Brain And Consciousness Research Archives Page 13

Alzheimer's drug completes first stage of clinical testing (1/15/2008)

Scientists have moved one step closer to developing a new type of drug to treat Alzheimer's disease. An experimental drug based on discoveries made by Dr. Jordan Tang at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has successfully completed the first phase of testing in human subjects. ...> Full Article

Neuroimaging fails to demonstrate ESP is real (1/15/2008)

But researchers note that they can't prove a negative ...> Full Article

Popular opinion not always so popular (1/13/2008)

Whether you're a voter choosing the next president, a manager making policy decisions or a consumer selecting a brand, it's likely your decision is influenced by the opinions of others. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify new genetic link to autism (1/13/2008)

Gene's presence in brain's language centers may explain speech delay ...> Full Article

Culture Influences Brain Function (1/12/2008)

People from different cultures use their brains differently to solve the same visual perceptual tasks, MIT researchers and colleagues report in the first brain imaging study of its kind. ...> Full Article

Smile - and the world can hear you (1/12/2008)

Smiling affects how we speak, to the point that listeners can identify the type of smile based on sound alone, according to a study by scientists at the University of Portsmouth. ...> Full Article

'Winter blues' may be serious depression (1/11/2008)

Symptoms diminish spontaneously in spring and summer ...> Full Article

Proton Powered Pooping (1/11/2008)

Discovery: Subatomic Protons Act like Nerve-Signal Transmitters ...> Full Article

Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems (1/10/2008)

Mania symptoms and bipolar disorder II more likely to lead to substance abuse than depression ...> Full Article

Brain aging expert challenges the existence of Alzheimer's as a disease (1/10/2008)

Professor of neurology challenges conventional wisdom and assumptions of brain aging in his new book, The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Disease. ...> Full Article

Left brain hemisphere revealed to dominate human topological perception (1/10/2008)

A group of CAS bio-physicists has revealed that the brain's left hemisphere gets upper hand in global topological perception while the right hemisphere is superior in cognition of local geometric properties. ...> Full Article

Lack Of Imagination In Older Adults Linked To Declining Memory (1/9/2008)

Most children are able to imagine their future selves as astronauts, politicians or even superheroes; however, many older adults find it difficult to recollect past events, let alone generate new ones. A new Harvard University study reveals that the ability of older adults to form imaginary scenarios is linked to their ability to recall detailed memories. ...> Full Article

World's Brain Experts to Converge in Florida (1/9/2008)

Several of the world's leading brain experts will converge Jan. 25 to 27 at the University of Central Florida for a conference focusing on the latest research and treatment techniques. ...> Full Article

Two forces of arousal converge on the 'satiety center' of the brain (1/9/2008)

By pitting two forces - hunger and circadian rhythms - against each other, researchers at Rockefeller University have identified the region of the brain that first registers changes in the availability of availability. The research, in mice, suggests that shifting the timing of a meal increases mental alertness even during times when they are usually at rest, findings that may have implications for targeting health concerns such as obesity and diabetes as well as optimizing performance on tasks that require sustained vigilance in humans. ...> Full Article

Study Explains Role of Bias in Policy Discussions (1/8/2008)

A new study discusses the ideological and practical challenges faced when trying to engage ordinary citizens in policy decisions. The study, published in Communication Theory, examines how these theories have been translated into practice and provides an outline that can be used to address these challenges. ...> Full Article

Foreign Nativity May Not Always Protect Against Mental Disorders in the US (1/7/2008)

Though all Latino immigrants tend to display better overall mental health compared to their US-born counterparts, a recent study by NIMH-funded researchers has found that the protective benefits of foreign nativity vary widely across subgroups of this population. Factors such as neighborhood stability, perceived discrimination, and the strength of family bonds all combine to influence the prevalence of mental disorders across distinctive Latino ethnic groups. The finding reflects varying immigration and acculturation processes experienced by Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other Latino groups. Results of the study were published in the July 2007 issue of Social Science and Medicine. ...> Full Article

Internists Say They Prescribe Placebos On Occasion (1/7/2008)

In the first study examining American physicians' use of placebos in clinical practice in the 21st Century, 45 percent of Chicago internists report they have used a placebo at some time during their clinical practice researchers report in the January issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine. ...> Full Article

How to imbue products with symbolic meaning (1/7/2008)

Many people pay silly money to wear a particular logo or a designer brand. Of course, a designer outfit doesn't keep you any warmer or dryer than an unbranded one, but functionality is only part of the story. Designer products say something about you - you are a trendy, sexy or sophisticated person. Brands help us to express who we think we are and who we want to be. ...> Full Article

Bullies target teenagers unable to express emotion (1/6/2008)

Youngsters with specific language impairment (SLI) are unable to verbally express their feelings and find it difficult to understand what others are saying due to a developmental problem with their language. However they show no physical signs of the disorder, have otherwise normal intellectual ability and do enjoy socialising, so often appear to other people as just 'unusual'. This can lead to them being ostracised or even attacked by their peers. ...> Full Article

Ethnicity Predicts How Gene Variations Affect Response to Schizophrenia Medications (1/6/2008)

Different variations in the same gene influence how well different ethnic groups, and people within the same ethnic group, respond to various antipsychotic medications, report NIMH-funded researchers. If confirmed, their findings could one day help clinicians predict which medication is most likely to help a patient, based on his or her genetic makeup. ...> Full Article

Novel mechanism for long-term learning identified by researchers (1/5/2008)

Practice makes perfect - or at least that's what we're told as we struggle through endless rounds of multiplication tables, goal kicks and piano scales - and it seems, based on the personal experience of many, to be true. That's why neuroscientists have been perplexed by data showing that at the level of individual synapses, or connections between neurons, increased, repetitive stimulation might actually reverse early gains in synaptic strength. Now, neuroscientists from Carnegie Mellon University and the Max Planck Institute have discovered the mechanism that resolves this apparent paradox. The findings are published in the Jan. 4 issue of Science. ...> Full Article

Why some depressed girls can't smell the roses (1/5/2008)

Can't smell the roses? Maybe you're depressed. Smell too much like a rose yourself? Maybe you've got the same problem. Scientists from Tel Aviv University recently linked depression to a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands. It might explain why some women, without realizing it, wear too much perfume. ...> Full Article

Study Identifies Where Thoughts Of Familiar Objects Occur Inside the Human Brain (1/4/2008)

Experts Trained Algorithm To Extract Patterns From Participants' Brain Activation Scans ...> Full Article

Bright Light Therapy Eases Bipolar Depression for Some (1/4/2008)

Bright light therapy can ease bipolar depression in some patients, according to a study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic studied nine women with bipolar disorder to examine the effects of light therapy in the morning or at midday on mood symptoms. ...> Full Article

Anti-Alzheimer's Mechanism In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Found (1/3/2008)

It's good news that we are living longer, but bad news that the longer we live, the better our odds of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease. ...> Full Article

Daily alcohol use causes changes in sexual behavior in adult male flies (1/3/2008)

A team of researchers at Penn State has used an insect model to reveal, for the first time, a physiological basis for the effect of alcohol on male sexual behavior, including increased sexual arousal and decreased sexual inhibition. ...> Full Article

For women, marital distress means less relief from stress (1/2/2008)

That's the suggestion from a new UCLA study that tracked levels of cortisol, a key stress hormone, among 30 Los Angeles married couples involved in one of our age's trickiest juggling acts - raising kids when both parents work full time. ...> Full Article

Some Antipsychotic Drugs May Be Missing Their Mark (1/2/2008)

Drugs that treat depression, schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions and that target a particular protein on brain cells might not be triggering the most appropriate response in those cells, new research suggests. ...> Full Article

Orphaned Children Show Higher Intelligence And Fare Better In Foster Care Than In Institutions (12/31/2007)

Newly published research in the journal Science confirms that institutionalized orphans placed into foster care have much better intellectual development than those who remain behind. The authors say the results have implications for countries "grappling with how best to care for abandoned, orphaned and maltreated young children." ...> Full Article

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