Engineer finds how brain encodes sounds
From the Washington University in St. Louis press release: When you are out in the woods and hear a cracking sound, your brain needs to process quickly whether the sound is coming from, say, a…
Researchers identify new protective function for a brain protein genetically linked to Alzheimer’s
From the Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute press release: Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have identified a new protective function for a brain protein genetically linked to Alzheimer’s. The findings, published…
How spatial navigation correlates with language
From the National Research University Higher School of Economics press release: Cognitive neuroscientists from the Higher School of Economics and Aarhus University experimentally demonstrate how spatial navigation impacts language comprehension. The results of the study…
Neuroscientists identify source of early brain activity
From the University of Maryland press release: Some expectant parents play classical music for their unborn babies, hoping to boost their children’s cognitive capacity later in life. While some research supported a link between prenatal…
Study suggests ‘bursts’ of beta waves, not sustained rhythms, filter sensory processing in brain
From the Brown University press release: To better understand the brain and to develop potential therapies, neuroscientists have been investigating how “beta” frequency brainwaves help the brain filter distractions to process sensations. A new Brown…
Study finds virtual reality effective in reducing pain during certain medical procedures
From the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles press release: Virtual reality has emerged into popular culture with an ever-widening array of applications including clinical use in a pediatric healthcare center. Children undergo necessary yet painful and…
Higher estrogen levels linked to increased alcohol sensitivity in brain’s ‘reward center’
From the University of Illinois at Chicago press release: The reward center of the brain is much more attuned to the pleasurable effects of alcohol when estrogen levels are elevated, an effect that may underlie…
Study suggests frequent alcohol drinking kills new brain cells in adults, females are more vulnerable
From the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston press release: Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston recently discovered that alcohol killed the stem cells residing in adult mouse brains. Because…
Study suggests brain activity is inherited, may inform treatment for ADHD, autism
From the Oregon Health & Science University press release: Every person has a distinct pattern of functional brain connectivity known as a connectotype, or brain fingerprint. A new study conducted at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, concludes…
Study suggests maintaining strong social networks linked to slower cognitive decline
From the Northwestern University press release: Maintaining positive, warm and trusting friendships might be the key to a slower decline in memory and cognitive functioning, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. SuperAgers — who…