Auditory pathways in the brainstem do not fully mature without microglia clearing away extra cell connections. This crucial function occurs even when pruning by microglia is delayed, according to new research published in eNeuro.
Credit: HSE University
Scientists at HSE University have learned that disagreeing with the opinion of other people leaves a trace in brain activity, which allows the brain to later adjust its opinion in favour of the majority-held point of view. The article was published in
Scientific Reports.
We often change our beliefs under the influence of others. This social behavior is called conformity and explains varios components of our behaviour, from voting at elections to fashion trends among teenagers.
Brain research has recently well informed about short-term effects of social influence on decision making. If our choice coincides with the point of view of the people who are important to us, this decision is reinforced in the brain s pleasure centres involved in the larger dopaminergic system responsible for learning, motor activity and many other functions. Conversely, in instances of disagreement with others, the brain signals that a mistake has been made and triggers c
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IMAGE: The study reported the similar properties between deep neural networks for predicting attention and the primary visual cortex (V1) of primates. view more
Credit: Nobuhiko Wagatsuma
This discovery was made possible by applying the research method for the comparison of the brain activity between monkeys and humans to artificial neural networks. This finding might be helpful not only to understand the cortical mechanism of attentional selection but also to develop artificial intelligence.
Deep neural networks (DNNs), which are used in the development of artificial intelligence, are mathematical models for obtaining appropriate mechanisms to solve specific problems from the training with a large-scale dataset. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying DNNs through this learning process have not yet been clarified.
A type of cell derived from human stem cells that has been widely used for brain research and drug development may have been leading researchers astray for years, according to a study from scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
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IMAGE: Molecular neurochemist Darrell Mousseau is a professor in USask s Department of Psychiatry and head of the Cell Signalling Laboratory. view more
Credit: University of Saskatchewan
Findings from a new study on Alzheimer s disease (AD), led by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), could eventually help clinicians identify people at highest risk for developing the irreversible, progressive brain disorder and pave the way for treatments that slow or prevent its onset.
The research, published in the journal
Scientific Reports in early January, has demonstrated that a shorter form of the protein peptide believed responsible for causing AD (beta-amyloid 42, or Aβ42) halts the damage-causing mechanism of its longer counterpart.