Latest news with #neuroscience
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This new study challenges long-standing beliefs about autism
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Prior research has shown that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulties recognizing faces and even emotional responses. This, many speculate, is what leads individuals with autism to exhibit social communication problems. But the problem with this understanding is that we've never had any clear evidence of how a brain affected by autism perceives the human face and body. This has left us with plenty of questions, but a new study led by Waseda University in Japan could prove this theory wrong and completely change everything we thought we know about how individuals with ASD perceive the faces and bodies of those around them. Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Challenging long-held beliefs The belief that individuals with ASD often suffer from social communication issues that are driven by how their brains perceive others is a long-standing one. However, as noted above, there's never been any scientific proof to back it up. In this new study from Waseda University, scientists took detailed neuroimages of 23 adults with ASD and compared them to the neuroimages of 23 typically developing (TD) adults. The results were not as different as expected. The researchers note that when looking at the images, they expected to see differences in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC). This region of the brain is known to represent the visual information the brain processes to perceive the human body. Until now, it was assumed that individuals with autism, or ASD, would have that information clustered in a different way within their LOTC. However, that isn't the case at all. When looking at the data, the researchers found that individuals in the ASD and TD groups all showed similar structures of activations for their LOTCs. This could disprove the theory that individuals with ASD perceive the human body differently, thus leading to other social communication issues. The researchers also note that there were no significant differences in the size or strength of the activation of the LOTC in either group. 'These results suggest that adults with autism perceive visual body information in much the same way as neurotypical adults,' Professor Hirotaka Kurihara shared in a statement. '[This] challenges long-standing assumptions that differences in body-related perception contribute to social difficulties in ASD.' To double-check the results, the researchers also looked at whether brain patterns could be linked to individual differences. However, they also found no strong connections in this area, either. So, while it is true that individuals with ASD might struggle to read emotions or intentions based on expressions and gestures, that struggle does not seem to be tied to how their brains perceive the human body or face, which could help further research dig deeper into what the actual underlying cause is. We're still a long way from truly understanding autism and the overall affect it has on the individuals affected by it. But researchers are working hard to learn more. We've also seen some pretty amazing breakthroughs in AI development, including an AI that can detect autism just by looking at how you hold objects. More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Can you control your dreams?
Ancient societies considered dreams to be either supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention. But in modern times, our minds and dreams have become the research topic for neuroscientists Dr. Benjamin Baird, a research professor of cognitive neuroscience at The University of Texas, is one of them. His studies include how we can control our dreams and how lucid dreaming can affect us when we're awake.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Johnson & Johnson Rallied Today
Key Points Johnson & Johnson delivered a "beat and raise" quarter. Results were bolstered by the new acquisition of Intra-Cellular, marking J&J's re-entry into the neuroscience field. The stock is still not expensive even after today's surge. 10 stocks we like better than Johnson & Johnson › Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) rallied 6.1% on Wednesday as of 1:18 p.m. ET. The pharmaceutical and medical equipment giant reported earnings today, which not only beat expectations, but also saw management lifting full-year guidance. As such, the stock continued to brush off tariff-related fears from the first half of the year. Second-quarter highlights include lower-than-expected tariffs and contributions from Caplyta In the second quarter, Johnson & Johnson grew revenue 5.8% to $23.7 billion, beating expectations. While adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share of $2.77 declined by 1.8% relative to the prior year, that was also ahead of analysts' expectations. The decline in earnings had to do with Johnson & Johnson's cost of goods sold, which included some acquisition-related amortization stemming from the company's $14.6 billion acquisition of neuroscience-oriented Intra-Cellular Therapies, which closed on April 2. Interest expense also increased from new debt used for the acquisition. Management also noted that it expects a $200 million impact from tariffs this year, though that was down from $400 million in April before U.S.-China tariffs were ratcheted back down on May 12. Still, Intra-Cellular helped the company's Neuroscience unit grow 14.4% year over year in constant currency, which was the second-fastest segment behind oncology, which grew a solid 22.3%. Management also upped its guidance for the year and now projects $93.2 billion to $93.6 billion in revenue, and $10.80 to $10.90 in adjusted earnings per share (EPS), relative to last quarter's guidance of $91 billion to $91.8 billion and $10.50 to $10.70, respectively. JNJ remains as blue chip as ever Johnson & Johnson's solid results cement it as the premier blue chip pharmaceutical and medtech company in dividend-oriented portfolios. Moreover, the stock is still inexpensive, even after today, at just 15 times this year's new earnings guidance, with a dividend of 3.4%. Thus, the stock remains a solid buy or hold for income-oriented, conservative investors. Should you buy stock in Johnson & Johnson right now? Before you buy stock in Johnson & Johnson, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Johnson & Johnson wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $679,653!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,046,308!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025 Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Johnson & Johnson Rallied Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MOTOR Ai secures $20m for autonomous driving technology
MOTOR Ai, a German company specialising in cognitive AI systems for autonomous driving, has secured $20m in a seed financing round for the deployment of the company's neuroscience-driven technology on public roads in Germany. eCAPITAL and Segenia Capital spearheaded the funding round which also saw contributions from German high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). The fresh capital injection is said to be utilised for the final steps towards type approval for public roads and the following deployment of the company's autonomous vehicles. MOTOR Ai has developed a Level 4 autonomous driving intelligence that employs reasoning via data, rather than mere reaction. At the core of its system is a cognitive architecture based on 'active inference', a neuroscience model that enables vehicles to make transparent decisions. In 2025, MOTOR Ai plans to initiate operations of vehicles equipped with its Level 4 autonomous system in various districts of the country. Although these vehicles will initially be supervised by a safety driver, the aim is to remove the driver by 2026. The deployments will encompass both the full onboard autonomy stack as well as the technical supervision mandated by law. The company's vision is to create a 'certified, explainable driver system' that acts as a foundation for 'safe and transparent autonomy.' MOTOR Ai anticipates type-approval after European and German regulations by 2026. The company was founded by CEO Roy Uhlmann and CTO Adam Bahlke in 2017 in Berlin. Roy Uhlmann said: 'Our solution meets key requirements for transparency and traceability of autonomous driving decisions, as required by authorities. 'That clearly distinguishes us from US providers and at the same time optimally complies with European regulatory requirements.' "MOTOR Ai secures $20m for autonomous driving technology" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Arab News
3 days ago
- Science
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: ‘In The Brain, In Theory'
Author: ROMAIN BRETTE 'In The Brain, In Theory,' Romain Brette argues that the brain is not a 'biological computer' because living organisms are not engineered. Engineering is the use of knowledge to solve technical problems, to build an artifact with a plan. Brette reviews the main theoretical frameworks for thinking about the brain, including computation, neural representations, information, and prediction, and finds them poorly suited to the study of biological cognition. He proposes understanding the brain as a self-organized, developing community of living entities rather than an optimized assembly of machine components.
