Aug 31, 2010Even under severe stress, most people don’t break down. Some researchers are turning their attention to the resilient majority for clues on how to help those who aren’t so sturdy. Aug 30, 2010A study in monkeys confirms that the adolescent brain has a special vulnerability to the effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Aug 09, 2010In a carefully controlled, multi-site study, a series of magnetic pulses to the scalp led to improvement in symptoms in 15 percent of patients with intractable depression. Aug 05, 2010Several recent studies add weight to the idea that Parkinson’s disease begins within nerve cells in the intestines. Aug 05, 2010During a special lecture at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies biannual meeting, esteemed neuroscientist Colin Blakemore argued his theory of human evolution: A single mutation some 200,000 years ago that produced a 30 percent increase in brain size. Blakemore also is vice chairman of the European Dana Alliance for the Brain. Jul 27, 2010A new study suggests that the density of a certain type of dopamine receptor on the thalamus, a brain area linked passing sensory information to the cerebral cortex, may play a role in both creativity and in such disorders as schizophrenia. Jul 22, 2010Recent research in animals hints that some of the mental deficits of Down syndrome might someday be treatable. Jul 12, 2010ALevels of soluble, small clusters of amyloid-beta, known as oligomers, appear to correspond closely to the progress of Alzheimer’s, researchers report. The finding could lead to better tests for Alzheimer’s and, ultimately, better treatments. Jul 07, 2010Many people with depression need to try one or more drugs before they find one that works for them because doctors can’t be sure who will do better with which type of drug. Researchers in the young field of pharmacogenetics hope to identify genetic variations among people that can help doctors choose the correct treatments first. Jul 02, 2010Aerobic activity spurs the growth of new neurons as well as improving activity inside brain cells. And, according to new research, its benefits continue over the next few days. Jun 30, 2010As studies pile up showing the benefits of working out on mood, some researchers are campaigning for doctors to add it to their prescriptions—and spelling out how. Jun 24, 2010Until recently, the two basic approaches to the brain—the cellular approach and the systems approach—were quite distinct. The new field of optogentics offers an interesting example of how to fuse them, writes columnist Guy McKhann, M.D. Jun 24, 2010Studies using fMRI imaging to identify when a person recognizes a face are “only as good as a person’s memory,” reports one researcher. “All we could identify was a person’s belief that he or she had seen a particular face before,” but this belief could be strong even for faces the person had never seen. Jun 21, 2010Near death from advanced brain cancer, lab rats swiftly recovered after receiving an experimental “oncolytic” virus. Clinical trials of the therapy start later this year. Jun 18, 2010By studying people with brain damage—and healthy people whose moral judgments changed as they were exposed to a magnetic field—researchers are trying to trace out the neural basis for discriminating right from wrong. Jun 17, 2010Researchers appear to have found a way to eliminate much of the secondary damage that occurs after spinal cord injuries, and they expect the same method to limit damage in brain injuries. Jun 10, 2010Researchers hoping to find the genes that trigger alcohol dependence (AD) require data on large numbers of people, but few people in these sort of surveys have been through the long assessment procedure required to diagnose it. But two recent reviews suggest that asking a few questions may predict AD risk just as well as does the longer assessment, opening up some larger databases for study. Jun 04, 2010Researchers in the emerging field of neuroepigenetics are learning how the brain’s response to factors such as drugs, aging, and experience can alter our chromosomes—and how alternate experiences can potentially change it back. Jun 03, 2010Though understanding of the brain changes underlying ADHD and other attention disorders is still in its infancy, researchers and educators at a recent Learning & the Brain conference suggested how it could be used now to help diagnose and treat children. May 27, 2010An aggravated immune response may help pregnant mothers, but harm the developing brain inside, suggest studies in animals. |