Navigation Links
Oprah, Luke Skywalker and Maradona -- new study investigates how our brains respond to them
Date:7/23/2009

Pictures paint concepts of a thousand words- now, for the first time, scientists studying the brain have worked out how words paint concepts in our minds.

The team, including Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga at the Department of Engineering of the University of Leicester in the UK, Professor Itzhak Fried at the University California Los Angeles and Professor Christof Koch at the California Institute of Technology, has published these findings in the journal Current Biology. It is published online on 23 July and in the print issue on 11 August.

The results are important for understanding how perception and memory formation occurs.

Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, head of Bioengineering at the University of Leicester, led the study which concluded that, although processing of visual and auditory information occur along completely separate pathways, the visual and auditory processing routes converge to end up firing the same single neurons.

He said: "Different pictures of Marilyn Monroe can evoke the same mental image, even if greatly modified as in Warhol's famous portraits. This process relates to one of the most fascinating questions in neuroscience: how do neurons in the brain manage to abstract and disregard irrelevant details to recognize highly variable pictures as the same person?"

Professor Quian Quiroga said various studies had provided insights into how visual information is processed in the brain. He added:

"Interestingly, in humans, the same "concept" of Marilyn can be evoked with other stimulus modalities, for instance by hearing or reading her name. Brain imaging studies have identified cortical areas in the human temporal lobe that are selective to voices and words. However, how visual, text and sound information can elicit a unique percept is still largely unknown."

The University of Leicester team in collaboration with UCLA and Caltech used presentations of pictures, spoken and
'/>"/>

Contact: Rodrigo Quian Quiroga
rqqg1@le.ac.uk
University of Leicester
Source:Eurekalert

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology technology :

1. Dendreon Announces Publication of Phase 1 Study Highlighting Immunologic and Clinical Activity of Lapuleucel-T (Neuvenge(R)) in Advanced Breast Cancer Patients
2. Cephalon Announces Positive Results from a Pivotal Study of FENTORA in Opioid-tolerant Patients with Non-cancer Breakthrough Pain
3. Kline Study: Better Brushing Habits Boost European Oral Care Sales
4. Evotec to Present Details of the Positive Phase II Study in Insomnia With EVT 201 at the Worldsleep07 Congress in Cairns/Australia
5. NASA study will help stop stowaways to Mars
6. New Study Findings Confirm CLEXANE(R)/LOVENOX(R) Long-Term Clinical Benefit in Patients Suffering From Acute Coronary Syndrome
7. Study Published in Clinical Cancer Research Confirms Potential Of Peregrines Bavituximab Combined With Radiation In Lung Cancer
8. Evotec Reports Details of the Positive Proof-of-Concept Phase II Study in Insomnia With EVT 201
9. Study Supports Use of GlycoMark Blood Test to Evaluate Therapy in Children with Diabetes
10. Quigley Corporation Releases Update on Quigley Pharmas Phase IIb Clinical Study of QR-333 in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
11. Biodel Inc. Announces VIAject(TM) Phase II Meal Study Data at the 2007 European Association for the Study of Diabetes Meeting

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:11/24/2009)...4,2009/PRNewswire-FirstCall/--ArenaPharmaceuticals...isscheduledtopresentatthePiperJaffray21stAnnualHea...nTime(8:30a.m.PacificTime)attheNewYorkPalaceHoteli...ecutiveOfficer,isscheduledtoprovideanoverviewofthe...yprograms. ,, Aliveaudiowebcastofthepresentatio...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Program Connects Customers with Partners Valid... DNA Genotek Products , O...k , a leading provider of products for biological ...today announced its new global partner program. Th...Genotek,s partner community and is designed to hel...
(Date:11/23/2009).... 23, 2009 In a provocative new study, a Universi...xide emissions the major cause of global warming ...ollapses or society builds the equivalent of one n...likely that there will be any substantial near-ter... carbon dioxide emission rates," says the new pape...
(Date:11/23/2009)... a two-dimensional carbon layer in which the carbo...bling a honeycomb. Carbon nanotubes are rolled-up ...eets form graphite. Graphene boasts some very spec...t, an excellent thermal conductor, and reconciles ...ility. In addition, graphene is impermeable to gas...
Breaking Biology Technology:Arena Pharmaceuticals to Present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference 2DNA Genotek Launches Global Partner Program 2DNA Genotek Launches Global Partner Program 3Is global warming unstoppable? 2Is global warming unstoppable? 3Is global warming unstoppable? 4Polymer with honeycomb structure 2
..., April 15 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- AgFeed Industries,...roduction and animal nutrient companies in China, ...arrangement with Hypor, a Hendrix Genetics Company... superior swine genetics and technology. Hypor has... one of the world,s largest broad-based breeding p...
... Customers Can Claim A Free Introd...Your Organization,s Resilience in the Downturn&quo....html , San Francisco, C... Mariposa Leadership, Inc. announces the kick-off ... to provide business leaders, managers, and execut...
...HERFORD, N.J., April 14 Cambrex Corporation (NYSE...n notified by the New York Stock Exchange (the "NY...g standard relating to the Company,s total market ...Company received the notice on April 9, 2009 from ...g standards because its average market capitalizat...
Other Biology Technology:AgFeed Industries Enters Into Hog Genetic Program Arrangement with Hypor, the Pig Breeding Division of Hendrix Genetics B.V. 2AgFeed Industries Enters Into Hog Genetic Program Arrangement with Hypor, the Pig Breeding Division of Hendrix Genetics B.V. 3AgFeed Industries Enters Into Hog Genetic Program Arrangement with Hypor, the Pig Breeding Division of Hendrix Genetics B.V. 4Executive Coaching Firm Mariposa Leadership, Inc. Hosts Webinar to Help Business Leaders Navigate Tumultuous Economy 2Cambrex Receives Notice Regarding NYSE Listing 2Cambrex Receives Notice Regarding NYSE Listing 3
(Date:11/23/2009)...ts that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate aut... al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium ...nhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the December 20..., Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the im...ects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United States. ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...OE and USDA study concluded that 50 million U.S. a...ure could be converted from current uses to the pr..., from which biomass could be harvested for use as...on of a perennial grass monoculture from which sub...y is expected to require nitrogen fertilizer. , ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...medical engineer and cardiologist Tzung "John" Hsi...distinguish cardiac emergencies requiring immediat...ugs and lifestyle change. , Angiograms, images m...g the heart, offer an inside view of the interior ...vealing deposits of a dangerous fatty substance ca...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis 2Switchgrass produces biomass efficiently 2Stable plaque or heart attack plaque? USC researcher builds new sensor to tell which is which 2PreferredOne Joins Minnesota Health Information Exchange 48344 1PreferredOne Joins Minnesota Health Information Exchange 48344 2Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Surgery at the Olympia Medical Center 48340 1Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Surgery at the Olympia Medical Center 48340 2Allied Worlds John Gauthier to Participate in a Panel at the NBER Insurance Project Workshop June 10 2009 48336 1Allied Worlds John Gauthier to Participate in a Panel at the NBER Insurance Project Workshop June 10 2009 48336 2
...ing neurons in the,brain as a treatment for Parkin... 15 years ago, however the field is still in its i... shown that,dopamine-producing neurons (DA neurons...ransplanted into areas of the brain where these ne...son disease, can reverse,parkinsonism. Their resul...
...rs present a “cautionary tale?about what may go wr... to devise a diagnostic test for cancer. , In the...Cancer Institute, researchers from The University ...n experimental test intended to identify early ova...ly to lead to a reliable clinical test right away....
...rs present a “cautionary tale?about what may go wr... to devise a diagnostic test for cancer. , In the...Cancer Institute, researchers from The University ...n experimental test intended to identify early ova...ly to lead to a reliable clinical test right away....
Other Biology News:Transplantation Of Monkey Embryonic Stem Cells Reverses Parkinson Disease In Primates 2Signaling protein builds bigger, better bones in mice 2Signaling protein builds bigger, better bones in mice 3New species from old data 2New species from old data 3
Chlamydia pneumonia IgA ELISA Kit, Single from Bio-Quant Inc.
Chlamydia trachomatis IgA ELISA Kit, Single from Bio-Quant Inc.
Chlamydia pneumonia IgM ELISA Kit, Single from Bio-Quant Inc.
Mouse IgM EIA Kit from Assay Designs/Stressgen Bioreagents
Biology Products: