In 1998, two researchers made a bet that by 2023, we would have found a sign of consciousness within the brain. As the wager comes due, how close are we to an answer?
Category: neuroscience – Page 539
A Year in Neuroscience: Top 20 Neuroscience News Articles of 2022
Summary: 2022 has been a fantastic year for neuroscience and brain science research. Here, we take a look back over some of the most popular neuroscience research articles of the year.
Source: Neuroscience News.
For over 20 years, Neuroscience News has reported on the latest, ground-breaking neuroscience research. Every year, we like to take a look back at some of the most popular articles we have published on the website.
New research reveals how the brain holds information in mind
MIT neuroscientists have published a key new insight on how working memory functions, in a study published in PLOS Computational Biology.
The researchers at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory compared measurements of brain cell activity in an animal performing a working memory task with the output of various computer models representing two theories on the underlying mechanism for holding information in mind.
The results favored the newer theory that a network of neurons stores information by making short-lived changes in the connections, or synapses, between them, rather than the traditional theory that memory is maintained by neurons remaining persistently active.
Community Detection in Brain Connectome using Quantum Annealer Devices #quantum #brain #networks
https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.21.
Community Detection in Brain Connectome using Quantum Annealer Devices:
Recent advancements in network neuroscience are pointing in the direction of considering the brain as a small-world system with segregated regions integrated to facilitate different cognitive tasks and functions. In this context, community detection is a pivotal issue in computational neuroscience. In this paper we explore community detection within brain connectomes using the power of quantum annealers, and in particular the Leap’s Hybrid Solver. Our results shows that quantum annealers can achieve higher modularity index compared to classical annealer while computing communities of brain connectomes. Those promising preliminary results points out that quantum annealers might be the better choice compared to classical computing optimization process.
#quantum #brain #networks
Neuroscientists developed a blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer’s diagnosis
A significant step toward improved accessibility.
Neuroscientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine developed a new test to identify a sign of Alzheimer’s disease neurodegeneration in a blood sample, according to a press release.
“At present, diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease requires neuroimaging,” said senior author Thomas Karikari, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Pitt.
Artur Plawgo/iStock.
Called “brain-derived tau” (BD-tau), the biomarker is specific to neurodegenerations related to Alzheimer’s disease, and it reportedly outperforms currently used blood diagnostic tests.
If Brains are Computers, Who Designs the Software? — with Daniel Dennett
Cognitive science sees the brain as a sort of computer, but how does education redesign these cerebral computers? Cognitive scientist, philosopher, and expert on consciousness Daniel Dennett explains.
Watch the Q&A: https://youtu.be/0GJa0xKKSOU
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Buy Daniel Dennet’s most recent book “From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds” — https://geni.us/4pTW46
There is widespread agreement among researchers in cognitive science that a human brain is some kind of computer, but not much like the laptop. If we look at perceptual experience, and education in particular, as a process of redesigning our cerebral computers, how does the software get designed, and what are the limits of this design process? Daniel C Dennett finds out.
Daniel C Dennett is a cognitive scientist and philosopher with a particular interest in consciousness, free will and the evolution of minds. His newest book, From bacteria to Bach and back, explores how thinking minds could have evolved due to natural selection.
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Ubik radio ads by Kobi LaCroix. Inspired by the Philip K. Dick novel “Ubik” (1969).
Kobi was nominated for a Logan Award for comedy music for his song “We Are The Vikings.” He was also featured on the Weird Al tribute album “Twenty-Six And A Half.” His music has been featured several times on the Dementia Top Twenty, Dementia Radio, the Mad Music Archive, and Dr. Demento. His website is at www.zencavern.com
Researchers Can See Depression In A Brain Scan
Depression is a difficult illness. Not only does it make you feel like crap, but like so many primarily mental illnesses, it also comes with a bucketful of misinformation and misconceptions surrounding it. Even medical specialists, whom you’d expect to be the authorities on the matter, are stumped by some aspects of the disease – the truth is, while humanity may be more informed than ever on matters of the brain, we still really don’t know what’s going on inside of it when it glitches like this.
But that may soon change. Researchers based at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, claim to have developed what they call a “mood decoder” – a way of reading people’s emotional state just from looking at brain activity.
“This is the first demonstration of successful and consistent mood decoding of humans in these brain regions,” Baylor College neurosurgeon and project lead Sameer Sheth told MIT Technology Review. And the best part? The team have also found a way to stimulate a positive mood in patients’ brains.