 2021

Novel tool provides an unprecedented view of brain cell activity

To decipher the mysteries behind memory and learning, researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine developed a system to trace millions of connections amongst brain cells in mice.

22 Dec 2021

Detachable head-mounted photoacoustic microscope images brain activity in mice

Scientists recently generated the first detachable head-mounted photoacoustic microscope for imaging brain activity in freely roaming mice.

13 Dec 2021

Persistency allows value signals to be most effectively coded across different brain areas

In 2019 University of California San Diego researchers discovered the area of the brain where "value decisions" are made.

24 Nov 2021

Dopamine may play a key role in shaping female songbirds' auditory preference

In humans, the dopamine system has been tied to rewards and pleasurable sensations. As well as to memory and learning.

24 Nov 2021

Study uncovers how brain cells encode head motion to enable navigation during the day and night

To navigate successfully in an environment, you need to continuously track the speed and direction of your head, even in the dark.

From University College London 17 Nov 2021

Technion researchers explore the brain's potential to cause diseases on its own

Your phone pings. It's a notification from your friend, who you just went out for a drink with last night. According to her text, she has just tested positive for COVID-19.

9 Nov 2021

Internal workings of next-word prediction models closely fit the human brain

In the past few years, artificial intelligence models of language have become very good at certain tasks. Most notably, they excel at predicting the next word in a string of text; this technology helps search engines and texting apps predict the next word you are going to type.

26 Oct 2021

New insight into how neurons and astrocytes work together to form healthy synapses

Brain cells called astrocytes play a key role in helping neurons develop and function properly, but there's still a lot scientists don't understand about how astrocytes perform these important jobs.

26 Oct 2021

'Mini brains' allow researchers to study a fatal, untreatable neurological disorder

Cambridge researchers have developed 'mini brains' that allow them to study a fatal and untreatable neurological disorder causing paralysis and dementia – and for the first time have been able to grow these for almost a year.

22 Oct 2021

Researchers discover how neurons filter distracting signals to coordinate movements

As you read this article, touch receptors in your skin are sensing your environment. Your clothes and jewelry, the chair you're sitting on, the computer keyboard or mobile device you're using, even your fingers as they brush one another unintentionally-;each touch activates collections of nerve cells.

15 Oct 2021

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