The human brain is highly skilled at detecting patterns in the world and using this information to predict future events. This ability to anticipate events is also reflected in how we experience music, precisely in our ability to intuitively anticipate what will come...
Neuroscience
Novel visualization method helps make sense of large neuronal activity datasets
Recent technological advances opened exciting possibilities for neuroscience, enabling the collection of increasingly detailed neural data. Making sense of the large number of neural recordings gathered by neuroscientists worldwide, however, has so far proved more...
Highly detailed reconstruction of human brain connectivity includes dozens of brainstem nuclei
Recent technological advances are allowing neuroscientists to map the human brain with increasing precision, highlighting connections between different regions and their function in greater depth. While the role of many brain regions has been broadly identified, the...
Human study provides evidence that theta phase precession supports memory formation and retrieval
Past neuroscience research has pinpointed many of the neural processes through which the human brain forms, stores and retrieves important information, such as domain-specific knowledge and memories. One dimension of human memory is the ability to link various aspects...
Study explores how acoustic elements influence perceptions of music being out of tune
When we listen to a song or musical performance, out-of-tune singers or instruments are generally perceived as unpleasant for listeners. While it is well-established that mistuning can reduce the enjoyment of music, the processes influencing how humans perceive...
Vagus nerve stimulation enhances perceptual learning in mice, study suggests
Recent neuroscience studies have been investigating how the stimulation of some nerves, particularly the vagus nerve, using electrical pulses affects neural activity in the mammalian brain. The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the human body, is known to play...
A histone post-translational modification linked to lifelong susceptibility to stress in mice
Chemical changes to histones, the proteins that help to pack and organize DNA inside cells, play a key role in determining what genes will be consistently activated over the course of an animal or human's life. Past studies have shed light on some chemical alterations...
Neural signatures commonly observed when humans make choices can also reflect choice-independent processes
Past neuroscience research has identified patterns in neural activity typically observed when humans are engaged in value-based decision-making. This is the process through which humans choose between options that could be linked to different costs and rewards,...
A recurrent neural network-based framework to non-linearly model behaviorally relevant neural dynamics
A key objective of several neuroscience studies is to understand and model how the dynamics of distinct populations of neurons give rise to specific human and animal behaviors. Many existing methods for exploring the link between neural activity and behavior rely on...
Neurons in mouse piriform cortex aid in recurrent circuit development, study finds
The activity of neurons in the mammalian brain is known to contribute to the development of the brain at the early stages of development. While past neuroscientific studies have gathered evidence supporting this notion, the extent to which early neuronal activity...