News tagged with wakefulness

Related topics: sleep




Blink if your brain needs a rest

Why do we spend roughly 10 percent of our waking hours with our eyes closed - blinking far more often than is actually necessary to keep our eyeballs lubricated? Scientists have pried open the answer to this ...

Neuroscience created Dec 28, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (23) | comments 13

Brain regions can take short naps during wakefulness, leading to errors

If you've ever lost your keys or stuck the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the refrigerator, you may have been the victim of a tired brain region that was taking a quick nap.

Neuroscience created Apr 27, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

The seat of meta-consciousness in the brain

Studies of lucid dreamers visualize which centers of the brain become active when we become aware of ourselves.

Neuroscience created Jul 27, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (14) | comments 12 | with audio podcast

Study indicates reverse impulses clear useless information, prime brain for learning

(Medical Xpress)—When the mind is at rest, the electrical signals by which brain cells communicate appear to travel in reverse, wiping out unimportant information in the process, but sensitizing the cells ...

Neuroscience created Mar 19, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

If you don't snooze, do you lose? Wake-sleep patterns affect brain synapses

An ongoing lack of sleep during adolescence could lead to more than dragging, foggy teens, a University of Wisconsin-Madison study suggests.

Neuroscience created Oct 09, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Reactivating memories during sleep: Memory rehearsal during sleep can make a big difference in remembering later

Why do some memories last a lifetime while others disappear quickly? A new study suggests that memories rehearsed, during either sleep or waking, can have an impact on memory consolidation and on what is remembered ...

Neuroscience created Apr 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Previously unknown sleep pattern revealed in new research

(Medical Xpress)—There's no need to panic if you didn't get a solid eight hours of beauty sleep last night. According to new University of Sydney research, sleep duration naturally waxes and wanes over ...

Health created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (6) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

3 p.m. slump? Why a sugar rush may not be the answer

(Medical Xpress) -- A new study has found that protein and not sugar activates the cells responsible for keeping us awake and burning calories. The research, published in the 17 November issue of the scientific ...

Neuroscience created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

New test may help distinguish between vegetative and minimally conscious state

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a new study published in Science, researchers from the University of Liege in Belgium, led by Dr. Melanie Boly, share the discovery of a new test that could aid physicians in differentiating betwee ...

Neuroscience created May 13, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Study debunks stereotype that men think about sex all day long

Men may think about sex more often than women do, but a new study suggests that men also think about other biological needs, such as eating and sleep, more frequently than women do, as well.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Nov 28, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Sound stimulation during sleep can enhance memory

Slow oscillations in brain activity, which occur during so-called slow-wave sleep, are critical for retaining memories. Researchers reporting online April 11 in the Cell Press journal Neuron have found that p ...

Neuroscience created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Medications created May 21, 2013 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Adolescent amphetamine use linked to permanent changes in brain function and behavior

(Medical Xpress) -- Amphetamine use in adolescence can cause neurobiological imbalances and increase risk-taking behaviour, and these effects can persist into adulthood, even when subjects are drug free. These are the conclusions ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Nov 03, 2011 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Researchers identify molecular mechanism that regulates wakefulness, sleep

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified an intracellular signaling enzyme that regulates the wake-sleep cycle, which could help lead to the development of more effective ...

Sleep apnea created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research links circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death

A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abn ...

Cardiology created Feb 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast