brain networks tagged posts

Two Brain Networks are Activated while Reading, study finds

The neural activity of these patients was measured while reading three forms of sentences: regular sentences; “Jabberwocky” sentences (based on Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” poem), which use correct grammar and syntax but contain nonsense words, making them meaningless; and lists of words or nonsense words. Image is in the public domain

When a person reads a sentence, two distinct networks in the brain are activated, working together to integrate the meanings of the individual words to obtain more complex, higher-order meaning, according to a study at UTHealth Houston.

The study, led by Oscar Woolnough, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in the Vivian L...

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Scientists Discover new Mechanism of how Brain Networks Form

Scientists discover new mechanism of how brain networks form

Scientists discover new mechanism of how brain networks form

Scientists have
discovered that networks of inhibitory neurons develop through a mechanism opposite to the one followed by excitatory networks. Excitatory neurons sculpt and refine maps of the external world throughout development and experience, while inhibitory neurons form maps that become broader with maturation. This discovery adds a new piece to the puzzle of how the brain organizes and processes information. Knowing how the normal brain works is an important step toward understanding the nature of neurological conditions and opens the possibility of finding treatments in the future.

“The brain represents the external world as specific maps of activity created by networks of neurons,” said Dr...

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