Strange Signals May Help Uncover Solutions for Brain Health Issues, Particularly Alzheimer’s Disease.
The gray matter in the brain is a key component of the central nervous system, consisting of neuronal cells, and it has attracted significant attention from researchers.
However, white matter—which makes up half of the brain—is equally important, playing a crucial role in connecting brain cells.
The human brain is still full of unexpected mysteries for science. (Image source: Getty).
In a recent study, scientists from Vanderbilt University (USA) used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in white matter while subjects performed basic gestures, such as finger movements.
They were surprised to observe a significant increase in signals dependent on blood oxygen levels, now appearing in white matter. This indicates that the brain increased its activity when performing the aforementioned gestures.
“This is an important insight, even though we still can’t pinpoint exactly what’s happening,” shared Kurt Schilling, a biomedical engineer and member of the research team.
Schilling emphasized that this is a unique finding, as it reveals different changes within the human brain and may indicate some connection with gray matter activity.
“For about the last 25 or 30 years, we have overlooked the other half of the brain,” the researcher noted.
Based on this discovery, Kurt Schilling’s team believes that future studies could further develop this signal in greater detail, helping to uncover ways to address brain health issues, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.
