Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats
Rats are social animals, exquisitely attuned to the emotions of the rats around them. In a new study published in PLoS Biology, researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience show that rats may use this sense of empathy as a way to gauge danger.
Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: Empathy as a 'Danger Antenna' in Rats.
What Has the BRAIN Initiative Accomplished?
Now at the midpoint, the BRAIN Initiative’s impacts on neuroscience are beginning to come into fruition. As of January, 2018, the National Institutes of Health had awarded 368 BRAIN grants to more than 500 investigators, resulting in over 330 publications.
So, what have we learned from the BRAIN Initiative so far? What’s currently in development that could transform our understanding of the brain? And what will the next five years bring?
See my latest article at Neuroscience Quarterly: BRAIN-Inspired Science: A Mid-Initiative Report.
Octopus Arms Have a Mind of Their Own
Octopuses and their relatives stand out from other invertebrates in terms of their cognitive complexity and the range of their behaviors. Despite their evolutionary distance from humans and other vertebrates, these animals can use tools, solve complex puzzles, recognize individual people, and explore objects through play. They do all this and more with a completely unique nervous system.
Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Octopus Arms Have a Mind of Their Own.
How the BRAIN Initiative is Changing Neuroscience
The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a large-scale, public-private research program launched in 2014, aims to be ambitious and transformative. Its overarching goal is to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain, driven by the development and application of breakthrough technologies. Such a bold vision requires changes in the practice of science, from grant writing to data sharing.
As we approach the halfway mark of this 10-year effort, we can evaluate how scientists are responding to this challenge.
Read my article in Neuroscience Quarterly: The BRAIN Initiative: Changing Neuroscience.
Brain Imaging Bipolar Disorder in High-Risk Children
Researchers report a potential neural marker of individual risk in those with a family history of bipolar disorder. The study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, points to particular patterns of brain connectivity as future potential targets for early intervention. Patterns in connectivity in a portion of the frontal lobe called the inferior frontal gyrus appears to be an early biomarker in children of parents with bipolar disorder.
Read more about the study here: Can Brain Imaging Help Predict Bipolar Disorder in High Risk Children?