Some Mysteries Of Neonatal Seizures Explained Sep 10, 2009
The researchers first confirmed in newborn mice that chloride levels in deep-brain structures like the thalamus are much lower than cortical levels, a difference that decreases as the animals mature and cortical chloride levels drop. They then showed that GABA inhibits the activity of thalamic neurons but stimulates cortical neurons in neonatal rats, a difference that was enhanced by the induction of seizures. (Science Daily)
Non-invasive Brain Surgery Moves A Step Closer Aug 20, 2009
The preliminary results in these patients are consistent with conventional therapy - radiofrequency ablation - which is an invasive procedure and involves making an incision in the scalp, drilling a hole in the skull, inserting an electrode through normal brain tissue into the thalamus, and using radiofrequency to create the lesion ... Arrows show two small symmetrical lesions in the thalamus of the brain after the non-invasive procedure. (Science Daily)
Chinese Acupuncture Affects Brain's Ability To Regulate Pain, UM Study Shows Aug 12, 2009
In the study, researchers at the U-M Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center showed acupuncture increased the binding availability of mu-opoid receptors (MOR) in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals specifically the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala. Opioid painkillers, such as morphine, codeine and other medications, are thought to work by binding to these opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. (Science Daily)
Abnormal Brain Circuits May Prevent Movement Disorder Aug 10, 2009
One pathway connecting the cerebellum with the thalamus is abnormal in all people carrying the mutant gene, and predisposes carriers to dystonia. In the patients with mutated genes but no symptoms, a second pathway between the thalamus and the cortex is also abnormal. (Science Daily)
The Law of Accelerating Returns, Ray Kurzweil, KurzweilAI.net Aug 1, 2009
The auditory portion of the thalamus. LS: Limbic. (Harper's Magazine)
High Blood Pressure May Lead To 'Silent' Strokes Jul 31, 2009
They occur when blood flow is blocked in one of the arteries leading to areas deep within the brain, such as the putamen or the thalamus. By the end of the study, an additional 1. (Science Daily)
Map Of Your Brain May Reveal Early Mental Illness Jul 11, 2009
No, this doctor wants to stretch a tape measure around your hippocampus, thalamus and prefrontal cortex ... "People with schizophrenia also have problems with interpretation, attention and controls and thought and memory. So the thalamus is another natural structure to study," said Lei Wang, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and of radiology, at Northwestern's Feinberg School ... The green and blue colors represent shrinkage in such brain structures as the thalamus,... (Science Daily)
“What if God is a sham?”: Reporter seeks what is behind mystical experiences Jun 20, 2009
But what really surprised him was McDermott s thalamus, a tiny region in the brain that regulates the processing of sights and sounds and other data ... McDermott s thalamus was 15 percent asymmetrical, the most pronounced Newberg had ever seen. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Needle Biopsies Safe In 'Eloquent' Areas Of Brain, Study Suggests Jun 6, 2009
Eloquent areas included the brainstem, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, motor cortex, thalamus, and visual cortex. Complications were defined as the worsening of existing neurological deficits, seizures, brain hemorrhaging and death. (Science Daily)
Scripps Florida scientists devise accelerated method to determine infectious prion strains May 29, 2009
"The prions primarily target the brainstem and the thalamus of this transgenic mouse, explaining why these animals have a shorter incubation time than their normal counterparts," Lasmzas said. "The prion aggregates also don't spread evenly to other brain regions, and their distribution is characteristic for different strains.". (EurekAlert!)
A Person's High Or Low Response To Alcohol Says Much About Their Risk For Alcoholism May 25, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 25, 2009) Someone who has a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, meaning relatively little reaction to alcohol, has a higher risk for developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). A study that examined the influence of LR in conjunction with other characteristics like family history of AUDs and age of drinking onset has found that LR is a unique risk factor for AUDs across adulthood and is not simply a reflection of a broader range of risk factors. (Science Daily)
Fatal Case of Deer Tick Virus Encephalitis May 14, 2009
Immunohistochemical analysis with antisera specific for deer tick virus identified numerous immunoreactive neurons, with prominent involvement of large neurons in the brain stem, cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus, and spinal cord. This case demonstrates that deer tick virus can be a cause of fatal encephalitis. (New England Journal of Medicine)
How to build a bigger brain May 13, 2009
Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus all regions known for regulating emotions ... The researchers found significantly larger cerebral measurements in meditators compared with controls, including larger volumes of the right hippocampus and increased gray matter in the right orbito-frontal cortex, the right thalamus and the left inferior temporal lobe. (EurekAlert!)
Got An Itch? How Scratching May Relieve It Apr 29, 2009
There the message is relayed to other neurons that run to a part of the brain called the thalamus ... From the thalamus, the "itch" message is passed to the cerebral cortex, which interprets the signals and produces the sensation of itch ... "Before, we didn't know if the inhibition occurred in the spinal cord, the thalamus, or the cortex," Giesler notes. (Science Daily)
Mutations in a Thiamine-Transporter Gene and Wernicke’s-like Encephalopathy Apr 28, 2009
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed high-intensity signals in the bilateral medial thalamus and. . (New England Journal of Medicine)
State of Mind Apr 28, 2009
a neurologist at Weill Cornell, has theorized that Ambien may shut down a deep brain structure called the globus pallidus that normally depresses the central thalamus, a blimp-shaped structure sitting atop the brain stem that acts as a relay station for diverse inputs from neurons across the brain as well as sensory information streaming in through the brain stem. Bilateral damage to the thalamus notoriously results in a permanent vegetative state. (Slate)
Brain Scans Reveal Secrets of 'Writer's Cramp' Apr 17, 2009
Among the writers cramp patients, the scans uncovered structural abnormalities in the white matter from the primary sensorimotor cortex region of the brain to below-cortex regions such as the thalamus. The observed abnormalities were not present among the healthy participants. (MEDLINEplus)
That's the Spot: How Scratching Brings Relief Apr 8, 2009
Giesler said itch sensations -- which are a form of pain signal -- are sent to a region of the brain known as the thalamus. But it has not been clear how scratching interferes with the itch signal. (MEDLINEplus)
Study finds itch, and scratch that follows, linked to spinal cells Apr 7, 2009
In the study, led by a postdoctoral student, Steve Davidson, researchers isolated in monkeys cellular connections that run from the foot's surface to the spinal cord and then to the thalamus, a clearinghouse for sensations in the brain, down through the spinal cord to the foot. They induced the sensation by injecting histamines under the skin. (Boston Globe)
Whole-brain Circuit Map Could Reveal What Goes Wrong In Autism, Schizophrenia And Other Brain Disorders Apr 4, 2009
3, 2009) Thirty-seven scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and 20 other major research institutions in the U.S. and Europe have issued a major challenge to the neuroscience community. At long last, the time has come, they argue in a just-published paper, to assemble a comprehensive map of the major neural circuits in the mammalian brain. (Science Daily)
Gulf War Syndrome May Stem from Chemical Exposure Mar 26, 2009
"Those areas were in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus and the amygdala. "Changes in functioning of these brain structures can certainly cause problems with concentration and memory, body pain, fatigue, abnormal emotional responses and personality changes that we commonly see in ill Gulf War veterans," he said. The study also gave researchers what Haley described as an added bonus: "a statistical formula combining the brain responses in 17 brain areas that separated the ill from the well... (MEDLINEplus)
Gulf War Veterans Display Abnormal Brain Response To Specific Chemicals Mar 25, 2009
"Those areas were in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus and amygdala, and the thalamus. Changes in functioning of these brain structures can certainly cause problems with concentration and memory, body pain, fatigue, abnormal emotional responses and personality changes that we commonly see in ill Gulf War veterans.". A previous study funded by the U.S. Army found that repetitive exposure to low-level sarin nerve gas caused changes in cholinergic receptors in lab rats. (Science Daily)
Schizophrenia Could Be Caused By Faulty Signaling In Brain Mar 6, 2009
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. . (Science Daily)
The Biology of Belief Feb 20, 2009
There are other regions responsible for making your brain the spiritual amusement park it can be: your thalamus plays a role, as do your frontal lobes. But it's your parietal lobe a central mass of tissue that processes sensory input that may have the most transporting effect. (Time.com)
