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ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News |
| Fine-tuning motivation in the brain Posted: 09 Dec 2021 09:42 AM PST Neuroscientists have discovered a set of brain cells that influence the motivation of mice to perform tasks for rewards. Increasing the cells' activity makes a mouse work harder or more vigorously. The neurons come with a feature that prevents the mouse from overdoing it and becoming addicted to the reward. The findings reveal new possible therapeutic strategies for treating mental illnesses like depression that impair motivation. |
| Researchers identify brain signals associated with OCD symptoms, paving way for adaptive treatment Posted: 09 Dec 2021 09:42 AM PST The discovery of electrical signals in the brain associated with OCD could enable an emerging type of adaptive deep brain stimulation therapy as an improved treatment. |
| Better deep brain stimulation therapy for OCD Posted: 09 Dec 2021 09:42 AM PST Researchers captured more than 1,000 hours of brain recordings from patients with OCD in the clinic and at home. These data are a key first step towards designing improved deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. |
| Early developmental gene can cause deadly aneurysms Posted: 09 Dec 2021 09:37 AM PST Mutations of a gene that regulates formation of blood vessels in the brain of vertebrates can lead to potentially deadly aneurysms in adults. Saccular brain aneurysms affect nearly 3% of the human population. If they rupture, it can cause subarachnoid hemorrhage, the deadliest type of intracranial hemorrhage. Approximately 500,000 hemorrhagic strokes are reported annually worldwide; nearly one in four victims die before reaching the hospital. |
| Warning signs of sight loss could be identified before vision deteriorates Posted: 09 Dec 2021 06:56 AM PST A new study has shown that the signs of age related macular degeneration can set in earlier than previously thought -- even before patients begin to lose their sight. The findings open the door for research into earlier treatment that could help slow down the onset of the condition the most common cause of sight loss in the western world. |
| Molecular link traced from gene to late-onset retinal degeneration Posted: 09 Dec 2021 05:26 AM PST Scientists have discovered that gene therapy and the diabetes drug metformin may be potential treatments for late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD), a rare, blinding eye disease. Researchers generated a 'disease-in-a-dish' model to study the disease. |
| Drug made from pig intestine helps escape the 'trap' of clot-causing immune response Posted: 09 Dec 2021 05:25 AM PST Two complementary studies show that defibrotide can successfully suppress the formation and progression of neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs, which are web-like networks of toxic proteins that play a role in forming blood clots and promoting inflammation in several disease, including COVID-19. Researchers say findings may set the stage for defibrotide clinical trials in potentially several diseases. |
| Sunshine may shield children, young adults from MS Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST Living in sunny locations and spending time outdoors may raise the risk for skin cancer, but a new study shows that in children and young adults, sun exposure may protect against multiple sclerosis. The study follows previous work by other researchers that has demonstrated an association between increased ultraviolet exposure in childhood and lower odds of adult MS. |
| A new understanding of mental illness Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST The causes of psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Now there is evidence that a wide range of early onset psychiatric problems (from depression, anxiety and addictions to dyslexia, bulimia, and ADHD) may be largely due to the combination of just three factors. The first is biological --i n the form of individual variability in the brain's dopamine reward pathway. The second is social -- and points to the important role of early childhood neglect or abuse. And the third is psychological--and relates to temperament, and particularly to tendencies toward impulsivity and difficulty controlling emotions. These findings have implications for understanding both the causes of a wide range of psychiatric disorders and the features worth targeting in early intervention efforts. |
| Does air pollution reduce the benefits of physical activity on the brain? Posted: 08 Dec 2021 01:11 PM PST A new study shows that people who do vigorous physical activities, like jogging or playing competitive sports, in areas with higher air pollution may show less benefit from that exercise when it comes to certain markers of brain disease. The markers examined in the study included white matter hyperintensities, which indicate injury to the brain's white matter, and gray matter volume. Larger gray matter volumes and smaller white matter hyperintensity volumes are markers of overall better brain health. |
| Coping with schizophrenia, when emotions can be too much Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:34 AM PST Psychologists have revealed a surprising finding that could help those who struggle with schizophrenia: While people with the illness tend to manage low-level negative emotions, they struggle to do so as those negative emotions increase. |
| Detailed images of molecule associated with ALS could open door to therapies Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Scientists have determined the structure of the molecule associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers say this discovery could enable targeted development of new medical interventions and diagnostic tests. |
| Tau and PQBP1: Protein interaction induces inflammation in the brain Posted: 08 Dec 2021 09:33 AM PST Researchers have clarified the relationship between the intracellular receptor PQBP1 and the structural protein Tau, which is dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Tau was found to interact with PQBP1 in immune cells of the brain, which led to activation of the inflammatory cGAS-STING pathway. PQBP1 may represent a potential target for the development of therapeutics to treat Tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases. |
| I remember how to control my body, therefore, I am Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated that when bodily self-consciousness was distorted in virtual reality, the recovery of a sense of body ownership could be predicted by different kinds of memories. This indicates that the bodily self is represented by multiple types of motor memory with unique characteristics. |
| New findings about cluster headaches Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Debilitating cluster headaches commonly begin in childhood, but patients are not typically diagnosed until they are adults, according to new research. |
| Study outlines ways to help children learn forgiveness Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST A recent study suggests that teaching children to understand other people's perspectives could make it easier for them to learn how to forgive other people. The study also found that teaching children to make sincere apologies can help them receive forgiveness from others. |
| Imagining future guilt helps athletes turn away from doping Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Appealing to athletes' sense of 'future guilt' through psychological intervention could prove a powerful weapon in the fight against doping, according to a new study. |
| Reimagining immunity in the eye Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:03 AM PST Immune cells could be doing much more than we think in protecting our eyes -- researchers uncover new details. |
| Talk therapy by US psychiatrists declined by half since 1990s Posted: 08 Dec 2021 08:02 AM PST Researchers analyzing 21 years of data found that the percentage of psychiatrist visits involving psychotherapy has declined by half -- dropping to only 21.6 % of patient visits. Over half of U.S. psychiatrists no longer practice any psychotherapy at all. The study found that for rural, Black, Hispanic, and Medicaid patients psychiatrists' provision of psychotherapy was exceedingly rare. |
| Anxiety drugs and antidepressants trigger post-surgery delirium, study finds Posted: 08 Dec 2021 07:26 AM PST A new study finds that older people taking a drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia -- nitrazepam -- as well as those on antidepressants, are twice as likely to suffer postoperative delirium after hip and knee surgery. |
| MRI’s may be initial window into CTE diagnosis in living; approach may shave years off diagnosis Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST While chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) cannot yet be diagnosed during life, a new study provides the best evidence to date that a commonly used brain imaging technique, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may expedite the ability to diagnose CTE with confidence in the living. |
| Impaired-driver sensor could pave the way for safer vehicles Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST The bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden includes a requirement for automakers to install driver monitoring systems that detect intoxicated or impaired drivers. Current systems rely on cameras, which have limitations. Now, researchers have made heat-resistant, pressure-detecting sensors that, when attached to seats, can tell whether a driver is drowsy or has a sudden illness, signaling a future smart car to take action. |
| Trends in binge drinking among older men and women in the United States Posted: 08 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Binge drinking has increased in recent years among older U.S. men but not among older women, according to a new study. |
| AI-powered computer model predicts disease progression during aging Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST Using artificial intelligence, a team of researchers has developed a novel system that models the progression of chronic diseases as patients age. |
| Research finds potential mechanism linking autism, intestinal inflammation Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:26 PM PST Moms infected during pregnancy who produce elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may have microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses later in life, a mouse study suggests. |
| Which personality traits can be improved without personal motivation? Research says 'it depends' Posted: 07 Dec 2021 12:25 PM PST Could a company train an employee to become more conscientious, even if the worker isn't invested in improving that trait? A new study suggests yes. But improving someone's emotional stability without that person's commitment is not likely to happen. |
| Self-administered cognition test predicts early signs of dementia sooner Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:01 PM PST Many people experience forgetfulness as they age, but it's often difficult to tell if these memory issues are a normal part of aging or a sign of something more serious. A new study finds that a simple, self-administered test can identify the early, subtle signs of dementia sooner than the most commonly used office-based standard cognitive test. |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:01 PM PST As many as a half of all drinkers underestimated how drunk they were, judging themselves still safe to drive despite having exceeded the legal driving limit. |
| Neurotoxin from a black widow spider examined Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Although many people lose their nerve and panic when they see a spider, only very few of the creatures are actually dangerous. The black widow, however, is a force to be reckoned with: it catches its prey by means of nerve poison -- to be precise, latrotoxins (LaTXs). Researchers have now investigated the substance -- also with a view to medical applications. |
| Stress makes life’s clock tick faster: Chilling out slows it down Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Scientists in recent years have developed ways to measure biological age by tracking chemical changes in DNA that occur naturally as people age but occur at different times in different people. These so-called 'epigenetic clocks' have proved to be better predictors of lifespan and health than chronological age. In a new study, Yale researchers used one such clock, appropriately named "GrimAge," to ask two questions: How much does chronic stress accelerate that biological clock? And are there ways to slow it down and extend a healthy lifespan? |
| Oops! You did it again; new test predicts if impulsivity is pathological Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST If you can't stop saying or doing things that you later regret, here's a diagnostic test for you: Researchers have pioneered a way to better determine when acting on one's worst impulses verges on pathological. Turns out, acting more recklessly when your emotions run high can be correlated with how fast you react to stimulating visuals, especially disturbing ones. |
| Scientists find first in human evidence of how memories form Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST In a discovery that could one day benefit people suffering from traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia, researchers have identified the characteristics of more than 100 memory-sensitive neurons that play a central role in how memories are recalled in the brain. |
| Chemoimmunotherapy dramatically improved survival of high-risk neuroblastoma patients Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST A recent phase II clinical trial results suggest that the monoclonal antibody hu14.18K322A could help change treatment of children with high-risk neuroblastoma. |
| SARS-CoV-2 infects sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium of COVID-19 patients, study finds Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST The coronavirus does not appear to infect nerve cells in the olfactory epithelium and in the olfactory bulb, according to new research. |
| Researchers identify sildenafil as candidate drug for Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST A new study has identified sildenafil -- an FDA-approved therapy for erectile dysfunction (Viagra) and pulmonary hypertension (Ravatio) -- as a promising drug candidate to help prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. Researchers determined that sildenafil is associated with 69% reduced incidence of Alzheimer's. |
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