autism tagged posts

This image shows the selective response of a subplate neuron to sounds of different frequencies (horizontal axis) and volume levels (vertical axis). Warmer colors indicate a stronger response. Subplate neurons are among the first neurons to form in the cerebral cortex and were previously thought to serve a primarily structural role in brain development. A new study suggests that these neurons do, in fact, transmit sensory information. This cell only responded to higher frequencies, especially at low volume levels; increased volume expanded the cell’s frequency range of response. Prior to this study, the ability of the cortex to selectively respond to certain sounds was thought to emerge later in brain development. Credit: Patrick Kanold

Unusually weak neural responses (yellow spot) in the anterior cingulate cortex: autistic people find it hard to imagine themselves in somebody else’s position. Credit: Joshua Balsters / ETH Zurich

Stimulation of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Enhances Adaptive Cognitive Control: A High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study Oyetunde Gbadeyan, Katie McMahon, Marco Steinhauser and Marcus Meinzer Journal of Neuroscience 14 December 2016, 36 (50) 12530-12536; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2450-16.2016

Researchers used a common photocopy machine to measure the lengths of the index and ring fingers of 42 women. Half of these women were asked to solve different mental tasks after they had been given a drop of testosterone on their tongue. The goal was to determine the differences in how men’s and women’s brains work, and the significance of finger length and testosterone levels. Credit: Carl Pintzka / Kolbjørn Skarpnes, NTNU.