Neuroscience

Had Musical Training? You Probably Have An Enhanced Brain

A controlled study using functional MRI brain imaging reveals a possible biological link between early musical training and improved executive functioning in both children and adults, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Executive functions are the high-l ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 17 2014 - 5:44pm

Why Music Boosts Memory- The Hippocampus

How do some people know the words to thousands and thousand of songs? A new study has found that the hippocampus, a brain structure crucial for creating long-lasting memories, is more active in response to recurring musical phrases while listening to music ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 18 2014 - 9:18am

Waypoints To Consciousness: After Anesthesia, How Brains Restart With Everything Intact

Anesthesia works, we know that. Properly done, patients can be temporarily rendered completely unresponsive during surgery and then wake up again, with their memories and skills intact. Improperly done, of course, can be very bad. But little is understood ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 22 2014 - 8:58am

Lavado: Cocoa Extract Preparation May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

 Lavado cocoa is primarily composed of polyphenols, antioxidants also found in fruits and vegetables. Some studies have suggested that they prevent degenerative diseases of the brain and a new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that a ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 23 2014 - 8:31pm

Puzzle Games Can Improve Mental Flexibility

Mental fitness tools are all the rage. Companies are pushing out various brain games that claim they can boost cognitive powers. Do they work? Most studies say no but a new paper finds that playing a puzzle game like Cut the Rope for as little as an hour ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 24 2014 - 10:30am

OPHN1: Mutated X-linked Mental Retardation Protein Impairs Neuron Function

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – There are new clues about malfunctions in brain cells that contribute to intellectual disability and possibly other developmental brain disorders. Professor Linda Van Aelst of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has been scrutini ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 25 2014 - 9:33pm

Chronic Brain Damage Exaggerated In NFL Players

To read media accounts and claims by lawyers, everyone in the NFL except kickers is suffering some sort of brain damage. It was only a matter of time before those same claims were being made about pee-wee league football also/ While there are obviously ca ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 25 2014 - 4:44pm

Hearing And Emotions- People With Tinnitus Process Emotions Differently

People with persistent ringing in the ears – a condition known as tinnitus – process emotions differently than those with normal hearing, according to a new paper. Tinnitus afflicts 50 million people in the United States, according to the American Tinnitu ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 25 2014 - 6:36pm

Complex Cognac Is Simple: Typical Aromas Encoded By Just A Few Key Odors

Complementing the five basic tastes of sweet, bitter, salty, sour and umami, a large variety of odors also contribute to the overall sensory impression of a foodstuff. Taste is big business, and that means science is on the case.  In recent decades, appro ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2014 - 12:56pm

Cholinergic Amacrine: Heritable Nerve Cell Creates A 'Personal' Space

Neurons are vital to the functional organization of the central nervous system. Multiple cell types are present within any brain structure, but the rules governing their positioning, and the molecular mechanisms mediating those rules, are unknown. A new s ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 28 2014 - 12:00am