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brain research

Research articles and news stories tagged with brain research

·October 14, 2010·2 min read

Peer Into Living Cells Without Damaging Them – B-CARS

Biologists may be able to better peer into living cells according to new research. Using a new variation on Raman spectroscopy, detailed molecular maps of cellular content can be made without damaging the examined cells.

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·October 13, 2010·2 min read

Close Friends Light Up Your Medial Prefrontal Cortex Brain Region

The title of this article may not catch on as a song lyric, but new neurobiology research shows close friends can cause more of a response in brain regions such as the medial prefrontal cortex than strangers can.

Human embryonic stem cell therapy possibilities are listed on the image of a man.

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·October 11, 2010·5 min read

First Clinical Trial of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy in the World Begins

Human embryonic stem cell therapy is being tried on a human for the first time in a new clinical trial....

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·October 7, 2010·2 min read

Neuronal Mechanisms Of Prosocial Behavior

Neuroscientists have provided an insight into the neuronal mechanisms involved in prosocial behavior, and how they are modulated by perceived group membership. Researchers suggest that there is a neurobiological basis of whether people chose to help, or withdraw help, based on positive or negative identification of the person in pain.

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·October 4, 2010·2 min read

Adult Stem Cells Created That Do Not Age

Researchers genetically altered mesenchymal stem cells to create new stem cell lines that showed no signs of aging in culture, did not increase tumor production in animal studies and functioned as healthy mesenchymal cells do.

Brain Cancer Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·September 30, 2010·2 min read

Breast Cancer Patients’ Brain Tissue Altered by Chemotherapy

Brain imaging studies of women with breast cancer before and after chemotherapy treatments show grey matter is being affected during the chemotherapy treatments. Brain areas believed to be critical for multi-tasking, memory and other cognitive functions were seen to change during the chemotherapy.

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·September 29, 2010·3 min read

First Direct Evidence That ADHD is a Genetic Disorder Found

Neuroscience researchers from Cardiff University have found the first direct evidence that ADHD is a genetic disorder.

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·September 28, 2010·2 min read

Early Life Stresses Could Have Lasting Effects On GAD1 Gene

Neuroscience research published in September's Journal of Neuroscience suggests early life stresses may modify the GAD1 gene, which controls the production of GABA. Through their research on rats, researchers were able to note that those who experienced a lack of affection showed an obstruction within the DNA which controls the GAD1 gene. As it is believed that GABA deficits might be apparent within schizophrenic patients, researchers propose that the modification of GAD1 might determine a child's predisposition to mental illness.

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·September 27, 2010·3 min read

Changing Right Handers To Left Handers

Neuroscientists at UC Berkeley have discovered that stimulation of a certain area of the brain can cause a change in which hand a person favors to perform a task. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation on right handed test subjects, researchers discovered that stimulating the posterior parietal cortex on the left side caused an increase in the use of the left hand. Researchers suggested this finding might be useful in discovering methods to help patients overcome learned limb disuse.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 24, 2010·2 min read

Gamers Have Advantage In Performing Visuomotor Tasks

A study published in October's Cortex has shown young people who regularly play video games have an advantage in performing tasks which require visuomotor skills. The study also found that gamers show increased activity in the prefrontal cortex when asked to perform visuomotor tasks. By contrast, non-gamers had more reliant use of the parietal cortex, an area which involves hand-eye coordination, when performing visuomotor tasks.

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·September 22, 2010·3 min read

Can Career Choices Influence Dementia?

Correlating data from 588 patients diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe degeneration (FTLD), researchers found that subjects with professions which related highly for verbal skills had greater tissue loss on the right hand side of the brain. By contrast, those whose professions required less aptitude for verbal skills, for example flight engineers, had more tissue damage to the left hand side of the brain.

Electrophysiology Featured

·September 21, 2010·2 min read

The Rapid Speed Of Brain Cell Communication

Neuroscience researchers have studied the organic protein complexes linking vesicles and membranes before fusion, in order to understand the rapidity of transmission.