Brain And Consciousness Research - June 2008 Archives

'Directed Thinking' Increases Time Spent Exercising (6/30/2008)

"Directed Thinking" involves asking people to think about information related to a topic that they already know which directs them to action. ...> Full Article

Mechanism and function of humor identified by new evolutionary theory (6/30/2008)

Research identifies the reason humor is common to all human societies, its fundamental role in the evolution of homo sapiens and its continuing importance in the cognitive development of infants ...> Full Article

Portable device effective in zapping away migraine pain (6/29/2008)

A novel electronic device designed to "zap" away migraine pain before it starts has proven to be the next form of relief for those suffering from the debilitating disease ...> Full Article

Scientists find how neural activity spurs blood flow in the brain (6/29/2008)

Newfound mechanisms could bolster understanding of brain imaging, aging's effects ...> Full Article

Are you a different person when you speak a different language? (6/28/2008)

People who are bicultural and speak two languages may actually shift their personalities when they switch from one language to another, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research. ...> Full Article

Morbid thoughts whet the appetite (6/28/2008)

Can watching TV news or crime shows trigger overeating? According to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who are thinking about their own deaths want to consume more. ...> Full Article

Study shows 'being fat in today's world' invites social discrimination (6/27/2008)

Obese people feel "a culture of blame" against them, which they say has been made worse by media reports about the health risks of obesity ...> Full Article

Study uncovers how Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition, focus attention (6/27/2008)

Ritalin fine-tunes the functioning of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region involved in attention, decision-making and impulse control ...> Full Article

Neuroscientists discover a sense of adventure (6/26/2008)

Scientists have identified a key region of the brain which encourages us to be adventurous ...> Full Article

The high cost of low status: Feeling powerless leads to expensive purchases (6/26/2008)

Feeling powerless can trigger strong desires to purchase products that convey high status ...> Full Article

If it's hard to read, is it hard to do? (6/25/2008)

Marketers and designers would do well to choose easy-to-read fonts ...> Full Article

Study Seeks to Understand Link Between Visual Cues, Motor Skills (6/25/2008)

Because what you see often affects what you do, a research team thinks a better understanding of the neurological processes involved could lead to improved treatment for stroke and brain injuries. ...> Full Article

Hot Flashes Underreported and Linked to Forgetfulness (6/24/2008)

Women in midlife underreport the number of hot flashes that they experience by more than 40 percent, and these hot flashes are linked to poor verbal memory ...> Full Article

Researchers unlock mystery behind brain imaging (6/23/2008)

Star-shaped brain cells shown to play key role ...> Full Article

New research shows how aging brain brings a healthy dose of perspective (6/23/2008)

Scientist has proven that wisdom really does come with age, at least when it comes to your emotions. ...> Full Article

Study of marine snail leads to new insights into long-term memory (6/22/2008)

cellular neuroscientists are providing new insights into the mechanisms that underlie long-term memory - research with the potential to treat long-term memory disorders. ...> Full Article

When the Powerless Rise Up (6/21/2008)

Power leads to positive action, but only when acquired legitimately ...> Full Article

Researchers find an evolutionarily preserved signature in the primate brain (6/20/2008)

Researchers have determined that there are hundreds of biological differences between the sexes when it comes to gene expression in the cerebral cortex of humans and other primates ...> Full Article

Society's attitudes have little impact on choice of sexual partner (6/19/2008)

New study suggests that the attitude of families and the public have little impact on if adults decide to have sex with persons of the same or the opposite sex ...> Full Article

Research on octopuses sheds light on memory (6/18/2008)

Research on octopuses has shed new light on how our brains store and recall memory ...> Full Article

Children Learn Smart Behaviors Without Knowing What They Know (6/17/2008)

Young children show evidence of smart and flexible behavior early in life – even though they don't really know what they're doing ...> Full Article

Brain scans reveal what's behind the aversion to loss of possessions (6/16/2008)

A new study reveals fascinating insights into the specific neuropsychological mechanisms that are linked with the potential loss of possessions. ...> Full Article

'Faulty' brain connections may be responsible for social impairments in autism (6/16/2008)

New evidence shows that the brains of adults with autism are "wired" differently from people without the disorder, and this abnormal pattern of connectivity may be responsible for the social impairments that are characteristic of autism. ...> Full Article

Chemical Messenger Lets Synapses Communicate as Neurons Learn (6/16/2008)

By stimulating a single neuronal synapse, researchers triggered local activation of the enzyme Ras. During the next several minutes, active Ras escaped the stimulated spine and spread into neighboring spines. ...> Full Article

Transfer of learning traced to areas of the brain (6/15/2008)

Practice makes perfect, but a question that still remains a mystery is why it is so difficult to transfer learning from a trained to an untrained task? Why are we no better at remembering faces when we have been training our memory for words? Scientists say that the answer lies in the brain areas activated by each task. ...> Full Article

Prejudice or perception? (6/15/2008)

Expecting to be treated with prejudice may be part of a self-fulfilling prophecy ...> Full Article

The brain of the pregnant woman releases a hormone related to confidence, and deactivates a stress-related hormone (6/15/2008)

The natural biological process of pregnancy reduces stress in the mother, due to the deactivation of cortisol, and increases confidence, due to the release of oxytocin. ...> Full Article

High impulsivity predicts the switch to compulsive cocaine-taking (6/14/2008)

Scientists have found impulsivity, a trait often associated with addicts' behaviour, predicts whether casual drug use will lead to compulsive drug use. ...> Full Article

Brain Power Leads to Level-Headedness When Faced with Moral Dilemmas (6/14/2008)

Testing a persons morality by measuring individuals' ability to mentally juggle multiple pieces of information ...> Full Article

Scenes of nature trump technology in reducing low-level stress (6/13/2008)

Technology can send a man to the moon, help unlock the secrets of DNA and let people around the world easily communicate through the Internet. But can it substitute for nature? ...> Full Article

Is ADHD an Advantage For Nomadic Tribesmen In Kenya? (6/13/2008)

A propensity for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be beneficial to a group of Kenyan nomads ...> Full Article

Sad Children Out-Perform Happy Children in Attention-to-Detail Tasks (6/12/2008)

Psychologists have conducted experimental research that contrasts with the belief that happy children are the best learners ...> Full Article

Islamic militant jihadists are inspired by night dreams (6/12/2008)

The inspirational night dream, or ruya, is a fundamental, inspirational and even strategic part of the militant jihadist movement in the Middle East and elsewhere. ...> Full Article

Seeing music or reading colors? (6/11/2008)

Research is looking at why some people see colors when listening to music or reading. ...> Full Article

Rutgers researchers show how the brain can protect against cancer (6/11/2008)

Research could lead to therapeutic applications ...> Full Article

Midlife Smokers May Have Worse Memory Than Non-Smokers (6/10/2008)

Smoking appears to be associated with increased risk of poor memory among middle-age adults ...> Full Article

Research Team Makes Pivotal Breakthrough in Alcohol Addiction Treatment (6/10/2008)

Addiction experts led by a University of Virginia Health System team have found that topiramate, an effective therapeutic medication, not only decreases heavy drinking, but it also lowers all liver enzymes, plasma cholesterol, body mass index, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure ...> Full Article

Admiring Celebrities Can Help Improve Self-Esteem (6/9/2008)

Admiring Celebrities Can Help Improve Self-Esteem ...> Full Article

Origins of the brain (6/9/2008)

Complex synapses drove brain evolution ...> Full Article

Friends by Chance? (6/8/2008)

Contrary to general belief, friends are not necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who get their first. ...> Full Article

New Research to determine the Perceptions of Body Image among women in Nigeria and the United Kingdom (6/8/2008)

Study to examine the impact of media on women's perception of body image ...> Full Article

Serotonin may affect our sense of fairness, scientists report (6/8/2008)

The neurotransmitter serotonin, which acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells, plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making ...> Full Article

Scientists decipher the neurological basis of timely movement (6/8/2008)

Scientist offers the first neural evidence that voluntary limb movements are guided by our brain's prediction of what will happen an instant into the future. ...> Full Article

Exposure Therapy May Help Prevent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (6/7/2008)

Exposure-based therapy, in which recent trauma survivors are instructed to relive the troubling event, may be effective in preventing the progression from acute stress disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder ...> Full Article

A Digital Mind-body Mapping Expedition (6/7/2008)

Scientists reverse engineering the brain to produce the first working computational model of the complex interplay between our minds and our bodies ...> Full Article

Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts (6/6/2008)

Training can increase fluid intelligence, once thought to be fixed at birth ...> Full Article

New research explores role of serotonin in decision-making behaviour (6/6/2008)

Findings provide insight into clinical disorders characterised by low serotonin level, such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and severe anxiety ...> Full Article

Does everyone really want to be a macho man? (6/5/2008)

Researcher finds varying attitudes toward masculinity in Mexican-American men ...> Full Article

Look Before You Leap: New Study Examines Self-Control (6/3/2008)

Reckless decision-making can lead to dire consequences when it comes to food, credit cards, or savings. What's the key to making good decisions? ...> Full Article

Long-Term Cannabis Users May Have Structural Brain Abnormalities (6/3/2008)

Long-term, heavy cannabis use may be associated with structural abnormalities in areas of the brain known as the hippocampus and amygdala ...> Full Article

Knowing looks: Using gaze aversion to tell when children are learning (6/3/2008)

People use eye contact in a variety of ways every minute of every day but how often do you find yourself staring into space with concentrating on an issue or problem? Psychologists now know that people who are carrying out a complex task tend to look away from anyone else who is nearby. They refer to it as 'gaze aversion'. ...> Full Article

Bikini-Clad Women Make Men Impatient (6/2/2008)

Images of sexy women tend to whet men's sexual appetite. But stimulating new research says there's more than meets the eye ...> Full Article

It's Okay to Keep Those Feelings Inside, New Study Suggests (6/2/2008)

Findings focus on collective traumas like school shootings or terrorist attacks ...> Full Article

A Computer That Can 'Read' Your Mind (6/2/2008)

Research team's work with brain scans and computational modeling an important breakthrough in understanding the brain and developing new computational tools ...> Full Article

New form of ECT is as effective as older types but without cognitive side effects (6/1/2008)

scientists report that a new form of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is just as effective as older forms in treating depression but without any of the cognitive side effects ...> Full Article

Concord Grape Juice May Help Improve Memory Function (6/1/2008)

Researcher suggests that drinking Concord grape juice may help older adults with early memory decline improve their memory function. ...> Full Article

Amazonian indigenous culture demonstrates a universal mapping of number onto space (6/1/2008)

The ability to map numbers onto a line, a foundation of all mathematics is universal, but the form of this universal mapping is not linear but logarithmic. The findings illuminate both the nature and the limits of the human predisposition to measurement, a foundation for science, engineering, and much of our modern culture. ...> Full Article

Poor spellers with good phonetic skills are more often right-handed (6/1/2008)

To here but not to sea: Spelling difficulties and handedness explored ...> Full Article

Computer model reveals how brain represents meaning (6/1/2008)

Predicts brain activation patterns for thousands of concrete nouns ...> Full Article