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Archive for the ‘neuroscience’ category: Page 3

Mar 27, 2024

Research demonstrates just how viruses infect us

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Viruses sleep with the enemy to help decide whether or not to attack, according to a new study.

Mar 27, 2024

Human brains getting larger in size, and this may be good news for some

Posted by in categories: education, genetics, health, neuroscience

A new study has revealed that the size of human brains is getting larger, which means increased brain reserve and decreased chances of developing dementia. The researchers at UC Davis Health reached the conclusion by comparing the size of the brains of people born in the 1930s with those of people born in the 1970s. They noticed that the latter had 6.6 per cent larger brains. The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

“The decade someone is born appears to impact brain size and potentially long-term brain health,” said Charles DeCarli, first author of the study.

He further adds that genetics may also play a major role in determining the size of the brain. “Genetics plays a major role in determining brain size, but our findings indicate external influences — such as health, social, cultural and educational factors — may also play a role,” he said.

Mar 27, 2024

First Human Patient to Receive a Neuralink Brain Implant Used it to Stay Up All Night Playing Civilization 6

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, Elon Musk, neuroscience

The first human recipient of a Neuralink brain implant has shared new details on his recovery and experience of living with the experimental assistive tech, which has allowed him a greater level of freedom and autonomy, including the ability to pull an all-nighter playing Sid Meier’s Civilization 6.

Neuralink co-founder Elon Musk took to X/Twitter in January to reveal that the company had implanted its first brain-computer interface in the head of a human patient, who was “recovering well” following the surgery. The billionaire also hinted at the time that the implant was functioning well and had detected a “promising neuron spike”. In a subsequent February update, Musk commented that the unnamed patient had seemingly made a full recovery, and was even able to use the implant to manipulate a computer cursor with thought alone.

Finally, on March 20, Neuralink posted its own update to X in the form of a nine-minute livestream in which 29-year-old implant recipient Noland Arbaugh used the technology to play a digital version of chess, while discussing how living with the experimental aide had changed his life.

Mar 26, 2024

Scientists Discover That “Transcendent” Thinking May Grow Teens’ Brains

Posted by in categories: education, neuroscience

Scientists at CANDLE have discovered that adolescents who grapple with the bigger meaning of social situations experience greater brain growth, which predicts stronger identity development and life satisfaction years later.

Scientists at the USC Rossier School of Education’s Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE), have shown for the first time that a type of thinking, that has been described for over a century as a developmental milestone of adolescence, may grow teenagers’ brains over time.

This kind of thinking, which the study’s authors call “transcendent,” moves beyond reacting to the concrete specifics of social situations to also consider the broader ethical, systems-level, and personal implications at play. Engaging in this type of thinking involves analyzing situations for their deeper meaning, historical contexts, civic significance, and/or underlying ideas.

Mar 26, 2024

Scientists can’t decide if consciousness is real or fake

Posted by in categories: neuroscience, quantum physics

What if everything in our world has a soul and mind? What if every desk, chair, and potted plant has a conscious stream of thoughts? That’s the basic idea behind Panpsychism, a theory first put forward in the late 16th century by Francesco Patrizi. It’s been a hundred years or so since science won out about this theory in the 1920s, but now it’s regaining momentum.

To understand why this theory is regaining popularity requires us to look at one of the most difficult conundrums that human scientists have ever faced: where consciousness comes from. Scientists have been trying to solve this hard problem for over a hundred years, and while developments in neuroscience, psychology, and quantum physics have come far, we still don’t have a definitive answer.

The argument is regaining momentum, though, thanks in part to the work of Italian neuroscientist and psychiatrist Giulio Tononi, who proposed the idea that there is widespread consciousness even found in the simplest of systems. Tononi and American neuroscientist Christof Koch argued that consciousness will follow where there are organized lumps of matter. Some even believe that the stars may be conscious.

Mar 26, 2024

Chronic musculoskeletal pain may accelerate brain aging

Posted by in categories: life extension, neuroscience

In a study published in Nature Mental Health, scientists from China and the United States have found that individuals suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) may face a higher high risk of brain aging.

Mar 26, 2024

How the brain’s GPS helps you know where you are

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Researchers show for the first time the role endocannabinoid signals play in living animals moving about in the environment.

Mar 26, 2024

From autism to Alzheimer’s: A large-scale animal study links brain pH changes to wide-ranging cognitive issues

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

A global collaborative research group comprising 131 researchers from 105 laboratories across seven countries has published a paper in eLife. The study identifies brain energy metabolism dysfunction leading to altered pH and lactate levels as common hallmarks in numerous animal models of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, such as intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Mar 26, 2024

Biologist Says the Sun May Be Conscious

Posted by in category: neuroscience

A groundbreaking theory claims that everything in existence possesses some form of consciousness — including the Sun itself.

Mar 26, 2024

The Source of Consciousness — with Mark Solms

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Mark Solms discusses his new theory of consciousness that returns emotions to the centre of mental life.

Mark’s book \.

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