Love Your Beauty Rest? You Can Thank These Brain Cells

Johns Hopkins researchers report the unexpected presence of a type of neuron in the brains of mice that appears to play a central role in promoting sleep by turning ‘off’ wake-promoting neurons. The newly identified brain cells, located in a part of the hypothalamus called the zona incerta, they say, could offer novel drug targets to treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia and narcolepsy, caused by the dysfunction of sleep-regulating neurons.

The research is in Nature. (full access paywall)

Face Value: Brain’s Ability to Recognize Faces Shaped Through Repeated Exposure

Scientists have long deemed the ability to recognize faces innate for people and other primates—something our brains just know how to do immediately from birth.

The research is in Nature Neuroscience. (full access paywall)

New Insight Into Self-Control Through Neuroimaging

Grocery shopping while hungry is a bad idea, often leading to regrettable surrender to momentary cravings. Yet we fall victim to this pitfall time and again, despite our rational mind knowing better.

The research is in Psychological Science. (full access paywall)

Schizophrenia and Memory Deficits: Biological Origins of Core Schizophrenia Symptoms Discovered

A team of Columbia scientists has found that disruptions to the brain’s center for spatial navigation – its internal GPS – result in some of the severe memory deficits seen in schizophrenia. The new study in mouse models of the disorder marks the first time that schizophrenia’s effects have been observed in the behavior of living animals – and at the level of individual brain cells – with such high-resolution, precision and clarity. The findings offer a promising entry point for attacking a near-universal and debilitating symptom of schizophrenia, memory deficits, which has thus far withstood all forms of treatment.

The research is in Nature Neuroscience. (full access paywall)

Genes Fueling Neuroblastoma Spread Identified

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that most commonly affects children age 5 or younger, though it may rarely occur in older children. The cancer develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body but most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys.

The research is in Cancer Cell. (full access paywall)

Is ADHD Really a Sleep Problem?

Around 75% of children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also have sleep problems, but until now these have been thought to be separate issues. Now a in a pulling together of the latest research, Scientists are proposing of a new theory which says that much of ADHD may in fact be a problem associated with lack of regular circadian sleep.

Magnetic Stimulation Improves Awareness of Cognitive Abilities

Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki have succeeded for the first time ever in affecting metacognition of a tactile working memory task by combining neural pathway imaging and magnetic stimulation of the brain.

The research is in Cerebral Cortex. (full open access)

Mouth Clicks Used in Human Echolocation Captured in Unprecedented Detail

Findings could aid efforts to use synthetic mouth clicks to better understand human echolocation.

The research is in PLOS Computational Biology. (full open access)

New Source For Brain’s Development Discovered

A team of biologists has found an unexpected source for the brain’s development, a finding that offers new insights into the building of the nervous system.

The research is in Science. (full access paywall)

Children’s Sleep Quality Linked to Mothers’ Insomnia

Children sleep more poorly if their mothers suffer from insomnia symptoms – potentially affecting their mental wellbeing and development - according to new research by the University of Warwick and the University of Basel.

The research is in Sleep Medicine. (full access paywall)