All articles tagged with #neural pathways
A study reveals that the brain uses two distinct neural pathways to regulate sugar and fat intake in mice, activated by energy deficits, which could inform treatments for overeating and metabolic disorders.
Muscle memory, often misunderstood, is a neurological process involving the brain and spinal cord that helps improve movement efficiency through repetitive practice. It enables quicker recovery after breaks, aids in mastering new skills, and supports lifelong fitness by retaining neural pathways and muscle cell structures. Experts emphasize the importance of consistent, purposeful practice with proper form to maximize muscle memory benefits. While it can't fully replace lost strength or endurance, it facilitates faster regaining of skills and muscle mass when returning to training.
Scientists have discovered a natural compound, BHB-Phe, which is produced by the body and can suppress appetite and reduce body weight by activating specific neurons in the brain. This compound, identified by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Stanford University, operates through distinct neural mechanisms compared to a related compound, Lac-Phe. The findings, published in Cell, suggest potential new treatments for obesity by leveraging BHB-Phe's unique metabolic pathway.
A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the National Institute of Mental Health reveals how two neural pathways in the mouse brain, active during motivation and at the termination of motivation, respectively, play a role in translating motivational states into goal-oriented behavior. The research provides insight into the brain's regulation of goal pursuits and may have implications for understanding motivational dysfunctions in psychiatric conditions. The study's findings suggest that specific neuronal pathways are involved in motivation and how they interact, potentially leading to new therapeutic targets for restoring healthy motivational processes in patients.
A new study from UC San Francisco has revealed that the brain processes music by discerning pitch, pitch changes, and predicting the sequence of upcoming notes through distinct sets of neurons. The research utilized high-density electrocorticography to directly record brain activity in participants exposed to musical phrases and spoken English sentences, uncovering specialized neural populations within the auditory cortex for different components of musical perception. While some aspects of music processing share mechanisms with speech, the study found that the prediction of note sequences is uniquely attuned to music, shedding light on the brain's auditory processing capabilities and opening avenues for further exploration.
A study on fruit flies has revealed the neural pathways involved in navigation, showing how three distinct groups of neurons translate directional signals into corrective actions. This research not only deepens our understanding of navigation in simpler organisms but also lays the groundwork for future studies on the neural basis of behavior in more complex species, including humans. The findings provide insights into how internal cognitive states like direction sense are converted into tangible actions, offering a detailed look at how directional sensing is functionally connected to the brain’s steering mechanisms, guiding navigation.
Researchers at Princeton University have used the transparent worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, to study how neural information flows in the brain. By employing advanced techniques like optogenetics, they were able to visually track signal flow in real-time, neuron by neuron, and discovered unexpected "wireless signals" involving molecular releases that affect neural dynamics. This groundbreaking research challenges existing predictions based on the worm's connectome and provides valuable insights into understanding neural response.
Researchers investigated the neural pathways behind weight gain after dieting, often referred to as the “yo-yo effect”. In experiments in mice, they found that signaling between brain cells changes after a diet. They discovered that blocking a certain neural pathway led to less weight gain after these periods of calorie restriction. Further studies are needed to see how these findings translate to humans.
An international team of scientists has created the first map of an insect brain, specifically a fruit fly larva, which has 3,016 neurons and over half a million synaptic sites. The team discovered that fruit fly neurons communicate with each other in four different ways, allowing neurons to connect with each other in ways not previously considered. The team also found a new way of breaking down brain structure into its simplest form, using the connections between neurons alone, and discovered that most neurons multitask, performing different roles depending on the particular sensory cues the fruit fly larva is experiencing. The study is a milestone in understanding the structures of brains and may help scientists learn how disease-causing mutations change brain wiring in neurological conditions.