Brain And Consciousness Research - August 2007 Archives

Researchers Pinpoint Techniques for Better Learning (8/31/2007)

People have incredible amounts to learn throughout their lives, whether it be preparing for a test in middle school or training for a new job late in life. Given that time is often at a premium, being able to efficiently learn new information is important. ...> Full Article

God Thoughts Influence Your Generosity (8/31/2007)

Thoughts related to God cultivate cooperative behaviour and generosity, according to University of British Columbia psychology researchers. ...> Full Article

Program Seeks Early Identification of Young Patients At Risk for Developing Psychosis (8/31/2007)

Early detection and intervention in psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disease in adolescence could perhaps prevent some of the devastating effects of mental illness, according to researchers with the Cognitive Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center. ...> Full Article

A Novel Protein That Makes Breathing Automatic (8/30/2007)

Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania have found a link between a recently discovered protein in the brain and the nervous system's duty to regulate respiration. ...> Full Article

Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Study Finds (8/30/2007)

"Breaking Up is Hard to Do" is advice from a popular 1970s song, but older women going through a relationship breakup may have health problems to go along with their broken hearts, a University of Alabama researcher has found. ...> Full Article

Researcher Studies Crayfish to Better Understand Brain Processes (8/30/2007)

Voyage to the bottom of the sea, or simply look along the bottom of a clear stream and you may spy lobsters or crayfish waving their antennae. Look closer, and you will see them feeling around with their legs and flicking their antennules – the small, paired sets of miniature feelers at the top of their heads between the long antennae. ...> Full Article

Controversy Builds About the Prevalence of PTSD in Vietnam Veterans (8/29/2007)

Controversy continues to swirl concerning the findings of a landmark study that estimated the percentage of Vietnam veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ...> Full Article

Researchers Devise New Yardstick for Measuring Leadership (8/29/2007)

A new yardstick for measuring leadership efficacy has been developed by Kennedy School researcher Constance Hadley, working in collaboration with associate professor Todd Pittinsky and others at the Center for Public Leadership. ...> Full Article

Less work more play makes for smarter children (8/28/2007)

Teachers are being urged to keep the lines of communication open with parents to prevent potential discontent over the new prep year. ...> Full Article

Young researcher looks for scientific basis of human social behaviour (8/27/2007)

Humans are social animals even more than was thought, including those suffering from autism and conditions that make it hard to relate to others. Cooperative behaviour is deeply ingrained in nearly all people, but the underlying cognitive processes that make this happen are poorly understood. The cognitive scientist Natalie Sebanz has won a European Young Investigator Awards (EURYI) Award from the European Science Foundation (ESF) to identify the underlying mechanisms and neurological structures underpinning the great human ability to cooperate and participate jointly in tasks that require close coordination with others. ...> Full Article

Money Illusion and the Market (8/27/2007)

People often pay more attention to price tags than to real value. Professor Jean-Robert Tyran, University of Copenhagen, discusses when money illusion can affect markets in the current issue of Science (Vol 317). ...> Full Article

The brain's response to an approaching menace (8/26/2007)

UCL scientists have identified for the first time how our brain's response changes the closer a threat gets. ...> Full Article

Studies in Desire: I want what you like! (8/26/2007)

I want what you like! Does that sound like the cry of a toddler fighting for the other child's toy? ...> Full Article

Gene Triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Like Syndrome in Mice (8/26/2007)

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by National Institutes of Health (NIH) -funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder. ...> Full Article

Feline footsteps point to visual memory (8/26/2007)

There's a reason cats rarely make a false step - they remember where their feet have been. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find an Explanation for Out-of-Body Experiences (8/26/2007)

Using virtual reality goggles to mix up the sensory signals reaching the brain, scientists have induced out-of-body-like experiences in healthy people, suggesting a scientific explanation for a phenomenon often thought to be a figment of the imagination. ...> Full Article

Cellular Outposts Keep Dendrites Strong and Healthy (8/25/2007)

Scientists exploring how the brain develops at a genetic level. ...> Full Article

The building blocks of memory (8/25/2007)

Learning new things, remembering past experiences and adapting to a changing environment - these abilities carried out by the brain are essential for day-to-day survival. This unique flexibility is in part accomplished through the continuous remodeling of the brain's nerve cells. ...> Full Article

World's First Successful Electrical Stimulation for Minimally Conscious Brain-Injured Patient (8/25/2007)

Assault Victim Regains Power to Interact with Family and Friends ...> Full Article

Brain gene flicks the switch on gender (8/24/2007)

University of Adelaide researchers have discovered a way of creating a male mouse without a Y chromosome by manipulating a single gene in the developing foetus. ...> Full Article

Depression May Play A Bigger Role In Readjustment Than Previously Thought In Troubled Vets (8/24/2007)

Depression may be an unrecognized readjustment problem for recently returning veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study released today at the American Psychological Association 115th Annual Convention. Researchers working with veterans referred for psychiatric evaluation from a primary care service found that major or minor depression was associated with domestic abuse and other family problems. ...> Full Article

How the brain fills in gaps (8/24/2007)

When in doubt about what we see, our brains fill in the gaps for us by first drawing the borders and then "coloring" in the surface area, new research has found. The research is the first to pinpoint the areas in the brain, and the timing of their activity, that are responsible for how we see borders and surfaces. ...> Full Article

Last minute rethink (8/24/2007)

Neuroscientists at UCL (University College London) and Ghent University have found the brain circuit involved in thinking twice and checking impulsive behaviour. The duo discovered that an area in the fronto-median cortex of the brain is activated when you begin to think 'I'm not going to go through with this' and stop yourself doing what you were about to do. ...> Full Article

Brain research shows why long-term drug users just can't say no (8/23/2007)

Groundbreaking research from the University of Melbourne has shed new light on why long term drug users find it hard to say no, despite dire consequences to their health. ...> Full Article

Psychologist reveals the secrets of leadership (8/23/2007)

New research has found that leaders are most effective when they transform themselves into 'one of us'. The study by the University of Exeter, University of St Andrews and Australian National University shatters the stereotype that 'good' leaders must have a specific set of qualities. Instead, it shows that leaders must embody the qualities and opinions of the group they seek to influence, even down to personal appearance. ...> Full Article

Breaking Up May Not be as Hard as the Song Says (8/23/2007)

The devastation caused by a broken heart has been a dominant theme throughout the ages of great literature and pop culture alike. ...> Full Article

Baby Talk is Universal (8/23/2007)

A major function of speech is the communication of intentions. In everyday conversation between adults, intentions are conveyed through multiple channels, including the syntax and semantics of the language, but also through nonverbal vocal cues such as pitch, loudness, and rate of speech. ...> Full Article

Users Mistakenly Trust Higher Positioned Results in Google Searches (8/22/2007)

An eye tracking experiment published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication revealed that college student internet users have an inherent trust in Google's ability to rank results by their true relevance to the query. When participants selected a link from Google's result pages, their decisions were strongly biased towards links higher in position, even if that content was less relevant to the search query. ...> Full Article

Women Lose Weight at Least a Decade Before Developing Dementia (8/22/2007)

Women who have dementia start losing weight at least 10 years before the disease is diagnosed, according to a study published in the August 21, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

Brain cells work differently than previously thought (8/22/2007)

Finding that axons process information may shed light on root of cognitive disorders ...> Full Article

Babies' brains to be monitored using light scans (8/22/2007)

Researchers hoping to better understand the development of the infant brain have long been stymied by a formidable obstacle: babies just don't want to sit still for brain scans. ...> Full Article

What Exactly Is 'Internet Addiction' And What Is The Treatment? (8/21/2007)

Is your first craving in the morning for your computer mouse? Do you obsessively check email in the middle of the night? ...> Full Article

Loneliness Is Bad For Your Health (8/21/2007)

Two University of Chicago psychologists, Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo, have been trying to disentangle social isolation, loneliness, and the physical deterioration and diseases of aging, right down to the cellular level. ...> Full Article

Memory Machine Keeps Long Term Memories Going (8/18/2007)

What happens in our brains when we learn and remember? Are memories recorded in a stable physical change, like writing an inscription permanently on a clay tablet? ...> Full Article

Professor, Students Publish Study On Learning New Languages (8/18/2007)

Is it better to talk more measuredly to people learning a new language, or to chat with them at a faster pace that mimics everyday conversation? ...> Full Article

The Memories You Want To Forget Are The Hardest Ones To Lose (8/17/2007)

Painful, emotional memories that people would most like to forget may be the toughest to leave behind, especially when memories are created through visual cues, according to a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ...> Full Article

Two Nicotine Addiction Puzzles Explained (8/16/2007)

The stranglehold of nicotine addiction leads to more than four million smoking-related deaths each year. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have now explained two roots of that addiction. The discoveries may offer new hope not just for smokers, but eventually also for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, a debilitating movement disorder that affects some 40 million people worldwide. ...> Full Article

Brains Learn Better At Night (8/15/2007)

If you think that the idea of a morning person or an evening person is nonsense, then postgraduate student Martin Sale and his colleagues from the University of Adelaide have news for you. ...> Full Article

Does The Desire To Consume Alcohol And Tobacco Come From Our Genetic Makeup? (8/15/2007)

Alcohol and smoking can be harmful, if not deadly. While the desire for these substances can be due to environmental cues, genomic factors also play an important role. The etiology of these desires is multifactorial and a result of complex interactions with the environment. Adoption and twin studies have shown that the use of these substances is likely to be inherited. Such studies have provided evidence that one's sex can influence the genetic factors for alcohol and tobacco use. ...> Full Article

When 'Don't Worry' Leads to Worrying (8/14/2007)

An employer's commitment to prevent layoffs can leave African American workers feeling less secure, University of Arkansas research shows. ...> Full Article

Internet Information Not Reaching Non-English Users (8/14/2007)

A first-ever study examining the language used to search the Internet has found web surfers across the globe are unable to access a majority of the information online because they aren't searching in English. ...> Full Article

New Centre Plans Early Attack For Dementia Crisis (8/14/2007)

Dementia prevention strategies that start with children as young as seven will be a focus of a new network of researchers and health practitioners based at The Australian National University who will develop ways to prevent and mitigate the growing crisis of dementia in Australia, which is predicted to affect up to 500,000 people by 2040. ...> Full Article

Study Reveals Hidden Suffering Of Children With Language Difficulties (8/13/2007)

Children in the UK with speech and language difficulties are prone to loneliness, feelings of frustration and poor self-esteem, a new Department of Health study has revealed. ...> Full Article

Research Underscores Value Of Scepticism In Judging Truth (8/12/2007)

The release of false information about political or other issues requires greater scepticism and critical input from the public, according to a leading researcher at The University of Western Australia. ...> Full Article

Most People Don't Bargain as Well as They Think They Do (8/12/2007)

The give-and-take of negotiating generally leads both parties to believe they strike harder bargains than they actually do. ...> Full Article

Macho Men Are Seen As Bad Choice For Long-Term Love (8/11/2007)

Women see 'masculine' men as unsuitable long-term partners, new research suggests. ...> Full Article

A Parent's Depression Can Weigh Heavy On Children (8/10/2007)

A parent's struggle with stress or depression can lower a child's quality of life - and it could hinder an overweight youngster's attempts to lose weight, too, University of Florida researchers say. ...> Full Article

Baby DVDs, Videos May Hinder, Not Help, Infants' Language Development (8/10/2007)

Despite marketing claims, parents who want to give their infants a boost in learning language probably should limit the amount of time they expose their children to DVDs and videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby." ...> Full Article

New Research Discovers Independent Brain Networks Control Human Walking (8/10/2007)

In a study published in the August issue of Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland found that there are separate adaptable networks controlling each leg and there are also separate networks controlling leg movements, e.g., forward or backward walking. These findings are contrary to the currently accepted theory that leg movements and adaptations are directed by a single control circuit in the brain. The ability to train the right and left legs independently opens the door to new therapeutic approaches for correcting walking abilities in patients with brain injury (e.g., stroke) and neurological disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis). ...> Full Article

Simulated Relationships Offer Insight Into Real Ones (8/9/2007)

Is it me, or are you a less than ideal partner? For psychologists studying how people manage romantic relationships, that's not an easy question to answer. What if one of the partners is deeply afraid of intimacy? Could she be acting in ways that undermine the relationship? Or is her partner contributing to the problem? ...> Full Article

Study Shows Novel Way to Trigger New Neuron Production in the Aging Brain (8/9/2007)

Researchers have shown for the first time that putting two specific types of neural cells directly into an aging brain can kick-start creation of brain cells linked to learning and memory. ...> Full Article

Gene Predicts Better Outcome as Cortex Normalizes in Teens with ADHD (8/9/2007)

Brain areas that control attention were thinnest in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who carried a particular version of a gene in a study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). ...> Full Article

Electrical Implant Steadies Balance Disorder In Animals (8/8/2007)

Tests in chinchillas show promise for treating long-term unsteadiness and blurry vision ...> Full Article

Maturity Brings Richer Memories (8/8/2007)

MIT neuroscientists exploring how memory formation differs between children and adults have found that although the two groups have much in common, maturity brings richer memories. ...> Full Article

Discovery Of Novel Nerve Cell Modulator Offers Potential For Mood Disorders, Epilepsy Treatments (8/8/2007)

Study shows link between gut protein and brain's natural marijuana-like compounds ...> Full Article

How The Brain Responds As The Beat Goes On (8/7/2007)

McGill, Stanford researchers first to map neural responses to transitions in music ...> Full Article

Why Guilt Doesn’t Keep Some Of Us From Making The Same Mistakes Twice (8/7/2007)

Many of us experience a tinge of guilt as we delight in feelings of pleasure from our favorite indulgences, like splurging on an expensive handbag or having another drink. We make resolutions: this will be the last time, positively. Yet, in spite of documented ambivalence towards temptation and well-meaning vows not to succumb again, consumers often end up repeating the same or similar choices. A new study by Suresh Ramanathan (University of Chicago Graduate School of Business) and Patti Williams (Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania) examines repeated impulsive behavior despite the presence of guilt - important research underscored by the increasing prevalence of binge drinking, obesity, and credit card debt. ...> Full Article

Researcher Decodes the Toddler Language Explosion (8/7/2007)

The astonishing speed at which toddlers learn new words may relate to the distribution of easy and complex words in a language, not some specialized part of the toddler brain becoming active, according to new research published in the 3 August issue of Science. ...> Full Article

Orangutans Communicate As If They Were Playing Charades (8/7/2007)

When using gestures to get their points across, orangutans rely on the same basic strategy that humans follow when playing the popular game and intentionally modify or repeat hand (or other) signals based on the success or failure of their first attempt. ...> Full Article

Sensory Organ Differentiates Male/Female Behavior In Some Mammals (8/7/2007)

Vomeronasal organ, not brain, determines sex-specific behavior ...> Full Article

Does Playing The Brain/Memory Game Really Help? (8/6/2007)

Brain and memory training programs are popular, but they don't work well for everyone, says a Universitiy of Michigan psychologist. ...> Full Article

How Sweet It Is (8/6/2007)

USC College professors' collaboration helps explain how the body - and brain - sense drops in blood sugar. The partnership will help answer questions like how we know when we need to eat. ...> Full Article

High Pressure Jobs Linked to Depression and Anxiety (8/6/2007)

New research has shown that work-related stress is a cause of clinical depression and anxiety among young adults. In a study of almost 900 32-year olds, 14 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men experiencing stress at work - and with no prior mental health problems - had a first episode of depression or anxiety at age 32. ...> Full Article

'Wake-Up Pill' Under Study to Treat Patients with Bipolar Disorder (8/5/2007)

Preliminary study shows drug's potential in treating the depressive phase of bipolar disorder ...> Full Article

New Epilepsy Therapy Device Being Tested (8/5/2007)

Clinical trial examines new responsive brain stimulation technology ...> Full Article

Monkeys Learn In The Same Way As Humans (8/5/2007)

"Like humans, monkeys benefit enormously from being actively involved in learning instead of having information presented to them passively," said Nate Kornell, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in psychology and lead author of the study, which appears in the August issue of the journal Psychological Science. "The advantage of active learning appears to be a fundamental property of memory in humans and nonhumans alike." ...> Full Article

Music Moves Brain To Pay Attention (8/4/2007)

Using brain images of people listening to short symphonies by an obscure 18th-century composer, a research team from the Stanford University School of Medicine has gained valuable insight into how the brain sorts out the chaotic world around it. ...> Full Article

Aging Adults Have Choices When Confronting Perceived Mental Declines (8/4/2007)

Aging adults may joke about memory lapses and "early Alzheimer's." They may worry when they can't understand a drug plan or lose track of the characters in a novel. ...> Full Article

Cognitive Impairment Link Found in Popular Medications (8/4/2007)

Long-term use of histamine2 receptor antagonists (H2A), one class of drugs that blocks stomach acid, may be associated with cognitive impairment in older African-American adults. ...> Full Article

Should Antipsychotic Drugs Be Taken For Dementia? (8/3/2007)

Antipsychotic drugs are approved mainly for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but they are also used for many other purposes. One of the most controversial is reducing disruptive behavior among elderly people with dementia. ...> Full Article

Study Discovers Link Between Increased White Matter in the Brain and Poor Motor Skills in Children with Autism (8/3/2007)

Research Conducted at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Examines How Motor Skill Deficits Can Provide Insight into the Brain Basis of Autism ...> Full Article

Double Trouble: Hopelessness Key Component Of Mood Disorder (8/3/2007)

There's depression, and then there's double depression. ...> Full Article

Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Linked to Brain Area that Processes Voices (8/2/2007)

For the first time, researchers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have found both structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions of schizophrenic patients who experience chronic auditory hallucinations, according to a study published in the August issue of Radiology. ...> Full Article

Reading Ability Protects Brain from Lead Exposure (8/2/2007)

Lead smelter workers who are better readers have more protection against the effect of lead exposure on the brain than those who do not read as well, according to a study on the impact of cognitive reserve published in the July 31, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

Neurologist Says Seizures Can Indicate Brain Abnormalities (8/2/2007)

On Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts suffered a "grand mal" or generalized seizure. University of Missouri-Columbia neurologist Pradeep Sahota said that seizures such as this represent abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It is like an electrical storm, Sahota said. ...> Full Article

Patterns Of Excitation Waves Found In Brain's Visual Processing Center (8/1/2007)

Neuroscientists have long believed that vision is processed in the brain along circuits made up of neurons, similar to the way telephone signals are transferred through separate wires from one station to another. But scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center discovered that visual information is also processed in a different way, like propagating waves oscillating back and forth among brain areas. Their findings are published in the July 5 issue of the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article

Brain Abnormalities Found in People with Writer's Cramp (8/1/2007)

People with serious cases of writer's cramp have brain abnormalities, according to a study published in the July 24, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. People with writer's cramp had less brain tissue than healthy people in three areas of the brain that connect the senses and movement with their affected hand. ...> Full Article

Reading More Into a Face Than Noticeably Meets the Eye (8/1/2007)

Reading the face of a person who is trying to conceal fear or other emotions is tricky business, according to a new Northwestern University study of electrical activity in the brain. ...> Full Article