Experience in early life is crucial because after the critical period — a developmental window when the brain is particularly sensitive to sensory stimuli — the brain is less plastic.

Mishkin and Raichle Receive $25,000 Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience

Check out these newsworthy studies from the November 23, 2016, issue of JNeurosci.

A brain on task differs from a brain at rest. But, how much it differs could depend on the cognitive ability of the person whose brain is being studied. New research published August 17 in The Journal of Neuroscience suggests greater similarity between brain connectivity at rest and on task may be associated with better mental performance.

Objective and Rationale: Reliable measurement of brain atrophy in longitudinal studies depends on stable MRI acquisition. In the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participating sites were encouraged to use the most current scanner techn...

The ability to image retinal functions non-invasively and in three dimensions can have numerous potential applications. We explored the feasibility of mapping the retina's responses to visual stimuli in anesthetized cats by using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Functional maps obtained with a spatial resolution of 470x470x1000 mm3 showed increased activity along the retina following visual stimulation (drifting gratings). The BOLD fMRI signal increases ranged from 1.0-2.5% relative to basal (dark) conditions. Hemi-field stimulation studies demonstrated that stimuli presented to the upper half of the visual field stimulated the lower part of the retina, while stimuli presented to the lower half of the visual field stimulated the upper part of the retina, as expected. Multi-slice functional images of the retina were reconstructed and flattened onto a two-dimensional surface. No statistically significant activation was observed around the blind spot. To t...

The study, published in the May 11 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, offers insight into a basic feature of human cognition: how we understand and evaluate other creatures.

MR Imaging techniques (volumetric MRI and MRSI) are a non-invasive way to assess neuroanatomy and neurochemistry in humans by measuring brain volumes and CNS levels of certain neurochemicals, esp. the neuron-specific N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA). The present study sought to quantify the absolute value of [NAA] and volume of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in children diagnosed with FAS (n=5; 7 to 10 yrs; 1 boy/4 girls) as compared to historical controls (n=5; 9 to 12 yrs; 1 boy/4 girls), using a 1.5-T General Electric Signa scanner (Horizon hardware, 5.7 software). Gray matter volumes in both left and right dorsolateral prefrontal neocortex were significantly decreased in the FAS subjects compared to controls (p's<0.02). In the FAS subjects, the absolute values of [NAA] in left and right dorsolateral prefrontal neocortex were decreased 20% (left) and 16% (right) from controls. The results of the present study demonstrate significant decreases in the size and decreased neuronal functioning (i.e., reduced [NA...

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While actively-controlled rectus pulleys explain Listing’s Law (L1) during visually-guided eye movements, it has been difficult to account for violations during the VOR. Tri-planar gadodiamide contrast MRI was obtained in 10 adult humans during central target fixation while positioned in the right (RD) and left (LD) lateral decubitus positions to evoke static ocular counter-rolling. EOM cross sections and paths were determined from area centroids. Paths were used to locate pulleys in 3-D. Correct head orientation was verified from MRI images. Significant (P < 0.01) binocular counter-rotational repositioning in the coronal plane averaging 4.1° (max 8.7°) from RD to LD was observed for inferior, medial, and superior rectus pulleys, with a trend for lateral rectus averaging 1.4°. Pulley array incyclorotation was associated with significant contractile thickening of the superior oblique (SO) and thinning of the inferior oblique (IO) muscles, while excyclorotation was associated with SO thinning and IO thickeni...