(Medical Xpress) — Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an international team led by French researchers from the Centre de Recherche de l’Institut du Cerveau (CNRS) has succeeded in enhancing the visual abilities of a group of healthy subjects. Following stimulation of an area of the brain’s right hemisphere involved in perceptual awareness and in orienting spatial attention, the subjects appeared more likely to perceive a target appearing on a screen. This work, published in the journal PLoS ONE, could lead to the development of novel rehabilitation techniques for certain visual disorders. In addition, it could help improve the performance of individuals whose tasks require very high precision.
neuroscience
A different drummer: Neural rhythms drive physical movement
Unlike their visual cousins, the neurons that control movement are not a predictable bunch. Scientists working to decode how such neurons convey information to muscles have been stymied when trying to establish a one-to-one relationship between a neuron’s behavior and external factors such as muscle activity or movement velocity.
Noninvasive brain stimulation shown to impact walking patterns
In a step towards improving rehabilitation for patients with walking impairments, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute found that non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum, an area of the brain known to be essential in adaptive learning, helped healthy individuals learn a new walking pattern more rapidly. The findings suggest that cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a valuable therapy tool to aid people relearning how to walk following a stroke or other brain injury.
Fish study raises hope for spinal injury repair
(Medical Xpress) — Scientists have unlocked the secrets of the zebra fishs ability to heal its spinal cord after injury, in research that could deliver therapy for paraplegics and quadriplegics in the future.
Boundary stops molecule right where it needs to be
A molecule responsible for the proper formation of a key portion of the nervous system finds its way to the proper place not because it is actively recruited, but instead because it can’t go anywhere else.