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Category: neuroscience – Page 93

A new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) reveals the areas of the brain where the meanings of words are retrieved from memory and processed during language comprehension. Previous neuroimaging studies had indicated that large portions of the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes participate in processing language meaning, but it was unknown which regions encoded information about individual word meanings.

“We found that word meaning was represented in several high-level (i.e., areas that are not closely connected to primary sensory or motor areas), including the classical ‘language areas’ known as Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area,” said Dr. Leonardo Fernandino, assistant professor of neurology and biomedical engineering at MCW. “Interestingly, however, some regions not previously considered as important for language processing were among those containing the most information about word meaning.”

Additionally, they also investigated whether the neural representations of word meaning in each of these areas contained information about phenomenological experience (i.e., related to different kinds of perceptual, emotional, and action-related experiences), as several researchers had previously proposed, or whether they contained primarily information about conceptual categories (i.e., natural kinds) or about word co-occurrence statistics, as other researchers have theorized.

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Researchers have explained how visual cortexes develop uniquely across the brains of different mammalian species. A KAIST research team led by Professor Se-Bum Paik from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has identified a single biological factor, the retino-cortical mapping ratio, that predicts distinct cortical organizations across mammalian species.

This new finding has resolved a long-standing puzzle in understanding visual neuroscience regarding the origin of functional architectures in the visual cortex. The study, published in Cell Reports on March 10, demonstrates that the evolutionary variation of biological parameters may induce the development of distinct functional circuits in the visual cortex, even without -specific developmental mechanisms.

In the (V1) of mammals, neural tuning to visual stimulus orientation is organized into one of two distinct topographic patterns across species. While primates have columnar orientation maps, a salt-and-pepper type organization is observed in rodents.

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As we move into 2025, mental health continues to be a vital aspect of overall well-being in an increasingly fast-paced and complex world.

- CBT-based exercises that help users manage anxiety, depression, and emotional stress.

- Daily check-ins with an AI chatbot to track moods and thoughts, enabling users to gain insights into their emotional health.

- Progress tracking to help users monitor improvements and identify recurring mental health challenges.

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Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023.

Now, researchers from Michigan State University are the first to measure to make predictions that could help inform enhanced urban planning and design that addresses the well-being of residents and visitors.

Dar Meshi, an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations and director of the Social Media and Neuroscience Lab at MSU, led the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Cities and included collaborators from the University of Lisbon in Portugal. Together, they found that the brain’s reward system can shape within urban environments and aid in designing cities that promote sustainable living.

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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have developed a microscopy method that enables detailed three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at cellular resolution in whole intact mouse brains. The new method, called TRISCO, has the potential to transform our understanding of brain function, both in normal conditions and in disease, according to a new study published in Science.

Despite great advances in RNA analysis, linking RNA data to its spatial context has long been a challenge, especially in intact 3D tissue volumes. The TRISCO method now makes it possible to perform three-dimensional RNA imaging of whole mouse brains without the need to slice the brain into thin sections, which was previously necessary.

“This method is a powerful tool that can drive forward. With TRISCO, we can study the complex anatomical structure of the brain in a way that was previously not possible,” says Per Uhlén, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s last author.

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