Brain | Page 308 | Science Codex

What makes the brain tick so fast?

Surprisingly complex interactions between neurotransmitter receptors and other key proteins help explain the brain's ability to process information with lightning speed, according to a new study.

Scientists at McGill University, working with collaborators at the universities of Oxford and Liverpool, combined experimental techniques to examine fast-acting protein macromolecules, known as AMPA receptors, which are a major player in brain signaling. Their findings are reported online in the journal Neuron.

Cooling technique protects speech during brain surgery

A new cooling technique can both protect the brain's speech centers during surgery and pinpoint the areas separately responsible for word formation and speech timing. This is according to a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and the University of Iowa published in the journal Neuron online Feb. 25, 2016.

Discovery of key abnormality affecting brain development in people with Down syndrome

(Boston)--For the first time researchers have identified the lifelong changes in gene expression in the brains of people born with Down syndrome (DS).

The findings, which appear in the journal Neuron, may lead to possible therapies for DS patients.

Discovery of likely subtypes of rare childhood brain tumor signals diagnostic advance

An international research team has identified four likely new subtypes of a rare brain tumor using molecular techniques that lay the foundation for more accurate diagnosis and tailored therapies for the hard-to-treat cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center led the study, results of which appear today in the scientific journal Cell.

How brain oscillations respond to teleportation

Technology may not have caught up to the teleportation devices of science fiction, but now we have some idea of how the brain handles "beaming up" from one location to another, thanks to research by neuroscientists at the University of California, Davis, involving some specially wired volunteers.

The work is published online Feb. 25, 2016 in the journal Neuron.

Flowers tone down the iridescence of their petals and avoid confusing bees

Iridescent flowers are never as dramatically rainbow-coloured as iridescent beetles, birds or fish, but their petals produce the perfect signal for bees, according to a new study published today in Current Biology.

Sugar rush shrinks brain cell powerhouse

The spike in blood sugar levels that can come after a meal is controlled by the brain's neuronal mitochondria, which are considered the "powerhouse of cells," Yale School of Medicine researchers found in a new study.

Published in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Cell, the findings could provide a better understanding of how type 2 diabetes develops.

Fish brains help explain human sensory perception

Advanced calcium imaging of zebrafish brains is helping University of Queensland researchers discover how sensory stimuli such as sights and sounds are integrated in the human brain.

The research into how fish interpret and integrate sensory information, led by School of Biomedical Sciences ARC Future Fellow Dr Ethan Scott, could improve understanding of how humans combine senses like sight, touch and sound to create a complete experience.

Study: Mental abilities are shaped by individual differences in the brain

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Everyone has a different mixture of personality traits: some are outgoing, some are tough and some are anxious. A new study suggests that brains also have different traits that affect both anatomical and cognitive factors, such as intelligence and memory.

The results are published in the journal NeuroImage.

'Team players' are picked earlier in NFL draft -- and paid more, study shows

In the NFL, it pays to be a team player - literally.

A study published recently in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that good character boosts a player's stock in the NFL draft.

Researchers found that media reports about a college player helping a freshman teammate or putting in extra time to watch game film puts more money in his pocket. Just a few press reports of such good-guy behavior increases first-year salaries as much as $143,000 for linebackers and $105,000 for wide receivers.

Post-Ebola syndrome in Sierra Leone

Researchers from the University's Institute of Translational Medicine have conducted a study of Ebola survivors to describe the medical problems they continue to have after recovering from the acute disease. The results of which have been published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Older adults have their own perspectives on sadness, loneliness and serenity

AMHERST, Mass. - A new study led by associate professor Rebecca Ready in the department of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found that older adults have different, more positive responses than young adults about feelings such as serenity, sadness and loneliness.

Braille maps for blind and visually impaired created with 3-D printer at Rutgers

Using a high-tech 3-D printer, a Rutgers undergraduate and his professor created sophisticated braille maps to help blind and visually impaired people navigate a local training center.

The three plastic tactile maps are for each floor at the Joseph Kohn Training Center, a state-funded facility for the blind and visually impaired in New Brunswick. And the goal is to print maps for all of the center's students.

Parental pressure pushes young athletes to doping

Pressure to be perfect from parents makes young male athletes positive about doping, research from the University of Kent shows.

Research from the University's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences has revealed that parental pressure makes junior athletes more likely to use banned substances to enhance sporting performance.

Mastering the art of ignoring makes people more efficient

People searching for something can find it faster if they know what to look for. But new research suggests knowing what not to look for can be just as helpful.

Although previous studies concluded that attempting to ignore irrelevant information slows people down, Johns Hopkins University researchers found that when people are given time to learn what's possible to ignore, they're able to search faster and more efficiently.