Mark brandon,

Washington [US], March 28 : Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with the latest advances in brain imaging techniques. The findings shed light on how the brain orients itself in changing environments and even the processes that can go wrong with degenerative diseases like dementia, that leave people feeling lost and confused."Neuroscience research has witnessed a technology revolution in the last decade allowing us to ask and answer questions that could only be dreamed of just years ago," said Mark Brandon, an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University and researcher at the Douglas Research Centre, who co-led the research with Zaki Ajabi, a former student at McGill University and now a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University.Reading the brain's internal compassTo understand how visual information impacts the brain's internal compass, the researchers exposed mice to a disorienting virtual world while recording the brain's neural activity. The team recorded the brain's internal compass with unprecedented precision using the latest advances in neuronal recording technology.This ability to accurately decode the mal's internal head direction allowed the researchers to explore how the Head-Direction cells, which make up the brain's internal compass, support the brain's ability to re-orient itself in changing surroundings. Specifically, the research team identified a phenomenon they term 'network gain' that allowed the brain's internal compass to reorient after the mice were disoriented. "It's as if the brain has a mechsm to implement a 'reset button' allowing for rapid reorientation of its internal compass in confusing situations," says Ajabi.Although the mals in this study were exposed to unnatural visual experiences, the authors argue that such scenarios are already relevant to the modern human experience, especially with the rapid spread of virtual reality technology. These findings "may eventually explain how virtual reality systems can easily take control over our sense of orientation," added Ajabi.The results inspired the research team to develop new models to better understand the underlying mechsms. "This work is a beautiful example of how experimental and computational approaches together can advance our understanding of brain activity that drives behaviour," said co-author Xue-Xin Wei, a computational neuroscientist and an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin.Degenerative diseasesThe findings also have significant implications for Alzheimer's disease. "One of the first self-reported cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's is that people become disoriented and lost, even in familiar settings," said Brandon.The researchers expect that a better understanding of how the brain's internal compass and navigation system works will lead to earlier detection and better assessment of treatments for Alzheimer's disease.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Home

City

Latest News

Cricket

LT Premium

National

International

Maharashtra

Opinions

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Nagpur

Entertainment

Photos

Business

Technology

Sports

Lifestyle

Social Viral

Lokmat Games

Health

Narendra Modi

Lok Sabha Election 2024

Heatwave In India

Mumbai Water Cut

Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election

IPL 2024

Mark BrandonFOLLOW

Mark brandon, Latest News

Technology :Study provides new insights into part of brain that gives sense of direction

Washington [US], April 2 : Using the most recent advances in brain imaging techniques, scientists have gained new insights ... ...

Technology :Study reveals how brain makes sense of changing environmental cues

Washington [US], March 28 : Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us ... ...