Neuroscience
Tinnitus – Linked to a Crucial Bodily Function
Those who have never endured the relentless ringing of tinnitus can only dream of the torment. In fact, a bad dream may be the closest some get to experiencing anything like it. The subjective sound, which can also be a hissing, buzzing, or clicking, is heard by no one else, and it may be present constantly, or may come and go. Neuroscientists at the University of Oxford now suspect that sleep and tinnitus are closely intertwined in the brain. Their findings hint at a fundamental relationship between the two conditions – one that has, surprisingly, been overlooked in the brain until very recently. “What first made me and my colleagues…
Bipolar disorder – brain’s areas where extreme states are located
A recently published study reveals the areas of the brain where the extreme states that people with bipolar disorder can reach are located. Moods and emotions play a big role in our daily lives. They even influence how we deal with things – for example, whether we start the day feeling hopeful and energetic or grumpy and lethargic. This can affect whether we interpret events in a positive or negative light. In people with bipolar disorder, however, mood can change rapidly and unpredictably, leaving them “stuck” in either a low or high mood, which can have significant consequences. However, researchers don’t know exactly what causes such extreme mood swings. Now,…
Your heart has a brain of its own, recent studies say
The heart has its own “brain.” Now, scientists have mapped out a detailed map of this little brain, called the intracardiac nervous system. The heart’s big boss is the brain, but nerve cells in the heart also have a say. These neurons are thought to play a crucial role in heart health, helping to fine-tune the heart’s rhythm and possibly protecting people against certain types of heart disease. But until now, this local control system has not been mapped in detail. Until recently, modern science perceived the heart as simply a pump that regulates the flow of blood in our bodies. But long before that, many cultures believed that the…
