Calculated surprise leads to groundbreaking discovery in cognitive control research

Humans control their behavior in numerous ways, from stopping the urge pick at a scab to resisting the impulse to eat an entire box of chocolates. Suppressing undesired behavior, referred to as “cognitive control,” traditionally has been linked to the functioning of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in the front of the brain. Activity in dACC is observed across […]

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Mechanical forces control cell fate during brain formation

A new study coordinated by the Research Group in Developmental Biology at UPF shows that during the embryonic development of the brain, the cells that are between adjacent segments detect the mechanical forces generated during morphogenesis to regulate the balance between progenitor stem cells and differentiated neurons. The study has been published in the journal Development. In vertebrates, the central […]

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New framework helps gauge impact of mosquito control programs

Effective methods of controlling mosquito populations are needed to help lower the worldwide burden of mosquito-borne diseases including Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have described a new statistical framework that can be used to assess mosquito control programs over broad time and space scales. The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector for […]

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Deep stimulation improves cognitive control by augmenting brain rhythms

In a new study that could improve the therapeutic efficacy of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric disorders such as depression, a team of scientists shows that, when DBS is applied to a specific brain region, it improves patients’ cognitive control over their behavior by increasing the power of a specific low-frequency brain rhythm in their prefrontal cortex. The findings, published […]

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Ability to control stress reduces negative impacts

In individuals, stress exposure in adolescence increases vulnerability and risk of developing psychopathologies in adulthood, such as drug addiction, mood, anxiety, addiction to gambling, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc. Researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona observed in animal models that the ability to control the source of stress diminishes its effects and could reduce the risk of later developing […]

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New study shows red raspberries may help with glucose control in people with pre-diabetes

A study released today from the Illinois Institute of Technology shows the benefits of including red raspberries in the diet of individuals with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 34 percent of American adults, around 84.1 million in all, had prediabetes in 2015. Patients with prediabetes are at higher risk […]

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Growing a brain: Two-step control mechanism identified in mouse stem cells

Scientists have identified two distinct control mechanisms in the developmental transition of undifferentiated stem cells into healthy brain cells. This fundamental research using mice may inform regenerative medicine treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries, in the future. When an embryo develops, stem cells differentiate into all the types of cells that the adult will need. Neural stem cells […]

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Study provides insight into how dying neurons control eating behaviors of the brain microglia

A new Mount Sinai study, published July 23 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provides important insight into how microglia, cells that form a branch of the immune system inside the brain, go about their job of clearing out dying and non-functional neurons—and how they sometimes mistakenly attack healthy neurons, an event that can play a role in neurodegenerative diseases like […]

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New studies demonstrate infection control strategies for measles and mumps outbreaks

The decline in vaccination rates across communities has led to the resurgence of diseases like measles and mumps, and recent outbreaks have demonstrated the importance of an integrated infection prevention response, according to new research presented at the 45th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). In a 2017 measles outbreak, there were 75 […]

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