Tag: neural

Neurons’ ‘antennae’ are unexpectedly active in neural computation

Most neurons have many branching extensions called dendrites that receive input from thousands of other neurons. Dendrites aren’t just passive information-carriers, however. According to a new study from MIT, they appear to play a surprisingly large role in neurons’ ability to translate incoming signals into electrical activity. Neuroscientists had previously suspected that dendrites might be

Caffeine prevents PGE1-induced disturbances in respiratory neural control

Researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital presented results of a study that investigated whether there are any deleterious effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) treatment on breathing and whether these effects would be prevented via pre-treatment with caffeine. PGE1 is

Communication between neural networks

The brain is organized into a super-network of specialized networks of nerve cells. For such a brain architecture to function, these specialized networks – each located in a different brain area – need to be able to communicate with each other. But which conditions are required for communication to take place, and which control mechanisms

Deep neural network improves detection of wrist fractures

(HealthDay)—Deep learning methods allow senior medical specialists to deliver their expertise to emergency medicine clinicians via use of a deep neural network, which is associated with considerable improvement in sensitivity and specificity of detecting fractures in wrist radiographs, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For the first time, a neural link between altruism and empathy toward strangers

Giving up a kidney to a stranger requires a certain sense of selflessness, what’s come to be known in social science as extraordinary altruism. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz wanted to understand the connection between this trait and empathy, specifically empathy for distress emotions. Using fMRI scans, Brethel-Haurwitz and colleagues from Georgetown University discovered

Neural circuit mechanisms of emotion identified

According to a report by the World Health Organization, close to 1 in 10 people in the world are affected by anxiety and/or depression. Alarmingly, the amount has nearly doubled, from 416 million to 615 million, between 1990 and 2013. Since adequate treatments are still lacking for many patients, the scientists at the Max Planck

Scientists discover hidden structure of enigmatic ‘backwards’ neural connections

For decades, the neuroscience community has been baffled by the existence of dense connections in the brain that seem to be going “backwards.” These connections, which span extensively across distant areas of the neocortex, are clearly conveying important information. But until now, the organization of the connections, and therefore their possible role, was largely unknown.