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Studying Consciousness Without Affecting It

A new study tests an alternative to external stimulation for measuring when subjects lose and regain responsiveness during sedation and anesthesia.

“Traveling” Nature Of Brain Waves May Help Working Memory Work

The act of holding information in mind is accompanied by coordination of rotating brain waves in the prefrontal cortex, a phenomenon that may convey specific advantages, a new study suggests.

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Research Advances Technology Of AI Assistance For Anesthesiologists

A new deep-learning algorithm trained to optimize doses of propofol to maintain unconsciousness during general anesthesia could augment patient monitoring.

Neurons Are Fickle. Electric Fields Are More Reliable For Information.

Electric fields may represent information held in working memory, allowing the brain to overcome “representational drift,” or the inconsistent participation of individual neurons.

A Single Memory Is Stored Across Many Connected Brain Regions

Innovative brain-wide mapping study shows that an “engram,” the ensemble of neurons encoding a memory, is widely distributed and includes regions not previously realized.

Circuit That Focuses Attention Brings In Wide Array Of Inputs

With a comprehensive map of the wiring, researchers can now discern what information flows into the circuit to enable a key brain function.

New Findings Reveal How Neurons Build And Maintain Their Capacity To Communicate

Nerve cells regulate and routinely refresh the collection of calcium channels that enable them to send messages across circuit connections.

Sprint Then Stop? The Brain Is Wired For The Math To Make It Happen

To ensure a quick halt, brain circuit architecture avoids a slow process of integration in favor of quicker differentiation, study finds.

Advanced Imaging Reveals Mired Migration Of Neurons In Rett Syndrome Lab Models

Using organoids to model early development, researchers used an emerging microscopy technology to see that new neurons struggled to reach their developmental destination.

When A Task Adds More Steps, This Brain Circuit Helps You Notice

By tracking feedback during tasks, the anterior cingulate cortex notices when a new step has become necessary and signals the motor cortex to adjust.

When Alzheimer’s Degrades Cells That Cross Hemispheres, Visual Memory Suffers

Research reveals cells that span brain hemispheres to coordinate activity in visual processing centers, shows Alzheimer’s degrades their structure and function.

How The Brain Focuses On What’s In Mind

When holding information in mind, neural activity is more focused when and where there are bursts of gamma frequency rhythms.

Study Reveals How Environment And State Are Integrated To Control Behavior

A simple animal model shows how stimuli and states such as smells, stressors, and satiety converge in an olfactory neuron to guide food-seeking behavior.

With Fractured Genomes, Alzheimer’s Neurons Call For Help

Study indicates ailing neurons may instigate an inflammatory response from the brain’s microglia immune cells.

New Technologies Reveal Cross-Cutting Breakdowns In Alzheimer’s Disease

“Single-cell profiling” is helping neuroscientists see how disease affects major brain cell types and identify common, potentially targetable pathways.

3 Questions: Mriganka Sur On The Research Origins Of The First Approved Drug To Treat Rett Syndrome

On March 10 the FDA approved Trofinetide, a drug based on the protein IGF-1. The MIT professor's original research showing that IGF-1 could treat Rett was published in 2009.

“Spatial Computing” Enables Flexible Working Memory

The brain applies rhythms to physical patches of the cortex to selectively control just the right neurons at the right times to do the right things.

Astrocyte Cells Critical For Learning Skilled Movements

When astrocyte function is disrupted, neurons in the brain’s motor cortex struggle to execute and refine motion, a new study in mice shows.

Sparse, Small, But Diverse Neural Connections Help Make Perception Reliable, Efficient

First detailed mapping and modeling of thalamus inputs onto visual cortex neurons show brain leverages “wisdom of the crowd” to process sensory information.

Small Studies Of 40-Hertz Sensory Stimulation Confirm Safety, Suggest Alzheimer’s Benefits

MIT researchers report early-stage clinical study results of tests with noninvasive 40-hertz light and sound treatment.