What our brain does when the mind is at rest

New insights into the brain’s default mode network

10-Apr-2025 - The brain’s default mode network (DMN) is a group of regions that become active when we are not engaged with our surroundings – for instance, when daydreaming. When solving tasks, however, this network is less active. Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have now investigated the ...

Silk sponges instead of animal testing

How a 3D cell culture system could revolutionize cancer diagnostics

28-Mar-2025 - An FFG-funded consortium of Austrian research groups from the University of Vienna, MedUni Vienna and Technikum Wien together with company partner DOC Medikus GmbH has developed an innovative bioanalytical test system for radiopharmaceutical drug candidates for cancer diagnosis and therapy. It ...

Nature relieves physical pain: pain-related signals in the brain are reduced

This effect even occurs with virtual nature – such as nature videos

17-Mar-2025 - In a new study, an international team of neuroscientists led by the University of Vienna has shown that experiencing nature can alleviate acute physical pain. Surprisingly, simply watching nature videos was enough to relieve pain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers found ...

Musicians' dystonia: on the trail of finger blockages in brain MRI

Neurologist is researching the causes and looking for possible treatments for the neurological movement disorder in professional pianists

10-Mar-2025 - Anyone who wants to make music their profession must, above all, be willing to practice. Even before they start their music studies, children and young people who aspire to such a career spend an average of 10,000 hours on their instrument. And even as a professional, at least three to four hours ...

Stressful childhood experiences accelerate brain aging

Early identification and prevention of dementia in later life

18-Feb-2025 - Stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood have been shown to negatively impact an individual’s health as an adult. Those affected face an increased risk of illness and often suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, and cardiovascular or metabolic diseases. Until now, little has been known ...

Videos with cold symptoms activate brain regions and trigger immune response

Study on brain activity and antibody concentration

07-Feb-2025 - People who watch videos of sneezing or sick people show increased activity in brain regions that represent an interface between the brain and the immune system and react to potential dangers. At the same time, the concentration of antibodies in their saliva increases. The findings of a study by ...

mediaire transforms radiology with AI

Start-up securing a European €12 million investment to fuel global growth

14-Nov-2024 - While Generative AI is creating a buzz across industries and remains in the early stages of the hype cycle, AI in radiology is no longer just a vision for the future. mediaire’s proven AI value is already happening in over 350 hospitals and clinics across Europe, where the German radiology ...

A Viral Close-Up of a Distinct Virus Related to HIV

“We were expecting a difference from other viruses, but the extent of it completely blew us away”

26-Sep-2024 - Almost everyone knows about HIV. Fewer people know about its relative, HTLV-1. However, HTLV-1 can cause serious illnesses, including cancer. To develop ways to combat this virus, understanding its structure is essential. Martin Obr and Florian Schur from the Institute of Science and Technology ...

Study shows what your favourite film genres reveal about your brain

29-Aug-2024 - Crime films, action films, comedies, or documentaries? A person's favourite film genre reveals a lot about how their brain works. This is the finding of a new study led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) that compared data on film preferences with recordings of the brain ...

Neurobiology: Washing machine for the brain

08-Aug-2024 - Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt and the University of California in San Diego have used microscopic techniques to show for the first time that the blood vessels entering the brain pulsate independently of the heartbeat and brain activity. The waves traveling through the brain may not ...