A recent study provides the first direct evidence of linkage between elevated intrinsic (resting-state) brain connectivity and spontaneous pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia. This research shows an interaction of multiple brain networks, offering greater understanding of how pain arises.
13 Vote(s)
July 30, 2010
July 21, 2010
Every action has a beginning and an end (and it’s all in you brain)
Activity of certain neurons in the brain can signal the initiation and termination of behavioral sequences we learn anew, scientists have discovered. Furthermore, they found that this brain activity is essential for learning and executing novel action sequences, many times compromised in patients suffering from disorders such as Parkinson's or Huntington's.
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
Comments Off
July 19, 2010
Tales of Passion and Disgust
Robert Mapplethorpe - St. SebastianThe previous post (Pleasure or Pain?) described the visual stimuli and behavioral results (subjective emotional ratings) from an experiment examining brain activity in response to pictures from four categories: neutral, disgust-inducing, erotic, and sadomasochistic (Stark et al., 2005). The participants were 24 adults, 12 of whom identified as having sadomaso
20 Vote(s)
20 Vote(s)
Comments Off
February 26, 2010
Area responsible for neuroscience errors located
I liked this funny and recursive brain diagram from tech journalist Quinn Norton that makes fun of our tendency to be wowed by brain scans.The diagram has a good evidence base. A 2008 study found that adding a picture of a brain scan to a scientific argument about human nature made the general public more likely to be believe it even if brain activity wasn't relevant to the point being made.Anoth
7 Vote(s)
7 Vote(s)
Comments Off
February 23, 2010
Internal and environmental factors trigger unique brain activity in teens
While the otherworldly behavior of teenagers is well documented, researchers have taken a significant step toward finally unraveling the actual brain activity that can drive adolescents to engage in impulsive, self-indulgent, or self-destructive behavior.
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
Comments Off
February 5, 2010
On communicating through the coma-like state
A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on how a subset of patients diagnosed as being in a coma-like state can be trained to show specific brain activity to answer yes / no questions despite seeming to be unconscious and unresponsive.Many news reports seem to suggest that researchers have found a way of 'reaching inside coma' with a brain scanner to communicate with
10 Vote(s)
10 Vote(s)
Comments Off
January 23, 2010
Brain Scanning Software Showdown
You've just finished doing some research using fMRI to measure brain activity. You designed the study, recruited the volunteers, and did all the scans. Phew. Is that it? Can you publish the findings yet?Unfortunately, no. You still need to do the analysis, and this is often the most trickiest stage. The raw data produced during an fMRI experiment are meaningless - in most cases, each scan will gi
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
Comments Off
January 16, 2010
Patients with no skull are a window on brain activity
I've just clocked a stunning experiment, shortly to be published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, that recorded brain activity from patients who had part of their skull surgically removed for several months and had only flaps of skin between their brain and the outside world.The operation is called a hemicraniectomy and is often used when the brain swells or the pressure builds up inside
8 Vote(s)
8 Vote(s)
Comments Off
January 10, 2010
Brain activity levels affect self-perception: ‘Rose-colored glasses’ correlate with less frontal lobe use
The less you use your brain's frontal lobes, the more you see yourself through rose-colored glasses, researchers have found.
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
Comments Off
January 7, 2010
Silencing brain cells with yellow and blue light
Neuroscientists have developed a powerful new class of tools to reversibly shut down brain activity using different colors of light. When targeted to specific neurons, they could potentially lead to new treatments for abnormal brain activity associated with disorders including chronic pain, epilepsy, brain injury and Parkinson's disease.
13 Vote(s)
13 Vote(s)
Comments Off