Summary: Sound stimulation can manipulate brain waves during REM sleep, a stage crucial for memory and cognition. Using advanced technology, researchers were able to increase the frequency of brain oscillations that slow down in dementia patients, potentially improving memory functions.The non-invasive technique could pave the way for innovative treatments for...
Conspiracy Theorists Can Have Their Opinions Changed Through AI Meetings.
Summary: AI-powered conversations can reduce belief in conspiracy theories by 20%. Researchers found that AI provided tailored, fact-based rebuttals to participants’ conspiracy claims, leading to a lasting change in their beliefs.In one out of four cases, participants disavowed the conspiracy entirely. The study suggests that AI has the potential to...
High Doses of ADHD Medicines Are Related to An Increased Schizophrenia Risk
Summary: Adults taking high doses of amphetamine-based medications for ADHD, such as Adderall, face a five-fold increased risk of developing psychosis or mania. The risk was highest for those taking 30 mg or more of dextroamphetamine, with 81% of psychosis or mania cases potentially avoidable by lowering the dose.While previous...
Important Neurons Discovered to Predict Memory of People and Places
Summary: Researchers have identified specific brain cells, known as concept neurons and location cells, that predict whether we will successfully remember people and places. These neurons in the medial temporal lobe and parahippocampal cortex become active during memory formation, responding to specific images and locations. Their activity is linked to...
Social Group Preferences Discovered: Neurological Circuitry Behind
Summary: Scientists have identified the brain circuitry that drives spiny mice to prefer larger social groups. The study shows that neural signaling from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the lateral septum (LS) promotes social group-size preference.When this circuit was turned off, male mice preferred smaller groups, while female mice...
Human-Dog Brain Activity Syncs During Bonding
Summary: During social interactions, human and dog brain activity becomes synchronized, with mutual gazing and petting enhancing this connection. Over five days, synchronization between human-dog pairs increased with familiarity, suggesting a leader-follower dynamic, where humans lead and dogs follow.Dogs with social impairments showed a loss of synchronization, but this was...
How the Brain Transforms Sensory Information into Action
Summary: Neuroscientists have uncovered how sensory input is transformed into motor action across multiple brain regions in mice. The study shows that decision-making is a distributed process across the brain, where neurons link sensory evidence to actions.Researchers found that after learning a task, mice process information across numerous brain regions,...
Women May Experience First Puberty As a Result of Chemical Exposure.
Summary: New research reveals that girls exposed to certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may experience early puberty, which is linked to various health risks. These chemicals, including musk ambrette found in personal care products, can stimulate key receptors in the brain that control puberty.The study suggests that exposure to these substances...
How Flickering Light Induces Hallucinations
Summary: A new study reveals how flickering lights can trigger hallucinations by causing standing waves in the brain’s visual cortex. Researchers observed that high-frequency flickering lights create ripple-like waves of neural activity, which turn into standing waves at higher frequencies.These standing waves might explain the geometric patterns people often perceive...
AI Identifies How the Brain Thinks and Reasons What Decisions Are Made.
Summary: A new study using artificial intelligence has provided novel insights into how the brain predicts future events and processes information. Researchers discovered that the brain’s spontaneous activity, even without external stimuli, plays a critical role in how we think and feel.By analyzing local field potentials (LFPs), they uncovered how...