Researchers have found a way to study how our brains assess the behavior and likely future actions of others during competitive social interactions. Their study, described in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to use a computational approach to tease out differing patterns of brain activity during these interactions, the researchers report.
Memory
Research team takes new approach to studying differences between human and monkey brains
(Medical Xpress) — In order to provide more insight into how human and monkey brains are similar and how they’re different, a research team has taken a different approach to studying both to find out which parts of the brains of each respond in similar ways, and which, if any, differ, when exposed to a shared experience. In this case, the team, as they describe in their paper published in Nature Methods, describe how they exposed groups of humans and monkeys to the same section of a Hollywood movie, while monitoring them via fMRI and found some brain areas responded in both groups as expected, while others were a complete surprise.
Why two new studies represent important breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research
Two different research groups have independently made the same important discoveries on how Alzheimer’s disease spreads in the brain. The groups’ findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer’s disease and, more importantly, what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain.
Hearing metaphors activates brain regions involved in sensory experience
When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers? The brain may be replaying sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors, new research suggests.
New technique successfully dissolves blood clots in the brain and lowers risk of brain damage after stroke
(Medical Xpress) — Johns Hopkins neurologists report success with a new means of getting rid of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain safely without cutting through easily damaged brain tissue or removing large pieces of skull. The minimally invasive treatment, they report, increased the number of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who could function independently by 10 to 15 percent six months following the procedure.