Between 15 and 20% of people experience a depressive episode – “a state of deep, lasting distress” – at some point in their lives. But 30% of patients with depression are resistant to conventional medical treatment with antidepressants. Depression is characterized by, among other things, a tendency to perceive sensory stimuli and everyday situations in…
Category: Neuroscience
Behavioral Signals Affect All Visual System Processing Stages
The conventional view in research has been that the primary objective of human perception is to distinguish objects and assign them to distinct categories — for example, this seen object is a dog, and dogs are classified as animals. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and Justus…
Choking Under Pressure May Come From Neural Signals
Every professional who performs at a high level understands the importance of remaining relaxed throughout stressful tasks. Choking under pressure, or failing to perform to one’s fullest potential when it counts the most, can happen to anyone. Although athletes are frequently connected with this phenomenon, people choke under pressure in a variety of situations, including…
Flicker-induced Hallucinations – Standing Waves That Alter Perception
Based on fresh research from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience1, flickering light generates “standing waves” of brain activity that lead to hallucinations in our brain. Picture yourself sitting on the bus or train and closing your eyes. Sunlight flickering through the trees suddenly fills your mind with kaleidoscopic hallucinatory patterns. Brion Gysin, co-inventor of the…
Subiculum-hypothalamic Threat Detection Brain Circuit Mapped
Researchers have mapped a brain circuit responsible for instantly detecting threats and forming memories of fear. “We were interested in locating a brain region associated with fear signaling and finding out how it could identify environments previously related to physical or predatory threats, such as a place where the individual underwent an aversive physical stimulus,”…
Neurons Responsible for Item Memory Discovered
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified the neurons involved in “item memory,” expanding on our knowledge of how the brain stores and recalls the specifics of “what” happened and providing a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s patients. Memories include three types of details: spatial, temporal and item, the “where, when and what” of an…
Microglial Phagosomes Contain Presynaptic, Not Postsynaptic Proteins
Microglia are the immune system’s primary enforcers in the brain. They are cells that patrol the brain and eliminate anything hazardous they come across, from invading bacteria to cellular waste. They also eliminate plaques and prune damaged connections between neurons. Microglia remove their target by consuming them: they encase the material in bubble-like organelles known…
Sensory Adaptation (Neural Adaptation)
Sensory adaptation – also known as neural adaptation) is a process that allows the sensory system to adjust to changes in the environment. This phenomenon is crucial for perception and helps prevent the brain from becoming overwhelmed by constant stimuli. Sensory neurons play a significant role in this process. When these neurons are repeatedly exposed to…
Afferent vs Efferent Neurons
Afferent and efferent neurons are the two primary types of neurons that play distinct yet interconnected roles in this communication network. Afferent nerve fibers, also known as sensory neurons, carry signals from sensory receptors towards the central nervous system. They inform the brain about what is happening in the internal and external environments, thus allowing…