Neuroscience news covering brain research, cognition, neurological disease, imaging, and neural interface advances.
Hemispheric raised $52 million to develop Descartes, an AI model that translates brain activity into language. Trained on 6 billion parameters using over 250,000 hours of EEG data from 100,000+ participants, the technology aims to diagnose conditions like depression and Parkinson's. Labs were established in Israel, the US, and the Philippines.
Scientists discovered that the membrane-associated periodic skeleton (MPS) inside brain cells controls endocytosis. Its breakdown may contribute to Alzheimer's by causing a harmful feedback loop where faster absorption weakens the MPS further.
This commentary discusses a study on aphantasia, the inability to visualize voluntarily, and its relationship to dreaming. It argues that the condition varies widely among individuals, with some aphantasics dreaming vividly while others do not, suggesting aphantasia is not a single condition but a spectrum of sensory imagination differences.
This commentary argues that Susumu Tonegawa was a pioneering scientist whose bold experiments in memory and genetics reshaped neuroscience. It highlights his Nobel-winning work on antibody diversity and his role in founding major research institutes, portraying him as an intellectual giant whose fearless approach will be missed.
This commentary argues that mitochondria play a central role in shaping mood, stress, and consciousness, beyond their traditional function as energy producers. It presents Martin Picard's research as a novel framework for understanding the biological basis of mental states, suggesting that mitochondrial function is a key consilience point for processes underlying consciousness.
A University of Freiburg study found that random clicking sounds during sleep, even if not loud enough to wake a person, can impair memory consolidation by reducing deep sleep and slow brain waves. Participants performed worse on visuospatial tasks after noisy naps, while word recall and motor skills were unaffected.
A man paralyzed from a diving accident regained movement and feeling in his hands through brain stimulation, and maintained gains for months after stimulation was turned off due to a building fire. Keith Thomas, 48, can now control individual fingers more accurately even without stimulation.
The article reports on a visit to Kernel, a startup by Bryan Johnson, to test its brain-scanning headset. It describes the technology and explores the company's vision for how improved brain data could benefit doctors, researchers, and businesses in understanding cognition.