BrainBlog

"Inside Bill Moorier's Head" website link

Bauer PM, Hanson JL, Pierson RK, Davidson RJ, & Pollak SD. (2009). Cerebellar Volume and Cognitive Functioning in Children Who Experienced Early Deprivation . Biological Psychiatry . 2009 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print] University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. BACKGROUND: The cerebellum is a brain region recognized primarily in the coordination of movement and related accessory motor functions. In addition, emerging evidence implicates the cerebellum in cognitive processes and suggests that this brain region might be subject to experience-dependent changes in structure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of early environmental deprivation in the maturation of the cerebellum and aspects of cognitive development. METHODS: Structural magnetic resonance imaging volumes of 12 cerebellar sub-regions from 31 previously neglected and 30 typically developing children were compared with subjects' corresponding neuropsychological test scores. RESULTS: Negl...

The excellent neuroblog, Mind Hacks , has a post today that includes discussion about a program of research examining the hippocampal structures of professional navigators (e.g., taxi drivers) - research with fascinating neuropsychological results. The Mind Hacks post can be read at: post . A link to a .pdf of one of these publications can be found at: London Taxi Drivers and Bus Drivers: A Structural MRI and Neuropsychological Analysis . I am off to read this paper right now, which was published in 2006 in the journal Hippocampus .

From the excellent blog, MedGadgets , a post about MRI dynamic computer modelling for neurosurgical interventions: link .

From today's New York Times : Mind Over Matter, With a Machine’s Help By JASON PONTIN Published: August 26, 2007 [snip] Omneuron is one of a number of new companies that are commercializing a brain-scanning technology called real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. Using large scanners to measure blood flow to different parts of the brain, the technology makes the brain’s activity visible by revealing which of its parts are busiest when we perform different tasks. While fMRI dates back to the early 1990s, hitherto it has been used mainly by doctors in hospitals to make diagnoses. The commercialization of brain scanning is a recent development, spurred by the refinement of the technology. Omneuron , which Dr. deCharms founded in 2001 and whose research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, uses fMRI to teach people how to play with their own heads. Other entrepreneurs are working on ways to deploy fMRI as a lie detector, a tool for conducting market...

From the NIH on the 18th of May: NIH Study Tracks Brain Development in Some 500 Children across U.S. First Report Looks at Intelligence, Behaviors from Ages 6-18 Children appear to approach adult levels of performance on many basic cognitive and motor skills by age 11 or 12, according to a new study coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Study of Normal Brain Development is tracking brain and behavioral development in about 500 healthy American children, from birth to age 18. A report published online today by the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society contains the first glimpse of behavioral data — covering IQ, motor dexterity, language, computation, and social skills — collected from children ages 6 to 18. The study "will provide researchers with a reference point for how the normal brain develops, so that they can better understand what goes wrong in children who have brain abnormalities caused by gene...