Working Memory - Studying How The Brain Performs Tasks Based On Memory

Credit: Badre Lab/Brown University

Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), researchers at Brown University released a study on how the brain, using working memory, chooses and plans a course of action or task or a series of task.

Similar to short term memory, working memory is a form of memory that keeps and uses information to complete a task or course of action. Working memory is stored in the brain for a limited amount of time; enough time to organize, plan, and execute the task.

The researchers at Brown measured the reaction time of 22 adult volunteers on how the receive, process, and execute a task using working memory. They find that the brain uses an area of the brain called the Caudate and the prefrontal cortex centered on the dorsal anterior premotor cortex. The image above shows the dorsal anterior premotor cortex lit up by MRI.

They also note that working memory uses similar uses similar circuits to those involved in planning motion.

Studying how working memory works helps in understanding brain cognition and also in finding how these parts of the brain affect behavior.

Imaging Individual Molecules Possible Through Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Carbon Nanotubes

Scientists are looking into imaging of individual molecules by using carbon nanotubes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is an imaging technology that uses magnets and radiowaves to construct an internal 3D image of the target.

Graphene is a one atom thick layer of carbon atoms and is considered a 2 dimensional object. The structure of graphene resembles that of chicken wire. When it is rolled up to form a cylinder, it is called a carbon nanotube.

Graphene is one of the strongest material around and is also the thinnest. It also conducts electricity efficiently and is a very good conductor of heat. Graphene is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that even the smallest atom helium cannot pass through it.

Carbon nanotubes also retain these properties and are used in different technologies such as nanotechnology, material science, electronics, and even in bionanotechnology.

Effective Screening for Alzheimer's Disease Through MRI of the Cerebrospinal Fluid

Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can screen patients for alzheimer's disease effectively. MRI is non-invasive and cost efficient which may be useful to track and monitor the disease as well as observe new treatments for it.

MRI is an imaging application that is usually used in the medical field. It uses magnets and radiowaves to construct an internal 3D image of the target.

MRI has been useful throughout the years in imaging the human body in detail and can also be observed in real time. It tracks the magnetic field of atomic nuclei in the body and is then detected by a scanner that uses it to construct an image.

MRI is also used to effectively image the human brain as well as detect neural activity within it through MRI based imaging techniques such as fMRI (functional MRI) and DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging).

The new study on detecting Alzheimer's disease through MRI is an significant step for neurological research. Previous tests for the disease requires a cognitive assessment by the doctor through tests as well as a review of the patient's clinical history and neurological and neuropsychological observations.