Brain And Consciousness Research - September 2007 Archives

Meeting is a matter of consciousness (9/30/2007)

Two of the least understood conditions in modern medicine - the vegetative and minimally conscious states - were discussed at an international conference in Cambridge, UK this week. ...> Full Article

Study on Joint Attention Has Implications for Understanding Autism (9/29/2007)

A hallmark of human nature is the ability to share information and to comprehend the thoughts and intentions of others. This capability involves social cognition (the cognitive processes involved in social interaction) and makes a significant contribution to the foundations for language development, as well as social competence. It also sets us apart from other primates. ...> Full Article

Individuals with high fear of crime twice as likely to suffer from depression (9/29/2007)

A new study has shown that people with a strong fear of crime are almost twice as likely to show symptoms of depression. The research also shows that fear of crime is associated with decreased physical functioning and lower quality of life. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find Music and Language are Processed by the Same Brain Systems (9/28/2007)

Researchers have long debated whether or not language and music depend on common processes in the mind. Now researchers have found evidence that the processing of music and language do indeed depend on some of the same brain systems. ...> Full Article

Why Quitting May Be Good for You (9/28/2007)

Are there times when it is better to simply give up? Psychologists have been exploring this question, and more specifically a possible link between tenacity and both physical and mental health. ...> Full Article

New Study Discovers Why Few People Are Devoid of Racial Bias (9/27/2007)

Why are some individuals not prejudiced? Researchers investigate how some individuals are able to avoid prejudicial biases despite the pervasive human tendency to favor one's own group. ...> Full Article

Changing our minds (9/27/2007)

The worlds of archaeology and neuroscience have joined forces for the very first time to probe the origins of human thought. ...> Full Article

New way to predict who will succeed as a manager (9/27/2007)

Psychologists have used new computerized measures of "executive intelligence" to predict who will excel in a managerial role or in a competitive academic environment. ...> Full Article

Research may help explain aspects of synesthesia (9/26/2007)

A research team has published its findings that may help to explain the phenomenon known as synesthesia, in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway. ...> Full Article

Sensitivity of brain center for 'sound space' (9/26/2007)

While the visual regions of the brain have been intensively mapped, many important regions for auditory processing remain "uncharted territory." Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and elsewhere have identified a region responsible for a key auditory process - perceiving "sound space," the location of sounds, even when the listener is not concentrating on those sounds. ...> Full Article

Scientists explore theme park thrills (9/25/2007)

Scientists are helping to capture the essence of excitement with a live experiment that measures the 'thrill factor' of riding a rollercoaster. ...> Full Article

Hormone Therapy Boosts Sexual Interest But Not Memory, Study Finds (9/25/2007)

Hormone therapy in early post-menopause increases sexual interest, but does not improve memory ...> Full Article

Playing Video Games Reduces Sex Differences In Spatial Skills (9/24/2007)

Researchers have discovered that differences between men and women on some tasks that require spatial skills are largely eliminated after both groups play a video game for only a few hours. ...> Full Article

Brain atrophy in elderly leads to unintended racism, depression, and problem gambling (9/24/2007)

As we age, our brains slowly shrink in volume and weight. This includes significant atrophy within the frontal lobes, the seat of executive functioning. Executive functions include planning, controlling, and inhibiting thought and behavior. In the aging population, an inability to inhibit unwanted thoughts and behavior causes several social behaviors and cognitions to go awry. ...> Full Article

What chimpanzees can teach us about economics (9/22/2007)

Chimpanzees make irrational choices, in the same way that humans do, suggesting a common evolutionary origin rather than quirks unique to humans. ...> Full Article

The Launch of Language (9/22/2007)

Scientist uncovering secrets of how the brain learned language. ...> Full Article

Gene Assigns ID Tags to Help Organize the Developing Brain (9/21/2007)

Gene uses 18,048 different versions of specialized protein to ensure they only bind to an identical form of the protein. ...> Full Article

Understanding the Neuron's Green Architecture (9/20/2007)

Being green is a lifestyle. Turns out, each of your neurons is deeply committed to that green lifestyle - and you didn't even know it. In just a thousandth of a second, a neuron can dump up to 5,000 molecules of its chemical messenger - a neurotransmitter - into the synapse, where it will trigger an impulse in a neighboring nerve cell. ...> Full Article

New genetic research into nicotine addiction shows promise for personalized treatment (9/19/2007)

Whether a smoking-cessation drug will enable you to quit smoking may depend on your genes, according to new genotyping research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The study, published in the September issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, found that the enzyme known to metabolize both the smoking cessation drug bupropion and nicotine is highly genetically variable in all ethnicities and influences smoking cessation. ...> Full Article

Biological Model for Intelligence Revealed (9/19/2007)

Researchers have devised a testable model of human intelligence comprised of specific gray-matter processing centers and white-matter connections. ...> Full Article

Can't take my eyes off you: Study shows the power of attraction (9/18/2007)

Whether we are seeking a mate or sizing up a potential rival, good-looking people capture our attention nearly instantaneously and render us temporarily helpless to turn our eyes away from them, according to a new Florida State University study. ...> Full Article

Brain's messengers could be regulated (9/18/2007)

Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have found that tiny, spontaneous releases of the brain's primary chemical messengers can be regulated, potentially giving scientists unprecedented control over how the brain is wired. ...> Full Article

Shape Encoding May Start In The Retina (9/17/2007)

New evidence from the University of Southern California suggests that there may be dedicated cells in the retina that help compile small bits of information in order to recognize objects. The research was conducted by Ernest Greene, professor of psychology in the area of brain and cognitive sciences at USC. ...> Full Article

Study of New Epilepsy Treatment Underway (9/16/2007)

Study of a new electronic implantable medical device to treat epilepsy before symptoms even appear. ...> Full Article

Barely conscious for five years, brain-injured patient regains critical skills following deep brain stimulation (9/15/2007)

A 38-year-old man with a severe head injury who spent more than five years in a minimally conscious state is now communicating regularly with family members and recovering his ability to move after his brain was stimulated with pulses of electric current. ...> Full Article

3-D Fruit Fly Images To Benefit Brain Research (9/15/2007)

The fragile head and brain of a fly are not easy things to examine but MRC scientists have figured out how to make it a little simpler. And they hope their research will shed light on human disease. ...> Full Article

Personalised treatment for depression a step closer (9/14/2007)

Research carried out at the Brain Mapping Unit may result in more effective treatment of depression, paving the way to a personalised approach in the future. ...> Full Article

Scientists Find Clues to Crack Brain's 'Neural Code' (9/14/2007)

New Study in Nature Suggests Timing of Electrical Pulses Is Key to Understanding How Brain Cells Communicate ...> Full Article

'Fetal' neurons found in adult brain (9/13/2007)

Subplate neurons - once thought to die after directing the wiring of the cerebral cortex or gray matter� remain in the white matter of the adult brain in small numbers and maintain activity, communicating with other neurons in the brain said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a report that appears in today's issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. ...> Full Article

Researchers uncover novel mechanism that balances the sizes of functional areas in the brain (9/13/2007)

In the cerebral cortex, the brain's powerful central processing unit responsible for higher functions, specialized subdivisions known as areas are laid out like a map, but little is known about the genetic forces that shape the geography of our brains. ...> Full Article

Brain modelling sheds new light on how we make choices (9/12/2007)

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have used computer modeling to provide a new understanding of the human brain, which could have implications for understanding how we choose what to do next. The new research, which has been published in the prestigious Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, will be presented at the BA Festival of Science in York on Tuesday 11 September 2007. ...> Full Article

Call for closer examination of 'brain death' as the end of life (9/12/2007)

The medical diagnosis of brain death is at odds with our traditional view of when death actually occurs, says a leading academic speaking at an international conference on Death, dying & disposal in Bath today (Wednesday 12 September 2007). ...> Full Article

Scientific nursing top gives breastfeeding babies a brain workout (9/12/2007)

Breastfeeding babies could become smarter thanks to a scientifically designed 'clever baby' nursing top revealed by the University of Portsmouth this week. ...> Full Article

Normal role for schizophrenia risk gene identified (9/11/2007)

disc1 makes protein that helps new neurons integrate into our neural network ...> Full Article

Future career path of gifted youth can be predicted by age (9/10/2007)

The future career path and creative direction of gifted youth can be predicted well by their performance on the SAT at age 13, a new study from Vanderbilt University finds. The study offers insights into how best to identify the nation's most talented youth, which is a focus of the new $43 billion America Competes Act recently passed by Congress to enhance the United States' ability to compete globally. ...> Full Article

Color contrast is 'seen' by the brain early doors (9/9/2007)

Color contrast is detected much earlier in the brain than previously thought, a new study shows. ...> Full Article

Psychologist Says Tackling Parkinson's Starts With Mind (9/8/2007)

Coping with some of the debilitating physical effects of Parkinson's disease may be a matter of mind over body, an integrative medicine expert says. ...> Full Article

Graduate Student Studies Memory (9/8/2007)

The National Science Foundation is interested in Felicha Candelaria's research. The three-year fellowship she was awarded will allow her to focus on her research into memory and how drugs affect the brain's mechanism for encoding and retrieving long-term memories. Specifically, her research focuses on the consolidation and reconsolidation of spatial memory. ...> Full Article

Researchers Develop Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorders (9/8/2007)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have genetically engineered mice that harbor the same genetic mutation found in some people with autism and Asperger syndrome. Mice with this mutation show a similar type of social impairment and cognitive enhancement as that seen in some people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ASDs are enigmatic cognitive disorders that impair patients' social interactions, but do not necessarily limit their intelligence. ...> Full Article

Primates expect others to act rationally (9/8/2007)

When trying to understand someone's intentions, nonhuman primates expect others to act rationally by performing the most appropriate action allowed by the environment, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University. ...> Full Article

Adult brain can change, study confirms (9/7/2007)

Work could aid interventions following stroke ...> Full Article

New study determines when infants can think of out-of-sight objects (9/7/2007)

New study determines when infants can think of out-of-sight objects ...> Full Article

NIH funds joint development of neurotechnology (9/7/2007)

Think about picking up your first cup of coffee in the morning; what follows is natural to you and me. For individuals who have experienced paralysis due to disease or injury, this simple pleasure can present an insurmountable challenge. ...> Full Article

Depression In Women With Migraine Linked To Childhood Abuse (9/7/2007)

Childhood abuse is more common in women with migraine who suffer depression than in women with migraine alone, according to a study published in the September 4, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

New Study Reveals Higher Social Skills Are Uniquely Human (9/7/2007)

Apes bite and try to break a tube to retrieve the food inside while children follow the experimenter's example to get inside the tube to retrieve the prize, showing that even before preschool, toddlers are more sophisticated in their social learning skills than their closest primate relatives. ...> Full Article

A drug-sensitive 'traffic cop' tells potassium channels to get lost (9/6/2007)

Our brains are buzzing with electrical activity created by sodium and potassium ions moving in and out of neurons through specialized pores. To prevent the constant chatter from descending into chaos the activity of these ion channels has to be tightly regulated. ...> Full Article

Professor To Study Effectiveness Of Treating Children At Risk For Bipolar Disorder (9/6/2007)

A University of Colorado at Boulder researcher is leading a new study to determine if early treatment of children with a high risk of developing bipolar disorder can help head off the disease's effects before they severely disrupt people's lives. ...> Full Article

Smokers Are More Likely to Develop Dementia (9/6/2007)

People who smoke are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or dementia than nonsmokers or those who smoked in the past, according to a study published in the September 4, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

What is Psychotherapeutic Research? (9/6/2007)

Professor Loewenthal's new book explores research skills through an examination of projects and case studies, allowing the reader to learn through the context of real situations. ...> Full Article

Having the right timing 'connections' in brain is key to overcoming dyslexia (9/6/2007)

Using new software developed to investigate how the brains of dyslexic children are organized, University of Washington researchers have found that key areas for language and working memory involved in reading are connected differently in dyslexics than in children who are good readers and spellers. ...> Full Article

Choosing a mate: What we really want (9/5/2007)

While humans may pride themselves on being highly evolved, most still behave like the stereotypical Neanderthals when it comes to choosing a mate, according to research by Indiana University cognitive scientist Peter Todd. In a new study, Todd and colleagues found that though individuals may claim otherwise, beauty is the key ingredient for men while women, the much choosier of the sexes, leverage their looks for security and commitment. ...> Full Article

From frogs to humans, brains form the same way (9/5/2007)

It's a critical juncture in an embryo's development: the moment that a brain and nervous system begin to form from a mass of unspecialized cells. Scientists had believed that mammals and amphibians, distinctly different animals, have distinctly different developmental patterns when it comes to the nervous system. But new research suggests that their processes of neural development are actually quite similar. ...> Full Article

Childhood TV Viewing Linked to Teenage Attention Problems (9/5/2007)

Children who watch a lot of television are more likely to have attention problems when they are teenagers, according to a new study by University of Otago researchers. ...> Full Article

Sexual Orientation Revealed by Body Type and Motion, Study Suggests (9/4/2007)

An individual's body motion and body type can offer subtle cues about their sexual orientation, but casual observers seem better able to read those cues in gay men than in lesbians, according to a new study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ...> Full Article

Ability To 'Tell The Difference' Declines As Infants Age (9/4/2007)

A new article published in the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that infants fine-tune their visual and auditory systems to stimuli during the first year of life, essentially "weeding out" unnecessary discriminatory abilities. ...> Full Article

Providing neuroscientists with a window to the brain (9/2/2007)

When Princeton neuroscientists want a close-up view of the brain, they need look no further than Green Hall's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. ...> Full Article

Study Points to Lasting Impact of Mild Hearing Loss On Neurological Processes (9/2/2007)

Mild to moderate forms of hearing loss can have a lasting impact on the auditory cortex, according to findings by researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science. The study, which is the first to show central effects of mild hearing loss, appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. ...> Full Article

Microfluidic chambers advance the science of growing neurons (9/2/2007)

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a method for culturing mammalian neurons in chambers not much larger than the neurons themselves. The new approach extends the lifespan of the neurons at very low densities, an essential step toward developing a method for studying the growth and behavior of individual brain cells. ...> Full Article

Researcher scanning for clues in schizophrenia mystery (9/1/2007)

A University of Alberta researcher is looking for a few good men to help uncover some of the mystery that surrounds schizophrenia. ...> Full Article

Removing Ovaries Before Menopause Leads to Memory and Movement Problems (9/1/2007)

Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause are at an increased risk of developing memory problems or dementia and movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, according to two studies published August 29, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article