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Brain And Consciousness Research - December 2007 ArchivesOrphaned Children Show Higher Intelligence And Fare Better In Foster Care Than In Institutions (12/31/2007)
Mutation may cause inherited neuropathy (12/31/2007)Mutations in a protein called dynein, required for the proper functioning of sensory nerve cells, can cause defects in mice that may provide crucial clues leading to better treatments for a human nerve disorder known as peripheral neuropathy, which affects about three percent of all those over age 60. ...> Full Article Public Policy Fails to Address the Effects of Media Violence on Children (12/30/2007)Highly publicized events such as school shootings arouse public interest in the effects of media violence exposure on children, yet there is still considerable public debate about whether to take this issue seriously. A recent article in Social Issues and Policy Review summarizes the research on the effects of media violence and convincingly demonstrates the profound influence that media violence is having in our society. ...> Full Article Predictors of Teen Suicide Focus of Research Effort (12/30/2007)Researchers investigate suicide trigger mechanisms ...> Full Article Stimulating Muscles May Improve Musician's Dystonia (12/29/2007)
Study Finds Family Environment Critical To Child's IQ (12/29/2007)The quality of caregiving a child receives within the first two years of life directly affects brain development and IQ, according to a study by a team of researchers from Tulane and other universities. ...> Full Article New method enables scientists to see smells (12/28/2007)Animals and insects communicate through an invisible world of scents. By exploiting infrared technology, researchers at Rockefeller University just made that world visible. With the ability to see smells, these scientists now show that when fly larvae detect smells with both olfactory organs they find their way toward a scented target more accurately than when they detect them with one. ...> Full Article Experts Debate the Role of Psychology in Interrogations (12/28/2007)The involvement of psychologists in interrogations is a subject of great interest among practicing psychologists, researchers, policy advocates and interrogators. There are greatly varying opinions about what role psychologists should play in interrogation settings. For example, at last summer's meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, representatives of the APA Council of Representatives voted against banning participation of psychologists, and in favor of adopting an alternative resolution. ...> Full Article Unsupervised children are more sociable and more active (12/27/2007)Youngsters who are allowed to leave the house without an adult are more active and enjoy a richer social life than those who are constantly supervised, according to a study conducted at UCL and reported in a special edition of the journal Built Environment (19th December). ...> Full Article Study Examines Why Americans are Addicted to Sports (12/27/2007)Ticket prices for professional sporting events are lower than conventional economic theory would predict. One possible explanation for this anomaly is that lower ticket prices encourage attendance at future games, thanks to habit formation or "addictive" behavior among fans. A new study published in Contemporary Economic Policy examines this behavior among American and Korean baseball fans, and finds that this theory successfully predicts this behavior in American (but not Korean) baseball fans. It suggests that this habit formation may be rooted in the basic interaction of culture and human nature. ...> Full Article Scientists Identify Brain Abnormalities Underlying Key Element of Borderline Personality Disorder (12/26/2007)Using new approaches, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder-shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition. ...> Full Article Why the web tells us what we already know (12/26/2007)The Internet is not the fountain of all knowledge, despite the plethora of information available at your fingertips. ...> Full Article Ethical questions regarding use of brain-enhancing drugs debated (12/26/2007)The use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by ill as well as healthy individuals is the subject of a commentary published this week in Nature. ...> Full Article New Studies Illuminate the Computational Power of Neurons (12/25/2007)Scientists have found that individual neurons have more computational power and contribute more to behavior than previously thought. The researchers used light to activate individual neurons in living mice and showed that even short bursts of activity in a few neurons can influence learning and decision making. ...> Full Article Humor Develops From Aggression Caused By Male Hormones, Professor Says (12/25/2007)
Study suggests some brain injuries reduce the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder (12/25/2007)A new study of combat-exposed Vietnam War veterans shows that those with injuries to certain parts of the brain were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Naval Medical Center, suggest that drugs or pacemaker-like devices aimed at dampening activity in these brain regions might be effective treatments for PTSD. ...> Full Article GABA receptor - a memory bane? (12/24/2007)When fruit flies lack a receptor for the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid, their ability to learn or remember is enhanced, the first time scientists have been able to induce this effect in the insects, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appears today in the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article Sleep chemical central to effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (12/24/2007)A brain chemical that makes us sleepy also appears to play a central role in the success of deep brain stimulation to ease symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders. The surprising finding is outlined in a paper published online Dec. 23 in Nature Medicine. ...> Full Article A Key Enzyme Helps Keep the Synapse on Track (12/24/2007)At its core, healthy neurological function hinges on the efficient passage of information between brain cells via the synapse. ...> Full Article Overexcited Neurons Bad for Cell Health (12/23/2007)Neurotransmitters have consequences. They initiate events that are critical to a healthy life, giving us the ability to move, to talk, to breathe, to think. But that's if the neurotransmitters are getting it right and sending proper signals downstream to muscle cells, neurons or other cells. ...> Full Article Parents show bias in sibling rivalry, says study (12/23/2007)Most parents would hotly deny favoring one child over another but new research suggests they may have little choice in the matter. ...> Full Article Monkeys Can Perform Mental Addition (12/23/2007)
What's the Rush? Taking Time to Acknowledge Loss is not that Bad (12/22/2007)There are two guarantees in every person's life: happiness and sadness. Although lost opportunities and mistaken expectations are often unpleasant to think and talk about, these experiences may impact personality development and overall happiness. A seven-year study conducted by Laura King, a researcher at the University of Missouri, indicates that individuals who take time to stop and think about their losses are more likely to mature and achieve a potentially more durable sense of happiness. ...> Full Article Watching the synapses form in an intact organism (12/22/2007)
Behavioral Therapy Effectively Treats Children with Social Phobia (12/22/2007)A behavioral therapy designed to treat children diagnosed with social phobia helped them overcome more of their symptoms than the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac), according to an NIMH-funded study published in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ...> Full Article Why diving marine mammals resist brain damage from low oxygen (12/21/2007)
Schizophrenia-Related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways (12/21/2007)Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists. The findings could help explain how this key chemical messenger goes awry in the disorder, which affects about one percent of adults. ...> Full Article IQ Boost From Breast Milk Linked to Gene-Environment Interaction (12/20/2007)A new study shows that the intellectual boost associated with breast milk is only attained if a child has inherited one of two versions of a specific gene. The NIMH funded research is among the first to provide evidence of a specific genetic-environment interaction involved in complex mental functioning. ...> Full Article Brains of older, younger adults respond differently to thirst (12/20/2007)Twelve healthy subjects in their 60s and 70s showed a different pattern of brain activations during thirst and satiation than did 10 healthy subjects in their 20s who drank the same amounts and underwent imaging with positron-emission tomography (PET). Dysfunction in activated neural regions could help explain why older adults show the dangerous tendency toward reduced drinking in response to dehydration. ...> Full Article Researchers correct inherited retardation, autism in mice (12/20/2007)Research points to potential drug treatment for humans ...> Full Article Researcher Discovers Potential New Treatment for Epilepsy (12/19/2007)A researcher has discovered that a drug currently thought to be useful in treating sleep disorders may also be helpful in controlling seizures in patients with a traditionally drug-resistant form of epilepsy. ...> Full Article Neuronal Circuits Able To Rewire On the Fly To Sharpen Senses (12/19/2007)Researchers have for the first time described a mechanism called "dynamic connectivity," in which neuronal circuits are rewired "on the fly" allowing stimuli to be more keenly sensed. ...> Full Article Twins study shows genetic basis for face and place recognition (12/19/2007)New evidence suggests our brains are hardwired before birth to recognize faces and places. But in contrast, the neural circuitry we use to recognize words develops mainly as a result of experience. ...> Full Article Meditation can change brain function, psychology study says (12/17/2007)Feeling stressed or depressed? You may one day be prescribed meditation rather than medication, thanks to a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychology and the Centre for Addiction andMental Health (CAMH) at St. Joseph's Hospital. ...> Full Article Early Treatment Stops Epilepsy in Its Tracks (12/16/2007)Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to suppress the development of epilepsy in genetically predisposed animals-which could open the door to treating epilepsy as a preventable disease. ...> Full Article Chromium Supplementation May Improve Memory in Older Adults (12/16/2007)Aging adults with early memory decline may benefit from supplementation with chromium picolinate ...> Full Article Pre-natal alcohol exposure shapes sensory preference, (12/16/2007)Two studies help explain why teens exposed to fetal alcohol are at high risk for heavy drinking and perpetuating a family cycle of alcohol addiction ...> Full Article Money motivates - especially when your colleague gets less (12/15/2007)Brain scanning experiment shows how much we take others' earnings as a measure of our success ...> Full Article Different areas of brain respond to belief, disbelief, uncertainty (12/15/2007)The human mind is a prolific generator of beliefs about the world. The capacity of our minds to believe or disbelieve linguistic propositions is a powerful force for controlling both behavior and emotion, but the basis of this process in the brain is not yet understood. ...> Full Article High Blood Pressure Associated With Risk For Mild Cognitive Impairment (12/15/2007)High blood pressure appears to be associated with an increased risk for mild cognitive impairment, a condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...> Full Article Research Finds Voters' Bodies Recoil at Negative Political Advertising; Brain Remembers Negative Messages (12/14/2007)As the great race begins, professor discusses physiological impact of negative campaign advertising. ...> Full Article Immune system may target some brain synapses (12/14/2007)A baby's brain has a lot of work to do, growing more neurons and connections. Later, a growing child's brain begins to pare down these connections until it develops into the streamlined brain of an adult. ...> Full Article Low antioxidant level may damage fetal neurons (12/12/2007)Fetal neurons that have low levels of a vital antioxidant, glutathione, are the first to die when exposed to alcohol in cell culture and possibly in the living brain, according to new research from the laboratory of George Henderson, Ph.D., professor of medicine and pharmacology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. ...> Full Article Subliminal smells bias perception about a person's likeability (12/12/2007)Anyone who has bonded with a puppy madly sniffing with affection gets an idea of how scents, most not apparent to humans, are critical to a dog's appreciation of her two-legged friends. Now new research from Northwestern University suggests that humans also pick up infinitesimal scents that affect whether or not we like somebody. ...> Full Article Researchers Investigate Effect of PTSD on Brain Function (12/11/2007)Researchers use MRI to watch stress of PTSD on the brain. ...> Full Article Like Humans, Monkey See, Monkey Plan, Monkey Do (12/11/2007)
Natural Human hormone as the next antidepressant? (12/11/2007)
Research Reveals Secrets of Alcohol's Effect on Brain Cells (12/11/2007)Activates a Stress-Linked Pathway in Neurons to Release Key Genes, Weill Cornell Team Reports ...> Full Article Hiring Practices Influenced by Beauty (12/10/2007)A new study published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences finds that the attractiveness of interviewees can significantly bias outcome in hiring practices, showing a clear distinction between the attractive and average looking interviewees in terms of high and low status job packages offered. ...> Full Article Study Finds Genetic Testing May Help People with Severe Type of Migraine (12/10/2007)Some people who have problems reading quickly appear to have abnormalities in the white matter of their brains, according to research published in the December 4, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say these findings provide a model to better understand ways in which the brain may have developed differently in people with learning disabilities. ...> Full Article Labeling keeps our knowledge organized, study shows (12/10/2007)A popular urban legend suggests that Eskimos have dozens of words for snow. As a culture that faces frigid temperatures year-round, it is important to differentiate between things like snow on the ground ("aput") and falling snow ("qana"). Psychologists are taking note of this phenomenon and are beginning to examine if learning different names for things helps to tell them apart. ...> Full Article Study finds smaller babies prone to mood disorder later in life (12/9/2007)It turns out there might be some truth to the popular wisdom that plump babies are happy babies. A landmark public health study has found that people who had a low birth weight are more likely to experience depression and anxiety later in life. ...> Full Article Distorted self-image the result of visual brain glitch, study finds (12/9/2007)
Mental illness and drug addiction may co-occur due to disturbance in the brain's seat of anxiety and fear (12/9/2007)Study finds rats with amygdalas damaged at birth showed abnormal adult behavior related to fear plus greater cocaine sensitivity ...> Full Article Cognitive 'fog' of normal aging linked to brain system disruption (12/9/2007)
Protein protects brain against compound in lead poisoning, liver disease (12/9/2007)Scientists have discovered that a protein known as PEPT2 protects the brains of mice from a naturally occurring but potentially toxic compound present in lead poisoning and in a class of liver diseases that can cause serious neurological complications. ...> Full Article World's Most Powerful MRI Ready to Scan Human Brain (12/8/2007)The world's most powerful medical magnetic resonance imaging machine, the 9.4 Tesla at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has successfully completed safety trials and may soon offer physicians a real-time view of biological processes in the human brain. ...> Full Article New drug can restore social ability in schizophrenics (12/8/2007)The social behaviour of rats displaying schizophrenic tendencies is restored when they are treated with two new potential drugs that seem to have unique effects on dopaminergic signalling. This is a conclusion of a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy. ...> Full Article Attractiveness Is Its Own Reward (12/8/2007)Studies of the snap judgments we often make about people are shedding new light not only on social behavior, but also on drug abuse, gambling addiction, and other disorders in which our ability to make decisions is impaired, say scientists at the California Institute of Technology. ...> Full Article Researchers Develop New Genetic Method and Identify Novel Genes for Schizophrenia (12/8/2007)Scientists at the Zucker Hillside Hospital campus of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have identified nine genetic markers that can increase a person's risk for schizophrenia. In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team uncovered original evidence that this disabling brain disease can be inherited in a recessive manner. A recessive trait is one that is inherited from both parents. ...> Full Article This Is Your Brain on Violent Media (12/8/2007)Behavior Control Center in Brain Less Responsive After Repeated Exposure to Violence May Lead to Aggressive Behavior ...> Full Article Smell experience during critical period alters brain (12/7/2007)
Neuroscientists Find Early Lead Exposure Impedes Recovery from Brain Injury (12/7/2007)Exposure to lead can hinder the brain's ability to recover from injury, a recent study in laboratory animals shows. The results have implications for the effects of environmental lead exposure on brain injuries such as stroke, say researchers at Jefferson Medical College, who led the work. ...> Full Article Researchers Discover Possible Markers For Mental Illness (12/7/2007)Researchers have discovered natural genetic differences that might help predict the most effective antipsychotic drugs for particular patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's and drug addiction. ...> Full Article For neuroscientist the eye is a window to mind's workings (12/6/2007)
Study Finds Fever May Lead To Improved Behavior In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (12/6/2007)Over the past few decades, parents and clinicians have observed that the behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to improve, sometimes rather dramatically, during a fever. Longer concentration spans, increased language production, improved eye contact and better overall relations with adults and peers have all been reported. In a study published today in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland confirmed, for the first time, parent and clinician reports that the behavior of children with ASD improves with fever. The study evaluated children with ASD during and after an episode of fever and found that fewer autistic-like behaviors were recorded for children with fever compared to controls. Understanding how fever affects the behaviors of children with ASD may provide insight into the causes of the disorder and potential treatment opportunities. ...> Full Article The Aging Brain: Failure to Communicate (12/6/2007)
Humans Appear Hardwired to Learn by 'Over-Imitation' (12/5/2007)
Brain Abnormalities Discovered in People Who Have Trouble Reading Fast (12/5/2007)Some people who have problems reading quickly appear to have abnormalities in the white matter of their brains, according to research published in the December 4, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say these findings provide a model to better understand ways in which the brain may have developed differently in people with learning disabilities. ...> Full Article Newly-identified exercise gene could help with depression (12/4/2007)Boosting an exercise-related gene in the brain works as a powerful anti-depressant in mice-a finding that could lead to a new anti-depressant drug target, according to a Yale School of Medicine report in Nature Medicine. ...> Full Article Club drugs inflict damage similar to traumatic brain injury (12/4/2007)What do suffering a traumatic brain injury and using club drugs have in common? University of Florida researchers say both may trigger a similar chemical chain reaction in the brain, leading to cell death, memory loss and potentially irreversible brain damage. ...> Full Article New findings on prevalence of soft neurological signs (12/4/2007)Prof. Raymond C.K. Chan, a neuropsychologist with the CAS Institute of Psychology, has made novel progress in his studies of schizophrenia. His recent work has been reported by a recent issue of Behavioural Neurology. ...> Full Article Slow reading in dyslexia tied to disorganized brain tracts (12/4/2007)Circuitous connections may keep some patients from reading fluently ...> Full Article Got Sugar? Glucose Affects Our Ability to Resist Temptation (12/4/2007)New research from a lab at Florida State University reveals that self-control takes fuel-- literally. When we exercise it, resisting temptations to misbehave, our fuel tank is depleted, making subsequent efforts at self-control more difficult. ...> Full Article Personality Traits Influence Perceived Attractiveness (12/3/2007)A new study published in Personal Relationships examines the way in which perceptions of physical attractiveness are influenced by personality. The study finds that individuals - both men and women - who exhibit positive traits, such as honesty and helpfulness, are perceived as better looking. Those who exhibit negative traits, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers. ...> Full Article Why can a stroke victim remember some things and not others? (12/3/2007)
Diet For Brain Development, From The Beginning (12/3/2007)
New rendering of ion channel suggests how neurons fire (12/2/2007)
Brain Patterns Of Former Anorexics Reveal Clues To Disorder's Lasting Impact (12/2/2007)Even after more than a year of maintaining a normalized body weight, young women who recovered from anorexia nervosa show vastly different patterns of brain activity compared to similar women without the eating disorder, Walter H. Kaye, M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. ...> Full Article Researchers link low lead exposure to ADHD (12/1/2007)Very low levels of lead in the blood - previously believed to be safe - could be contributing to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a Michigan State University study of 150 children in the Lansing area. ...> Full Article Novel Imaging Technique Shows Gray Matter Increase in Brains of Autistic Children (12/1/2007)Using a novel imaging technique to study autistic children, researchers have found increased gray matter in the brain areas that govern social processing and learning by observation. Results of the study conducted at the Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Bethpage, N.Y., were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). ...> Full Article |
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Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Researchers help identify cows that gain more while eating less
How the demons of dementia possess and damage brain cells
Ritalin boosts learning by increasing brain plasticity
Which came first: Religion or the brain?
Two-faced testosterone can make you nasty or nice
Study: People sometimes less trusting when in a good mood
Critical brain chemical shown to play role in severe depression
Study proves conclusively that violent video game play makes more aggressive kids
Brain scans could be marketing tool of the future
Rapamycin rescues learning, memory in Alzheimer's mouse model
Nouns and verbs are learned in different parts of the brain
Scientists find first physiological evidence of brain's response to inequality