Us vs. Them: Understanding the Neurobiology of Stereotypes Summary: Non-invasive brain stimulation helps researchers investigate the neural foundations of implicit bias. Source: BIDMC. BIDMC Research Briefs highlight scientific advances that are reshaping medical care and our understanding of the brain. Research into how people perceive members of other social groups shows that many biases operate … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that when the ventral tegmental area cannot supply the hippocampus with adequate dopamine, hippocampal function declines and this impairment may contribute to the earliest stages of dementia. Source: University of Sheffield. Reduced input from dopamine-producing neurons deep within the brain appears linked to impaired memory formation, offering a potential early marker for … Read more

Summary: New machine learning models evaluate hundreds of clinical variables—drawing on doctor visits and de-identified insurance claims for conditions that may seem unrelated—to estimate the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in very young children. Source: Penn State Researchers from Penn State report that medical insurance claims, when analyzed with modern machine learning techniques, can … Read more

Summary: Neurons in the anterior cingulate encode social rank to guide decisions during group competition. These discoveries may inform our understanding of social deficits seen in conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Source: Mass General Researchers have identified specific brain cells in mice that shape competitive interactions and influence the social dynamics of … Read more

Summary: Machine learning markedly improves the accuracy of predicting premature all-cause mortality in a middle-aged population compared with traditional epidemiological models. Source: University of Nottingham Computers capable of learning from health data can significantly improve predictions of premature death, offering potential to enhance preventive healthcare, according to a new study by researchers at the University … Read more

Summary: A new study from the University of Florida identifies distinct brain activity patterns in people who learn motor skills quickly. High-density electroencephalography (EEG) recordings show that visual processing regions, together with areas responsible for planning and correcting movement, play a central role in rapid gait adaptation during a split-belt treadmill task. Researchers found that … Read more

Summary: A new study links the physical organization of the primate visual cortex to color perception. High-resolution imaging revealed organized “hue maps” — spectrally arranged patterns of hue responses across cortical areas. Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences Researchers have now mapped how color sensations are represented in the cortex, clarifying how brain structure supports perceptual … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that activation of the maternal immune system during pregnancy can alter the expression of genes and biological processes that are important for prenatal brain development and are associated with autism spectrum disorder. Source: UCSD. Researchers find that maternal immune activation during pregnancy disrupts expression of genes and pathways linked to autism and … Read more

Summary: A University of Kansas study using fetal biomagnetometry found that fetuses late in pregnancy react differently to the rhythms of two distinct languages. Changes in fetal heart rate indicate that babies begin to attune to the rhythmic patterns of the language they will learn before birth. Source: University of Kansas Fetuses can distinguish between … Read more

Summary: New research shows that changes in brain network organization during adolescence support improvements in executive function. Source: University of Pennsylvania Changes in network organization support improvements in executive function during adolescence and young adulthood As children grow into adolescence and then into young adulthood, they typically show striking gains in executive functions—skills that include … Read more