Brain | Page 354 | Science Codex

U of G researchers study tie between estrogen, memory

A new study by University of Guelph researchers that narrows down where and how estrogens affect the brain may help in understanding how the hormones affect cognition and memory in women, says psychology professor Elena Choleris.

The team found that adding the hormone to female mouse brains helps boost short-term learning, likely through a 'use-it-or-lose-it' process, said Choleris, who co-authored the paper along with biomedical sciences professor Neil MacLusky.

The paper was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

UTA examines motivations behind adult learners' engineering degree pursuit

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Students who transfer from a community college to an engineering program at a four-year university often do so because they are motivated to solve problems and understand how things work.

But, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Arlington, adult learners, aged 25 and older, are also motivated to transfer because of the perceived prestige that is associated with becoming an engineer.

CTE is confirmed as a unique disease that can be definitively diagnosed

(Boston)--For the first time, CTE has been confirmed as a unique disease that can be definitively diagnosed by neuropathological examination of brain tissue. A consensus panel of expert neuropathologists concluded that CTE has a pathognomonic signature in the brain, an advance that represents a milestone for CTE research and lays the foundation for future studies defining the clinical symptoms, genetic risk factors and therapeutic strategies for CTE.

Interactions between attention-grabbing brain networks weak in ADHD, study says

Interactions between three brain networks that help people pay attention are weaker than normal in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The degree of weakness was correlated to the severity of the children's inattention symptoms, the researchers found.

The study will be published online Dec. 15 in Biological Psychiatry.

Researchers investigate mental health of teens after dad leaves

Family breakdown and the insecure financial situation that may result is more likely to cause worry, anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents who are separated from their father, says Professor Jennifer O'Loughlin of the University of Montreal. However, these symptoms can disappear in the nine-month period following the separation. O'Loughlin came to these conclusions after conducting a study that was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Brain regions of PTSD patients show differences during fear responses

DURHAM, N.C. -- Regions of the brain function differently among people with post-traumatic stress disorder, causing them to generalize non-threatening events as if they were the original trauma, according to new research from Duke Medicine and the Durham VA Medical Center.

Novel imaging technique captures beauty of metal-labeled neurons in 3-D

Researchers have discovered a dazzling new method of visualizing neurons that promises to benefit neuroscientists and cell biologists alike: by using spectral confocal microscopy to image tissues impregnated with silver or gold.

Rather than relying on the amount of light reflecting off metal particles, this novel process, to be presented in the journal eLife, involves delivering light energy to silver or gold nanoparticles deposited on neurons and imaging the higher energy levels resulting from their vibrations, known as surface plasmons.

Forensic psychiatric patients and staff view the effects of mental illness differently

Offenders sentenced to forensic psychiatric care do not consider their mental illness to be the main reason for their crime. Instead, they point to abuse, poverty or anger toward a particular person.

This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Pontus Höglund, PhD student at Lund University in Sweden, and ethics coordinator within forensic psychiatry in Skåne.

Hunger hormone is boosted by restricted meal times

Rats with restricted feeding schedules learn to eat more, helped by the "hunger hormone" ghrelin, according to new research from the University of Southern California.

The insights, to be published in the journal eLife, could be valuable for helping the researchers develop new effective weight-loss therapies.

Possible mechanism for specific symptoms in bipolar disorder discovered

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, and the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden have identified a gene variant linked to psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment in people with bipolar disorder. The study, which is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, describes a possible mechanism for how the gene variant produces clinical symptoms by affecting levels of specific proteins in the brain.

MRI shows 'brain scars' in military personnel with blast-related concussion

OAK BROOK, Ill. - MRI shows brain damage in a surprisingly high percentage of active duty military personnel who suffered blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), according to a new study appearing online in the journal Radiology.

MTBI, sometimes referred to as a concussion, is very common among U.S. service members returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 300,000 service members have been diagnosed with MTBI between 2000 and 2015, according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

Military families benefit from UCLA-developed resilience program

Across the U.S., families of troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Uganda and other hot spots are emailing photos of their holiday feasts to their loved ones overseas -- and asking them to respond with pictures of their own holiday celebrations.

The strategy is part of a UCLA-developed program aimed at easing the wear and tear on military families who are grappling with challenges of multiple deployments and combat-related injuries, all of which can stir destructive and difficult-to-control emotions.

Chitchat and small talk could serve an evolutionary need to bond with others

We think of chitchat and small talk as the things people say to pass the time or kill an awkward silence. New research suggests, however, that these idle conversations could be a social-bonding tool passed down from primates.

Kindness, charitable behavior influenced by amygdala, Penn research reveals

The amygdala, a small structure at the front end of the brain's temporal lobe, has long been associated with negative behaviors generally, and specifically with fear. But new research from Michael Platt, the James S. Riepe University Professor in the psychology, neuroscience and marketing departments at the University of Pennsylvania, along with Steve Chang from Yale University and collaborators from Duke, shows this collection of nuclei can also influence positive social functions like kindness and what might be called charitable giving in humans.

Sea lions exposed to algal toxin show impaired spatial memory

California sea lions exposed to the algal toxin domoic acid can suffer brain damage that leads to significant deficits in spatial memory, according to a study to be published in the Dec. 18 issue of Science. The new findings suggest that chronic exposure to the toxin, produced by naturally occurring marine algae, causes impairments that are likely to affect sea lions' ability to navigate in their ocean habitat and survive in the wild.