Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a diagnostic label applied to people who have problems regulating emotional mood swings. This emotional instability leaves such individuals vulnerable to emotional upheaval that puts them at risk for problem behaviors, including self-destructive acts and impulsive aggression. A new study provides a quantitative summary of the brain abnormalities that may…
Loss Of Orientation In Dementia: New Insights Into Causes
New research has revealed how disease-associated changes in two interlinked networks within the brain may play a key role in the development of the symptoms of dementia. The University of Exeter Medical School led two studies, each of which moves us a step closer to understanding the onset of dementia, and potentially to paving the…
Cocaine Addiction Research Uncovers ‘Back Door’ Into The Brain
Individuals addicted to cocaine may have difficulty in controlling their addiction because of a previously-unknown ‘back door’ into the brain, circumventing their self-control, suggests a new study led by the University of Cambridge. A second study from the team suggests that a drug used to treat paracetamol overdose may be able to help individuals who…
Is Autism Hiding In Broca's Area?
A cerebral marker specific to autism that can be detected by MRI has been identified by scientists at CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université and AP-HM. The marker is present from the age of two years. The abnormality discovered consists in a less deep fold in Broca’s area, a region of the brain specialized in language and communication,…
Predictive Neuron Orchestra Behind Looking And Reaching
Different groups of neurons “predict” the body’s subsequent looking and reaching movements, suggesting an orchestration among distinct parts of the brain, a team of neuroscientists has found. The study enhances our understanding of the decision-making process, potentially offering insights into different forms of mental illness, afflictions in which this dynamic is typically impaired. “Identifying which…
Rbfox1 Regulates Synaptic and Autism-Related Gene Expression
An overlooked region in brain cells houses a motherlode of mutated genes previously tied to autism, UCLA scientists have discovered. The finding could provide fresh drug targets and lead to new therapies for the disorder, which affects one in 68 children in the United States. Said principal investigator Dr. Kelsey Martin, interim dean and a…
How Reading To Babies Turns Babble Into Language
Reading to babies does more for language development than playing with toys or puppets. More back-and-forth interaction could be the reason why, a new study finds. Researchers looked at how mothers responded to their 12-month-olds during book reading, puppet play, and toy play. They found that the babies made more speech-like sounds during reading than…
The Way Your Voice Sounds Can Affect Your Mood
Researchers have created a digital audio platform that can modify the emotional tone of people’s voices while they are talking, to make them sound happier, sadder or more fearful. New results show that while listening to their altered voices, participants’ emotional states change in accordance with the new emotion. Says lead author Jean-Julien Aucouturier from…
Inflammation Markers Could Guide Glutamate Depression Treatments
Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine. New research from Emory University School of Medicine is providing hints as to which forms of depression may respond best to drugs that target glutamate. Depressed…