http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Neuroscientists have found strong evidence that vivid memory and directly experiencing the real moment can trigger similar brain activation patterns. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-vivid-memory-real-perceptual-mental.html Neuroscience Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:26:51 EST news262265200 Stroke patients treated who received hormonal treatment, combined with rehabilitation, performed better on functioning and reasoning tests than patients who received rehabilitative therapy alone, a new clinical study from Italy shows. The results to be presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hormonal-treatment.html Cardiology Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:00:01 EST news259855900 A genetically-modified version of the rabies virus is helping scientists at Harvard to trace neural pathways in the brain, a research effort that could one day lead to treatments for Parkinson's disease and addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-rabies-virus-tracks-dopamine-neurons.html Neuroscience Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:57:14 EST news258206224 Researchers from South Korea, Sweden, and the United States have collaborated on a project to restore neuron function to parts of the brain damaged by Huntington's disease (HD) by successfully transplanting HD-induced pluripotent stem cells into animal models. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-neuron-function-brains-huntington-disease.html Neuroscience Tue, 29 May 2012 11:41:22 EST news257510422 Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have reported the results of groundbreaking research into the prevention of cerebral oedema or swelling of the brain, a major cause of death in people who have sustained a traumatic injury to the brain, out of hospital cardiac arrest or stroke. The research, which is published this week in the international journal, Nature Communications, uses a radically new patented technology, developed in Ireland and termed, 'Neuronal Barrier Modulation' which has been shown in an animal model simulating human brain swelling, to be highly effective in reducing the dangerous effects of this condition, while improving cognitive outcome. The research was sponsored by the US Department of Defense and Enterprise Ireland. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-spearhead-groundbreaking-treatment-brain.html Medical research Tue, 22 May 2012 13:05:46 EST news256910740 (Medical Xpress) -- When an animal is born, its early experiences help map out the still-forming connections in its brain. As neurons in sensory areas of the brain fire in response to sights, smells, and sounds, synapses begin to form, laying the neuronal groundwork for activity later in life. Not all parts of the brain receive input directly from the external world, however, and researchers have wondered how these regions build their wiring early in development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-positive-feedback-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 16 May 2012 09:25:12 EST news256379095 Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken, associated with VIB and KU Leuven, succeeded in undoing the effect of one of the genetic defects that leads to Parkinson's using vitamin K2. His discovery gives hope to Parkinson's patients. This research was done in collaboration with colleagues from Northern Illinois University (US) and will be published this evening on the website of the authorative journal Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-vitamin-k2-parkinson-patients.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Fri, 11 May 2012 09:42:05 EST news255948107 Scientists have identified a protein which regulates the activation of brown fat in both the brain and the body's tissues. Their research, which was conducted in mice, was published today, Friday 11 May, in the journal Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-scientists-protein-brown-fat-calories.html Medical research Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:01 EST news255868823 Researchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology have identified a cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of tinnitus following exposure to loud noises. The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are currently underway. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-key-cellular-mechanisms-onset-tinnitus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 May 2012 10:31:12 EST news255864662 Around 100 billion neurons in the human brain enable us to think, feel and act. They transmit electrical impulses to remote parts of the brain and body via long nerve fibres known as axons. This communication requires enormous amounts of energy, which the neurons are thought to generate from sugar. Axons are closely associated with glial cells which, on the one hand, surround them with an electrically insulating myelin sheath and, on the other hand support their long-term function. Klaus Armin and his research group from the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen have now discovered a possible mechanisms by which these glial cells in the brain can support their associated axons and keep them alive in the long term. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-glial-cells-nerve-fibres-energy-rich.html Medical research Thu, 10 May 2012 07:20:02 EST news255851227 Depressive symptoms that occur in both midlife and late life are associated with an increased risk of developing vascular dementia, while symptoms that occur in late life only are more likely to be early signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to University of California at San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-lifelong-depression-vascular-dementia.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:04 EST news255611359 Scientists have speculated that the human brain features a "God spot," one distinct area of the brain responsible for spirituality. Now, University of Missouri researchers have completed research that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon, and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences. Based on a previously published study that indicated spiritual transcendence is associated with decreased right parietal lobe functioning, MU researchers replicated their findings. In addition, the researchers determined that other aspects of spiritual functioning are related to increased activity in the frontal lobe. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-distinct-god-brain.html Neuroscience Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:02 EST news254049942 (Medical Xpress) -- It's a chilling thought--losing the sense of sight because of severe injury or damage to the brain's visual cortex. But, is it possible to train a damaged or injured brain to "see" again after such a catastrophic injury? Yes, according to Tony Ro, a neuroscientist at the City College of New York, who is artificially recreating a condition called blindsight in his lab. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-visual-cortex.html Neuroscience Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:25:54 EST news252660339 New research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine reveals that systemic inflammation causes an increase in depressive symptoms and metabolic changes in the parts of the brain responsible for mood and motivation. With this finding, researchers can begin to test potential treatments for depression for patients that experience symptoms that are related to inflammation in the body or within the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-molecular-imaging-links-inflammation-depression.html Neuroscience Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:35:33 EST news252603324 Researchers want to help the Army better camouflage its soldiers and break the enemy's efforts to hide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-neuroscientists-soldiers-camouflage.html Neuroscience Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:57:19 EST news252298618 (Medical Xpress) -- When jurors sentencing convicted criminals are instructed to weigh not only facts but also tricky emotional factors, they rely on parts of the brain associated with sympathy and making moral judgments, according to a new paper by a team of neuroscientists. Using brain-imaging techniques, the researchers, including Caltech's Colin Camerer, found that the most lenient jurors show heightened levels of activity in the insula, a brain region associated with discomfort and pain and with imagining the pain that others feel. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brains-jurors-neuroscientists-reveal-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:08:28 EST news252144486 Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown for the first time how brain function differs in people who have math anxiety from those who don't. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-imaging-reveals-differences-brain-function.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:20:22 EST news251554804 Thromboembolic stroke, caused by a blood clot in the brain, results in damage to the parts of the brain starved of oxygen. Breaking up the clot with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) reduces the amount of damage, however, there is a very short time window when the value of the treatment outweighs the side effects. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Experimental & Translational Stroke Medicine shows that, during the first 24 hours after a stroke, mild hypothermia (34C) can reduce the side effects of tPA and potentially increase the window of opportunity for tPA treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-hypothermia-brain.html Neuroscience Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:00:02 EST news250274756 (Medical Xpress) -- A group of Australian neuroscientists have been reviewing the results of many studies done over the years regarding the parts of the brain that are thought to be used in different real world scenarios and have found that many of them appear to be involved when people go into what is called a default network - more commonly known as daydreaming, or running on auto-pilot. Their findings suggest, as they write in their paper published in Nature Reviews Neurology, that the default network is tied very closely with the same areas of the brain generally thought of as those used for social skills. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-neuroscientist-group-daydreaming-brain-social.html Neuroscience Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:23:52 EST news250165411 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 Researchers have long known that specific parts of the brain activate when people view particular images. For example, a region called the fusiform face area turns on when the eyes glance at faces, and another region called the parahippocampal place area does the same when a person looks at scenes or buildings. However, it's been unknown whether such specialization also exists for visual working memory, a category of memory that allows the brain to temporarily store and manipulate visual information for immediate tasks. Now, scientists have found evidence that visual working memory follows a more general pattern of brain activity than what researchers have shown with initial visual activity, instead activating a more diffuse area in the front of the brain for all categories of visual stimuli. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-visual-memory-specialized-brain-encoding.html Neuroscience Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:17:21 EST news247767426 When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers? The brain may be replaying sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors, new research suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-metaphors-brain-regions-involved-sensory.html Neuroscience Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:59:06 EST news247510606 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the University of Cambridge have identified a brain abnormality which is found in drug-dependent individuals as well as their siblings who have had no history of drug addiction. The brain abnormality identified by the researchers makes it more difficult for individuals to exercise self-control. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-brains-addicts-inherently-abnormal.html Neuroscience Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:15:46 EST news247425336 A two-year study of high school football players suggests that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time and not from a single blow to the head, as commonly believed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-football-concussions-series.html Health Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:29:36 EST news247422560 For the first time, researchers have scanned the brains of children watching funny videos to examine which of their brain regions are active as their sense of humor develops. The new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine show that some parts of the brain network that respond to humor in adults already exist in 6- to 12-year-olds, though the neural circuits become more sophisticated as kids grow. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-imaging-humor-kids-brain-regions.html Neuroscience Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:17:31 EST news247292230 Australian researchers have found evidence that heart failure is associated with a decline in people's mental processes and a loss of grey matter in the brain. These changes can make it more difficult for heart failure (HF) patients to remember and carry out instructions such as taking the correct medication at the right times. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-heart-failure-loss-brain-cells.html Cardiology Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:03 EST news247248547 Scientists now have a better understanding of the way that stress impacts the brain. New research, published by Cell Press in the January 26 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals pioneering evidence for a new mechanism of stress adaptation and may eventually lead to a better understanding of why prolonged and repeated exposure to stress can lead to anxiety disorders and depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-mechanism-brain-stress.html Neuroscience Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:01 EST news246709201 The left brain/right brain dichotomy has been prominent on the pop psychology scene since Nobel Laureate Roger Sperry broached the subject in the 1960s. The left is analytical while the right is creative, so goes the adage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-complexity-left-brainright-brain-paradigm.html Neuroscience Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:39:34 EST news244874361 The hippocampus is an important brain structure for recollection memory, the type of memory we use for detailed reliving of past events. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the December 22 issue of the journal Neuron reveals characteristics of the human hippocampus that allow scientists to use anatomical brain scans to form predictions about an individual's recollection ability. The new research helps to explain why this relationship has been hard to find in the past and provides evidence for a possible underlying mechanism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-bigger-brain-memory.html Neuroscience Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:50:01 EST news243693583 The thalamus is the central translator in the brain: Specialized nerve cells (neurons) receive information from the sensory organs, process it, and transmit it deep into the brain. Researchers from the Institute of Toxicology and Genetics of KIT have now identified the genetic factors Lhx2 and Lhx9 responsible for the development of these neurons. Their results contribute to understanding the development of the thalamus. In the long term, they are to help healing thalamic strokes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-major-results-thalamus-relay-center.html Neuroscience Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:15:13 EST news243079990