Chapter 1: introduction: the quantum nature of consciousness.
Category: neuroscience – Page 22
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UCSF scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell that helps young brains grow but is also capable of forming the cells found in tumors.
An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has investigated the influence of the forces exerted by the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on how much the surface of the Earth has bent over the last 20 million years. Their research has revealed that in the present day, deep below the Earth’s surface, the Neotethys oceanic plate—the ocean floor that used to be between the Arabian and Eurasian continents—is breaking off horizontally, with a tear progressively lengthening from southeast Turkey to northwest Iran.
Their findings show how the evolution of the Earth’s surface is controlled by processes deep within the planet’s interior. The research is published in the journal Solid Earth.
When two continents converge over millions of years, the oceanic floor between them slides to great depths beneath the continents. Eventually, the continents collide, and masses of rock from their edges are lifted up into towering mountain ranges. Over millions of years, the immense weight of these mountains causes the Earth’s surface around them to bend downward. Over time, sediments eroded from the mountains accumulate in this depression, forming plains such as Mesopotamia in the Middle East.
A research team from Japan has developed a unified model to scale the transitional pressure development in a one-dimensional flow. This achievement provides a better understanding of how pressure fields build up in the confined fluid system for various acceleration situations, which might be applicable to biomechanics-related impact problems, such as human brain injuries caused by physical contact.
Liquid is usually not considered compressible, except for when subjected to a high-speed flow or rapid acceleration. The latter case is known as the water hammer theory, which often occurs with a loud sound when a water faucet is suddenly closed.
In recent years, the onset of mild traumatic brain injury has been discussed in a similar context, meaning that better understanding of this issue is important in not only traditional engineering but also emerging biomechanics applications.
New research found that individuals with anorexia nervosa have elevated opioid neurotransmitter.
A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance that transmits signals across a synapse from one neuron to another in the nervous system. These chemicals play a crucial role in the functioning of the brain and body, influencing everything from mood, sleep, and learning to heart rate, anxiety, and fear. Common neurotransmitters include dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine. They bind to specific receptors on the surface of neurons, triggering various physiological responses and allowing for the communication that underpins all neural activities. Imbalances in neurotransmitter levels can lead to neurological disorders or mental health issues, making them a central focus of study in both medicine and psychology.
A study by cognitive neuroscientists at SISSA investigated how the human brain processes space and time, uncovering that these two types of information are only partially connected.
Imagine a swarm of fireflies flickering in the night. How does the human brain process and integrate information about both their duration and spatial position to form a coherent visual experience? This question was the focus of research by Valeria Centanino, Gianfranco Fortunato, and Domenica Bueti from SISSA’s Cognitive Neuroscience group, published in Nature Communications
<em> Nature Communications </em> is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research from all areas of the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, Earth sciences, and biology. The journal is part of the Nature Publishing Group and was launched in 2010. “Nature Communications” aims to facilitate the rapid dissemination of important research findings and to foster multidisciplinary collaboration and communication among scientists.
The experience of awe may be fleeting, but its impact on brain function has lasting psychological benefits. Here’s how to start cultivating it in your daily life.
Our psychological profiles provide clues to our future risk and severity of cognitive decline that may one day inform tailored prevention strategies, a new study suggests.
“The aim was to elucidate how various combinations of psychological characteristics are related to mental, cognitive and brain health,” explains University of Barcelona psychologist David Bartrés-Faz.
“To date, psychological risk and protective factors have been examined almost exclusively independently: this approach is limiting, as psychological characteristics do not exist in isolation.”
Summary: A new study challenges the belief that larger groups reduce cooperation, showing instead that flexible social connections enhance teamwork. Researchers found that in a prisoner’s dilemma game, participants in bigger groups cooperated more frequently, despite memory limitations.
Brain scans revealed that when memories of past interactions were unclear, participants relied on prosocial instincts to guide behavior. Key brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, helped balance memory, reward, and decision-making.
The study looked at the effect of cannabis use on young adults who are recent or heavy users
AURORA, Colo., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new study published today in JAMA Network Open explores the effects of both recent and lifetime cannabis use on brain function during cognitive tasks.
The study, the largest of its kind ever to be completed, examined the effects of cannabis use on over 1,000 young adults aged 22 to 36 using brain imaging technology. The researchers found that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users exhibited reduced brain activity during a working memory task, while 68% of recent users also demonstrated a similar impact.