http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. It has the makings of a science fiction movie: Zap someone's brain with mild jolts of electricity to try to stave off the creeping memory loss of Alzheimer's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-brain-pacemakers-zap-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Sun, 20 Jan 2013 08:30:57 EST news277893043 Originally, the label "borderline personality disorder" was applied to patients who were thought to represent a middle ground between patients with neurotic and psychotic disorders. Increasingly, though, this area of research has focused on the heightened emotional reactivity observed in patients carrying this diagnosis, as well as the high rates with which they also meet diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder and mood disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-borderline-personality-disorder-storm-emotion.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:02:25 EST news277462886 (Medical Xpress)—New research from Western University provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests.   In findings published today in The Journal of Neuroscience (http://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/1.abstract.pdf) research led by Daniel Ansari, Associate Professor in Western's Department of Psychology and a principal investigator at the Brain and Mind Institute, showed by utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on high school seniors that there was a significant link between their brain responses while solving extremely basic, single digit calculation problems and standard scores on the PSAT. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-neuroscience-reveals-link-basic-math.html Neuroscience Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:27:11 EST news276506818 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers and patients look forward to the day when stem cells might be used to replace dying brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Scientists are currently able to make neurons and other brain cells from stem cells, but getting these neurons to properly function when transplanted to the host has proven to be more difficult. Now, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have found a way to stimulate stem cell-derived neurons to direct cognitive function after transplantation to an existing neural network. The study was published November 7 in the Journal of Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-neurons-stem-cells-brain-transplantation.html Neuroscience Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:14:18 EST news272214851 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown that a single protein plays an oversized role in intellectual and behavioral development. The scientists found that mutations in a single gene, which is known to cause intellectual disability and increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, severely disrupts the organization of developing brain circuits during early childhood. This study helps explain how genetic mutations can cause profound cognitive and behavioral problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-uncovering-secrets-intellect-behavior-emerge.html Genetics Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:00:12 EST news271580736 Most people have a fear of something but for 1 in 10 people, fear can turn into a phobia. The most common phobias being a fear of spiders, snakes, heights, the dark, being in crowds or tight spaces, animals and people. Then there are the more unusual fears: Coulrophobia (fear of clowns), Nomophobia (fear of being without a mobile phone), Socerophobia (fear of the in-laws) and, probably the most ironic, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - a fear of long words. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-phobias-involves-creation-memories.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:06:49 EST news270112002 A team led by MIT neuroscientists has developed a way to monitor how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors, such as initiating movement or detecting an odor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-calcium-reveals-neurons.html Neuroscience Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:33:45 EST news269695996 The brain's "reward system," those brain circuits and structures that mediate the experience and pursuit of pleasure, figured prominently in several studies. The studies shed light on adolescents' ability to control impulsivity and think through problems; reveal physical changes in the "social brain;" document connections between early home life and brain function in adolescence; and examine the impact of diet on depressive-like behavior in rodents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-brain-source-stability-instability-adolescence.html Neuroscience Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:11:25 EST news269539839 Fluoxetine was the first drug approved by the FDA for major depressive disorder (MDD) in children and adolescents, and to this date, it remains one of only two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) registered for treatment of MDD in children and adolescents, despite reports that indicate this class of drugs is associated with side effects, such as agitation, hostility and aggression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-fluoxetine-aggressive-behavior-affects-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:19:44 EST news268327168 By studying how birds master songs used in courtship, scientists at Duke University have found that regions of the brain involved in planning and controlling complex vocal sequences may also be necessary for memorizing sounds that serve as models for vocal imitation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-songbirds-brain-circuits.html Neuroscience Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:55:22 EST news267119707 Science finally has the answers to questions such as, "Why does love make us do crazy things?" http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-brain-chemsitry-human-behavior-major.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:19:06 EST news266829531 Ben W. Strowbridge, PhD, Professor of Neurosciences and Physiology/Biophysics, and Robert A. Hyde, a fourth year MD/PhD student in the neurosciences graduate program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, have discovered how to store diverse forms of artificial short-term memories in isolated brain tissue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-short-term-memories-in-vitro.html Neuroscience Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:48:07 EST news266500080 A low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans, University of Washington researchers have shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-low-dose-sedative-alleviates-autistic-like-behavior.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:20:51 EST news264860438 Vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein in the brains of newborns that improves brain development and function in adulthood, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, who also found that this protein expression is impaired in the brains of offspring delivered by caesarean section (C-sections). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-natural-birth-c-section-triggers.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:00:06 EST news263650738 Ask Assistant Professor of Psychology Joshua Buckholtz to explain his research into mental disorders, and he’ll likely start with a question that’s got more to do with basic medicine: When is the flu appendicitis? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-fresh-mental-illness-disorders.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:49:07 EST news262943338 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common, distressing, and disabling medical consequences of combat or other extremely stressful life events. The first-line treatment for PTSD is exposure therapy, a type of behavioral therapy where patients confront their fears in a safe environment. Although it is an effective treatment, many patients still experience symptoms after treatment and there is a relatively high drop-out rate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-ptsd-psychotherapy-d-cycloserine.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:19:03 EST news258034715 A brain study in infant rats demonstrates that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth, which could prompt new questions about using the first-line drug to treat epilepsy in human newborns. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-anti-epilepsy-drugs-newborns.html Neuroscience Fri, 11 May 2012 11:36:14 EST news255954965 In 1619, the pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler published Harmonices Mundi in which he analyzed data on the movement of planets and asserted that the laws of nature governing the movements of planets show features of harmonic relationships in music. In so doing, Kepler provided important support for the, then controversial, model of the universe proposed by Copernicus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-music-hemispheres-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience Wed, 09 May 2012 13:40:02 EST news255787855 Distinct patterns of activity-- which may indicate a predisposition to care for infants -- appear in the brains of adults who view an image of an infant face -- even when the child is not theirs, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Germany, Italy, and Japan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brain-imaging-evidence-basis-caregiving.html Neuroscience Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:27:47 EST news251108720 Opening the door to the development of thought-controlled prosthetic devices to help people with spinal cord injuries, amputations and other impairments, neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Portugal have demonstrated that the brain is more flexible and trainable than previously thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brain-flexible-trainable-previously-thought.html Neuroscience Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:00:09 EST news250084402 Impaired social function is a cardinal symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). One of the brain circuits that enable us to relate to other people is the "mirror neuron" system. This brain circuit is activated when we watch other people, and allows our brains to represent the actions of others, influencing our ability to learn new tasks and to understand the intentions and experiences of other people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-mirror-brain-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:06:37 EST news249912274 New connections between brain cells emerge in clusters in the brain as animals learn to perform a new task, according to a study published in Nature on February 19 (advance online publication). Led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the study reveals details of how brain circuits are rewired during the formation of new motor memories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-brain-cells-clusters.html Neuroscience Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:00:15 EST news248869230 In most western countries the annual increase in the prevalence and the severity of obesity is currently substantial. Although obesity typically results simply from excessive energy intake, it is currently unclear why some people are prone to overeating and gaining weight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-obesity-brain-function.html Medical research Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:58:43 EST news248014709 For decades, researchers have debated whether Alzheimer's disease starts independently in vulnerable brain regions at different times, or if it begins in one region and then spreads to neuroanatomically connected areas. A new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers strongly supports the latter, demonstrating that abnormal tau protein, a key feature of the neurofibrillary tangles seen in the brains of those with Alzheimer's, propagates along linked brain circuits, "jumping" from neuron to neuron. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-alzheimer-disease-brain-region.html Neuroscience Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:10 EST news247336803 (Medical Xpress) -- In a new study, University of Michigan researchers identified brain circuits in rats that are responsible for the return of fear after it has been suppressed behaviorally. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-insight-relapse-trauma.html Neuroscience Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:26:05 EST news241763149 Neuron transplants have repaired brain circuitry and substantially normalized function in mice with a brain disorder, an advance indicating that key areas of the mammalian brain are more reparable than was widely believed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-rebuild-brain-circuitry.html Neuroscience Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:00:01 EST news241361994 The human brain is bombarded with a cacophony of information from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. Now a team of scientists at the University of Rochester, Washington University in St. Louis, and Baylor College of Medicine has unraveled how the brain manages to process those complex, rapidly changing, and often conflicting sensory signals to make sense of our world. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-nerve-cells-key.html Neuroscience Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:00:15 EST news241013592 Washington State University researchers have taken a promising step toward creating an animal model for decoding the specific brain circuits involved in depression. By electrically stimulating a brain region central to an animal's primary emotions, graduate student Jason Wright and his advisor Jaak Panksepp saw rats exhibit a variety of behaviors associated with a depressed, negative mood, or affect. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-rare-animal-depression.html Neuroscience Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:10:26 EST news238680561 A new study using MRI scans, led by Professor Jianfeng Feng, from the University of Warwick's Department of Computer Science, has found that depression frequently seems to uncouple the brain's "Hate Circuit". The study entitled "Depression Uncouples Brain Hate Circuit" is published today in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-mri-depression-uncouples-brain-circuit.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:46:36 EST news236922372 The discovery that low-intensity, pulsed ultrasound can be used to noninvasively stimulate intact brain circuits holds promise for engineering rapid-response medical devices. The team that made that discovery, led by William "Jamie" Tyler, an assistant professor with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, has now produced an in-depth article detailing this approach, which may one day lead to first-line therapies in combating life-threatening epileptic seizures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-neuroscientists-ultrasound-brain-disorders-clinical.html Medical research Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:44:12 EST news234697442