Vanderbilt University

Humanoid robot helps train children with autism

"Aiden, look!" piped NAO, a two-foot tall humanoid robot, as it pointed to a flat-panel display on a far wall. As the cartoon dog Scooby Doo flashed on the screen, Aiden, a young boy with an unruly thatch ...

Autism spectrum disorders created Mar 20, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Putting HiFi into cochlear implants

Imagine suddenly being able to hear the words and tone of the person across the table from you in a crowded restaurant when once you only heard overwhelming noise. Or speaking on the telephone with confidence because what ...

Other created Mar 06, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Circadian clock linked to obesity, diabetes and heart attacks

Disruption in the body's circadian rhythm can lead not only to obesity, but can also increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Medical research created Feb 21, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists examine the neurobiology of decision making

(Medical Xpress)—We know that casting a ballot in the voting booth involves politics, values and personalities. But before you ever push the button for your candidate, your brain has already carried out an election of its ...

Neuroscience created Jan 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New insight into why haste makes waste

Why do our brains make more mistakes when we act quickly? A new study demonstrates how the brain follows Ben Franklin's famous dictum, "Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste."

Neuroscience created Nov 07, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

An exoskeleton of advanced design promises a new degree of independence for people with paraplegia (w/ Video)

The dream of regaining the ability to stand up and walk has come closer to reality for people paralyzed below the waist who thought they would never take another step.

Medical research created Oct 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Brain mapping shows auto experts recognize cars like people recognize faces

When people – and monkeys – look at faces, a special part of their brain that is about the size of a blueberry "lights up." Now, the most detailed brain-mapping study of the area yet conducted has confirmed ...

Neuroscience created Oct 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Sex matters: Why guys recognize cars and women recognize birds best

(Medical Xpress)—Women are better than men at recognizing living things and men are better than women at recognizing vehicles.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Sep 17, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (8) | comments 10 | with audio podcast

Vanderbilt-led team to develop 'microbrain' to improve drug testing

Take a millionth of a human brain and squeeze it into a special chamber the size of a mustard seed. Link it to a second chamber filled with cerebral spinal fluid and thread both of them with artificial blood ...

Medical research created Jul 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Probing the roots of depression by tracking serotonin regulation at a new level

In a process akin to belling an infinitesimal cat, scientists have managed to tag a protein that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin with tiny fluorescent beads, allowing them to track the movements of ...

Neuroscience created Jun 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Crime and punishment: The neurobiological roots of modern justice

A pair of neuroscientists from Vanderbilt and Harvard Universities has proposed the first neurobiological model for third-party punishment. It outlines a collection of potential cognitive and brain processes ...

Neuroscience created Apr 18, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Putting the body back into the mind of schizophrenia

A study using a procedure called the rubber hand illusion has found striking new evidence that people experiencing schizophrenia have a weakened sense of body ownership and has produced the first case of a ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Oct 31, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (14) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

New insight into impulse control

How the brain controls impulsive behavior may be significantly different than psychologists have thought for the last 40 years.

Neuroscience created Aug 30, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Robust preschool experience offers lasting effects on language and literacy

Preschool teachers' use of sophisticated vocabulary and analytic talk about books combined with early support for literacy in the home can predict fourth-grade reading comprehension and word recognition, new research from ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Aug 18, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Memories may skew visual perception

Taking a trip down memory lane while you are driving could land you in a roadside ditch, new research indicates. Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that our visual perception can be contaminated by memories of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jul 20, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast