Brain Memory

Changes to one's hippocampus, the brain's memory centre, in response to prolonged pain could be an important factor for why some people develop depression in chronic pain, while others do not, according to a study. "Our findings suggest that the hippocampus acts as a control centre that helps the brain regulate emotional responses to long-term pain. Depression is not inevitable -- it depends on how this system responds over time," co-lead author Jianfeng Feng, professor of computer science at the UK's University of Warwick, said. The study, published in the journal Science, analysed brain scans from population cohorts, including data from the UK Biobank, and a rodent model. People living with chronic pain but without depression tended to show a slightly larger volume of and an increased activity in the hippocampus. The changes were accompanied by an improved performance in learning and memory tasks, suggesting that the brain may initially mount a compensatory response to persistent

Ever recognised a face instantly but blanked on the name? A neurologist explains why names slip first, how stress and sleep affect recall, and when forgetting may signal trouble

New research shows even light or moderate drinking may steadily harm the brain and increase long-term risk of dementia, debunking the myth of "healthy drinking"

A new study finds the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated brain ageing in healthy adults by over five months, raising fresh alarms about stress, inequality, and mental health

Your 30s and 40s shape long-term brain function. Neurologists share lifestyle, diet, and stress tips to boost focus, prevent burnout, and stay mentally sharp

A new seven-year study shows that prolonged sitting-even with regular exercise-is linked to brain shrinkage, memory loss, and Alzheimer's risk, especially in genetically vulnerable adults

The research suggests that despite the challenges of parenting, such as exhaustion and stress, having children can benefit the brain in the long run

Markers of brain injury developed due to COVID-19 were found in patients even months after the infection and despite blood tests measuring inflammation returning normal results, according to a new research. Researchers from universities in the UK explained that during the acute phase of the viral infection, when symptoms develop quickly, key inflammatory proteins and brain injury markers are produced. They analysed over 800 hospitalised patients' samples from across England and Wales. Surprisingly, even months after being discharged from the hospital, there is on-going robust biomarker evidence of brain injury developed due to COVID-19, the researchers said in their study published in a journal, Nature Communications. The biomarker evidence was more prominently seen in patients experiencing neurological dysfunction during the acute illness, and continued in the recovery phase in patients suffering acute neurological complications, the researchers said. "While some neurological ...

Mild Covid infection can cause attention and memory problems for months after recovery, new research suggests, the Daily Mail reported.

The brain strategy for storing memories is more efficient than that of Artificial intelligence (AI), suggested the findings of a novel research.The new study, carried out by SISSA scientists in collaboration with Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience & Centre for Neural Computation, Trondheim, Norway, has been published in 'Physical Review Letters'.In the last decades, Artificial Intelligence has shown to be very good at achieving exceptional goals in several fields. Chess is one of them: in 1996, for the first time, the computer Deep Blue beat a human player, chess champion Garry Kasparov.Neural networks, real or artificial, learn by tweaking the connections between neurons. Making them stronger or weaker, some neurons become more active, some less, until a pattern of activity emerges. This pattern is what we call "a memory". The AI strategy is to use complex long algorithms, which iteratively tune and optimize the connections.The brain does it much simpler: each connection .

The findings may explain why the loss of the ability to smell has been recognised as an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease

The brain health decreases with age

Well-timed pulses from electrodes implanted in brain can help reduce symptoms of dementia, head injuries etc