美国波士顿学院和宾州大学的科学家发现了一种人大脑运转及识别周围环境的新方式。相关研究发表在近期的《自然—神经科学》杂志上。
研究人员要求被试者分别看两组照片：一组是四种场景（厨房、浴室、道路交叉口和游乐场），另一种是上述场景中的个别物体（冰箱、浴缸、汽车和滑坡）；之后对被试者大脑进行功能性磁共振成像扫描。
研究人员发现，被试者能够利用由个别物体产生的大脑模式来辨认由场景产生的大脑模式，并且能够及时说出场景的类型。
该研究领导者肖恩·麦克沃伊（Sean MacEvoy）表示，该研究揭示了一个大脑利用物体信息来辨别位置的新系统，有助于研发治疗大脑创伤的方法。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
doi:10.1038/nn.2903
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Constructing scenes from objects in human occipitotemporal cortex
Sean P MacEvoy& Russell A Epstein
Many persistent pain states (pain lasting for hours, days, or longer) are poorly treated because of the limitations of existing therapies. Analgesics such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids often provide incomplete pain relief and prolonged use results in the development of severe side effects. Identification of the key mediators of various types of pain could improve such therapies. Here, we tested the hypothesis that hitherto unrecognized cytokines and chemokines might act as mediators in inflammatory pain. We used ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation to induce persistent, abnormal sensitivity to pain in humans and rats. The expression of more than 90 different inflammatory mediators was measured in treated skin at the peak of UVB-induced hypersensitivity with custom-made
