Brain And Consciousness Research

Researchers find new actions of neurochemicals

Saturday, July 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans.

MS study offers theory for why repair of brain's wiring fails

Friday, July 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists have uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with multiple sclerosis accumulates because the body's natural mechanism for repair of the nerve coating called "myelin" stalls out.

Those unsure of own ideas more resistant to views of others

Friday, July 03, 2009 00:00 MST

We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see or hear. A new analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.

Aerobic activity may keep the brain young

Thursday, July 02, 2009 00:00 MST

In a UNC study, to be published July 9 in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, physically active elderly people showed healthier cerebral blood vessels than those who are not active.

Brain section multitasks, handling phonetics and decision-making

Thursday, July 02, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists from Brown University and the University of Cincinnati found that a portion of the brain that handles decision-making also helps decipher different sounds. Details are in the July issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Site for alcohol's action in the brain discovered

Wednesday, July 01, 2009 00:00 MST

Alcohol's inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol's impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.

Does quantum mechanics show a connection between the human mind and the cosmos?

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 00:00 MST

'Quantum Gods' analyzes purported link between physics and cosmic consciousness

Brain plasticity: Changes and resets in homeostasis

Monday, June 29, 2009 00:00 MST

In an article published in the June 25 edition of the journal Neuron, researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, have found that synaptic plasticity, long implicated as a device for "change" in the brain, may also be essential for stability.

Researchers identify parallel mechanism monkeys and humans use to recognize faces

Monday, June 29, 2009 00:00 MST

This study with rhesus monkeys suggests the human ability to distinguish faces is 30+ million years old

Remembering what to remember and what to forget

Sunday, June 28, 2009 00:00 MST

People with mild Alzheimer's have trouble focusing on what's most important

In 'reading' a gaze, what we believe changes what we see

Saturday, June 27, 2009 00:00 MST

In primates including ourselves, the ability to register where others are looking is key in social circles. And, according to a new report published online on June 25 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, the way our brains process gaze-direction is much more sophisticated than a simple eyes-right vs. eyes-left.

Mouse model provides clues to human language development

Friday, June 26, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists of the German Mouse Clinic at Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen have made a major contribution to understanding human language development. Using a comprehensive screening method, they studied a mouse model carrying a "humanized version" of a key gene associated with human language.

Ability to literally imagine oneself in another's shoes may be tied to empathy

Thursday, June 25, 2009 00:00 MST

New research from Vanderbilt University indicates the way our brain handles how we move through space -- including being able to imagine literally stepping into someone else's shoes -- may be related to how and why we experience empathy toward others.

Morning people and night owls show different brain function: University of Alberta study

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 00:00 MST

Are you a "morning person" or a "night owl?"Scientists at the University of Alberta have found that there are significant differences in the way our brains function depending on whether we're early risers or night owls.

Brain represents tools as temporary body parts, study confirms

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers have what they say is the first direct proof of a very old idea: that when we use a tool -- even for just a few minutes -- it changes the way our brain represents the size of our body. In other words, the tool becomes a part of what is known in psychology as our body schema, according to a report published in the June 23 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.