ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

A new study demonstrates that an equal number of girls and boys can be identified as having concerns for autism spectrum disorder when screened earlier, correcting large gender differences in current diagnoses.

Babies can help unlock the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI), according to neuroscientists who have just published new guiding principles for improving AI. The research examines the neuroscience and psychology of infant learning and distills three principles to guide the next generation of AI, which will help overcome the most pressing limitations of machine learning.

Many of us will have likely heard of music therapy and art therapy -- but what about 'travel therapy'? A new cross-disciplinary paper proposes we change how we view tourism, seeing it not just as a recreational experience but as an industry that can provide real health benefits.

A team of scientists has revealed how excess tau -- a key protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease -- impairs signaling between neurons in the brains of mice. The study could open new pathways for treating the symptoms and even halting the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Biomarkers that could be targets for novel drugs to treat glioblastoma brain tumors have been identified, providing hope for a cancer that is highly lethal. This new finding provides early evidence that there may be a benefit in targeting specific alterations in cancer cells with newer agents once a patient's tumor becomes resistant to temozolomide.

Allowing fights among players in the National Hockey Leagues does not deter greater violence in the modern game, according to a new study.

Gritty people may be more able to self-regulate and show 'cautious control' -- but don't necessarily have greater cognitive ability, according to a new study.

Researchers conducted studies to explain the neural mechanisms of the pons-corticolimbic network in perpetuating sad mood in depression.

Researchers have revealed the presence of a functional urea cycle in the star-shaped cells of the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) brain. Key results point to the role of the urea cycle in amyloid-beta plaque clearance, and the memory impairment caused by consequent excess GABA, ammonia, and H2O2 production. Astrocyte-specific silencing of enzyme ODC1 in AD mouse model rescues memory impairment and can be a potential new therapeutic target against the disease.

Following trauma, feeling detached from one's surroundings may suggest a higher risk of later developing serious mental health conditions. It's important to screen for feeling detached to identify patients who might benefit from preventive care.

In a leap forward for diabetes research, researchers reveal that the feel-good hormone, dopamine, regulates insulin secretion through a heteromeric complex of receptors, thereby providing new targets for antidiabetic medication and therapy. The study is the first to elucidate the mechanism behind dopamine's down-regulation of insulin secretion.

Pablo Picasso's surreal cubist artistic style shifted common features into unrecognizable scenes, but a new imaging approach bearing his namesake may elucidate the most complicated subject: the brain. Employing artificial intelligence to clarify spectral color blending of tiny molecules used to stain specific proteins and other items of research interest, the PICASSO technique, allows researchers to use more than 15 colors to image and parse our overlapping proteins.

A new study finds that having a portable air cleaner in the home can reduce the negative impacts of air pollution on brain development in children. Scientists are studying the benefits of using air filters to reduce exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, and assessed the impact on children's intelligence.