Social Isolation Tied to Higher Risk of Subsequent Dementia
Social isolation was linked with lower volume in brain areas related to cognition and associated with a higher risk of subsequent dementia as well, a longitudinal study showed. Among more than 460,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank, social isolation at age 57 was tied to a 26% increased risk of dementia 12 years later, independent […]
Social isolation is directly associated with later dementia
Social isolation is directly linked with changes in the brain structures associated with memory, making it a clear risk factor for dementia, scientists have found. Setting out to investigate how social isolation and loneliness were related to later dementia, researchers at the University of Warwick, University of Cambridge and Fudan University used neuroimaging data from […]
For neurons, where they begin isn’t necessarily where they end
The making of a human brain remains a mostly mysterious process that races from an embryonic neural tube to more than 100 billion interconnected neurons in the brain of a newborn. To achieve this marvel of biological engineering, the developing fetal brain must grow, on average, at a rate of roughly 250,000 nerve cells per […]
Widespread brain receptor hides surprising mechanism of action
One of the most important molecules in the brain doesn’t work quite the way scientists thought it did, according to new work by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Carnegie Mellon University. The results, published April 20 in Nature, may aid the development of a new generation of more effective […]
Human gene variant produces attention deficit disorder-like problems in mice
Mutant mice are providing scientists with a new neurobiological framework to understand the brain changes observed in distractible humans who carry a common gene variant whose frequency has been associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The scientists demonstrate that mice that express the variant adopt an inattentive phenotype similar to that seen in humans. […]
The art of smell: Research suggests the brain processes smell both like a painting and a symphony
What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting — a snapshot of the flickering activity of cells — captured in a moment in time? Or like a symphony, an evolving ensemble of different cells working together to capture the scent? New […]
Why Do Antipsychotics Cause Tardive Dyskinesia? Antidepressants
Antipsychotics cause certain biochemical changes in the brain and disrupt the neuronal communication of dopamine resulting in neurological symptoms, such as tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological condition that results in abnormal movements (movement disorder), typically affecting the face, lips, jaw, or tongue that typically occurs after long-term use of antipsychotics (neuroleptics). Antipsychotics cause […]
Distant regions of the human brain are wired together by surprisingly few connections
Understanding how the brain functions, particularly how information is processed during different activities, is difficult without knowing how many axons are in the brain and how many connect different functional regions. An approach by Burke Rosen and Eric Halgren at the University of California, San Diego, U.S. published March 24 in the open-access journal PLOS […]
Brain differences in children with binge eating disorder
Brain scans of children ages 9-10 with a type of eating disorder that causes uncontrollable overeating showed differences in gray matter density compared to their unaffected peers, according to a USC-led study. Binge eating disorder, which affects about 3-5% of the U.S. population, is characterized by frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food and […]
Brain Volumes Shrink With One Daily Drink
Light to moderate alcohol consumption — as few as one or two drinks a day — was linked with reductions in overall brain volume, a cross-sectional study showed. Among nearly 37,000 healthy adults in the U.K. Biobank, alcohol intake was negatively associated with global brain volume measures, regional gray matter volumes, and white matter microstructure, […]