Mind & Brain News

January 20, 2017

Are Girls Really Better at Reading Than Boys?

Making AI Systems That See the World as We Do

Toxic Brain Cells: Neurodegenerative Disorders

Antidepressants in Pregnancy: More Birth Defects?

Latest Headlines

updated 3:30am EST

Gene That Enables Memories, Sense of Direction Produces Schizophrenia-Like Symptoms When Mutated

Jan. 18, 2017 — Mutations in a gene that should enable memories and a sense of direction instead can result in imprecise communication between neurons that ... read more

Children's Beliefs About Talent Influence Music Participation

Jan. 17, 2017 — Many adults who believe they can’t carry a tune likely formed those beliefs in elementary school, according to new research. ... read more

Rabies Viruses Reveal Wiring in Transparent Brains

Jan. 19, 2017 — Scientists have harnessed rabies viruses for assessing the connectivity of nerve cell transplants: coupled with a green fluorescent protein, the viruses show where ... read more

In Alzheimer's, Excess Tau Protein Damages Brain's GPS

Jan. 19, 2017 — Researchers have linked excess tau protein in the brain to the spatial disorientation that leads to wandering in many Alzheimer's disease patients. The findings, in mice, ... read more

Brain Stimulation Used Like a Scalpel to Improve Memory

Jan. 19, 2017 — For the first time, scientists have found that non-invasive brain stimulation can be used like a scalpel to affect a specific improvement in precise memory. Precise memory, ... read more

Key Signaling Protein Associated With Addiction Controls the Actions of Oxycodone in Pain-Free, Chronic Pain States

Jan. 17, 2017 — RGS9-2, a key signaling protein in the brain known to play a critical role in the development of addiction-related behaviors, acts as a positive ... read more

First Cell Culture of Live Adult Human Neurons Shows Potential of Brain Cell Types

Jan. 17, 2017 — Studying brain disorders in people and developing drugs to treat them has been slowed by the inability to investigate single living cells from adult ... read more

Teenagers Who Access Mental Health Services See Significant Improvements, Study Shows

Jan. 19, 2017 — Young people with mental health problems who have contact with mental health services are significantly less likely to suffer from clinical ... read more

What Causes Sleepiness When Sickness Strikes

Jan. 19, 2017 — It's well known that humans and other animals are fatigued and sleepy when sick, but it's a microscopic roundworm that's providing an explanation of how that ... read more

Experts Slash Opioid Use While Improving Pain Scores, Study Finds

Jan. 18, 2017 — A study of more than 100,000 surgical cases found patients’ pain scores improved even as doctors gave fewer opioids. As health officials across the U.S. look for ways to combat a opioid addiction ... read more

More Mind & Brain News

January 20, 2017

Summaries
Headlines

Advances in Imaging Detect Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury More Frequently in Trauma Patients

Jan. 19, 2017 — Advances in diagnostic imaging technology have meant that more trauma patients are being diagnosed with blunt cerebrovascular injuries, and as a result, stroke and related death rates in these ... read more

One in Five Adults Secretly Access Their Friends' Facebook Accounts

Jan. 19, 2017 — Most people are concerned about the prospect of their social media accounts being hacked, but a new study finds that it's actually people we know who frequently access our accounts without our ... read more

Precision Medicine Advances Pediatric Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment

Jan. 19, 2017 — In the largest clinical study to date of genetic abnormalities in pediatric brain tumors, researchers performed clinical testing on more than 200 tumor samples and found that a majority had genetic ... read more

Employee Wages Not Just Linked to Skills, but Quality of Co-Workers

Jan. 19, 2017 — The presence of high-performing co-workers can improve an individual’s earnings, research has ... read more

Eco-HAB: New Quality in Research on Neuronal Basis of Social Behavior

Jan. 19, 2017 — How the brain controls social behaviors and what exactly the neuronal impairments causing its pathologies are, is yet to be determined. To better understand mechanisms in play, scientists perform ... read more

School Curricula Are a Reflection of Society's Expectations

Jan. 19, 2017 — In a pioneering project, researchers studied the development of school curricula in Switzerland’s three main language regions. This project clearly showed that ever since the Swiss school system ... read more

Trapped by the Game: Why Professional Soccer Players Don't Talk About Their Mental Health

Jan. 19, 2017 — Professional soccer players do not feel it is safe to show vulnerability or admit to experiencing emotional struggles, suggests a new ... read more

Mars and Venus on the Therapist's Couch

Jan. 19, 2017 — Generally speaking, men want a quick fix from psychological therapy and women want to talk about their feelings, concludes a new ... read more

Mapping Brain in Preemies May Predict Later Disability

Jan. 18, 2017 — Scanning a premature infant’s brain shortly after birth to map the location and volume of lesions, small areas of injury in the brain’s white matter, may help doctors better predict whether the ... read more

Mapping the Mind of Worms

Jan. 18, 2017 — Biologists have identified signals that drive distinct behavior in microscopic nematode worms, and which may hold lessons for human ... read more

Mandarin Makes You More Musical?

Jan. 18, 2017 — Mandarin makes you more musical -- and at a much earlier age than previously thought. But hold on there, overachiever parents, don't' rush just yet to sign your kids up for Chinese lessons ... read more

Could Better Eye Training Help Reduce Concussion in Women's Soccer?

Jan. 18, 2017 — With the ever-growing popularity of women's soccer, attention to sports-related concussions is also a growing concern. High school female soccer players incur a higher concussion rate than ... read more

How Estrogen Modulates Fear Learning

Jan. 18, 2017 — Low estrogen levels may make women more susceptible to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while high estrogen levels may be protective. New research provides insight into how ... read more

Changes in Blood-Brain Barrier, Intestinal Permeability Found in Individuals With Autism

Jan. 18, 2017 — A new study finds reduced expression of genes involved in integrity of the blood-brain barrier, intestinal barrier in those with autism spectrum ... read more

Study Identifies Molecular Signal for Maintaining Adult Neuron

Jan. 18, 2017 — Research in mice points to better understanding of how the structure of nerve cells in the adult hippocampus may deteriorate, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders, ... read more

Which Facebook 'Friends' Help Most When Looking for a Job? Depends Where You Live in the World

Jan. 18, 2017 — Research used anonymous Facebook data from almost 17 million social connections in 55 countries to determine that the role of weak and strong ties in job searches is important around the world, but ... read more

Severe Side Effects of Approved Multiple Sclerosis Medication

Jan. 18, 2017 — The multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy alemtuzumab can trigger severe, unpredictable side effects. Scientists report on two patients for whom the infusion of alemtuzumab significantly worsened symptoms. ... read more

Gestational Diabetes Increases Risk for Postpartum Depression

Jan. 18, 2017 — Gestational diabetes raises the risk of postpartum depression in first-time mothers, researcher have ... read more

Delirium Could Accelerate Dementia-Related Mental Decline

Jan. 18, 2017 — When hospitalized, people can become acutely confused and disorientated. This condition, known as delirium, affects a quarter of older patients and new research shows it may have long-lasting ... read more

In Rett Syndrome Model, Team Shows How Adult Learning Is Impaired in Females

Jan. 18, 2017 — In mouse models of Rett syndrome -- which in humans is seen overwhelmingly in females -- researchers have demonstrated how failure of Mecp2, the mouse equivalent of the human gene of the same name, ... read more

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