A groundbreaking fMRI study has mapped the exact neural shifts of a self-induced visionary state. Researchers discovered that a woman capable of voluntary trance actively disconnects her sensory networks while boosting internal cognitive control.
Category: neuroscience – Page 7
New ‘Unifying Theory’ May Explain How Alzheimer’s Emerges in The Brain
The origins of Alzheimer’s remain contentious, but a new study suggests the disease may emerge as two key proteins compete inside brain cells.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has long been associated with the build-up of two proteins in the brain: amyloid-beta and tau.
This new study ties those two together, offering a “unifying theory” that, according to the team of chemists proposing it, resolves some conflicting ideas about Alzheimer’s.
How the human brain builds our sense of time
How does Jannik Sinner manage to hit the ball at exactly the right moment, with remarkable precision? And how do we, in everyday life, perceive the duration of events around us? The answer lies in how the brain constructs the perception of time, as shown by research published in PLOS Biology by Valeria Centanino, Gianfranco Fortunato, and Domenica Bueti. Starting from what we see—such as an approaching ball—temporal information is processed by the brain through progressively more complex stages: from the occipital visual cortex, to parietal and premotor areas, and finally to frontal regions.
Using high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and measuring time perception in healthy volunteers, the researchers shed light on what happens in the brain when we estimate the duration of a visual stimulus. “Our results show that time perception is not a unitary process, but the outcome of multiple processing stages distributed across the cerebral cortex,” the authors explain. “Each stage contributes differently, from encoding physical duration to constructing the subjective experience of time.”
In an initial stage, occipital visual areas encode duration through gradual (monotonic) neural responses: the longer the stimulus, the stronger the neural response. This information is then transformed in parietal and premotor regions into selective (unimodal) representations, where distinct neural populations respond preferentially to specific durations, enabling the “readout” of time. Finally, higher-order regions, including the frontal cortex and anterior insula, are involved in the subjective categorization of duration, shaping how time is perceived.
Abstract: Genetic analysis of neurodegenerative diseases:
As part of the JCI’s Review Series on Neurodegeneration, Sonja W. Scholz and colleagues highlight key genomic technologies advancing diagnosis and research in neurodegeneration.
1Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke;
2Neurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; and.
3Neuromuscular Diseases Research Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
How beliefs about demons shape the experience of mental illness
For some evangelical Christians, attributing mental illness to demonic forces can offer a sense of meaning, while for others, it creates harmful barriers to medical care. A recent qualitative study published in Spirituality in Clinical Practice outlines how these widespread spiritual explanations act as a double-edged sword for individuals experiencing psychological distress. The research indicates that integrating religious beliefs with standard psychiatric care may be a safer path forward for many faith communities.
Religion frequently shapes how people interpret their physical and mental health. Psychologists recognize that religious frameworks offer a primary system for individuals to make sense of the world around them. By relying on theological teachings, people construct meaning around their personal suffering. This process of religious meaning construction can influence health outcomes in both positive and negative directions.
Within evangelical Christianity, foundational teachings often emphasize the active existence of spiritual forces. This includes the belief that angels, demons, and other supernatural entities directly influence the physical world. This worldview can lead to the belief that spiritual forces cause human ailments, including severe psychological distress.
Demon face syndrome: The science behind prosopometamorphopsia
Imagine looking at a loved one and seeing their face twist into a demonic, unnatural shape. Their eyes might stretch to the sides of their head, their nose might swell, and deep, unnatural grooves might appear across their cheeks and forehead. This terrifying visual experience belongs to a rare neurological condition known medically as
In popular media and online discussions, it is sometimes referred to as “demon face syndrome.” People with this condition see human faces as severely distorted, even though their vision for everyday objects remains completely normal.
Prosopometamorphopsia is fundamentally different from a hallucination. A hallucination involves seeing something that is not actually present in the physical world. People experiencing these facial distortions are looking at a real person standing in front of them. Their brain simply alters the shape, size, color, or position of the facial features before the image reaches their conscious awareness.
Zebrafish reveal new insights into the biology of autism
In recent decades, the zebrafish has become one of the most valuable model organisms in scientific research. For a variety of reasons, including their genetic similarities to humans, these tiny tropical fish have helped researchers unlock secrets to diseases ranging from muscular dystrophy to melanoma. Now, Yale researchers are hoping the zebrafish will do the same for autism spectrum disorder.
In a new study, a research team generated a database of 520 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and their effects on basic larval zebrafish behaviors and then used the database to identify drug candidates that reverse disrupted behaviors in zebrafish carrying mutations in autism risk genes.
These drug candidates, the researchers say, might represent targets for people carrying mutations in specific autism risk genes.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation can target a deep brain region without surgery or medication
Neuroscientists at University of Iowa Health Care have demonstrated for the first time that noninvasive brain stimulation can alter the activity of a critical deep brain region involved in emotion and memory. Moreover, the study shows that personalizing the stimulation site using a patient’s unique brain connectivity pathway can increase the neuromodulation effect.
The study, published recently in Nature Communications, used innovative, concurrent brain stimulation and recording techniques in people to provide direct human evidence that noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can reliably engage and modulate activity in the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is a deep brain region that plays a critical role in multiple brain functions, such as memory and emotion. Problems with hippocampal function have been implicated in several neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).