Category: General Neuroscience

General Neuroscience

Effects of distractive and target stimuli on auditory neurons within mice brains

Joyce Chen ’23 Biological organisms are naturally stimulated by their environment. To avoid being overstimulated, animals use selective attention. By simply focusing on one thing, humans and other animals can essentially drown out other irrelevant stimuli. This phenomenon requires sensory regulation, especially auditory. To gain insight on how auditory neurons react to both irrelevant and target stimuli, Stony Brook University researcher Pan-tong Yao and his … Continue reading Effects of distractive and target stimuli on auditory neurons within mice brains

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Cognition

Can video games enhance auditory processing? New research dives deeper into the effects of video gaming on visual and auditory cognitive functions.

Joyce Chen ’23 Within the past few decades, video games have become one of the most universally treasured forms of entertainment among players of all ages. Amongst various genres, action games are widely popularized across the United States. Despite the notable effects that video games have on visual processing, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effect of video games on auditory function. Researcher … Continue reading Can video games enhance auditory processing? New research dives deeper into the effects of video gaming on visual and auditory cognitive functions.

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain

Expectation-induced modulation of metastable activity underlies faster coding of sensory stimuli

Sabah Bari ’24 Expectation is what drives the human brain to perceive our senses. Perception is connected to sensory processing, and the recognition of the stimuli is what determines how accurately and how fast individuals are able to understand it. In the gustatory cortex, the pre-stimulus activity is the anticipation of a specific taste before even consuming a food. The anticipation is a trigger to … Continue reading Expectation-induced modulation of metastable activity underlies faster coding of sensory stimuli

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Degenerative Disease

Diagnosis and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome in ten steps

Sabah Bari ’24 Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by an overactive immune system that causes damage to peripheral nerves, leading to loss of sensorimotor function starting at the extremities and spreading to the torso. Some symptoms of GBS are potentially fatal, such as respiratory failure, cardiac arrhythmias, blood pressure instability, which are all directly involved with the autonomic nervous system. The … Continue reading Diagnosis and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome in ten steps

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
General Neuroscience, General Psychology

Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Joyce Chen ‘23 As humans, we are able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. But sometimes, the lines between reality and fantasy can get blurred. Psychosis is a mental condition where an individual loses his or her sense of perception due to an impairment in thought, resulting in a loss of connection with reality. Untreated psychosis has been theorized to be … Continue reading Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain, Health

A Low-Carb Diet Can Increase Brain Stability in Individuals.

Priyanshi Patel ‘22 A study on neuroimaging led by Stony Brook professor Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi reveals that neurobiological changes that are associated with aging can also be seen at a much younger age than expected. The study suggests that the effects of the changes can be prevented or reversed based on changes in diet that involve minimizing the consumption of carbohydrates. The research team at … Continue reading A Low-Carb Diet Can Increase Brain Stability in Individuals.

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain, Degenerative Disease

Get Your Head Out of the Game

Gwenyth Mercep ’22 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts, such as those from tackle American football [1]. CTE can cause numerous and debilitating early-life symptoms like behavioral and mood disturbances, most notable, impulse control and depression [1]. Episodic memory loss and dementia, forms of cognitive dysfunction, are reported by patients with CTE later in life [1]. … Continue reading Get Your Head Out of the Game

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Cancer, General Neuroscience

After the Fall: Link Between PTSD and Prostate Cancer

Wendy Wu ’22 On the morning of September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapsed. Within minutes, first responders arrived on the scene. Amidst the debris and smothering dust, they got to work, evacuating citizens and heading into the towers to rescue whoever they could. It was truly a display of heroic bravery and compassion, but unfortunately, many of the … Continue reading After the Fall: Link Between PTSD and Prostate Cancer

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
General Neuroscience, Health and Medicine

Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Joyce Chen ‘23 As humans, we are able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. But sometimes, the lines between reality and fantasy can get blurred. Psychosis is a mental condition where an individual loses his or her sense of perception due to an impairment in thought, resulting in a loss of connection with reality. Untreated psychosis has been theorized to be … Continue reading Psychosis from schizophrenia can lead to social isolation

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain, General Psychology, Psychology

Threatening cues have a larger effect on perception than neutral cues

Panayiota Siskos ’23 The theory of predictive coding states that the brain continuously creates a mental model of the surrounding environment using prior knowledge from memory. This mental model is then used to predict sensory input, such as anticipating a smell, a sound, or a touch.  A group of researchers from Stony Brook University and Columbia University studied the effect of threatening cues on sensory … Continue reading Threatening cues have a larger effect on perception than neutral cues

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain, General Neuroscience

Breeding can Change Dogs’ Brains

Ayesha Azeem ‘23 For centuries, humans have been breeding domestic dogs with the intention of producing specific skill sets needed to improve humans’ lives. For example, purpose-bred dogs can be used for hunting or as service dogs that guide people with disabilities. Dog breeding has been highly controversial lately, since dogs are now seen more as companions rather than workers. In a new study conducted … Continue reading Breeding can Change Dogs’ Brains

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Brain, Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Sociology

Genetics and the Brain

Ayesha Azeem ‘23 Our society currently witnesses an underrepresentation of females in most ‘heavy’ science and mathematics fields, including technology and engineering. Though some may argue that the unfair proportions are due to biological differences, little evidence supports this claim. Scientists study biological differences in the brain, and the brains of males and females are more similar than not. Though behavioral studies often find no … Continue reading Genetics and the Brain

Young Investigators ReviewLeave a comment