New study explains cognitive ability differences among the elderly

Dr. Sherif Karama
Dr. Sherif Karama

Study compares data from hundreds of people in childhood and old age

A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood. The joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, The Neuro, McGill University and the University of Edinburgh, UK was published today, June 4 in Molecular Psychiatry. Continue reading

Humans answer “yes” or “no” to Western neuroscientists via brain activity

Dr. Adrian Owen
Dr. Adrian Owen

Researchers at Western University have used neuroimaging to read human thought via brain activity when they are conveying specific “yes” or “no” answers.

Their findings were published today in The Journal of Neuroscience in a study titled, “The Brain’s Silent Messenger: Using Selective Attention to Decode Human Thought for Brain-Based Communication.” Continue reading

Unleashing the watchdog protein

Dr. Edward Fon
Dr. Edward Fon

Research opens door to new drug therapies for Parkinson’s disease

McGill University researchers have unlocked a new door to developing drugs to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Collaborating teams led by Dr. Edward A. Fon at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -The Neuro, and  Dr. Kalle Gehring  in the Department of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, have discovered the three-dimensional structure of the protein Parkin. Continue reading

Snout and brains

Dr. Martin Deschênes
Dr. Martin Deschênes

Nature paper: Discovery of a region of the brain that allows the mouse to coordinate breathing and whisking

Mice explore their environment by sniffing and whisking more than 700 times per minute. These motor commands must be perfectly synchronized in the brain. Continue reading

New brain research shows two parents may be better than one

Sam Weiss
Dr. Sam Weiss
Adult human brain cell production may be triggered in childhood

A team of researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) have discovered that adult brain cell production might be determined, in part, by the early parental environment. The study suggests that dual parenting may be more beneficial than single parenting. Continue reading

New Population Neuroscience reference book published

Dr. Tomáš Paus
Dr. Tomáš Paus

Dr. Tomáš Paus, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at The Rotman Research Institute has published a new reference book entitled “Population Neuroscience”, a topic he presented in the Presidential lecture at the 2012 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting in Vancouver. Continue reading

Why we buy music

Dr. Robert Zatorre
Dr. Robert Zatorre
New study shows what happens in the brain to make music rewarding

A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study, conducted at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University and published in the journal Science on April 12, pinpoints the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the decision to purchase music. Continue reading

Getting a grip on hand function

Dr. Robert Brownstone
Dr. Robert Brownstone

Discovering key spinal cord circuits – Professor and neurosurgeon Dr. Rob Brownstone and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Tuan Bui have identified the spinal cord circuit that controls the hands’ ability to grasp.

The world’s leading neuroscience journal, Neuron, published the breakthrough finding in its latest issue. Continue reading