http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/neuroscience/ Neuroscience research. Learn how the brain's physical, chemical and electrical structure can affect everything from motivation and sensory perception to disease recovery. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/neuroscience/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114813.htm Scientists have found that the amyloid-beta protein, currently the target of Alzheimer's drug research, is essential for normal information transfer through nerve cell networks in the brain. "If this protein is removed from the brain," says one of the researchers, "it may cause an impairment of neuronal function, as well as a further and faster accumulation of amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's." Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120081629.htm It's a naturally occurring brain chemical with an unwieldy name: 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB). Taken by mouth, it can be abused or used as a date-rape drug. Now, scientists have determined new routes by which 4-HB is metabolized by the body. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120081629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093546.htm People with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population, but expressed anger levels are similar. Researchers were surprised by the results from the 195 MS patients. They also found that elevated withheld anger levels were not related to the severity of the patients' MS. This suggests that these inconsistent changes were caused by nervous system damage, rather than an emotional reaction to the stress of the disease. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123193105.htm Outrageous prices may not be the only thing causing anger at the petrol pumps. A new study has shown that rats exposed to fumes from leaded and unleaded gasoline become more aggressive. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123193105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123171418.htm New research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United States. Patients with multiple sclerosis have a variety of neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, difficulty in moving, and difficulty in speech. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123171418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152759.htm A set of protein processes required in the early-stage conversion of glucose into fatty acids are critical to the proper formation and layering of myelin membrane, according to researchers. Essential to the proper functioning of the nervous system, myelin sheaths surround the axons of neurons and provide insulating effects that speed nerve conduction. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124152759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093543.htm Researchers in Spain have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain's stem cells -- neurogenesis -- and strengthens their differentiation in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091124093543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165735.htm Magnetic resonance images of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in childhood show that pediatric onset multiple sclerosis is more aggressive, and causes more brain lesions, than MS diagnosed in adulthood, researchers have reported. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165737.htm In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, sub-regional brain volume loss using magnetic resonance imaging. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000140.htm Researchers in Norway have discovered a mechanism that the brain uses to filter out distracting thoughts to focus on a single bit of information. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161821.htm Scientists have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114807.htm The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120091959.htm A community in Papua New Guinea that suffered a major epidemic of a CJD-like fatal brain disease called kuru has developed strong genetic resistance to the disease, according to new research by scientists in the UK. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120091959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141048.htm Scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm Researchers have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193632.htm They were in a deep sleep, yet sounds, such as a teakettle whistle, somehow penetrated their slumber. The 25 sounds were reminders of earlier spatial learning, though the research participants were unaware of the sounds as they slept. Yet, upon waking, memory tests showed that spatial memories had changed. Deep sleep, then, is actually is a key time for memory processing, the study suggests. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193626.htm Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits. Mathematical ability seems particularly damaged in children with FASD. A new study supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical abilities in children with FASD. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184531.htm So a baby can detect outside signals, the brain cells use a a "pump" that drains chloride out of newborn neurons, making these highly chaotic, developing cells quiet down. Researchers have figured out the genetic control of the pump in rodents. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143207.htm At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development. Scientists have now demonstrated a possible new approach to slowing the inevitable progression of cognitive decline found in Down syndrome. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161118.htm Until recently, scientists believed that, following a stroke, a patient had about six months to regain any lost function. After that, patients would be forced to compensate for the lost function by focusing on their remaining abilities. Although this belief has been refuted, an occupational therapy professor believes that the current health system is still not giving patients enough time to recover. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143259.htm Scientists have confirmed that blindness causes structural changes in the brain, implying that the brain may re-organize itself functionally in order to adapt to a loss in sensory inputs. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092620.htm Patients with recent-onset schizophrenia have higher levels of inflammatory substances in their brains, according to new research. This findings offer hope of being able to treat schizophrenia with drugs that affect the immune system. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092620.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124009.htm Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists. Animals with bigger brains are not necessarily more intelligent. This begs the important question: what are they for? Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118133535.htm IBM has announced significant progress toward creating a computer system that simulates and emulates the brain's abilities for sensation, perception, action, interaction and cognition, while rivaling the brain's low power and energy consumption and compact size. Scientists have performed the first near real-time cortical simulation of the brain that exceeds the scale of a cat cortex and contains 1 billion spiking neurons and 10 trillion individual learning synapses. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118133535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101357.htm Scientists have significantly advanced our understanding of dopamine release from nerve cells, findings that should speed the development of more effective drugs for treating Parkinson's disease. People with Parkinson's disease suffer from muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement and, in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement. These primary symptoms are caused by the loss of dopamine producing nerve cells in the brain. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102048.htm Neurosurgeons have performed the world's first intra-arterial cerebral infusion of Avastin (bevacizumab) directly into a patient's malignant brain tumor. This novel technique may expose the cancer to higher doses of the drug therapy, while possibly sparing the patient common side effects of receiving the drug intravenously or throughout their body. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117143413.htm Brain imaging can offer a window into risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. A new study has demonstrated that genetic risk is expressed in the brains of even those who are healthy, but carry some risk for AD. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117143413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094929.htm Monetary gain stimulates activity in the brain, Japanese researchers report. Even the mere possibility of receiving a reward is known to activate an area of the brain called the striatum. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163222.htm More than a year and a half following the first near-total face and upper jaw transplant, the donor tissue appears successfully integrated, according to a report. The recipient has experienced no long-term rejection, and has regained some functional abilities, including her senses of smell and taste. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163222.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094931.htm Parents have long suspected that the brains of their teenagers function differently from those of adults. With the advent of magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, we have begun to appreciate how the brain continues to develop structurally through adolescence and on into adulthood. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163212.htm Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that may contribute to how empathetic a human is, and how that person reacts to stress. In the first study of its kind, a variation in the hormone/neurotransmitter oxytocin's receptor was linked to a person's ability to infer the mental state of others. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112162836.htm Biologists offer new insights into a gene that plays a key role in modulating the body's circadian system and may also simultaneously modulate its metabolic system. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112162836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131824.htm Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not, according to new research. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131824.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131708.htm Drivers who engaged in self-harm were at increased risk of motor vehicle crashes, even after controlling for psychological distress and substance abuse, found a study of 18,871 Australian drivers. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116131708.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103437.htm Most of the linguistic functions in humans are controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere. A new study of captive chimpanzees suggests that this "hemispheric lateralization" for language may have its evolutionary roots in the gestural communication of our common ancestors. A large majority of the chimpanzees in the study showed a significant bias towards right-handed gestures when communicating, which may reflect a similar dominance of the left hemisphere for communication in chimpanzees as that seen for language functions in humans. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080610.htm NFL players and other athletes who suffer serious or multiple concussions may benefit from ground-breaking new research. Scientists are developing a surgical technique that involves hypothermia in specific regions of the brain. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080608.htm Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134134.htm Normal synaptic activity in nerve cells protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease, researchers have discovered. They also found that the drug Memantine, which is approved to treat Alzheimer's disease, successfully treated Huntington's disease in a mouse model by preserving normal synaptic electrical activity and suppressing excessive extrasynaptic electrical activity. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113083257.htm Using data from the late 1970s, researchers have looked at almost 200 children ages 3 to 9 in Belize, Kenya, Nepal and American Samoa to determine whether modernization changes have had an effect on the thinking skills that are learned over the course of childhood. Results show that children in communities with more modern resources performed better in some areas of cognitive functioning and that they took part in more complex sequences of play. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113083257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080602.htm Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study. The findings suggest that the brain's ability to understand shapes develops without the influence of immersion in simple, manufactured objects. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091114080602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121603.htm Enhancing the effects of the brain chemical dopamine influences how people make life choices by affecting expectations of pleasure, according to new research. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112191752.htm A gene in the brain that was not previously linked to mood disorders could have a role in biopolar, depression, and schizophrenic conditions. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112191752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111153804.htm A new miniature, hand-held microscope may allow more precise removal of brain tumors and an easier recognition of tumor locations during surgery. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111153804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112095034.htm Scientists report success in solving the molecular structure of a key portion of a cellular receptor implicated in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other serious illnesses. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112095034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121601.htm Short-term memory may depend in a surprising way on the ability of newly formed neurons to erase older connections. A new article provides some of the first evidence in mice and rats that new neurons sprouted in the hippocampus cause the decay of short-term fear memories in that brain region, without an overall memory loss. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121630.htm A new study is taking a closer look at the benefits vs. risks for lung cancer patients to undergo preventative brain radiation therapy as a means to stop cancer from spreading to the brain. Study results show that while preventative brain radiation for patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer -- the most common form of lung cancer -- does reduce the chance of developing brain metastases, it impacts some short-term and long-term memory. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173606.htm Becoming "hard of hearing" is a standard but unfortunate part of aging: A syndrome called age-related hearing loss affects about 40 percent of people over 65 in the United States, and will afflict an estimated 28 million Americans by 2030. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173614.htm After one year, a low-calorie, low-fat diet appears more beneficial to dieters' mood than a low-carbohydrate plan with the same number of calories, according to a new report. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173614.htm