One of the main drawbacks of hearing aids is that people who wear them often have a difficult time following multiple sources of sound: for example, they may struggle to understand who is speaking in a group conversation such as at a noisy restaurant or party. Now, though, researchers are drawing closer to making an… Continue reading On The Horizon: A “Cognitive Hearing Aid” That Helps The Brain Filter Excess Noise
Tag: neural
How Some Brain Cells Escape Aging
Researchers have discovered a mechanism that allows neural stem cells to stay relatively free of aging-related damage: A diffusion barrier regulates the sorting of damaged proteins during cell division. A group of scientists led by Sebastian Jessberger of the Brain Research Institute of the University of Zurich showed that the stem cells of the adult… Continue reading How Some Brain Cells Escape Aging
Brain Circuits and Decision-Making
A discovery by scientists at MIT could point the way toward possible therapies for mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression, that are characterized by difficulty in decision-making. “In order to create a treatment for these types of disorders, we need to understand how the decision-making process is working,” said Alexander Friedman, a research scientist… Continue reading Brain Circuits and Decision-Making
Rat Brains Hold Clue to Learning
Although it might sound like science fiction, researchers can now tell in an autopsy what a brain learned before it died. Scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory described how they “read” slices of a rat’s brain after it died. The experiment showed how the rat was trained to behave in response to specific sounds. “Neuroscientists… Continue reading Rat Brains Hold Clue to Learning
Coma Patients Helped by Family Storytelling
Sometimes, it seems, love can do what medicine can’t: Researchers have found that loved ones who talk to a patient in a coma can help him or her recover faster. The study, from Northwestern Medicine and Hines VA Hospital, shows that telling the patient familiar stories stored in long-term memory can help awaken the unconscious… Continue reading Coma Patients Helped by Family Storytelling