Consequences of lead exposure in childhood
From the Duke University press release: A long-term study of more than 500 children who grew up in the era of leaded gasoline has shown that their exposure to the powerful neurotoxin may have led…
Satnavs ‘switch off’ parts of the brain
From the University College London press release: Using a satnav to get to your destination ‘switches off’ parts of the brain that would otherwise be used to simulate different routes, reveals new UCL research. The…
Is impatience contagious?
From the PLOS press release: People tend to unconsciously imitate others’ prudent, impatient or lazy attitudes, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology. “Prudence,” “impatience” or “laziness” are typically thought of as entrenched…
Why we only learn to understand other people after the age of four
From the Universiteit Leiden press release: When we are around four years old we suddenly start to understand that other people think and that their view of the world is often different from our own. Researchers…
During learning, neurons deep in brain engage in a surprising level of activity
From the Princeton University press release: It’s the part of the brain that makes sure you cannot tickle yourself. The cerebellum, an apple-sized region near the base of the skull, senses that your own fingers…
Scientists predict reading ability from DNA analysis alone
From the King’s College London press release: Researchers from King’s College London have used a genetic scoring technique to predict reading performance throughout school years from DNA alone. The study, published today in Scientific Studies of…
Identifying genes key to human memory: Insights from genetics and cognitive neuroscience
From the Cognitive Neuroscience Society: Researchers have identified more than 100 genes important for memory in people. The study is the first to identify correlations between gene data and brain activity during memory processing, providing…
Brain stimulation improves schizophrenia-like cognitive problems
From the University of Iowa Health Care press release: “A beautiful, lobular structure,” is how Krystal Parker describes the cerebellum — a brain region located at the base of the skull just above the spinal…
Psychologists enlist machine learning to help diagnose depression
From the University of Texas at Austin press release: Depression affects more than 15 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, each year. It is the leading cause of disability for those…
Daily consumption of tea may protect the elderly from cognitive decline
From the National University of Singapore press release: A cup of tea a day can keep dementia away, and this is especially so for those who are genetically predisposed to the debilitating disease, according to…