Brain And Consciousness Research Archives Page 20

The Brain is Wired to Mull Over Decisions (10/17/2007)

The next time you pause to mull over menu selections even after you have decided to order your favorite entree, it may comfort you to know that you may be behaving that way because your brain is hard-wired to ponder decisions, leaving room for a possible change of mind. New studies have identified a specific neural circuit in the brains of monkeys that is activated when they postpone acting on a decision. The circuit is thought to keep potential choices brewing in memory even after a decision has already been made. ...> Full Article

How Shyness Became a Mental Illness (10/17/2007)

What's wrong with being shy, and just when and how did bashfulness and other ordinary human behaviors in children and adults become psychiatric disorders treatable with powerful, potentially dangerous drugs, asks a Northwestern University scholar in a new book that already is creating waves in the mental health community. ...> Full Article

People Are Programmed To Love Chocolate, Study Finds (10/15/2007)

For the first time, scientists have linked the all-too-human preference for a food -- chocolate -- to a specific, chemical signature that may be programmed into the metabolic system and is detectable by laboratory tests. The signature reads 'chocolate lover' in some people and indifference to the popular sweet in others, the researchers say. ...> Full Article

Brain Imaging Shows Similarities & Differences In Thoughts of Chimps and Humans (10/12/2007)

Researchers have used functional brain imaging to assess resting-state brain activity in chimpanzees as a potential window into their mental world and to compare chimpanzee brain activity to that of humans. ...> Full Article

Why it is Impossible for Some to 'Just Say No' (10/12/2007)

Drug abuse, crime and obesity are but a few of the problems our nation faces, but they all have one thing in common--people’s failure to control their behavior in the face of temptation. While the ability to control and restrain our impulses is one of the defining features of the human animal, its failure is one of the central problems of human society. So, why do we so often lack this crucial ability? ...> Full Article

Rejection sets off alarms for folks with low self-esteem (10/12/2007)

Few can tolerate such romantic or professional rebuffs as "It's not you, it's me" and "we regret to inform you that your application was not successful." But while a healthy dose of self-esteem can absorb the shock of rejection, poor self-esteem can trigger the primal fight-or-flight response. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify brain circuits used in sensation of touch (10/11/2007)

The ability to tactually recognize fine spatial details, such as the raised dots used in braille, is especially important to those who are blind. With that in mind, a team of researchers has identified the neural circuitry that facilitates spatial discrimination through touch. Understanding this circuitry may lead to the creation of sensory-substitution devices, such as tactile maps for the visually impaired. ...> Full Article

Stress Contributes to Range of Chronic Diseases (10/11/2007)

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between stress and disease a psychologist has found that stress is a contributing factor in human disease, and in particular depression, cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS. ...> Full Article

Discovery Supports Theory of Alzheimer's Disease as Form of Diabetes (10/10/2007)

Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body. Research in the last few years has raised the possibility that Alzheimer's memory loss could be due to a novel third form of diabetes. ...> Full Article

Depression Can Foreshadow Intellectual Decline in Older People (10/9/2007)

Depression in the elderly increases the risk of subsequent mental impairment and can act as a predictor of future intellectual decline. ...> Full Article

Playing with Blocks May Improve Language Development in Toddlers, New Study Finds (10/8/2007)

Playing with toy blocks may lead to improved language development in young children ...> Full Article

Simulation Reveals How Body Repairs Balance After Injury (10/8/2007)

Your body goes to a lot of trouble to make sure you stay upright. But when the brain's neural pathways are impaired through injury, age or illness, muscles are deprived of the detailed sensory information they need to perform the constant yet delicate balancing act required for normal movement and standing. ...> Full Article

Not Finishing High School May Lead to Memory Problems (10/8/2007)

People who don't finish high school are at a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to people with more education, ...> Full Article

Project to understand how the brain wires during embryogenesis (10/7/2007)

Scientist will tackle a number of fundamental questions relating both to the wiring of the brain during growth, and how evolution drove forward the sophisticated neural circuitry associated with mammals. ...> Full Article

In Birds, Expecting to Mate Leads to Higher Fertilization Rates (10/7/2007)

From an evolutionary perspective, the primary task of an organism is to pass along its genes to future generations. Such genetic transmission is usually assumed to be instinctive. However, a new study shows that species also learn to adapt to their surroundings in order to increase their "reproductive fitness"-- the likelihood that they will successfully reproduce. ...> Full Article

Engineers study brain folding in higher mammals (10/7/2007)

Engineers are finding common ground between the shaping of the brain and the heart during embryonic development. ...> Full Article

Cockroaches are morons in the morning and geniuses in the evening (10/6/2007)

In its ability to learn, the cockroach is a moron in the morning and a genius in the evening ...> Full Article

How Stress Supercharges Learning (10/6/2007)

Whether it's a hot stove or a snarling dog, an emotional encounter supercharges learning in a way that indelibly imprints those experiences in memory. Now researchers have pinpointed a molecular pathway in the brain that underlies stress-induced learning enhancement. Their studies establish how the stress hormone norepinephrine boosts learning by strengthening connections between neurons. ...> Full Article

Scientists Search for Brain Center Responsible for Tinnitus (10/6/2007)

30 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans suffer from the condition ...> Full Article

Low level of conscientiousness may be a risk factor for alzheimer's disease (10/6/2007)

Individuals who are more conscientious-in other words, those with a tendency to be self-disciplined, scrupulous and purposeful-appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. ...> Full Article

Chemical compound found in tree bark stimulates growth, survival of brain cells (10/5/2007)

Researchers have identified a compound in tree bark that mimics the chemical reactions of a naturally occurring molecule in the brain responsible for stimulating neuronal cell signaling. Neuronal cell signaling plays a crucial role in the growth, plasticity and survival of brain cells. ...> Full Article

What emotional memories are made of (10/5/2007)

Mouse experiments reveal 'flight or fight' hormone's role ...> Full Article

Researchers develop targeted approach to pain management (10/4/2007)

Scientists have combined a normally inactive lidocaine derivative with capsaicin, the 'heat'-generating ingredient in chili peppers, to produce pain-specific local anesthesia. When injected into rats, this combination completely blocked pain without interfering with either motor function or sensitivity to non-painful stimuli. ...> Full Article

Brain needs perfection in synapse number (10/4/2007)

Like Goldilocks, the brain seeks proportions that are "just right." ...> Full Article

Infant Expert Helps Show Children Learn Language Skills Earlier Than Thought (10/2/2007)

Research with English-language babies shows toddlers are learning language skills earlier than expected, and by the age of 18 months understand enough of the lexicon of their own language to recognize how speakers use sounds to convey meaning. ...> Full Article

Genes influence people's choices in economics game (10/2/2007)

Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that genes exert influence on people's behavior in a very common experimental economic game. ...> Full Article

Neuroscientists connect neural activity and blood flow in new brain stimulation technique (10/1/2007)

Neuroscientists have for the first time measured the electrical activity of nerve cells and correlated it to changes in blood flow in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive method to stimulate neurons in the brain. ...> Full Article

Doctors Learn To Control Their Own Brains' Pain Responses To Better Treat Patients (10/1/2007)

Physicians apparently learn to "shut off" the portion of their brain that helps them appreciate the pain their patients experience while treating them and instead activate a portion of the brain connected with controlling emotions, according to new research using brain scans at the University of Chicago. ...> Full Article

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