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IMAGE: A new study from researchers at the Allen Institute collected and analyzed the largest single dataset of neurons electrical activity to glean principles of how we perceive the visual world. view more
Credit: Allen Institute
A new study from researchers at the Allen Institute collected and analyzed the largest single dataset of neurons electrical activity to glean principles of how we perceive the visual world around us. The study, published Wednesday in the journal
Nature, captures the hundreds of split-second electrical signals that fire when an animal is interpreting what it sees.
Your brain processes the world around you nearly instantaneously, but there are numerous lightning-fast steps between light hitting your retinas and the point at which you become aware of what s in front of you. Humans have three dozen different brain areas responsible for understanding the visual world, and scientists still don t know many of the details of how that pro
Simple vision tests can predict Parkinson s dementia before it begins
Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson s disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
The study, published in
Movement Disorders, adds to evidence that vision changes precede the cognitive decline that occurs in many, but not all, people with Parkinson s.
In another new study published today in
Communications Biology, the same research team found that structural and functional connections of brain regions become decoupled throughout the entire brain in people with Parkinson s disease, particularly among people with vision problems.
Study reveals new method to track the flow of internal thought processes
Anyone who has tried and failed to meditate knows that our minds are rarely still. But where do they roam? New research led by UC Berkeley has come up with a way to track the flow of our internal thought processes and signal whether our minds are focused, fixated or wandering.
Using an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity while people performed mundane attention tasks, researchers identified brain signals that reveal when the mind is not focused on the task at hand or aimlessly wandering, especially after concentrating on an assignment.
How to reroute a broken neural circuit
Scientists genetically manipulate worms to bypass damaged neurons and study how the mind perceives the environment January 19, 2021 • By Sabrina Richards / Fred Hutch News Service
Hutch neuroscientist Dr. Jihong Bai explains why he studies tiny worms called nematodes. Video by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service
Nematodes, minuscule worms that are partial to rotting fruit, haven t been blessed with a lot of brain cells to rub together. But even with the few neurons they do have, these worms do amazing things: find food, avoid danger.
Killing off even a single brain cell can prevent a worm from turning environmental cues into a coherent picture of its surroundings. When scientists damage a neuron at the center of a worm s odor-sensing circuit, it wanders aimlessly, unable to move toward a pleasing scent even though its neuron that detects the smell still works.
Photo: Getty Images
Identification of autism, followed by appropriate intervention, has the potential to improve outcomes for autistic individuals – but Flinders University experts say that presently not enough qualified people can diagnose.
Professor Robyn Young, a specialist autism researcher at Flinders University, says insufficient time and money lay at the root of the problem.
“I doubt that thorough testing is seen as financially viable. To undertake a thorough assessment, you really need at least 3 hours – and for adults who may have trauma or comorbidities, it is even harder,” says Professor Young.
“NDIS is putting restrictions on from whom they will accept diagnoses, and in some incidences, even though psychologists have undertaken approved diagnostic training through Autism SA, they are asking for the diagnosis to be endorsed by a clinical psychologist – of whom there are shortages with expertise in this field.