Are Anxiety Disorders All In The Mind? May 13, 2008
Once administered, the radiotracer revealed functional alterations in these systems by measuring the radioactive binding in the thalamus, midbrain and pons (known to be acted upon by serotonin) and in the striatum (known to be acted upon by dopamine). The altered uptake activity in these regions indicated a greater level of disordered function. (Science Daily)
Imaging Advances Map Brain Areas Affecting Mood May 8, 2008
In another study, Zubieta and colleagues found that people with untreated major depression had reduced concentrations of "mu" opioid receptors in the thalamus, an area of the brain involved in the regulation of emotions. The mu receptors play a key role in regulating mood and triggering brain reward systems. (MEDLINEplus)
Cocaine's Effects On Brain Metabolism May Contribute To Abuse Feb 26, 2008
Before any treatment, mice lacking dopamine transporters had significantly higher metabolism in the thalamus and cerebellum compared with normal mice ... The scientists also observed a reduction in metabolism in the thalamus region in the DAT knockout mice ... These results also support the idea that the thalamus and the cerebellum play key roles in cocaine's mechanism of effect on sensory input, learning, and motor function. (Science Daily)
Siblings Of Schizophrenia Patients Display Subtle Shape Abnormalities In Brain Feb 23, 2008
Shape abnormalities were found in the brain's thalamus ... "We're interested in the thalamus because it has a lot of connections to the prefrontal cortex," says Michael P. Harms, Ph ... " In addition to psychosis, schizophrenia is characterized by other difficulties, such as issues with working memory and decreased cognitive performance. Those symptoms are believed to involve the cortex, and since the thalamus projects throughout the cortex, it's conceivable abnormalities in the thalamus may be... (Science Daily)
Neurostimulation Feb 20, 2008
Another research team is targeting a different but nearby part of the brainthe network of nodes in the frontal lobe and base of the thalamus and basal ganglia, where emotion, attention, and anxiety are believed to converge. In a recent study for another device manufacturer, researchers from Brown University and Cleveland Clinic found that five of 10 patients treated with DBS between 2003 and 2006 showed a 50 percent reduction in the severity of their depression one year later. (Slate)
Malathion: What you didn’t know Jan 24, 2008
Brain Injury from Malaoxon at Lower Doses in Older Animals wrote on Jan 24, 2008 7:08 AM:" SOURCE: Toxicology, 79:157-167, 1993 The chemical malaoxon, formed from malathion, was found to cause neuronal (brain cell) injury in older adult male rats at doses of only one-fifth that required to cause similar injury in young adult rats. In this experiment, older rats (18 months) were given a single dose of malaoxon at levels of 8.7 mg/kg. Within 10 minutes there were signs of salivation,... (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
Rapid effects of intensive therapy seen in brains of patients with OCD Jan 18, 2008
The study is exciting because it tells us more about how cognitive-behavioral therapy works for OCD and shows that both robust clinical improvements and changes in brain activity occur after only four weeks of intensive treatment," said Saxena. OCD is an anxiety disorder in which individuals have unreasonable fears or worries that they try to manage through ritualized compulsive behaviors to reduce the anxiety. For example, a patient may experience the urgent need to engage in certain rituals,... (EurekAlert!)
Newsweek: Was Proust a neuroscientist? Jan 9, 2008
All of our other senses are first routed through the thalamus. Although we like to think of our memory as a repository of inert information, like a hard drive in the mind, our memory is actually always changing. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Brain Imaging And Genetic Studies Link Thinking Patterns To Addiction Dec 31, 2007
16, 2001) Viewing pictures of alcoholic beverages activates the prefrontal cortex and the anterior thalamus in alcoholics but not in moderate drinkers, report Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). . (Science Daily)
Sleep, Attention, and Memory: Not (Maybe) What You Thought Dec 12, 2007
In contrast, the sleepy subjects showed tighter coupling with basic alertness networks in the brainstem and thalamus ... In contrast, the sleepy subjects showed tighter coupling with basic alertness networks in the brainstem and thalamus. (Nature News Service)
Study finds brain differences in adolescents with mental illness Dec 8, 2007
They also found that the thalamus (the part of the brain through which sensory information passes to the cerebral cortex) was smaller in children with schizophrenia. Fraziers work suggests that as the brain develops, some brain structures may be more vulnerable to mental illness than others in children with these illnesses, particularly during pubertal development. (EurekAlert!)
Prenatal Cocaine Exposure Cuts Blood Flow to Brain Nov 24, 2007
The exposed teens showed decreased blood flow in various brain regions, with marked decreases in two key regions: the occipital lobe, an area that controls vision, and the thalamus, an area that acts as a sensory relay station for the brain. SOURCE: Pediatrics, November 2007. (MEDLINEplus)
The Dietitian Magician: Thanksgiving taste bud trivia Nov 14, 2007
Damage to the areas of the brain such as the brain stem, thalamus and cerebral cortex may also cause taste problems. Smoking also can limit the number of taste buds a person has leading to a condition called hypogusia, or the reduced ability to taste. (Ames Daily Tribune, IA)
University Hospitals Case Medical Center finds new treatment holds promise for Tourette syndrome Nov 13, 2007
In this double-blind study the electrodes were placed in the thalamus, a portion of the brain that is involved in controlling movement ... Their goal was to locate the safest and most direct route to reach the thalamus. (EurekAlert!)
Model behaviour Nov 1, 2007
For example, a circuit that runs between the portion of the cortex at the front of the brain, and the striatum and the thalamus deeper in the brain, has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The symptoms of this disorder can sometimes be alleviated by drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which enhance the effects of the neurotransmitter serotonin. (Nature News Service)
How Schizophrenia Develops: Major Clues Discovered Oct 19, 2007
1, 2001) A new brain imaging study from the Institute of Psychiatry shows for the first time that the thalamus, the brain's main sensory filter or 'hub', is smaller than normal from the earliest. (Aug. (Science Daily)
Cause Of Visual Problems Among Children Of Hypothyroid Mothers Found Oct 9, 2007
As the presentation speed increased, so did the response of a specific cell type in the thalamus, which signals contrasts in brightness. The study involved 36 six-month-old infants born to hypothyroid women treated with levothyroxine, who were diagnosed prior to or during their pregnancies, and 22 control infants. (Science Daily)
Do Migratory Birds 'See' The Magnetic Field? Oct 2, 2007
In the current study the research group from Oldenburg, Germany and their collaborators traced the neurons from the eye and from Cluster N. The results link the recent findings by demonstrating a functional neuronal connection between the retinal neurons and Cluster N via the visual thalamus. Thus, the only two parts of the central nervous system shown to be highly active during magnetic compass orientation are linked to each other by a well-known visual brain circuit, namely by parts of the... (Science Daily)
Memory tasks require more coordinated brain blood flow for people with high blood pressure Sep 28, 2007
He explained that, when doing memory tasks, four areas of the brain become active in different ways: the thalamus, posterior parietal, prefrontal area and hippocampus. In the first study, we looked at the correlation between the activation of those areas. (EurekAlert!)
How Does The Brain Develop During Embryogenesis? Sep 26, 2007
The thalamocortical projection is one of the significant evolutionary developments of the forebrain, comprising bundles of axonal connections linking two key centres, the thalamus, which relays external sensory information, and the cerebral cortex, the most highly developed region comprising the so-called grey matter. The thalamocortical projections, that first appeared in reptiles, have been remodelled in rodents and in primates, and are therefore of great interest in the study of neurological... (Science Daily)
Study Offers Insights Into Sensory Perceptions Sep 25, 2007
The woman began having strange reactions to sound after suffering a stroke that only affected part of a brain structure known as the thalamus ... The thalamus, located in the middle of the brain, acts as a kind of relay station for sensory processing, Ro said ... "Almost all of the sensory receptors from the eyes, ears or skin go through into the thalamus before they project onto higher areas of the brain.". (Health-Finder)
Fetal Neurons Still Operate in Adult Brain Sep 17, 2007
During development, subplate neurons serve as bridges and scaffolding while connections are established between neurons in the cortex and other cell populations in the thalamus, a midbrain structure responsible for sensory processing, motor control and consciousness. When subplate cells are damaged, the normal pattern of developmental activity in the cortex is disrupted and there are multiple visual processing deficits. (Scientific American)
Book Review: My Lobotomy Sep 17, 2007
Steel spikes were driven through the back of both eye sockets and into his brain to sever neural connections between the thalamus and the frontal lobe. Forty years of misery ensued, recalled by Dully in a celebrated documentary broadcast on National Public Radio in November 2005 and now, in collaboration with Charles Fleming, in the harrowing "My Lobotomy.". (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Abstinent Alcoholics Can Have Reduced Brain Activation Without Apparent Structural Damage Aug 30, 2007
Results showed that long-term memory retrieval induced by the task led to lower brain activity in the prefrontal lobes, anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, and ventral striatum of the alcoholics than the controls. "Even though both groups of participants performed similarly on the task, what distinguished them were their brain activation levels while engaged in the memory task," said Sullivan. (Science Daily)
Patient With Brain Injury In 'Minimally Conscious State' Shows Functional Improvement After Deep Brain Stimulation Aug 21, 2007
"Activity within these integrated neural networks is supported by cells in an area of the brain called the central thalamus, which is thought to be key to adjusting brain activity as it responds to cognitive demands," he says. "Our theory was that electrical impulses targeted to this area would help amplify the existing low level of activity that we thought was already there," adds Dr. Giacino. (Science Daily)
News Bytes of the Week Aug 10, 2007
Researchers report that people with stiff achy hands have less gray matter in three areas of the brain (the cerebellum, thalamus, and sensorimotor cortex) that coordinate sensation and movement for the affected hand. (; ). (Scientific American)
The Electric Brain Aug 6, 2007
During a 10-hour operation, neurosurgeon Ali Rezai put two devices called electrodes deep within the center of patient's brain, in an area called the thalamus. Shaped like a walnut, the thalamus serves as the brain's "grand central station," says Rezai ... Rezai and colleagues proposed that transmitting currents deep in the brain would make the thalamus more active. (Science News for Kids)
Revolutionary therapy hope for brain damage Aug 4, 2007
Two electrodes were inserted through the skull to stimulate the thalamus, a part of the brain that arouses other important circuits. Over six months, they were switched on and off, in a random pattern, so doctors did not know when he was being stimulated. (Times Online)
Near-Vegetative Man Partially Recovers from Brain Injury Aug 3, 2007
" the man's mother said during a telephone press conference this morning, explaining why she accepted doctors' offer to try out the new therapy on her son. She also detailed the trials of caring for someone in a near-vegetative state, which included signing a "do not resuscitate" form soon after his 30th birthday and the inability to take her son out of his managed care facility even on a nice day (for fear he would aspirate, drawing liquid into his lungs). But life improved dramatically after... (Scientific American)
Doctors 'Awaken' Man 6 Years After Severe Brain Injury Aug 3, 2007
The patient who is the subject of the new study underwent a 10-hour operation during which electrodes were implanted into his brain and used to stimulate the thalamus on both sides of the brain. The procedure has been used before in Parkinson's disease, dystonia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. (MEDLINEplus)
Implants offer hope in brain injury cases Aug 2, 2007
The man is the first in a planned 12-patient study using the stimulators on the thalamus, a bundle of cells deep in the brain known to activate other areas of the brain ... In the minimally conscious patient, researchers say, they seem to give a kind of jump-start through the thalamus to the brain. (Boston Globe)
Implant boosts activity in injured brain Aug 2, 2007
By electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus, they were able to help him 0000003E name objects on request, make precise hand gestures, and chew 00000564 food without the aid of a feeding tube (see ''). The thalamus is involved in motor control, arousal and in relaying sensory signals from the visual systems, for example to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in consciousness. (Nature News Service)
Brain stimulation gives new life to patient Aug 2, 2007
" The operation marked the beginning of a planned clinical trial of DBS to treat 12 minimally conscious patients. "Without further study, we have no means of knowing for sure that the functional improvements we have observed will be seen in other subjects, yet we expect that we will find other patients who will respond," said Nicholas Schiff, of Cornell. "We can say that this patient's recovery of oral feeding and communication abilities was strongly linked to the DBS." Surgeons worked for 10... (MSNBC -- Business)
Brain pacemaker helps revive 'lost' man Aug 2, 2007
" The man, whose name was not released, was assaulted in 1999 in an incident that left him bed-ridden and under 24-hour nursing care. He is being treated at a rehabilitation facility in the New York-New Jersey area. Before the electrodes were implanted, the patient was in a so-called minimally-conscious state. Unlike a person in a coma or persistent vegetative state, he showed occasional signs of awareness and infrequently tried to communicate using signals or mouthing words. Those glimpses of... (Globe and Mail)
Jumper leads deep into brain revive man after six years Aug 2, 2007
The US researchers knew that some patients in a minimally conscious state retained functioning brain networks above the brain stem, supported by an area of the brain known as the thalamus. By stimulating the thalamus, they switched on undamaged areas of the brain. (The Age, Australia)
Brain stimulation helps barely-conscious man recover Aug 2, 2007
Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic threaded two wires through the 38-year-old man's skull and into a subcortical area called the thalamus after receiving consent from the patient's family. The wires were connected to a pacemaker like unit, implanted under the man's collarbone. (Xinhuanet, China)
Man Regains Speech After Brain Stimulation Aug 2, 2007
Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic threaded two wires through the man s skull and into a subcortical area called the thalamus ... The central part of the thalamus, in particular, projects widely to areas of the brain known to play a role in supporting consciousness, said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, a neurologist at Cornell, who led the study with Dr. Giacino. (New York Times)
Brain Abnormalities Found In People With Writer's Cramp Jul 27, 2007
The researchers found that those with writer's cramp had less grey matter in three areas of the brain: the cerebellum, the thalamus, and the sensorimotor cortex. "It's not clear whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease," said study author St;phane Leh;ricy, MD, PhD, of Salp tri;re Hospital in Paris, France. (Science Daily)
Writer's Cramp Tied to Brain Abnormalities Jul 25, 2007
Compared with healthy individuals, the study showed those with severe writer s cramp had decreased gray matter brain tissue in three areas in the left side of the brain: the cerebellum, the thalamus, and the sensorimotor cortex. It s not clear whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease, says researcher St. (Fox News)
Writer's Cramp May Be Tied to Brain Abnormalities Jul 25, 2007
The participants with writer's cramp had less grey matter in three areas of the brain: the cerebellum, the thalamus and the sensorimotor cortex -- areas that control the affected hand. The researchers now face a chicken-and-egg situation, because it's not clear whether the abnormalities are a cause or effect of writer's cramp. (Forbes)
Writer's Cramp May Start In The Brain Jul 24, 2007
Compared with healthy individuals, the study showed those with severe writer's cramp had decreased gray matter brain tissue in three areas in the left side of the brain: the cerebellum, the thalamus, and the sensorimotor cortex. "It's not clear whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease," says researcher Stephane Lehericy, MD, PhD, of Salpitrier Hospital in Paris, in a news release. (CBS News)
Scientists identify 2 distinct Parkinson's networks Jul 10, 2007
The first networks to be identified were no surprise: The basal ganglia, thalamus and brain stem that regulate movement. The scans they used measured glucose metabolism the brains fuel and identified areas in this motor network that showed decreased metabolic activity and some areas that had increased metabolic activity. (EurekAlert!)
Parkinson's Gene Therapy Breakthrough May Enter Clinical Trials by Year-End Jun 27, 2007
They also found that the treated sides of the brain showed normalized brain activity in key regions downstream from the subthalamic nucleus: the thalamus, also implicated in motor function, and parts of the cerebral cortex involved in movement ... In an editorial accompanying The Lancet article, Jon Stoessel, a professor of neurology at Pacific Parkinson's Research Center in Vancouver, calls the new work a "provocative approach to the treatment of neurodegenerative disease." He questions,... (Scientific American)
Newly Identified Drug Relieves Suffering Jun 6, 2007
By contrast, the acute sensory pain of the burned finger appears in the sensory part of the thalamus. Apkarian also found that the longer a person has been suffering from chronic pain, the more activity in the prefrontal cortex. (Science Daily)
* Finding some calm after living with 'the shakes' Jun 5, 2007
" One thorough study has indicated that in 96 percent of cases, essential tremor is familial, a result of an autosomal dominant genetic mutation. That means that every child of a person with the condition has a 50 percent chance of inheriting it. And most people, after learning the nature of their problem, are able to trace it from a parent and other family members. But the so-called penetrance of the mutated gene can vary widely, resulting in different degrees of disability. The damaged gene... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Old memory traces in brain may trigger chronic pain Jun 5, 2007
CHICAGO --- Why do so many people continue to suffer from life-altering, chronic pain long after their injuries have actually healed" The definitive answer -- and an effective treatment -- has long eluded scientists. Traditional analgesic drugs, such as aspirin and morphine derivatives, havent worked very well. A Northwestern University researcher has found a key source of chronic pain appears to be an old memory trace that essentially gets stuck in the prefrontal cortex, the site of emotion... (EurekAlert!)
Living With the 'Shakes' Jun 5, 2007
If drug treatment is not helpful, implanting a stimulatory in the thalamus of the brain can block the nerve signals that cause tremors in the upper extremities. The procedure has its hazards and is usually a last resort. (The Ledger)
Parkinson's Disease May 30, 2007
An alternative is surgery on the brain, either on the pallidum or the thalamus ... In this treatment, electrodes are placed in the thalamus and a pacemaker is used to stimulate the area. (BBC News -- Health)
Study opens way for bionic eye Apr 25, 2007
The team used normal-sighted monkeys to test whether stimulating an area of the thalamus deep in the brain could produce a visual signal. First they trained the monkeys to look at suddenly illuminated points of light. (BBC News -- Science)
Implantshelp monkeys see the light Apr 24, 2007
While researchers have worked on developing implants for the eyes retina, John S. Pezaris and R. Clay Reid turned their attention to a portion of the thalamus that relays signals from the retina to the brains visual cortex ... This technique hadnt been tried because of the hard-to-reach location of the thalamus, but Pezaris said the advent of deep brain stimulation for treating Parkinsons disease suggested that technique might be adapted ... So the researchers placed electrodes in... (MSNBC -- Health)
Arthritis pain, the brain and the role of emotions Mar 28, 2007
However, during arthritic pain, activity was increased within the medial pain system of the brain, including most of the cingulate cortex, the thalamus, and the amygdala. This suggests that, for these patients, arthritis pain has more emotional impactand perhaps stronger associations with fear and distressthan experimental pain. (EurekAlert!)
Brain Scans Reveal Cause Of Smokers' Cravings Mar 23, 2007
Shown in blue in this illustration is the thalamus, an region of the brain critical to one's ability to calm down when stressed ... One region that lights up, called the thalamus, is considered to be the key relay point for sensory information flowing into the brain. (Science Daily)
Study: Brain regions explain nicotine urges Mar 20, 2007
One region that lights up, the thalamus, is considered to be the key relay point for sensory information flowing into the brain. Some of the symptoms of withdrawal among people trying to quit stem from the inability to focus thoughts and the feeling of being overwhelmed, and could thus be explained by changes in this region, according to the researchers. (Herald Sun)
Study Shows Genetic Link For Schizophrenia Feb 22, 2007
(January 1, 2001) -- A new brain imaging study from the Institute of Psychiatry shows for the first time that the thalamus, the brain's main sensory filter or 'hub', is smaller than normal from the earliest stages of. . (Science Daily)
Stroke Rehabilitation Choices Feb 20, 2007
A 2004 study (Yoo, 2004 in Neuroimage) used a functional MRI to find acupuncture affects several parts of the brain, including the "left superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and dorsomedial nucleus of thalamus.". The thalamus is the part of the brain where we most experience pain and other sensations. (Suite101.com)
Sleep improves your memory Feb 12, 2007
This had a knock-on effect on other parts of the brain that are linked to alertness, the brainstem and thalamus. Previous research has found that sleep after learning is vital for consolidating memory, but hard evidence has until now been lacking as to the effects of lack of sleep before a memory is created. (iAfrica.com)
How Hallucinogens Play Their Mind-Bending Games Feb 4, 2007
These receptors show up in many places in the brain, including several areas in the cortex (known for sensory perception), and the thalamus (an interior region known for relaying messages to the cortex as well as regulating arousal and awareness) ... While Roth concedes that cortical serotonin 2A receptors are likely part of the mechanism of hallucinogenic drugs, Dave Nichols, a molecular pharmacologist at Purdue University, believes the thalamus must be involved in some manner ... "The thalamus... (Scientific American)
How Does Your Brain Tell Time? Study Challenges Theory Of Inner Clock Feb 3, 2007
ScienceDaily: How Does Your Brain Tell Time. Study Challenges Theory Of Inner Clock. (Science Daily)
The Time It Takes To Reassemble The World Jan 26, 2007
-- The thalamus is a part of the brain. The two thalami are located in the center of the brain, one beneath each cerebral hemisphere and next to the third ventricle. (Science Daily)
Human Circadian Clocks Couple To Local Sun Time Jan 23, 2007
-- In mammals, the hypothalamus is a region of the brain located below the thalamus, forming the major portion of the ventral region of the diencephalon and functioning to regulate certain metabolic. . (Science Daily)
Neural Bottleneck Found That Thwarts Multi-tasking Jan 20, 2007
Many people think they can safely drive while talking on their cell phones. Vanderbilt neuroscientists Paul E. Dux and Ren; Marois have found that when it comes to handling two things at once, your brain, while fast, isn't that fast. (Science Daily)
How Appetite-stimulating Brain Cells Work Overtime During Fasting Jan 6, 2007
Now, the researchers found that support cells in the hypothalamus producing an enzyme that catalyzes active thyroid hormone production are side by side with appetite-stimulating neurons that express UCP2 ... Researchers had thought that decreased levels of the fat-produced hormone leptin alone signaled the hypothalamus that fat levels have fallen, leading hypothalamic neurons to activate a program, including hunger, to preserve energy and restore fat levels, he said ... -- In mammals, the... (Science Daily)
Estrogen Curbs Appetite In Same Way As The Hormone Leptin Jan 5, 2007
They analyzed the effect of estrogen on the ability of nerve cells to make new connections in the hypothalamus ... In previous studies, Horvath and his team found that that estrogen induces synaptic plasticity in the hypothalamus, so they looked to see whether those alterations by estrogen were in line with the proposed shift in the activity of the hypothalamus ... (September 29, 2006) -- Leptin, a hormone critical for normal food intake and metabolism, exerts a strong effect on appetite by... (Science Daily)
Governor finds tremors annoying, not debilitating Jan 4, 2007
Essential tremor is a result of abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain, including the cerebellum, thalamus and brain stem, according to Las Vegas neurosurgeon Daniel J. Broeske. The cause of the disorder is unknown. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
