ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Researchers reveal surprising new information about the relationship between neuron activity and blood flow deep in the brain, as well as how the brain is affected by salt consumption.

Research has revealed a correlation between being particularly proficient in tool use and having good syntactic ability. A new study has now shown that both skills rely on the same neurological resources, which are located in the same brain region. Furthermore, motor training using a tool improves our ability to understand the syntax of complex sentences and -- vice-versa -- syntactic training improves our proficiency in using tools.

When mothers and their children play together, they instinctively respond to each other's cues. And positive interactions promote the child's healthy socioemotional development. A new study examines how physiological and behavioral reactions coordinate during mother-child playtime. The findings highlight the importance of responsive communication, and can help provide insights for parents, practitioners, and researchers.

Even when emoji are used to substitute for words, we still understand the sentence. But how does that work? Do we interpret an emoji primarily as an image or as a word? To find out, a research team asked volunteers to read texts with emoji and measured the reading time precisely. It turns out that it takes a little longer to comprehend a sentence that includes emoji than one that doesn't. If the emoji does not directly represent the intended meaning, but another word with the same pronunciation, we need yet a little more time. Based on these results, the team concludes that emoji comprehension consists of two steps: first the image is interpreted, then the word is inferred.

A new study reveals that common loud noises cause fluid buildup in the inner ear and suggests a simple possible treatment for noise-induced hearing loss.

Researchers have discovered that mysterious clusters of proteins found on neurons are calcium-signaling 'hotspots' that activate gene transcription, allowing neurons to produce crucial proteins. The discovery may help shape new research into the role of the hotspots in brain function and potentially lead to new classes of therapeutics.

Young people who consider themselves 'multilingual' tend to perform better across a wide range of subjects at school, regardless of whether they are actually fluent in another language, new research suggests. The study of more than 800 pupils in England found a measurable, positive relationship between their personal connection with other languages, and their GCSE exam results in both modern language and non-language subjects. This applied whether or not they actually spoke a second language fluently.

Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence that brain regions can evolve independently of each other during cognitive evolution. This so called mosaic brain evolution was verified empirically in an artificial selection experiment with guppies (Poecilia reticulata) where telencephalon size (but no other regions) differed by 10 percent after only four generations of selection. The findings can have wide implications for the understanding of cognitive evolution in other vertebrates, such as primates and humans.

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are closer to developing a safe and effective non-opioid pain reliever after a study showed that a new compound they created reduces the sensation of pain by regulating a biological channel linked to pain.

Research shows a 31 percent increased risk for hospitalization and mortality in patients with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related hypoxia.