BRAIN PICKS

U.S spends billions researching the brain. Complex research requiring worldwide effort. Find out how little we know. Respectful comments welcome! Enjoy.

By SAMMY

Autism
Why the focus of autism research is shifting away from searching for a 'cure'
NBC News - Jacqueline Stenson
More attention is on identifying autism in children as early as possible and support for the health and well-being of autistic adults. When Lizzie Acevedo’s fraternal twin sons, now 15, were newly diagnosed
5 hours ago
The Brain
Scientists Identify Neurons That Help the Brain Forget
The New York Times - Knvul Sheikh
One afternoon in April 1929, a journalist from a Moscow newspaper turned up in Alexander Luria’s office with an unusual problem: He never forgot things. Dr. Luria, a neuropsychologist, proceeded to test
1 day ago
The Brain
Why is the brain disturbed by harsh sounds? - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Harsh noises, such as alarm bells and sirens, hold the brain’s attention by stimulating its aversion networks. Why do the harsh sounds …
1 day ago
Narcissism
Do narcissistic traits wane as people age? - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: For most people, narcissism wanes as they age. A new study reports the magnitude of the decline of narcissistic traits is tied to specific …
1 day ago
Leukemia drug shows promise for treating a childhood brain cancer
medicalxpress.com - Science X staff
A drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia appears to be more effective at stopping a type of medulloblastoma in mouse models than existing …
1 day ago
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's: Head device reduces memory loss in 7 out of 8 people
Medical News Today - By Maria Cohut, Ph.D.
An open-label clinical trial working with eight people with Alzheimer's disease concluded that a new wearable device that emits electromagnetic …
1 day ago
Cancer
Cancer Cells Have “Unsettling” Ability to Hijack the Brain’s Nerves
scientificamerican.com - Heidi Ledford, Nature magazine
Tumour cells can plug into—and feed off—the brain’s complex network of neurons, according to a trio of studies. This nefarious ability could explain …
2 days ago
The Brain
How people with psychopathic traits control their 'dark impulses' - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Neuroimaging reveals ‘successful’ psychopaths (those who can control their antisocial tendencies) have greater levels of gray matter density …
3 days ago
The Brain
The brain may actively forget during dream sleep - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: REM sleep has previously been linked to memory formation. A new study reveals this sleep period may also be critical for us to forget …
3 days ago
The Brain
Neurological signals from the spinal cord surprise scientists - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study challenges existing theories about spinal cord neurons. New findings suggest neurological signals originate from a major, …
3 days ago
The Brain
Poor diet may affect long-term spatial memory - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: What you eat may impact your long-term spatial memory. Rats fed a cafeteria-style diet, high in saturated fats and refined carbs, …
3 days ago
The Brain
Alpha brain waves are even more complex than we thought
futurity.org - Harrison Tasoff-UC Santa Barbara
Alpha brain waves related to selective attention and working memory may stem from two different processes in the brain, according to new …
3 days ago
Medicine
Deadly Brain Cancers Act Like 'Vampires' By Hijacking Normal Cells To Grow
NPR - Jon Hamilton
Researchers are beginning to understand why certain brain cancers are so hard to stop. Three studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature found that these deadly tumors integrate themselves into brain's
4 days ago
Consciousness
True nature of consciousness: Solving the biggest mystery of your mind | New Scientist
newscientist.com - By Michael Graziano
CONSCIOUSNESS is a slippery concept. It isn’t just the stuff in your head. It is the subjective experience of some of that stuff. When you stub your …
4 days ago
Probiotics
What You Need To Know About Your Brain And Probiotics
Forbes - Tara Swart
Our mental acuity and ability to trust that inner voice is intimately connected to our physiological condition and the physical health of the gut. Increasing research into the psycho-neuro-gut connection
4 days ago
The Brain
Why We Need Guidelines for Brain Scan Data
WIRED - Condé Nast
Your brain is a lot like your DNA. It is, arguably, everything that makes you uniquely you. Some types of brain scans are a lot like DNA tests. They …
5 days ago
Sleep
Brain activity intensity drives need for sleep - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Galanin expressing neurons are selectively active during rebound sleep. The expression of galanin increases after neuronal activity and …
6 days ago
Lymphoma
How lymphoma cells metastasize to the brain - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: In aging mice, chronic inflammatory processes lead lymphoma cells which entered the brain to be retained, rather than released directly back …
6 days ago
The Brain
A new approach for treating inflammation - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Targeting the miR-199, a microRNA which reduces the migration of neutrophils could potentially reduce inflammation without compromising the …
6 days ago
The Brain
Transplanted brain stem cells survive without anti-rejection drugs - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Researchers have developed a new method to transplant neural stem cells into mice without the need for lifelong anti-rejection …
6 days ago
Microscopy
New microscopes unravel the mysteries of brain organization - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: mesoSPIM, a newly developed microscope, can image brain tissue down to individual neurons five times thinner than a human hair. The secret of …
6 days ago
Humanity
Brains of People Who Paint With Their Feet Show a Brilliant Neurological Adaptation
ScienceAlert - David Nield
In a finding that demonstrates just how amazingly flexible the human brain can be, a new study of two foot painters has revealed that their brains …
6 days ago
Autism
12 Children with Autism Were Conceived from One Donor's Sperm. Is There an 'Autism Gene'?
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
A single sperm donor is the biological father of at least 12 children who all developed autism — an extraordinary case that prompted one woman to sue …
6 days ago
The Brain
How the eyes might be windows to the risk of Alzheimer's disease - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease, have greater pupil dilation when taking cognitive tests …
September 16
Hearing Loss
Hearing aids lower the chance of dementia, depression, and falling
Medical News Today - By Robby Berman
A new study finds that hearing devices benefit older adults in multiple ways, from physical safety to brain health. Almost 1 in 4 people in the United …
September 15
The Brain
Opiates reduce the brain's ability to form and maintain synapses - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Opiate exposure causes synaptic rewiring in the nucleus accumbens in addition to decreasing dendritic spines. The findings shed light into …
September 15
The Brain
Discovery concerning the nervous system overturns a previous theory - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Rather than having an equal chance of survival, cell death appears to be controlled by a mechanism that filters our the less fit cells. It …
September 15
Neuroscience
Scientists identify gene as master regulator in schizophrenia - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: TCF4 may serve as a master regulator of a gene network dysregulated in schizophrenia at the early stages of neurodevelopment. Using …
September 15
Humanity
How do brains tune in to one neural signal out of billions? - Neuroscience News
neurosciencenews.com - Neuroscience News
Summary: Two activities support the brain’s ability to establish reliable connections in the presence of significant biological background noise. The …
September 15