A Brain Circuit for Bungee Jumping?

sea-maid submitted, created time 1 month 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Scientists have known for some time that the white matter in our brains--the strands of nerve fibers that connect nerve cell bodies, or gray matter--serve as the wires through which neural information flows. However, figuring out exactly which parts of the brain connect to each other, and how strong these connections are, has only been possible recently in living humans thanks to a technique called diffusion tensor imaging. A type of magnetic resonance imaging, the method traces the web of white matter by following the diffusion of fluid through the nerve fibers

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Genetic contributions to white matter architecture revealed by diffusion tensor imaging in Williams syndrome

jackson submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.pnas.org)

Little is known about genetic regulation of the development of white matter. This knowledge is critical in understanding the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental syndromes associated with altered cognition as well as in elucidating the genetics of normal human cognition.

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White Matter Matters in Schizophrenia

medal submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.sciam.com)

"Scientists have suspected for more than two decades that schizophrenia is linked to defects in the brain's white matter. They could not tell, however, whether changes in the information-transmitting region of the brain detected by brain scans or autopsies were the cause or the symptoms of the illness.”

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