The gene egr-4 may play a key role in early brain regeneration in planarians —- a group of invertebrates used as models in the study of the genetics of development, research suggests. The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea are flatworms with bilateral symmetry used as models in the research on cell regeneration and stem cells. ...
Low-income Latino children who experienced one year of Montessori pre-K education at age 4 made dramatic improvements in early achievement and behavior even though they began the year at great risk for school failure, according to research. In contrast, although low-income black children made gains in school readiness when enrolled in Montessori classrooms as well, they exhibited slightly greater gains...
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) regulates many processes including memory and learning in our daily tasks. Levels of BDNF are important in determining the outcome of these processes. BDNF also carries strong potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases which, among other things, affect memory and learning, such Alzheimer’s. ...
There is no doubt that boys and girls perform differently at school. But simply looking at gender in order to understand why is not enough. "In general girls perform better at school than boys, but the differences related to the pupils' social background are far more significant in terms of learning outcome than gender," concludes the report. ...
Researchers have created an imaging system that reveals neural activity throughout the brains of living animals. This technique, the first that can generate 3-D movies of entire brains at the millisecond timescale, could help scientists discover how neuronal networks process sensory information and generate behavior. ...
A new system to simultaneously image the activity of every neuron in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as the entire brain of a zebrafish larva, has been used by researchers, offering a more complete picture of nervous system activity than has been previously possible. The findings could be ultimately useful in developing new types of algorithms that simulate functions of the brain and predict...
In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dopamine-producing nerve cells that control our movements waste away. Current treatments for PD therefore aim at restoring dopamine contents in the brain. In a new study, researchers are attacking the problem from a different angle, through early activation of a protein that improves the brain's capacity to cope with a host of harmful processes. ...
Mindfulness training -- a combination of meditation and body awareness exercises -- can help U.S. Marine Corps personnel prepare for and recover from stressful combat situations. The study suggests that incorporating meditative practices into pre-deployment training might be a way to help the U.S. military reduce rising rates of stress-related health conditions, including PTSD, depression and anxiety,...
A potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses has been discovered by researchers. The investigators report that trapping virus-loaded stem cells in a gel and applying them to tumors significantly improved survival in mice with glioblastoma multiform, the most common brain tumor in human adults and also the most difficult to treat. ...
Researchers implant human stems cells into the spinal cords of mice crippled by an autoimmune disease similar to MS, helping the mice to regain the ability to move and walk. ...
Which circuits and chips are suitable for building artificial brains using the least possible amount of power? A surprising finding: Constructions that use not only digital but also analog compact and imprecise circuits are more suitable for building artificial nervous systems, rather than arrangements with only digital or precise but power-demanding analog electronic circuits. ...
The subject of bullying has become a topic of academic interest over the past decade, as scientists and social scientists delve into the psychological and physiological effects for both the bullied and the bully. New research into bullying focuses on the relationship between social pain and physical pain. Social pain brought on by rejection and victimization predicts hormonal changes that can lead...
People with severe injuries to their spinal cord currently have little or no prospect of recovery and remain confined to their wheelchairs. Now, all that could change with a new treatment that stimulates the spinal cord using electric impulses. The hope is that the technique will help paraplegic patients learn to walk again. ...
Scientists have studied 54 individuals -- half Spanish and half Moroccan -- to determine how IQ tests work. New research suggests that a universal test of intelligence quotient does not exist. Results in this type of test are determined to a strong degree by cultural differences. ...
Some of the neurons responsible for behavioral decisions in rats have been identified in a new study. Using a technique that employs light to control nerve cell activity, researchers inactivated a region of the brain and showed that it caused the rats to behave more flexibly while trying to get a reward. The technique, called optogenetics, allows researchers to “show that the firing or inhibition of...
Meditation is more than just a way to calm our thoughts and lower stress levels: our brain processes more thoughts and feelings during meditation than when you are simply relaxing, a coalition of researchers has found. "The study indicates that nondirective meditation allows for more room to process memories and emotions than during concentrated meditation," says a co-author of the study. ...
Mice severely disabled by a condition similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) were able to walk less than two weeks following treatment with human neural stem cells. The finding uncovers potential new avenues for treating MS. When scientists transplanted human stem cells into MS mice, they predicted the cells would be rejected, much like rejection of an organ transplant. Expecting no benefit to the mice,...
Your brain is incredibly well-suited to handling whatever comes along, plus it’s tough and operates on little energy. Those attributes -- dealing with real-world situations, resiliency and energy efficiency -- are precisely what might be possible with neuro-inspired computing. Neuro-inspired computing seeks to develop algorithms that would run on computers that function more like a brain than a conventional...
Older migraine sufferers may be more likely to have silent brain injury. Ischemic silent brain infarctions are symptomless brain injuries and are a risk factor for future strokes. Researchers suggest people who have both migraines and vascular risk factors pay close attention to lifestyle factors that can reduce their chance of stroke. ...
Neurosurgical researchers have conducted a small study looking at deep brain electrode implantation as a possible alternative to the traditional WADA test used prior to epilepsy surgery. The WADA test is considered the gold standard for identifying the side of the brain for speech dominance. In the WADA test, doctors put one half of a patient's brain to sleep for a few minutes using medication and...