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Cell phone use and the brain: Study

Experts are still grappling with facts and fiction regarding brain damage caused by cell phone use. Dr. Nora Volkow, who is lead author of a new study published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association said, “We don’t know whether this is detrimental or whether it could have some potential beneficial effects.

22 Feb 2011

Scientist to present neuroimaging evidence on impact of cognitive functions in bilingual processing at AAAS

Sonja Kotz leads the Minerva research group "Neurocognition of Rhythm in Communication" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. She will present evidence from neuroimaging on the impact of cognitive functions on bilingual processing at the AAAS symposium "Crossing Borders in Language Science: What Bilinguals Tell Us About Mind and Brain".

21 Feb 2011

Salk receives $2 million gift to establish Endowed Chair in Vision Research

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced a generous gift from Mr. Conrad Prebys, a Salk Trustee, to establish the Conrad T. Prebys Endowed Chair in Vision Research for Dr. Tom Albright. As part of their senior scientist endowed chair challenge, Joan and Irwin Jacobs will match the donor's gift with an additional $1,000,000 to establish the donor's named chair at $3,000,000.

19 Feb 2011

Early positive clinical results from implantation with Zimmer MotionLoc Screws

Zimmer Holdings, Inc., a global leader in musculoskeletal care, today announced that early clinical results of the first patients treated with Zimmer MotionLoc™ Screws were free of complications. The Zimmer MotionLoc Screw is Zimmer Trauma's latest advancement in locking plate technology and is intended for use in conjunction with the Zimmer NCB® Polyaxial Locking Plate System.

19 Feb 2011

Deep brain stimulation therapy promising against severe OCD

When obsessive-compulsive disorder is of crippling severity and drugs and behavior therapy can't help, there has been for just over a year a thread - or rather a wire - of hope. By inserting a thin electrode deep into the brain, doctors can precisely deliver an electrical current to a cord of the brain's wiring and soften the severity of the symptoms. "Deep brain stimulation" therapy for OCD won Food and Drug Administration approval in 2009 for extreme cases under its humanitarian device exemption.

19 Feb 2011

Scientists find working memory highly dependent on fast inhibitory cells

Usually, we associate rhythms with dance and music. But they also play an important role in the brain. When billions of neurons communicate with each other, certain rhythmic activity patterns arise. The proper metre in this interplay is provided by nerve cells that do not excite other cells, but inhibit their activity instead. One type of these inhibiting cells acts in a particularly fast and efficient way and is therefore thought to be crucial for memory formation and information processing in neuronal networks.

18 Feb 2011

Pittsburgh researchers awarded funds for testing brain-computer interfaces in patients with spinal cord injuries

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been awarded funding for two projects that will place brain-computer interfaces (BCI) in patients with spinal cord injuries to test if it is possible for them to control external devices, such as a computer cursor or a prosthetic limb, with their thoughts.

18 Feb 2011

New computer application automatically detects subtle epileptic brain lesions in MRI scans

Researchers from the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center identified potential benefits of a new computer application that automatically detects subtle brain lesions in MRI scans in patients with epilepsy. In a study published in the February 2011 issue of PLoS ONE, the authors discuss the software's potential to assist radiologists in better identifying and locating visually undetectable, operable lesions.

17 Feb 2011

Studies reveal markers for measuring ability of children with ADHD to control impulsive movements

Two research studies published today in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found markers for measuring the ability of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to control impulsive movements, which may reveal insights into the neurobiology of ADHD, inform prognosis and guide treatments.

15 Feb 2011

Researchers find 2 neural pathways that play role in developing phobias

Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety.

11 Feb 2011

Patients with high blood pressure have benign endocrine tumours in adrenal gland: Research

High blood pressure may in some cases be caused by benign hormone-producing tumours of the adrenal cortex. A joint Swedish-American research effort has now uncovered a genetic cause behind the occurrence of such tumours. The findings were published today in the journal Science.

11 Feb 2011

Regular exercise improves ability of overweight children to think, do math: Researchers

Regular exercise improves the ability of overweight, previously inactive children to think, plan and even do math, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.

10 Feb 2011

New research provides evidence that cerebellum can also store memories for mental skills

Movements become skilled and automatic with practise, so tasks like riding a bicycle can be performed without much attention or mental effort. New research by scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London provides evidence that the cerebellum, a part of the brain used to store memories for skilled movements, could also store memories important for mental skills - such as the rules used to interpret traffic light signals.

9 Feb 2011

Specific gene variation linked to late-onset Alzheimer's

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found evidence suggesting that a variation of a specific gene may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's, the disease which accounts for over 90% of Alzheimer's cases. This innovative study has combined genetics and brain imaging to determine who may be at risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear.

9 Feb 2011

Specific gene variation may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease: New study

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found evidence suggesting that a variation of a specific gene may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's, the disease which accounts for over 90% of Alzheimer's cases. This innovative study has combined genetics and brain imaging to determine who may be at risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms appear.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists monitor frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how it works

Like listeners adjusting a high-tech radio, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have tuned in to precise frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how the brain works.

9 Feb 2011

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

Research provides new clues to understand link between deficits of AGPO-3, depression

The link between deficits of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids and the onset of depressive disorders is not new in the medical field. However, what has not been known until now is the brain mechanism by which diet can condition mental health to a certain extent.

5 Feb 2011

Neurons activated by learning show extensive expansion of structure

When a laboratory rat learns how to reach for and grab a food pellet - a pretty complex and unnatural act for a rodent - the acquired knowledge significantly alters the structure of the specific brain cells involved, which sprout a whopping 22 percent more dendritic spines connecting them to other motor neurons.

3 Feb 2011

Specific brain network acts as event monitoring system

Wouldn't life be easy if everything happened as we anticipated? In reality, our brains are able to adapt to the unexpected using an inbuilt network that makes predictions about the world and monitors how those predictions turn out.

1 Feb 2011

Cortex News and Research

Cell phone use and the brain: Study

Scientist to present neuroimaging evidence on impact of cognitive functions in bilingual processing at AAAS

Salk receives $2 million gift to establish Endowed Chair in Vision Research

Early positive clinical results from implantation with Zimmer MotionLoc Screws

Deep brain stimulation therapy promising against severe OCD

Scientists find working memory highly dependent on fast inhibitory cells

Pittsburgh researchers awarded funds for testing brain-computer interfaces in patients with spinal cord injuries

New computer application automatically detects subtle epileptic brain lesions in MRI scans

Studies reveal markers for measuring ability of children with ADHD to control impulsive movements

Researchers find 2 neural pathways that play role in developing phobias

Patients with high blood pressure have benign endocrine tumours in adrenal gland: Research

Regular exercise improves ability of overweight children to think, do math: Researchers

New research provides evidence that cerebellum can also store memories for mental skills

Specific gene variation linked to late-onset Alzheimer's

Specific gene variation may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease: New study

Scientists monitor frequencies of brain activity to unleash new insights into how it works

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Research provides new clues to understand link between deficits of AGPO-3, depression

Neurons activated by learning show extensive expansion of structure

Specific brain network acts as event monitoring system

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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