Sentences with phrase «functioning brain neurons»

Not exact matches

Yes, it's known that most higher brain functions (such as perception, memory, and intelligence) are centered in the cerebral cortex, that 0.1 - inch - thick infolding of neuron - rich gray matter overlaying both the right and the left hemispheres that would cover some 1.5 square feet if it were laid out like a tablecloth.

They say that drinking coke really ignites the creative functions in their brain by getting their neurons firing at 100 %.

Far from endorsing a simple reduction of mind to mere neurons, many neuroscientists are embracing paradigms that emphasize the holistic character of brain function and the ways that reason and emotion interplay to make up a self.

What all these have in common is that, without any central control, individual units (genes, cells neurons or workers) respond to simple, local information, in ways that allow the whole system (cells, brains, organisms or colonies) to function: the appropriate number of units performs each activity at the appropriate time.

For instance, motion pictures of living brain cells taken through a microscope reveal tiny microglial cells that look like spiders and climb the trunks and branches of neurons cleaning up debris and performing who knows what other functions.

Myelin plays a key role in the health and function not only of neurons but the brain and the rest of the nervous system, too.

DHA is being accumulated in the brain of a child between the 26th and the 40th week of pregnancy and has a crucial influence on the neuron functioning.

As they studied brain activity in the knockout mice, the researchers also found prominent changes in a receptor in the brain known as mGluR5 and other proteins that support the function of neurons and synapses, said co-lead author Xiaoming Wang, M.D., Ph.D., senior research associate in Duke's department of pediatrics.

However, little is known about how neurons in this brain region function as gatekeepers.

But a detailed knowledge of how a single neuron works and what are the functions of the various parts of the brain is not enough to give an answer to the initial question.

Further study revealed that these so - called immune proteins are actually present on the surface of certain nerve cells, but that they functioned differently in the brain than they did in the rest of the body; rather than scouting for germs, they influenced signals sent between neurons.

Many of Markram's colleagues think that he is too ambitious, that a model of billions of neurons, no matter how intricate, can not tell much about the functions of a real brain.

Until recently it has been difficult to study the role of glial cells in controlling appetite or any other brain function, because scientists haven't developed many techniques for silencing or stimulating these cells, as they have for neurons.

The cerebral cortex of the brain is layered like an onion, with neurons in different layers responsible for distinct levels of cognitive function.

In the past, researchers have believed this executive function was the job of single neurons acting independently from one another — the brain's version of a crowd of people in a large room all singing different songs in different rhythms and different keys.

The 2009 book The Playful Brain: Venturing to the limits of neuroscience, for example, reviewed many studies showing that playful activity leads to the growth of more connections between neurons, particularly in the frontal lobe — the part of the brain responsible for uniquely human higher mental functBrain: Venturing to the limits of neuroscience, for example, reviewed many studies showing that playful activity leads to the growth of more connections between neurons, particularly in the frontal lobe — the part of the brain responsible for uniquely human higher mental functbrain responsible for uniquely human higher mental functions.

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.

To understand how they work, it's easiest to start from the beginning, in 1943, when neurophysiologist Warren McCulloch and mathematician Walter Pitts used math to describe the function of neurons in animal brains.

The research, published in the current issue of the journal Science, demonstrates that brain cells, known as astrocytes, which play fundamental roles in nearly all aspects of brain function, can be adjusted by neurons in response to injury and disease.

The protein is thought to destroy the neurons in the brain that make dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate a number of functions, including movement and coordination.

One such drug — known as a Kv3 potassium channel modulator, in development by U.K. - based Autifony Therapeutics — may help improve neuron function in the part of the brain responsible for processing sounds.

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.

«Now, our goal is to see how this mechanism is affected in different brain diseases and determine if it can be harnessed to protect neurons and ultimately preserve brain function.»

Astrocytes are star - shaped cells in our brain that surround brain neurons, and neural circuits, protecting them from injury and enabling them to function properly — in essence, one of their main roles is to «baby - sit» neurons.

Subplate neurons form the first connections in the developing cerebral cortex — the outer part of the mammalian brain that controls perception, memory and, in humans, higher functions such as language and abstract reasoning.

Richard Rogers of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and colleagues used a drug called fluorocitrate to knock out the function of certain astrocytes and neurons in the brains of rats, blocking the sensation of hunger.

Motor neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain and spinal cord control the function of muscles throughout the body.

Potentially explaining why even healthy brains don't function well with age, Salk researchers have discovered that genes that are switched on early in brain development to sever connections between neurons as the brain fine - tunes, are again activated in aging neuronal support cells called astrocytes.

Although not nearly as well studied as neurons, astrocytes — named for their star - shaped appearance — make up one - third to one - half of all the cells in the brain and are increasingly being found to be critical for neuronal function.

«We discovered that rhythmic oscillations of groups of neurons in the prefrontal cortex — an area of the brain involved in decision - making and executive functions — controlled the strength of oscillations in neurons of the neighbouring nucleus accumbens, an area involved in pleasure, reward and addiction,» says Liu.

«This is very useful because when the fiber is inserted into the brain, it may affect the function of neurons very close to the fiber,» explained Ohayon.

«Ultrathin endoscope captures neurons firing deep in the brain: New fiber - based endoscope, tested in mice, poised to bring new insights into brain function.»

The neuron - packed brain region — it's tucked underneath the cerebral hemispheres and plays a role in motor control and cognitive functions, such as attention and language — seemed to stop aging at the 80 - year benchmark, which meant it remained fully functional but somehow impervious to deterioration of time for decades.

«It was particularly exciting to see plasticity in the neurons impaired by mHTT,» said Davidson, noting that in the HD mice, brain areas that had begun to atrophy recovered volume and permitted better motor function after the researchers restored mTORC1 activity to more normal levels.

Last August in Neuron, his team described organoids that survived for more than 20 months — long enough, analyses showed, for astrocytes to mature and function in ways that mimic their real - brain counterparts.

During development, subplate neurons are among the first neurons to form in the cerebral cortex — the outer part of the mammalian brain that controls perception, memory and, in humans, higher functions such as language and abstract reasoning.

The study published in Cell Metabolism reports a mechanism by which two types of brain cells, neurons and glia, normally support each other's functions.

Neurons and the connections they make with one another, called synapses, are the keys to the brain's functions.

Researchers at Blue Brain Project report groups of neurons bound into such cavities provide the missing link between neural structure and function, in their new study published in Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience.

Because mirror neuron activity is thought to be a very basic part of brain function — and it can be seen in many animals besides humans — the new finding supports the notion that our brain is predisposed to distinguish «us versus them.»

«Uncovering the power of glial cells: Brain implants can rely on more than neurons to function.»

Their end goal is to identify specific populations of neurons in the fruit fly brain that are necessary for emotion primitives — and whether these functions are conserved in higher organisms, such as mice or even humans.

In an article recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, University of Helsinki researchers establish that GDNF is an important physiological regulator of the functioning of the brain's dopamine neurons.

Similarly, using light to stimulate atrophied neurons that may be associated with schizophrenia could someday allow clinicians to repair cognitive function, Boyden said, and enhance the flow of information through disordered brain circuits that otherwise may be giving rise to delusions and paranoia.

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.

Under ordinary circumstances, the protein tau contributes to the normal, healthy functioning of brain neurons.

«The brain and the gut are linked, so it's not too surprising that the health of the gut can impact the functioning of neurons,» says Jun Sun, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at UIC and corresponding author of the paper.

The study found that after oral feeding, ground cinnamon is metabolized into sodium benzoate, which then enters into the brain, stops the loss of Parkin and DJ - 1, protects neurons, normalizes neurotransmitter levels, and improves motor functions in mice with PD.

There are two camps for explaining the weak performance of artificial intelligence: Either we do not know enough of the fundamental principles of brain function, or we have not simulated enough neurons working together.

If the new mechanism also operates in the human brain and can be potentiated, this could become of clinical importance not only for stroke patients, but also for replacing neurons which have died, thus restoring function in patients with other disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease,» says Olle Lindvall, Senior Professor of Neurology.