Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers identified a subcortical brain network that is thought to combine arousal and awareness, playing a key role in human consciousness.

A study recently published in Science Translational Medicine by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, both part of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, introduces a connectivity map of a brain network. This map, the researchers suggest, is essential for maintaining human consciousness.

The study involved high-resolution scans that enabled the researchers to visualize brain connections at submillimeter spatial resolution. This technical advance allowed them to identify previously unseen pathways connecting the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and cerebral cortex.

DARPA just tested an autonomous tank that could help keep soldiers safe — and even more self-driving military vehicles are on the horizon. If autonomous vehicles prove capable enough for the battlefield, the tech could someday start finding its way over to civilian uses, too.

The challenge: Tanks have played an important role in the US military for more than 100 years, thanks to their tremendous firepower and armor, but every time the Army puts a soldier into a tank and sends them into combat, it’s putting their life at risk.

Continue reading “DARPA is testing this autonomous tank with glowing ‘eyes’” »

At a fundamental level, only a few particles and forces govern all of reality. How do their combinations create human consciousness?

A study shows that metacognition and mentalizing, complex cognitive abilities crucial for social interaction, are more influenced by environmental factors than genetics, challenging traditional views on the heritability of intelligence.

Researchers have discovered the process by which dietary choline crosses the blood-brain barrier. This breakthrough has potential applications in enhancing drug delivery to the brain for treating neurological disorders.

A researcher from the University of Queensland has identified molecular doorways that could facilitate the delivery of drugs to the brain for treating neurological disorders.

Dr. Rosemary Cater from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience led a team that discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2.

To celebrate the launch of our new event series in the US, kicking off with a masterclass on the brain and consciousness, we have made five incredible stories on that subject free to read.

By Corryn Wetzel

Experts say the food on your plate can affect everything from your bones, heart, and gut to your mental health.

For the first time, research shows that a certain kind of visual illusion, neon color spreading, works on mice. The study is also the first to combine the use of two investigative techniques called electrophysiology and optogenetics to study this illusion. Results from experiments on mice settle a long-standing debate in neuroscience about which levels of neurons within the brain are responsible for the perception of brightness.

Everyday Optical Illusions

We’re all familiar with optical illusions; some are novelties, while some are all around us. Even as you look at the screen in front you, you are being fooled into thinking that you’re seeing the color white. What you’re really seeing is lots of red, green, and blue elements packed so tightly together it gives the impression of being white. Another example is a fast rotating wheel or propeller, which can briefly look like it’s reversing direction while it’s accelerating to full speed.

New research suggests that higher light exposure can enhance alertness and cognitive performance, likely by affecting the activity in areas of the brain region known as the hypothalamus.

The study, published in the journal eLife, is described by the editors as of fundamental importance, and represents a key advancement to our understanding of how different levels of light affect human behavior. The strength of evidence is praised as compelling, supporting the authors’ analyses of the complex interplay between light exposure, hypothalamic activity, and cognitive function.

With further research, the findings could be used to inform various light therapy treatments to increase an individual’s quality of sleep and affective state, and help them feel more awake and perform tasks better throughout the day.