Brain and mind news and Brain Teasers

Depression Linked To Early Stages Of Artery Disease - Depressive symptoms especially physical signs, such as fatigue and loss of appetite may be associated with thickening arteries, which may reflect an early sign of coronary artery disease. May 1, 2007

New Details In Schizophrenia Treatment Trial Emerge - Two new studies from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness provide more insights into comparing treatment options, and to what extent antipsychotic medications help people with schizophrenia learn social, interpersonal and community living skills. April 30, 2007

Sleep Strengthens Your Memory - Sleep not only protects memories from outside interferences, but also helps strengthen them, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston. April 27, 2007

Computer Model Mimicks How Brain Recognizes Street Scenes - For the first time, scientists in Tomaso Poggio's laboratory at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT applied a computational model of how the brain processes visual information to a complex, real world task: recognizing the objects in a busy street scene. April 26, 2007

Cortex Area Thinner In Youth With Alzheimer's-related Gene - A part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer's disease is thinner in youth with a risk gene for the disorder, a brain imaging study by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has found. April 25, 2007

The Origin Of The Brain Lies In A Worm - The rise of the central nervous system in animal evolution has puzzled scientists for centuries. Vertebrates, insects and worms evolved from the same ancestor, but their CNSs are different and were thought to have evolved only after their lineages had split during evolution. April 24, 2007

Size Of Brain Areas Does Matter But Bigger Isn't Necessarily Better - The ability to hit a baseball or play a piano well is part practice and part innate talent. One side of the equation required for skilled performances has its roots in the architecture of the brain genetically determined before birth. April 23, 2007

Newborn Brains Grow Vision And Movement Regions First - The regions of the brain that control vision and other sensory information grow dramatically in the first few months following birth, while the area that controls abstract thought experiences very little growth during the same period. April 20, 2007

The Brain Loses Neurons During Adolescence - Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that adolescence is a time of remodeling in the prefrontal cortex, a brain structure dedicated to higher functions such as planning and social behaviors. April 19, 2007

Psychologist Explains The Neurochemistry Behind Romance - The Beatles' George Harrison wondered in his famous love song about the "something" that "attracts me like no other lover." A University at Buffalo expert explains that that "something" is actually several physical elements that - if they occur in a certain order, at the right time and in the right place - can result in true love. April 18, 2007

Male And Female Brain Patterns Differ During Reaching - Men’s and women’s brains “fire” differently when they are planning how to reach for something, so rehabilitation after brain injuries such as strokes may need to be tailored to the sex of the person, says a new study by York University researchers. April 17, 2007

Googling Brain Proteins With 3D Goggles - The Allen Brain Atlas, a genome-wide map of the mouse brain on the Internet, has been hailed as "Google of the brain." The atlas now has a companion or the brain's working molecules, a sort of pop-up book of the proteins, or proteome map, that those genes express. April 16, 2007

Drug Reduces Daily 'Off' Time For Parkinson Patients - Parkinson disease patients taking the drug, ropinirole 24-hour prolonged release significantly reduced their daily "off" time in which Parkinson's symptoms like tremor, slowness, stiffness, and walking difficulty return as drugs wear off. April 12, 2007

Making Brain Clots Easier To Identify - University of Cincinnati (UC) neuroradiologists believe a brain imaging approach that combines standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with specialized contrast-enhanced techniques could lead to more ... April 11, 2007

Abnormalities Of The Mouth Associated With Schizophrenia - Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore quantifies, for the first time, how schizophrenia is apparently associated with a broader hard palate and abnormalities in the teeth. April 10, 2007

Good Behavior, Religiousness May Be Genetic - A new study in Journal of Personality shows that selfless and social behavior is not purely a product of environment, specifically religious environment. April 9, 2007

Researchers Hot On The Trail Of Brain Cell Degeneration - A research team headed by Academy Research Fellow Michael Courtney has identified a new molecular pathway in neurons. The pathway is a factor in the degeneration of brain cells, which in turn plays an important role in neurological conditions and diseases ... April 5, 2007

Human Perceptual Learning As A Two-stage Process - Using advanced brain imaging techniques, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have watched how humans use both lower and higher brain processes to learn novel tasks ... April 4, 2007

Study Shows Many Mental Health Needs Go Unmet - Psychiatrists’ first large-scale assessment of the general population shows nearly 30 percent need mental health care and about one-third of them get it. April 3, 2007

How Does Your Brain Tell Time? - "Time" is the most popular noun in the English language, yet how would we tell time if we didn't have access to the plethora of watches, clocks and cell phones at our disposal? March 30, 2007

Multiple Dimensions Shape Our Perception Of Mind - Through an online survey of more than 2,000 people, psychologists at Harvard University have found that we perceive the minds of others along two distinct dimensions ... March 29, 2007

Brain Works More Chaotically Than Previously Thought - The brain appears to process information more chaotically than has long been assumed. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Bonn. March 28, 2007

How Anti-Depressants Create New Brain Cells - Antidepressants increase the presence of a growth factor in the brain, which then leads to a proliferation of new cells. March 23, 2007

New Reason To Hit The Gym: Fighting Memory Loss - Research has shown that people who exercise do better on memory tests. Now a new Columbia University Medical Center study explains specifically what exercise does within the brain. March 22, 2007

Brain Stem Cells Against Cancer? - Gliomas are a group of brain tumors where the most common type is also the most aggressive one. Chemotherapy and radiation have little effect on malignant gliomas, and patients survive only about a year after being diagnosed. March 20, 2007

'Missing Link' In Process Leading To Alzheimer's Disease Identified - Scientists at the University of Virginia have identified what appears to be a major missing link in the process that destroys nerve cells in Alzheimer’s disease, an incurable disease that slowly destroys memory and cognitive abilities. March 16, 2007

When Your Brain Talks, Your Muscles Don't Always Listen - Have your neurons been shouting at your muscles again? It happens, you know. March 15, 2007

Scientists Explain Inception Of Perception In The Brain - The taste of champagne, the sound of a train, the flash of a pop fly into left field – indeed all of human perception – begins in the brain’s center. That’s where sensory information passes from the thalamus to the neocortex for processing. March 13, 2007

Brain Works More Chaotically Than Previously Thought - The brain appears to process information more chaotically than has long been assumed. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Bonn. March 12, 2007

Psychologist Explains The Neurochemistry Behind Romance - A University at Buffalo expert explains that that "something" is actually several physical elements that - if they occur in a certain order, at the right time and in the right place - can result in true love. March 9, 2007

In Obesity, Brain Becomes 'Unaware' Of Fat - Critical portions of the brain in those who are obese don’t really know they are overweight, researchers have reported in the March issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. March 8, 2007

Research Challenges Theory Of Memory Storage - Daily events are minted into memories in the hippocampus, one of the oldest parts of the brain. For long-term storage, scientists believe that memories move to the neocortex, or "new bark," the gray matter covering the hippocampus. March 7, 2007

Reduced Brain Growth In Alcoholics With Family Drinking History - The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors associated with their parents' drinking. March 5, 2007

Brain Maps Online - Digital atlases of the brains of humans, monkeys, dogs, cats, mice, birds and other animals have been created and posted online by researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience. March 2, 2007

Pregnancy Hormone Key To Repairing Nerve Cell Damage - The mystery of why multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to go into remission while women are pregnant may be the secret to overcoming the devastating neurodegenerative disease. March 1, 2007

What Happens When The Mind Wanders? - Scientists have discovered what happens in the brain when the mind wanders. Until recently, little has been known about the neural mechanisms that give the mind its ability to daydream. February 28, 2007

Scientists Develop A New Way To Target Alzheimer's Disease - The pathological embrace between two proteins plays a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease by triggering the formation of neuron-killing plaques of amyloid beta protein. February 27, 2007

New Study To Test Statin-Parkinson's Link - Researchers are sufficiently worried by new study results that they are planning clinical trials involving thousands of people to examine the possible link between Parkinson's disease and statins, the world biggest selling drugs, reports Patrick Walter in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. February 23, 2007

Laughter Is Contagious - Laughter is truly contagious, and now, scientists studying how our brain responds to emotive sounds believe they understand why. February 22, 2007

Why Our Shifty Eyes Don't Drive Us Crazy - Our eyes are constantly making saccades, or little jumps. Yet the world appears to us as a smooth whole. Somehow, the brain's visual system "knows" where the eyes are about to move and is able to adjust for that movement. February 21, 2007

Activation Of Brain Region Predicts Altruism - Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that activation of a particular brain region predicts whether people tend to be selfish or altruistic. February 20, 2007

Researchers Investigate The Molecular Basis Of Memory In Living Mice - Phone numbers, the way to work, granny's birthday - our brain with its finite number of nerve cells can store incredible amounts of information. At the bottom of memory lies a complex network of molecules. February 16, 2007

Doctors Launch New Effort To Treat Stroke More Effectively - Just a small fraction of patients who have a stroke receive the only drug - TPA - available to treat the condition. Now doctors and scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have developed a potential new treatment that will reach a milestone in the next few months ... February 15, 2007

This Is Your Brain On Super Bowl Ads - Brain scans reveal the real winners and losers of Super Bowl XLI. February 13, 2007

Influence Of The Menstrual Cycle On The Female Brain - What influence does the variation in estrogen level have on the activation of the female brain? February 12, 2007

Revealing Secret Intentions In The Brain - Every day we plan numerous actions, such as to return a book to a friend or to make an appointment. How and where the brain stores these intentions has been revealed by John-Dylan Haynes from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences ... February 9, 2007

Drug Improves Tremors, Involuntary Movements In Parkinson Patients - A drug used to treat epilepsy has been found to significantly improve tremors, motor fluctuations, and other involuntary movements, or dyskinesias, in patients with Parkinson disease. February 8, 2007

Action Video Games Sharpen Vision 20 percent - Video games that contain high levels of action, such as Unreal Tournament, can actually improve your vision. February 7, 2007

Extreme Irritability: Is It Childhood Bipolar Disorder? - Results of a new study may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of two debilitating childhood mental disorders - pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) and a syndrome called severe mood dysregulation (SMD). February 6, 2007

'Electric' Fish Shed Light On How Brain Directs Movement - Scientists have long struggled to figure out how the brain guides the complex movement of our limbs, from the graceful leaps of ballerinas to the simple everyday act of picking up a cup of coffee. Using tools from robotics and neuroscience, researchers have found some tantalizing clues in an unlikely mode of motion: the undulations of tropical fish. February 5, 2007

Scientists Uncover Potential Key To Brain Blood-flow Disorders - Scientists at the University of Vermont have clarified the cellular process responsible for signaling regional blood flow changes in the brain, thereby uncovering possible causes for such disorders as stroke, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease. February 2, 2007

New Imaging Compound Might 'See' Alzheimer's Earlier - A new imaging molecule that can detect and map plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease could eventually lead to earlier diagnosis of the devastating disease. February 1, 2007

Biomarkers For Psychosis - Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, personality changes, and disorganized thinking occur in several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. January 30, 2007

Neural Bottleneck Found That Thwarts Multi-tasking - Many people think they can safely drive while talking on their cell phones. Vanderbilt neuroscientists Paul E. Dux and René Marois have found that when it comes to handling two things at once, your brain, while fast, isn't that fast. January 29, 2007

Genetic Variation May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk - Adults with a genetic variation enabling them to express higher levels of fetal hemoglobin may have a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, researchers say. January 27, 2007

Couch Potato Status May Have Basis In Brain - Some brains may be wired to encourage fidgeting and other restless behaviors that consume calories and help control weight, according to new research published by The American Physiological Society. January 26, 2007

Motor Protein Plays Key Role In Connecting Neurons - A motor protein called myosin X runs the main road of a developing neuron, delivering to its tip a receptor that enables it to communicate with other neurons, scientists say. January 25, 2007

Women with Migraines More Likely To Have Depression - Women with chronic headache, especially migraines, are more likely to be depressed, feel tired, and have a host of other severe physical symptoms. January 24, 2007

SH2B1 In The Brain Regulates Obesity - Obesity is one of the main risk factors for developing type II diabetes. Previous studies have shown that mice lacking a protein known as SH2B1 throughout their body are obese and develop diabetes. January 23, 2007

Scientists Uncover Potential Key To Brain Blood-flow Disorders - Scientists at the University of Vermont have clarified the cellular process responsible for signaling regional blood flow changes in the brain, thereby uncovering possible causes for such disorders as stroke, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease. January 22, 2007

Regulatory Pathway In Brain Development Possible Basis For Malformations - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have identified a genetic regulator of brain development that sheds new light on how immature neural cells choose between proliferation and differentiation. January 21, 2007

Scientists Develop A New Way To Target Alzheimer's Disease - The pathological embrace between two proteins plays a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease by triggering the formation of neuron-killing plaques of amyloid beta protein. January 20, 2007

New 'Brain Cleaner' Holds Promise For Treating Injuries - An injury to the brain can be devastating. When brain cells die, whether from head trauma, stroke or disease, a substance called glutamate floods the surrounding areas, overloading the cells in its path and setting off a chain reaction that damages whole swathes of tissue. January 19, 2007

Experience Sculpts Brain Circuitry To Build Resiliency To Stress - It's long been known that experiencing control over a stressor immunizes a rat from developing a depression-like syndrome when it later encounters stressors that it can't control. January 18, 2007

When Your Brain Goes Shopping - The brain weighs the pleasure of a purchase against the pain of losing money, a study suggests. January 17, 2007

Link Between Insomnia And Hypersomnia, Depression In Children - According to a study published in the January 1st issue of the journal SLEEP, sleep-disturbed children are more severely depressed and have more depressive symptoms and comorbid anxiety disorders compared with children without sleep disturbance. January 16, 2007

Brain Studies Reveal Mechanisms Of Voluntary Control Of Visual Attention - Neuroscientists at Duke University have mapped the timing and sequence of neural activations that unfold in the brain when people focus their attention on specific locations in their visual fields. January 15, 2007

Receptor Helps Neurons Grow In Right Direction - Understanding the anatomy of communication in the developing nervous system can help scientists find out where it goes awry. January 14, 2007

Drug Improves Tremors, Involuntary Movements In Parkinson Patients - A drug used to treat epilepsy has been found to significantly improve tremors, motor fluctuations, and other involuntary movements, or dyskinesias, in patients with Parkinson disease. January 13, 2007

Researchers Identify Gene Linked To Autism - French researchers have discovered a new gene linked to autism, a mental disability which prevents sufferers from communicating and forming relationships normally and whose causes are unknown. January 12, 2007

Complaints About Memory Are Associated With Alzheimer-related Brain Damage - Researchers at Rush University Medical Center found that having complaints about memory problems is associated with changes in the brain related to Alzheimer’s disease. January 11, 2007

Why Our Shifty Eyes Don't Drive Us Crazy - Our eyes are constantly making saccades, or little jumps. Yet the world appears to us as a smooth whole. Somehow, the brain's visual system "knows" where the eyes are about to move and is able to adjust ... January 10, 2007

Imaging Pinpoints Brain Regions That 'See The Future' - Human memory, the ability to recall vivid mental images of past experiences, has been studied extensively for more than a hundred years. January 9, 2007

Scientists Identify Brain Regions That Decide Where We Look - Scientists have found the brain regions that decide where we look, and where to direct our eyes when we're faced with a difficult choice, such as looking someone straight in the eye or looking away. January 8, 2007

What Memories Are Made Of: Researcher Studies Plasticity Of Recall - Why is it that amnesia patients can't remember their names or addresses, but they do remember how to hold a fork? January 7, 2007

Brain Training Can Have Lasting Benefits - Just as physical exercise is good for the body, mental training can keep older minds functioning better, with results lasting for years. January 6, 2007

Brains Can Recover From Alcoholic Damage - The findings, published in the online edition of the journal Brain, used sophisticated scanning technology and computer software to measure how brain volume, form and function changed over six to seven weeks of abstinence from alcohol in 15 alcohol dependent patients. January 5, 2007

Violent Video Games Affect Brains - A new study has found that adolescents who play violent video games may exhibit lingering effects on brain function, including increased activity in the region of the brain that governs emotional arousal and decreased activity in the brain's executive function ... January 4, 2007

The Brain's Own Globin Defends You From Shock And Stroke - The next generation of treatments for shock or stroke could be based on a protein that is already in our heads - neuroglobin. January 3, 2007

Developing Our Brightest Minds - Who will be the next Albert Einstein? The next Stephen Hawking? A new report from Vanderbilt University reveals the complex mix of factors that create these intellectual leaders: cognitive abilities, educational opportunities, investigative interests and old-fashioned hard work. January 2, 2007

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