Brain And Consciousness Research - September 2009 Archives

Cracking the brain's numerical code (9/30/2009)

By carefully observing and analyzing the pattern of activity in the brain, researchers have found that they can tell what number a person has just seen. They can similarly tell how many dots a person has been presented with, according to a report published online on September 24 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. ...> Full Article

Young adults may outgrow bipolar disorder (9/30/2009)

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depression, causes severe and unusual shifts in mood and energy, affecting a person's ability to perform everyday tasks. With symptoms often starting in early adulthood, bipolar disorder has been thought of traditionally as a lifelong disorder. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found evidence that nearly half of those diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 may outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30. ...> Full Article

A new take on why social cues confuse babies and dogs in a classic hiding game (9/29/2009)

A study by developmental scientists at the University of Iowa and Indiana University challenges the conclusions of two recent studies on how babies and dogs respond to certain social cues. The new findings, published in this Friday's edition of the journal Science, indicate that babies and dogs may not be as clever as the other studies suggest. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify new brain pathway for regulating weight and bone mass (9/28/2009)

Contrary to the prevailing view, the hormone leptin, which is critical for normal food intake and metabolism, appears to regulate bone mass and suppress appetite by acting mainly through serotonin pathways in the brain, according to a recent study published in Cell by Yale School of Medicine researchers and colleagues at Columbia University. This new finding contradicts the view that leptin acts primarily in the hypothalamus. ...> Full Article

Key to subliminal messaging is to keep it negative, study shows (9/28/2009)

Subliminal messaging is most effective when the message being conveyed is negative, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust. ...> Full Article

Rising above the din (9/27/2009)

Attention makes sensory signals stand out amidst the background noise in the brain ...> Full Article

Lies my parents told me (9/26/2009)

Parents say that honesty is the best policy, but they regularly lie to their children as a way of influencing their behavior and emotions, finds new research from the University of Toronto and the University of California, San Diego. ...> Full Article

How we know a dog is a dog: Concept acquisition in the human brain (9/25/2009)

A new study explores how our brains synthesize concepts that allow us to organize and comprehend the world. The research, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 24 issue of the journal Neuron, uses behavioral and neuroimaging techniques to track how conceptual knowledge emerges in the human brain and guides decision making. ...> Full Article

You can't trust a tortured brain: Neuroscience discredits coercive interrogation (9/25/2009)

According to a new review of neuroscientific research, coercive interrogation techniques used during the Bush administration to extract information from terrorist suspects are likely to have been unsuccessful and may have had many unintended negative effects on the suspect's memory and brain functions. ...> Full Article

Perceptual learning relies on local motion signals to learn global motion (9/24/2009)

Study shows perceptual learning of global pattern motion ...> Full Article

Balance organs affect brain blood flow (9/23/2009)

The organs of the inner ear have a direct effect on brain blood flow, independent of blood pressure and CO2 levels in the blood. Researchers writing in the open-access journal BMC Neuroscience used a series of human centrifuge experiments to investigate the effects of stimulation of the otoliths and semi-circular canals on cerebrovascular response. ...> Full Article

Scientists find that individuals in vegetative states can learn (9/23/2009)

Scientists have found that some individuals in the vegetative and minimally conscious states, despite lacking the means of reporting awareness themselves, can learn and thereby demonstrate at least a partial consciousness. Their findings are reported in today's (September 20) online edition of Nature Neuroscience. ...> Full Article

Moody memories? New study shows that mood has limited effect on memory (9/23/2009)

Whether we're deciding to return to a restaurant or to purchase a DVD, many consumers rely on memory when they're making decisions. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines the role of mood on those memory-based decisions. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover molecule responsible for axonal branching (9/22/2009)

The human brain consists of about 100 billion neurons, which altogether form about 100 trillion synaptic connections with each other. A crucial mechanism for the generation of this complex wiring pattern is the formation of neuronal branches. Neurobiologists at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Germany, have now discovered a molecule that regulates this vital process. At the same time they have succeeded in elucidating the signaling cascade induced by this molecule. ...> Full Article

Rare cases of restored vision reveal how the brain learns to see (9/21/2009)

By studying rare cases of restored vision in older children and young adults, MIT neuroscientists are figuring out how the brain learns to see. ...> Full Article

Team finds mechanism that constructs key brain structure (9/20/2009)

Yale University researchers have found a molecular mechanism that allows the proper mixing of neurons during the formation of columns essential for the operation of the cerebral cortex, they report in the Sept. 16 online issue of the journal Nature. ...> Full Article

Scary music is scarier with your eyes shut (9/19/2009)

Tel Aviv University brain scientist says findings could lead to new neurological treatments ...> Full Article

Under pressure: The impact of stress on decision making (9/18/2009)

We are faced with making decisions all the time. Often, we carefully deliberate the pros and cons of our choices, taking into consideration past experiences in similar situations before making a final decision. However, a new study suggests that cognitive stress, such as distraction, can influence this balanced, logical approach to decision making. ...> Full Article

'Alert status' area in brain discovered (9/18/2009)

A new understanding of how anesthesia and anesthesia-like states are controlled in the brain opens the door to possible new future treatments of various states of loss of consciousness, such as reversible coma, according to Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists. ...> Full Article

Brain's response to seeing food may be linked to weight loss maintenance (9/17/2009)

A difference in brain activity patterns may explain why some people are able to maintain a significant weight loss while others regain the weight, according to a new study by researchers with The Miriam Hospital. ...> Full Article

Are the monoamines involved in shaping conduct disorders? (9/17/2009)

Apart from psychosocial influences, biological factors have a major influence on personality traits and behavior. The aggregation of certain risk factors in the same individual has been shown to contribute to the development of antisocial behavior. Based on gene-environment interactions, the brain monoamine systems play a crucial role in shaping personality traits and conduct disorder. The MAO genes appear to be the first genes strongly linked with either antisocial behavior or conduct disorder. ...> Full Article

Common mental disorders may be more common than we think (9/16/2009)

The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe. ...> Full Article

Neurons found to be similar to Electoral College (9/16/2009)

Dendrites integrate thousands of inputs locally before sending signals to central axon ...> Full Article

Supplementing babies' formula with DHA boosts cognitive development (9/16/2009)

A study of 229 infants shows that babies fed formula supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid -- an essential fatty acid found in breast milk -- have higher cognitive skills than babies fed regular formula. These results suggest that feeding infants formula supplemented with high concentrations of DHA provides beneficial effects on cognitive development -- effects that could extend well beyond infancy. ...> Full Article

Making connections the key to overcoming shame (9/15/2009)

It would be difficult to find someone who has never felt shame in their life. But how does one overcome a prolonged feeling of being trapped in shame? University of Alberta researcher Jessica Van Vliet's study, published in the British Psychological Society journal, Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, indicates that, while it may seem difficult when one is stuck in shame, there is hope for moving beyond this painful emotion. ...> Full Article

Fake video dramatically alters eyewitness accounts (9/15/2009)

Researchers at the University of Warwick have found that fake video evidence can dramatically alter people's perceptions of events, even convincing them to testify as an eyewitness to an event that never happened. ...> Full Article

Face processing slows with age (9/14/2009)

Identifying a face can be difficult when that face is shown for only a fraction of a second. However, young adults have a marked advantage over elderly people in these conditions. Researchers writing in the open-access journal BMC Neuroscience found indications that elderly people have reduced perception speed. ...> Full Article

Memories exist even when forgotten, study suggests (9/13/2009)

Brain activity during event, failed recollection similar ...> Full Article

Deficits in brain's reward system observed in ADHD patients (9/12/2009)

A brain-imaging study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provides the first definitive evidence that patients suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have lower-than-normal levels of certain proteins essential for experiencing reward and motivation. ...> Full Article

Sleep helps reduce errors in memory, research suggests (9/11/2009)

Sleep may reduce mistakes in memory, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at Michigan State University. ...> Full Article

Scientists develop novel use of neurotechnology to solve classic social problem (9/11/2009)

Research shows how brain imaging can be used to create new and improved solutions to the public-goods provision problem ...> Full Article

Nicotine creates stronger memories, cues to drug use (9/11/2009)

Ever wonder why former smokers miss lighting up most when they are in a bar or after a meal with friends? Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine say nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, "tricks" the brain into creating memory associations between environmental cues and smoking behavior. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article

You can believe your eyes: New insights into memory without conscious awareness (9/10/2009)

Scientists may have discovered a way to glean information about stored memories by tracking patterns of eye movements, even when an individual is unable (or perhaps even unwilling) to report what they remember. The research, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 10 issue of the journal Neuron, provides compelling insight into the relationship between activity in the hippocampus, eye movements, and both conscious and unconscious memory. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify 1 of the necessary processes in the formation of long-term memory (9/9/2009)

A new study that was carried out at the University of Haifa has identified another component in the chain of actions that take place in the neurons in the process of forming memories. This discovery joins a line of findings from previous studies that together provide a better understanding of the most complex processes in nature -- the process of memory formation and storage in the human brain. The new study has been published in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify important neuron protein (9/8/2009)

Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein which plays a key role in the development of neurons, which could enhance our understanding of how the brain works, and how diseases such as Alzheimer's occur. ...> Full Article

Vitamin C deficiency impairs early brain development (9/7/2009)

In the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of researchers from LIFE, Copenhagen, shows that guinea pigs subjected to vitamin C deficiency have 30 percent less hippocampal neurones and markedly worse memory than guinea-pigs given a normal diet. Like guinea pigs, humans are dependent on getting vitamin C through their diet, this leads to the speculation that vitamin C deficiency in pregnant women may also lead to impaired early brain development. ...> Full Article

New study shows those blinded by brain injury may still 'see' (9/6/2009)

Except in clumsy moments, we rarely knock over the box of cereal or glass of orange juice as we reach for our morning cup of coffee. New research at the University of Western Ontario has helped unlock the mystery of how our brain allows us to avoid these undesired objects. ...> Full Article

Is Tetris good for the brain? (9/5/2009)

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques. ...> Full Article

Neuroscientists find brain region responsible for our sense of personal space (9/4/2009)

In a finding that sheds new light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology have pinpointed the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal space. The discovery, described in the Aug. 30 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, could offer insight into autism and other disorders where social distance is an issue. ...> Full Article

Researchers show early life nurturing impacts later life relationships (9/3/2009)

Prairie voles may serve as a useful model in understanding the influence of parent-offspring relationships ...> Full Article

Outcome matters more than intention when punishing or rewarding accidents (9/2/2009)

New research from Harvard University finds that when choosing to punish or reward accidental behavior, individuals tend to focus on outcome, rather than a person's intent. ...> Full Article

It's not all in your head: Descending neural mechanisms of placebo-induced pain control (9/1/2009)

A new study reveals that when it comes to pain control, the "placebo effect" involves evolutionarily old pain control pathways in the human brainstem, the part of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord. The research, published by Cell Press in the Aug. 27 issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating mechanistic insight into how and why simply expecting that a treatment will reduce pain can act as an effective analgesic. ...> Full Article