Embedded Files
Byte Sized Letter Fifteen
Byte Sized Letter Fifteen
On This Week's Newsletter - Tuesday, 02/04 to Monday, 02/10
On This Week's Newsletter - Tuesday, 02/04 to Monday, 02/10
Click on any of the titles to read the full piece!
This NYU study looked into some of the hippocampus’s fundamental computations. The hippocampus has traditionally been viewed as a structure that processes various types of information like spatial location, time, sensory inputs, and rewards. The study revealed that hippocampal neurons, rather than simply responding to external stimuli like sounds or locations, were primarily driven by the brain’s internal action plans and goal uncertainty. Through high-density brain recordings, researchers found that while neurons showed connections to various sensory inputs, their firing patterns were more strongly influenced by the brain’s intended actions. This suggests the hippocampus actively generates action sequences rather than just processing environmental information.
In this UCL study, researchers tested a brain imaging technique called Electrical Impedance Tomography that uses surface electrodes to view deep brain activity during seizures in rats. This technique proved to have great spatio-temporal resolution while being non-invasive. By applying tiny electrical currents and measuring voltage changes, they successfully mapped neural activity 3mm deep into the brain (over a third of the way in rats) with high precision. This non-invasive approach could potentially help improve epilepsy surgery outcomes in human patients, but more likely will be helpful in rat studies.
This Engineering College of Armed Police Force (China) study investigated how mental fatigue affects drivers by conducting a driving simulation. Fatigue, which causes 20-30% of traffic accidents, was detected through changes in brain waves and heart patterns. Participants showed signs of fatigue after just 30 minutes, experiencing drowsiness and difficulty concentrating. The study suggested that driving in this state is like driving while drunk.
This Tongji University study looked at the neural correlates of mental fatigue, particularly in terms of neural networks. When we're mentally tired from tasks like long-distance driving or extended studying, the brain's regions become less efficient at working together. The research shows that mental fatigue isn't just about individual brain areas getting tired, but rather involves changes in how the entire brain network functions. Taking breaks can help restore these neural connections and improve performance.
This Max Planck Institute (Leipzig) study investigated how the human brain organizes and processes visual information about objects. The study revealed that the brain visuals more broadly than previously thought. Rather than just categorizing objects into simple groups, the researchers found that visual processing occurs throughout the entire visual system, from basic visual areas to higher-level brain regions. Their new approach better predicted brain responses than traditional category-based methods, showing that the brain considers multiple object properties simultaneously to help us understand what we see.
Want to submit a piece? Or trying to write a piece and struggling? Check out the guides here!
Thank you for reading. Reminder: Byte Sized is open to everyone! Feel free to submit your piece. Please read the guides first though.
All submissions to berkan@usc.edu with the header “Byte Sized Submission” in Word Doc format please. Thank you!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse