All in the eyes: What the pupils tell us about language
From the CNRS press release: The meaning of a word is enough to trigger a reaction in our pupil: when we read or hear a word with a meaning associated with luminosity (“sun,” “shine,” etc.),…
Elevated brain amyloid level associated with increased likelihood of cognitive decline
From the JAMA Network Journals press release: Among a group of cognitively normal individuals, those who had elevated levels in the brain of the protein amyloid were more likely to experience cognitive decline in the…
MRI study links socioeconomic background to effectiveness of reading interventions
From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology press release: About 20 percent of children in the United States have difficulty learning to read, and educators have devised a variety of interventions to try to help them. Not…
Concentration spans drop when online ads pop up
From the Springer press release: Two Polish researchers have shown that measurements of the brain’s electrical activity can be used to test the influence of intrusive online advertisements on internet users’ concentration and emotions. The…
Drinking during adolescence can alter brain cell nerve growth
From the Research Society on Alcoholism press release: The developmental period from adolescence to adulthood is accompanied by a greater vulnerability to addictions — including alcohol use disorders — than is seen in other periods…
Brain development and aging
From the University of Miami press release: The brain is a complex organ — a network of nerve cells, or neurons, producing thought, memory, action, and feeling. How does this complex system change from childhood…
Scientists improve people’s creativity through electrical brain stimulation
From the Queen Mary University of London press release: Scientists have found a way to improve creativity through brain stimulation, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Goldsmiths University of London.…
New research identifies a group of neurons that can help us stay awake when it matters
From the California Institute of Technology press release: Caltech researchers have identified a neural circuit in the brain that controls wakefulness. The findings have implications for treating insomnia, oversleeping, and sleep disturbances that accompany other neuropsychiatric…
Study suggests anxious people worry about risk, not loss
From the Elsevier press release: Life is a series of choices. Every time you make a decision, there is a possibility that things won’t go as expected (risk) or that something bad will happen (loss).…
Neuroimaging technique may help predict autism among high-risk infants
From the NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development press release: Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) may predict which high-risk, 6-month old infants will develop autism spectrum disorder by age 2…