The secret to forming memories
Author: Julie
New research points to brain regions that recognize facial expressions—or do not
Feb. 13 2012 – It’s Valentine’s Day, he forgot to bring flowers, and somehow that painfully sad look on her face is simply not registering in his mind. Could be it’s a problem in his prefrontal cortex? Continue reading
Warning! Collision Imminent!
Feb. 6th, 2012 – The brain’s quick interceptions help you navigate the world – When you are about to collide into something and manage to swerve away just in the nick of time, what exactly is happening in your brain? A new study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University shows how the brain processes visual information to figure out when something is moving towards you or when you are about to head into a collision. Continue reading
A team from Université Laval shed new light on neuron regeneration in the brain
Feb. 5 2012 – Researchers at the Robert-Giffard Research Center of Université Laval have just shed new light on the regeneration of brain neurons. The work of Lusine Bozoyan, Jivan Khlghatyan and Armen Saghatelyan, published in the February 1st edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, demonstrates the role played by cells called astrocytes in this mechanism. Continue reading
Genetic breakthrough for brain cancer in children
An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) has made a major genetic breakthrough that could change the way pediatric cancers are treated in the future. Continue reading
Study Identifies a New Way Brain Cells Die in Alzheimer’s Disease – Will help lead researchers towards new treatments
A new study challenges conventional thinking about how brain cells die in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings demonstrate a previously unknown mechanism by which the cells die and will help lead researchers in new directions for treating the degenerative brain disease. The study by scientists at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute is published this week in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Continue reading
Defective cell ‘battery’ plays central role in neurodegenerative disease
Jan. 17, 2012 – A devastating neurodegenerative disease that first appears in toddlers just as they are beginning to walk has been traced to defects in mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ or energy-producing power plants of cells. This finding by a team of researchers, led by investigators from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro- at McGill University, was published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). Continue reading
How do we split our attention?
DEC. 21, 2011 – McGill’s Cognitive Neurophysiology Lab team finds that we are natural-born multi-taskers
Imagine you’re a hockey goalie, and two opposing players are breaking in alone on you, passing the puck back and forth. You’re aware of the linesman skating in on your left, but pay him no mind. Your focus is on the puck and the two approaching players. As the action unfolds, how is your brain processing this intense moment of “multi-tasking”? Continue reading
Study finds new way to predict MS diagnosis in children
Early MRI scans can help predict the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children, which may permit earlier initiation of treatment, according to a new national study.
A breakthrough in pinpointing protective mechanisms in Multiple Sclerosis
December 1st, 2011 – In an article published today in the prestigious journal Science, a team of researchers led by Dr Alexander Prat and postgraduate fellow Jorge Alvarez at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) sheds light on how the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) works to prevent the incursion of the immune system into the brain. Continue reading