Read science policy and advocacy news from the week of December 15, 2017

The bat midbrain is uniquely organized to facilitate rapid integration of sensory and motor information required for tracking prey using biological sonar, according to neural recordings of wild bats obtained during laboratory experiments described in JNeurosci.

Advanced prosthetic limbs and eyes as well as brain-machine interfaces are harnessing existing neural circuitry to improve the quality of life for people with sensory impairment, according to studies presented today at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. 

Playing contact sports can injure the brain even if head impacts don’t result in concussions, according to new research presented today at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. The studies also suggest that relatively simple changes in equipment and athlete education could improve safety.

Humans have roughly as many bacterial cells in their bodies as human cells, and most of those bacteria live in the gut. New research released today reveals links between the gut microbiome — the population of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract — and brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, including potential new ways to track and treat these diseases. The studies were presented at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.