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Neuroscience news

Neuroscience

Music training can help the brain focus, study shows

Musical people find it easier to focus their attention on the right sounds in noisy environments.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Hidden brain waves may serve as triggers for post-seizure wandering

People with temporal lobe epilepsy in particular often wander around aimlessly and unconsciously after a seizure. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the German Center for Neurodegenerative ...

Genetics

CRISPR approach offers hope for severe childhood brain disorder

When brain development gets off to a bad start, the consequences are lifelong. One example is a condition called SCN2A haploinsufficiency, in which children are born with just one functioning copy of the SCN2A gene—instead ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Loneliness doubles risk of physical pain, study suggests

A new study led by researchers from City St George's, University of London, has revealed the strong links between loneliness and physical pain across 139 countries, highlighting the significant role of psychological distress.

Neuroscience

Unique brain cell may hold key to Alzheimer's disorientation

Losing your sense of direction is one of the earliest and most distressing signs of advanced Alzheimer's disease. Now, a new study from the University of Michigan sheds light on a unique neuron that may hold the key to understanding ...

Neuroscience

Apitegromab improves motor function in spinal muscular atrophy

For patients with nonambulatory type 2 or type 3 spinal muscular atrophy, apitegromab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits myostatin activation, improves motor function versus placebo, according to a study published online ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How—and when—emotional responses to music influence memory

Listening to music while doing something can make that activity more enjoyable. But listening to music after an experience or activity can make it more memorable if you have the optimal emotional response while listening ...

Genetics

A new genetic link to pain provides a promising drug target

Chronic pain is life-changing and considered one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, making daily life difficult for millions of people around the world, and exacerbating personal and economic burdens. Despite ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

First mechanism for cognitive disorders in schizophrenia found

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder affecting around 1% of the population worldwide, and is notoriously difficult to treat. Current medications for schizophrenia can ameliorate positive symptoms, such as hallucinations ...

Medical research

CaMKIIα redox mechanism revealed as key to learning and memory

A research team led by Prof. Chen Chang from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Huang Zhangjian of China Pharmaceutical University, has uncovered a previously unknown ...

Neuroscience

What happens in the brain when it learns something new

Memories of significant learning experiences—like the first time a driver gets a speeding ticket—are sharp, compared to the recollection of everyday events—like what someone ate for dinner two weeks ago. That's because ...

Neuroscience

Researchers reverse autism symptoms in mice with epilepsy drugs

Stanford Medicine scientists investigating the neurological underpinnings of autism spectrum disorder have found that hyperactivity in a specific brain region could drive behaviors commonly associated with the disorder.

Psychology & Psychiatry

Changing how we understand, and potentially treat, misophonia

Throughout her career, Laurie Heller has listened closely—not just to words, but to sound itself. In the Auditory Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, the psychology professor explores how the brain interprets everything ...

Oncology & Cancer

Blocking brain damage may slow glioblastoma growth

Blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, may slow the growth of the cancer and allow the brain to keep working better for longer, according to a new study led by UCL (University College ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Study explores impacts of acute and chronic stress on mental health

It is well established that stress can increase susceptibility to various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, which are highly prevalent worldwide and represent a significant economic burden and public ...