There is a gap in our knowledge about
brain network function because we lack the tools to study large numbers of neurons spread over large regions of the brain.
Not exact matches
Today's AI systems do their best to emulate the
functioning of the human
brain's neural
networks, but they do this in a very limited way.
However, in
brains at rest in people with aphasia,
networks involved in hearing, motor processing, attention and executive
functions were not as strongly connected as the same
networks in the control group.
Brain function is made up of complex neural
networks.
Seeking additional insight into similar mechanisms at work in other centers of the
brain, Donato and his team discovered that the signal to develop one area known to be involved in more abstract
functions, including memory and navigation, originated from deep within the
brain, in a specific population of neurons that kicks off the maturation of an entire neural
network.
In an era of increasing excitement about mapping the
brain's «connectome,» this finding fits with our growing understanding of complex
brain functions as residing not in discrete
brain regions, but in densely connected
networks of neurons spread throughout different parts of the
brain.
More specifically, the team found that a diet lacking ample omega - 3 decreased the
function of presynaptic cannabinoid receptors, part of the
brain's signaling
network that is thought to be involved in pain and appetite regulation.
«Regulator of chromosome structure crucial to healthy
brain function and nerve development: Cohesin protein identified as key to control of chromosome structure underlying nerve cell
network formation.»
«We know that the
brain does not
function as a set of independent areas, but as a
network of specialized areas that collaborate.»
A team of UCLA scientists has found that
brain areas linked to social behaviors are both underdeveloped and insufficiently
networked in youths with high
functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to study participants without ASD.
The artificial neural
networks serve as «mini-brains that can be studied, changed, evaluated, compared against responses given by human neural
networks, so the cognitive neuroscientists have some sort of sketch of how a real
brain may
function.»
So that scientists around the world may continue to look for fundamental structural insights, the full, interactive imaging dataset is viewable at Mouse Connectome Project, providing a resource for researchers interested in studying the anatomy and
function of cortical
networks throughout the
brain.
«A critical aim of the President's
BRAIN Initiative is to move neuroscience into a new realm where we can identify and track
functioning neural
networks non-invasively,» explains Guoying Liu, Ph.D., Director of the NIBIB program in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
The study indicates that
brain networks supporting basic psychological
functions such as attention do not communicate appropriately in young individuals at genetic risk for illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
The study supports the importance of the serotonin which is specified and maintained by a specific gene, the Pet - 1 gene — for normal
functioning of the neurons, synapses and
networks in the cortex, as well as proper development of
brain circuitry.
Their findings: activity dropped in the prefrontal cortex — which is implicated in planning as well as in the organization of
functions performed by other
brain regions — but it jumped in a cluster of
brain regions implicated in daydreaming known as the «default mode
network.»
This study is really the first of its kind and provides a big step forwards in our understanding of how training can alter the
functioning of
brain networks.
Finally, the study provides an example of a highly integrative approach to understanding
brain function at multiple scales, «linking genes and gene
networks to the properties of single neurons and populations of neuron subtypes, all the way up to the level of animal behaviors,» said Okaty.
«Sensory
function: Thalamus enhances, stores sensory information: Important
brain network for processing sensory perceptions elucidated.»
All
brain functions depend on proper connections within specific
networks of neurons.
The study, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found heightened neural activity in the
brain's connector hubs during complex tasks, such as puzzles and video games, while
networks dedicated to specific
functions did not need to put in extra work.
Although the neural
networks that seem to be affected in Tourette's and OCD are distinct, they nonetheless involve
brain regions with similar
functions — in particular, motor activity and decision making.
Since the
brain network is formed by genetics and experiences, it is possible to predict one's age, personality, or performance in cognitive
functions from functional connectivity patterns in their
brain network.
During sleep, a newly discovered
network of water channels in the
brain, called the glymphatic system, becomes active and
functions as a waste disposal system, carrying toxins away which would otherwise accumulate and damage
brain cells.
Neural
networks function, as their name suggests, based on the same principle as the
brain.
«Manipulating
brain network to change cognitive
functions: New breakthrough in neuroscience: Functional connectivity can be changed in both directions.»
But what is it about the structure and
function of each and every neuron, and the way they
network together, that give rise to these electrical signals measured in a mammalian
brain?
«But we are finding that the effort is absolutely worthwhile and that we are learning a tremendous amount about the structure of
networks in the
brain, and ultimately how the
brain's structure is linked to its
function.»
One of the many big puzzles left in neurology is working out which parts of the
brain are connected — and how the
networks function.
We aim to identify molecular, circuit, and
network mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction and to develop novel therapeutic approaches to restore
brain functions in AD and related disorders.
This design leads to the consequence that disease in one part of the
brain will inevitably affect the
function of the others and that many of the effects of the disease can be partly compensated for by the
network.
As described in the main text, ordered logistic regression analyses were carried out for each
brain region in which social
network distances were modeled as a
function of local neural response similarities and dyadic dissimilarities in control variables (gender, ethnicity, nationality, age, and handedness).
Drawing inspiration from how mammalian
brains process sight, researchers have found a way to mimic the
functions of biological neural
networks on a next - gen «memristor» chip.
Our current goal is to manipulate the activity of neurons in a specific node of this
network, the prefrontal cortex, to test specific hypotheses regarding the role of this
brain area in these two basic
functions.
This
network is now the focus of work on
brain function in health and disease worldwide, and it has been hypothesised to be relevant to disorders including Alzheimer's disease, autism, and schizophrenia.
When compared to the control group, type 2 patients showed decreased integrity in the white matter of two different areas in the
brain — the cingulum bundle, which is a fiber tract that connects regions in the default - mode
network, and the uncinate fasciculus, which connects regions important for executive
function and memory.
Sforazzini F, Berterto A, Dodero L, David G, Galbusera A, Scattoni ML, Pasqualetti M, Gozzi A * Altered functional connectivity
networks in acallosal and socially - impaired BTBR mice (2014)
Brain Structure &
Function, In press 2.
A broad range of engineering and environmental applications, where sensitive, miniature, and intelligent systems can fulfill
functions currently impossible with existing devices, or where
brain - based design can enhance the capabilities of computer chips, architectures,
networks, and robotics.
Ultimately, new insight into the
function of the fly
brain can also be applied to the
network of cells in the mammalian
brain.
«These initial results should be treated as a resource not only for decoding how this
network guides the vast array of very distinct
brain functions, but also how dysfunctions in different parts of this
network can lead to different neurological conditions,» said Dr. Callaway.
1/28/2008 Researchers Map Signaling
Networks that Control Neuron
Function Relationship between Thousands of Proteins at Work in the
Brain Could Impact Diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease, and Spinal Cord Injury In the first large - scale proteomics study of its kind, researchers at the University of California... More...
As we grow up, our
brain's specialized
networks become more structurally segregated, contributing to improved executive
functioning.
Healthy activity in neuronal
networks is critical for essential
brain functions such as memory.
Higher
brain functions emerge at the scale of
networks of neurons;
brain disorders such as dementia, epilepsy or schizophrenia appear to result when
networks fail to operate correctly.
By inserting these proteins into the living
brain, we can study and perturb different elements of neural circuits, giving us a picture of how individual components
function within the complex
network.
The
functioning of a healthy
brain relies on its
network of neuronal connections.
All
brain functions are performed by interconnected
networks of excitatory and inhibitory nerve cells.
Examination of the degree to which these
networks subsume dissociable
brain substrates, and of the degree to which they overlap, provides insight concerning their purpose,
function, and the nature of their associations.
During development, the healthy human
brain constructs a host of large - scale, distributed,
function - critical neural
networks.
This
network is now the focus of work on
brain function in health and disease worldwide, and it has been hypothesized to be relevant to disorders including Alzheimer's disease, autism, and schizophrenia.