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As brain extracts meaning from vision, study tracks progression of processing

July 10, 2018

… A new study that tracked how the brain turns simple sensory inputs, such as “green,” into meaningful categories, … of six cortical regions operated along a continuum between sensory processing and categorization. To be sure, general … were eavesdropping on the activity of hundreds of neurons in six regions across the cortex: prefrontal (PFC), …

Circuit that focuses attention brings in wide array of inputs

April 21, 2022

… brain incorporates and integrates information to focus its sensory resources on its goals. Working in mice, the team … smaller and less evolved than the pulvinar. ACC-projecting neurons visible in the LP region of a mouse brain “In these … information as well. “We’re seeing that it’s not just sensory—there are so many inputs that are coming from …

An elegant behavior switching circuit

… states (such as hunger) and external cues (such as sensory cues indicating the availability of food). Research … or serotonin). In 2019, the lab revealed how internal sensory information triggers the release of serotonin to … But if food is smelled and no eating is happening, other neurons inhibit NSM with PDF, allowing roaming toward the …

40Hz rhythms fight Alzheimer’s at the cellular and molecular level

… light and sound together was especially powerful. Above: Sensory exposure to 40Hz light prevented neurodegeneration in … Alzheimer's mouse brain is on the left. One treated with sensory stimulation is on the right. Importantly the MIT team … reflected in substantial changes in gene expression in neurons and microglia that the team measured in mice exposed …

Brain waves and cognition

… largely dismissed the coordinated rhythmic activity of neurons as a byproduct of the brain’s operation, rather than … a seminal study in his lab demonstrated that “bottom up” sensory signals (e.g. “the eyes see a triangle”) are … beta rhythms increases as regions move from more basically sensory (v4)to more cognitively sophisticated (PFC). The …

Symposium spotlights crucial roles of dendrites

October 18, 2021

… dendrites flamboyantly flail forth from the bodies of neurons, showing off their complex beauty. At the Picower … function Indeed dendrites enable brain functions such as sensory perception and how we make sense of it. In his … method to observe neural activity associated with expected sensory stimuli. Professor Fritjof Helmchen of the University …

Young Picower scientists present projects at ‘SfN’

November 12, 2021

… over the course of training, with periods of sleep, more neurons become involved in representing spatial contexts, … remains dynamic enough on one hand to account for new sensory input but stable enough to still produce the reliable … Adam Eisen show how anesthetic drugs might shut down sensory input by making the brain so stable as to be …

Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient

February 02, 2023

… mapping and modeling of thalamus inputs onto visual cortex neurons show brain leverages “wisdom of the crowd” to process sensory information visual cortex thalamus MAP circuit … show brain leverages “wisdom of the crowd” to process sensory information The brain’s cerebral cortex produces …

Sara Prescott

… for Learnng and Memory Sara Prescott investigates how sensory inputs from within the body control mammalian … Tissue Processing Neural Signal Processing Neural Circuits sensory neurons interoception airway-to-brain signaling Single Cell …

Study shows where brain transforms seeing into acting

July 03, 2018

… of the PPC in mice and showed that it contains a mix of neurons attuned to visual processing, decision-making and … makes the PPC an ideal conduit for flexible mapping of sensory signals onto motor actions,” said Gerald Pho, a … from the visual cortex, but also input from many other sensory and motor regions. The cells in each region were …