New epilepsy, schizophrenia clues found British scientists say
studying the way a person’s brain sings could improve our
understanding of conditions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.
Researchers in Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging
Center say they’ve discovered a person’s brain produces a unique
electrical oscillation at a particular frequency when a person
looks at a visual pattern. That frequency of oscillation, the
scientists said, appears to be determined by the concentration
of a neurotransmitter chemical, GABA in the visual cortex of
each person’s brain. The more GABA, the higher the frequency or
note of the oscillation became. GABA is a key inhibitory
neurotransmitter and is essential for the normal operation of
the brain. Using sophisticated “¦ brain imaging equipment, we’ve
found that when a person looks at a visual pattern their brain
produces an electrical signal, known as a gamma oscillation, at
a set frequency, Professor Kirsh Singh, who led the study, said.
In effect, each person’s b