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Perceptual learning training can improve contrast sensitivity in older adults

Older adults whose vision is affected by declining contrast sensitivity - which is a factor in the ability to detect and resolve details in low light - can improve their ability to see with perceptual learning training, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Brown University.

10 Mar 2015

Traffic signal labels help consumers resist high-calorie foods

Should food products be labeled with traffic light symbols to make health-related information on ingredients easier to understand? This question has remained a subject of debate. Now researchers at the University of Bonn have reached the conclusion that the traffic light label is more effective in helping consumers resist high-calorie foods than a purely information-based label.

10 Mar 2015

Study finds similar brain anomalies in people with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder

People with anorexia nervosa and with body dysmorphic disorder have similar abnormalities in their brains that affect their ability to process visual information, a new UCLA study reveals.

9 Mar 2015

New study reveals differences in brain structure according to how trusting people are of others

A recent study from the University of Georgia shows differences in brain structure according to how trusting people are of others.

9 Mar 2015

Study sheds new light on perception and memory of human brain

The human brain can select relevant objects from a flood of information and edit out what is irrelevant. It also knows which parts belong to a whole.

6 Mar 2015

ULB researchers test therapeutic potential of cortical neurons developed in laboratory

Researchers at the ULB - IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute - have tested the therapeutic potential of cortical neurons generated at the laboratory, by transplantation in the brains of adult mice.

6 Mar 2015

Multimodal approach to distinguish people with autism spectrum disorder

In an ancient Indian parable, a group of blind men touches different parts of a large animal to find what it is. Only when they share the descriptions of an ear, tail, trunk and leg do they know it is an elephant.

6 Mar 2015

Possible therapies to address cognitive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia

By studying specially bred mice with specific developmental and cognitive traits resembling those seen in schizophrenia, UC San Francisco researchers have provided new evidence that abnormal rhythmic activity in particular brain cells contributes to problems with learning, attention, and decision-making in individuals with that disorder.

6 Mar 2015

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

A study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital reveals for the first time exactly how mutations associated with the most common form of inherited Alzheimer's disease produce the disorder's devastating effects.

5 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

Neuroscientists find new pathway that allows several brain areas communicate within striatum

Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists have identified a new pathway by which several brain areas communicate within the brain's striatum.

4 Mar 2015

Brain scientists map changes in communication between nerve cells in rats

Lights, sound, action: we are constantly learning how to incorporate outside sensations into our reactions in specific situations. In a new study, brain scientists have mapped changes in communication between nerve cells as rats learned to make specific decisions in response to particular sounds. The team then used this map to accurately predict the rats' reactions. These results add to our understanding of how the brain processes sensations and forms memories to inform behavior.

3 Mar 2015

Study shows physical similarities, differences between extrovert types in the brain

Everyday experience and psychological studies alike tell us that there are two different types of extroverts: The gregarious "people-persons" who find reward in sharing affection and affiliation with others, and the ambitious "go-getters" who flash those bright-white smiles in their pursuit of achievement and leadership agendas.

27 Feb 2015

Carnegie Mellon study identifies intermediary neuron system that acts as synaptic cloaking device

Neuroscientists believe that the connectome, a map of each and every connection between the millions of neurons in the brain, will provide a blueprint that will allow them to link brain anatomy to brain function. But a new study from Carnegie Mellon University has found that a specific type of neuron might be thwarting their efforts at mapping the connectome by temporarily cloaking the synapses that link a wide field of neurons.

27 Feb 2015

New study shows how anterior cingulate cortex can be stimulated to control pain

A new study by a University of Texas at Arlington physics team in collaboration with bioengineering and psychology researchers shows for the first time how a small area of the brain can be optically stimulated to control pain.

27 Feb 2015

New study finds that wandering mind can impart distinct cognitive advantage

Does your mind wander when performing monotonous, repetitive tasks? Of course! But daydreaming involves more than just beating back boredom. In fact, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a wandering mind can impart a distinct cognitive advantage.

24 Feb 2015

Broca's Area Is The Brain's Scriptwriter, Shaping Speech, Study Finds

What is happening in the brain of an actor reciting Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy or of the person next to you at lunch saying, "Please pass the salt"? For 150 years, scientists have known that a brain region called Broca's area plays a key role in speech production, but exactly what it does and how it does it have been a mystery.

19 Feb 2015

Research may lead to future medical treatments for children with neurodevelopmental problems

Children born with a DNA abnormality on chromosome 16 already linked to neurodevelopmental problems show measurable delays in processing sound and language, says a study team of radiologists and psychologists.

18 Feb 2015

New discovery could lead to potential treatment for preventing blindness

Scientists have made a major new discovery detailing how areas of the brain responsible for vision could potentially adapt to injury or trauma and ultimately prevent blindness.

18 Feb 2015

Neuroscientist to discuss teenage brain development at AAAS meeting in California

Teenage exploration and risk taking could be explained by dramatic changes in the brain that allow elaborate planning and are driven by the need for immediate reward, according to a University of Pittsburgh neuroscientist who will be talking about her research in a panel discussion and press briefing at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, Feb. 13 to 16, in San Jose, Calif.

17 Feb 2015

Cortex News and Research

Perceptual learning training can improve contrast sensitivity in older adults

Traffic signal labels help consumers resist high-calorie foods

Study finds similar brain anomalies in people with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder

New study reveals differences in brain structure according to how trusting people are of others

Study sheds new light on perception and memory of human brain

ULB researchers test therapeutic potential of cortical neurons developed in laboratory

Multimodal approach to distinguish people with autism spectrum disorder

Possible therapies to address cognitive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia

Study shows how mutations that cause Alzheimer's disease lead to neurodegeneration, dementia

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Neuroscientists find new pathway that allows several brain areas communicate within striatum

Brain scientists map changes in communication between nerve cells in rats

Study shows physical similarities, differences between extrovert types in the brain

Carnegie Mellon study identifies intermediary neuron system that acts as synaptic cloaking device

New study shows how anterior cingulate cortex can be stimulated to control pain

New study finds that wandering mind can impart distinct cognitive advantage

Broca's Area Is The Brain's Scriptwriter, Shaping Speech, Study Finds

Research may lead to future medical treatments for children with neurodevelopmental problems

New discovery could lead to potential treatment for preventing blindness

Neuroscientist to discuss teenage brain development at AAAS meeting in California

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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