ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News |
| Tweaked genes borrowed from bacteria excite heart cells in live mice Posted: 04 Feb 2022 06:31 AM PST Biomedical engineers have demonstrated a gene therapy that helps heart muscle cells electrically activate in live mice. The approach features engineered bacterial genes that code for sodium ion channels and could lead to therapies to treat a wide variety of electrical heart diseases and disorders. |
| Perception study may explain promising depression therapy Posted: 03 Feb 2022 04:25 PM PST Researchers have demonstrated the importance of a specific type of connection between brain cells that may explain ketamine's potential as a treatment for depression. |
| Like peanut butter? This algorithm has a hunch as to what you'll buy next Posted: 03 Feb 2022 03:52 PM PST New research brings a methodology called tensor decomposition -- used by scientists to find patterns in massive volumes of data -- into the world of online shopping to recommend complementary products more carefully tailored to customer preferences. |
| Scientists create vast data resource to uncover ALS subtypes Posted: 03 Feb 2022 03:52 PM PST A new cloud-based data resource provides the research community with a comprehensive set of tools to help identify new subtypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder. |
| Untangling mixed (neural) signals Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:12 PM PST New research has uncovered how neurons encode and decode information and differentiate between motor and sensory signals. |
| Love of nature is partially heritable, study of twins shows Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST A person's appreciation of nature and their tendency to visit natural spaces are heritable characteristics, according to a large-scale study of UK twins. |
| Humans and other primates have evolved less sensitive noses Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST Variations in the genes for the newly discovered scent receptors for musk and underarm odor add to a growing body of research suggesting that humans' sense of smell is gradually becoming less sensitive. |
| Mothers' sleep apnea may increase risk of autism-like changes in their male offspring Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST Sleep apnea in pregnancy may increase the risk for brain and behavioral changes associated with autism, especially in males, according to a study in rats. |
| Neuroscientists use deep learning model to simulate brain topography Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST A more accurate model of the visual system may help neuroscientists and clinicians develop better treatments for alexia, prosopagnosia and agnosia. |
| Poor sleep and stress exacerbate each other among nurses who work night shift, study finds Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST Nurses who work the night shift report more sleep disturbances and are more likely to suffer from psychological and physical health symptoms including PTSD, insomnia and inflammation, a recent study found. |
| Study finds high levels of depression, anxiety among disabled people during COVID-19 pandemic Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:11 PM PST A new study confirms what many in the disabled community already know: People with disabilities have been experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Study confirms site of brain region responsible for making sure people say words as intended Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:05 PM PST A region crossing the folded surface of the top of the brain, called the dorsal precentral gyrus, plays an essential role in how people use the sound of their voices to control how they want the words to sound, a new study shows. |
| Are scientists being fooled by bacteria? Posted: 03 Feb 2022 01:05 PM PST Researchers created a tailor-made gene sequencing method to accurately measure a biochemical, DNA tagging system, which switches genes on or off. This helped them study the system in any cell type, including human, plant and bacterial cells. While the results supported the idea that this system may occur naturally in non-bacterial cells, the levels were much lower than some previous studies reported and were easily skewed by bacterial contamination or current experimental methods. Experiments on human brain cancer cells produced similar results. |
| Small study finds Alzheimer's-like changes in some COVID patients' brains Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:29 AM PST A study reports that the brains of a small sample of patients who died of COVID display some of the same molecular changes found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. |
| Largest genetic study of migraine to date reveals new genetic risk factors Posted: 03 Feb 2022 09:25 AM PST Scientists identified more than 120 regions of the genome that are connected to risk of migraine. The groundbreaking study helps researchers better understand the biological basis of migraine and its subtypes and could speed up the search for new treatment of the condition, which affects over a billion individuals worldwide. |
| Exploring the strategies of categorization Posted: 03 Feb 2022 07:30 AM PST Our mental ability to divide the complex world into categories makes our daily life much easier. But how do we categorize? What kind of stimulus properties do we assess? Researchers have come a step closer to answering these questions with the help of pigeons. They discovered that birds use different strategies to successfully learn categories. To gather data, the researchers used a novel research method. To this end, they combined so-called virtual phylogenesis, in which artificial stimuli are generated by computers, with a machine learning approach, namely an automated evaluation of the birds' pecking behavior. |
| People with less memory loss in old age gain more knowledge Posted: 03 Feb 2022 07:30 AM PST Do cognitive abilities change together, or do they change independently of each other? Researchers present new findings. |
| Missing the bar: How people misinterpret data in bar graphs Posted: 03 Feb 2022 07:25 AM PST Thanks to their visual simplicity, bar graphs are popular tools for representing data. But do we really understand how to read them? New research has found that bar graphs are frequently misunderstood. The study demonstrates that people who view exactly the same graph often walk away with completely different understandings of the facts it represents. |
| Scientists test promising biosensor aimed for use in brain Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:36 AM PST Scientists have successfully tested in the lab a tiny biosensor they developed that can detect biomarkers tied to traumatic brain injuries. |
| Genetic study suggests more sensitive people respond better to couple’s therapy Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:36 AM PST How well someone responds to couple's therapy could be determined by their genes, according to a new study led by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Denver. |
| Wisdom engendered: Study finds men and women have different strengths Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:36 AM PST Researchers looked at gender differences relative to wisdom, using two different validated scales and found that, in general, women scored higher on compassion-related items and on self-reflection while men scored higher on cognitive-related items and on emotional regulation. |
| How migraine pain signals are generated, and blocked Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:36 AM PST An international team of researchers has discovered that Schwann cells -- which are abundant in the peripheral nervous system and create a protective sheath around nerve fibers -- play an essential role in migraine pain. Their study illustrates how pain is signaled from within Schwann cells and finds several ways to block this signaling, providing potential targets for new migraine treatments. |
| People prefer interacting with female robots in hotels, study finds Posted: 03 Feb 2022 05:35 AM PST People are more comfortable talking to female rather than male robots working in service roles in hotels, according to new research. The study, which surveyed about 170 people on hypothetical service robot scenarios, also found that the preference was stronger when the robots were described as having more human features. |
| Does strep throat lead to the development of tics? Posted: 02 Feb 2022 01:27 PM PST A new study has found no link between a strep throat infection and the development of tics in children who have a parent or sibling with a chronic tic disorder. |
| ADHD medicine may treat symptoms of genetic movement disorder in children, study finds Posted: 02 Feb 2022 12:39 PM PST Using a common attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication appears to help manage the symptoms of a rare and currently difficult to treat genetic movement disorder primarily found in children, according to a new study. The disorder, KCNMA1-linked channelopathy, named after the affected gene, can cause abnormal, involuntary movements from collapsing episodes, in which patients slump forward with their arms and legs appearing rigid. |
| Molecular profiling of meningioma can lead to improved prognosis and therapy Posted: 02 Feb 2022 11:31 AM PST Integrating multiple molecular profiling approaches of meningioma, the most common primary brain tumor, could transform patient care by providing a better prognosis and revealing the tumors that require more aggressive treatment. |
| Anxiety and neuroticism linked to ability to experience ASMR Posted: 02 Feb 2022 11:30 AM PST A study has uncovered new evidence linking higher levels of neuroticism and anxiety with the ability to experience a deeply relaxing sensation known as the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). |
| Mechanism revealed behind loss of smell with COVID-19 Posted: 02 Feb 2022 09:43 AM PST Researchers have discovered a mechanism that may explain why COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell, as well as having implications for long COVID. |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2022 08:17 AM PST Researchers have developed a new mouse model of Huntington's disease that recapitulates more Huntington's disease-like characteristics than earlier models, providing new clues to the disease and giving researchers a powerful new tool to test new therapies. |
| Social isolation and loneliness increase heart disease risk in senior women Posted: 02 Feb 2022 08:17 AM PST Data from a new study point to as much as a 27% increase in heart disease risk in postmenopausal women who experience both high levels of social isolation and loneliness. |
| Different autism risk genes, same effects on brain development Posted: 02 Feb 2022 08:17 AM PST Researchers have found that three different autism risk genes actually affect similar aspects of neuron development and the same neuron types, although each gene acted through unique molecular mechanisms. Additionally, a person's specific genomic background fine-tuned the genes' effects. The study was conducted using miniature 3D models, or 'organoids,' of the human cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for cognition, perception, and language. The results advance our understanding of autism spectrum disorder and are a first step toward finding treatments for the condition. |
| Magnetic seeds used to heat and kill cancer Posted: 01 Feb 2022 05:11 PM PST Scientists have developed a novel cancer therapy that uses an MRI scanner to guide a magnetic seed through the brain to heat and destroy tumors. |
| Greater body fat a risk factor for reduced thinking and memory ability Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST A new study has found that greater body fat is a risk factor for reduced cognitive function, such as processing speed, in adults. Even when the researchers took cardiovascular risk factors (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) or vascular brain injury into account, the association between body fat and lower cognitive scores remained. This suggests other not yet confirmed pathways that linked excess body fat to reduced cognitive function. |
| Foamy cells inspire better way to predict heart attacks Posted: 31 Jan 2022 01:15 PM PST A heart attack or stroke can blindside people who thought they were at low risk. Now, research has found a new model that could improve how we assess heart disease. |
| A neuron that tracks landmarks helps rats know where they are Posted: 31 Jan 2022 01:15 PM PST Visual landmarks enable an animal to know where it is oriented in relation to its environment. Researchers have identified a new type of neuron in the rat brain, which appears to help facilitate this type of visual and spatial processing. |
| People are fast and accurate when making high-value decisions Posted: 31 Jan 2022 12:32 PM PST When people choose between two high-value items, their decisions tend to be fast and accurate, a new study showed -- exactly the opposite of what many scientists expected. |
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