Brain And Consciousness Research Archives Page 23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Launch of Language (9/22/2007)

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

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