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Health

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Fear Can Be Erased from the Brain

Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain.The findings may represent a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. This is shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a study being published by Science.

Featured Psychology

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

‘Psychopaths’ Have An Impaired Sense of Smell

People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain (orbitofrontal cortex) according to a new study.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 20, 2012·2 min read

Brain Study Reveals the Roots of Chocolate Temptations

Researchers have new evidence in rats to explain how it is that chocolate candies can be so completely irresistible. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of a natural, opium-like chemical.

Featured Neurology

·September 19, 2012·4 min read

Scientists Show Biological Mechanism Can Trigger Epileptic Seizures

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center report that molecular disruptions in small neurons called granule cells – located in the dentate gyrus region of the brain – caused brain seizures in mice similar to those seen in human temporal lobe epilepsy.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 18, 2012·2 min read

Brain Neurons and Diet Influence Onset of Obesity and Diabetes in Mice

The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

Featured Neurology

·September 18, 2012·3 min read

Some Viruses Not to Blame for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome After All

Contrary to previous findings, new research finds no link between chronic fatigue syndrome and the viruses XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) and pMLV (polytropic murine leukemia virus). A study reveals that research that reported patients with chronic fatigue syndrome carried these two viruses was wrong and that there is still no evidence for an infectious cause behind chronic fatigue syndrome.

Featured Neurology

·September 17, 2012·3 min read

Toxic Protein Build-up in Blood Shines Light on Fatal Brain Disease

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·September 14, 2012·3 min read

Scientists Use Prosthetic Device to Restore and Improve Impaired Decision Making Ability in Animals

Scientists used an electronic prosthetic system to tap into existing circuitry in the brain at the cellular level and record the firing patterns of multiple neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in decision-making. They then “played” that recording back to the same brain area to electrically stimulate decision-based neural activity. Not only did it restore function, in some cases, it also improved it.

Featured Genetics Neurology

·September 13, 2012·3 min read

Neural Stem Cells Regenerate Axons in Severe Spinal Cord Injury

Researchers were able to regenerate an astonishing degree of axonal growth at the site of severe spinal cord injury in rats. Results were then replicated using two human stem cell lines, one already in human trials for ALS. “We obtained the exact results using human cells as we had in the rat cells,” said Tuszynski.

Featured Genetics

·September 12, 2012·3 min read

An Important Breakthrough in the Fight Against Muscular Dystrophies

Recent findings by an international collaboration including IRCM researchers hold new implications for the pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy.

Featured Genetics

·September 11, 2012·2 min read

How Genetics Shape Our Addictions: Genes Predict the Brain’s Reaction to Smoking

Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes.

Featured Neurology

·September 11, 2012·3 min read

Research Finds Ginkgo Biloba Doesn’t Improve Cognitive Function in MS

A new research study conducted has found that the herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not improve cognitive function in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS.)