The headlights – two eyes, the radiator cowling – a smiling mouth: This is how our brain sometimes creates a face out of a car front. The same happens with other objects: in house facades, trees or stones – a "human face" can often be detected as well. Prof. Dr. Gyula Kovács from Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) knows the reason why. "Faces are of tremendous importance for human beings," the neuroscientist explains. That's why in the course of the evolution our visual perception has specialized in the recognition of faces in particular.
Brain
Like ants and honey bee, termites are also eusocial insects. In colonies of termites, only a few individuals have reproductive ability (called queens and kings), while other individuals perform non-reproduction tasks like foraging, brood care or defence (called workers and soldiers). Living in societies has helped termites adapt to their environments and contributed to their ecological success. As major detritivores, termites play pivotal roles in maintaining biodiversity, particularly in tropical habitats.
ST. LOUIS -- A molecular compound developed by Saint Louis University scientists restored learning, memory and appropriate behavior in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, according to findings in the May issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.The molecule also reduced inflammation in the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
- A new study looks at three brain attentional networks - alerting, orienting, and executive control – among alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals.
- Results indicate that AD individuals have particularly pronounced deficits in executive control.
- These deficits were strongly correlated with duration of AD habits, number of previous detoxification treatments, and mean alcohol consumption prior to detoxification.
- Mixing alcohol with energy drinks (A+ED) continues to grow in popularity.
- A new Australian study looks at motivations for both alcohol and A+ED consumption.
- Results show that hedonistic motives related to sensation and pleasure ideals were highly implicated.
- Alcohol use is often portrayed positively or even glamorized in movies.
- A new study looks at how alcohol portrayals in movies may affect viewers.
- Both positive and negative portrayals can contribute to viewers' emotional involvement in, attitude toward, and evaluation of the movie.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers have developed a new cognitive test that can better determine whether memory impairments are due to very mild Alzheimer's disease or the normal aging process.
Their study appears in the journal Neuropsychologia.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nearly 2 million children in the United States have experienced a parent's military deployment. Previous research has shown that these children may be at increased risk for emotional, behavioral and relationship difficulties, yet little is known about how best to address military children's specialized needs. Now, an MU researcher says school-based interventions could benefit children whose parents have deployed.
A program aimed at reducing behavior problems in order to boost academic achievement has improved performance in math and reading among low-income kindergartners and first graders, according to a study by researchers at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Their findings, which appear in the Journal of Educational Psychology, point to the value of well-designed interventions to improve education, the study's authors say.
MAYWOOD, Ill. -- The use of simulation techniques in medical education, such as lifelike mannequins and computer systems, results in improved patient care, better outcomes and other benefits, according to a study led by a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researcher.
INDIANAPOLIS -- The patient and caregiver-centered Aging Brain Care program, developed by researchers at the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research, is attracting nationwide interest for its ability to improve health outcomes and quality of care for those with cognitive impairment while dramatically lowering costs to patients and health care systems.
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2014 — The smartphones and tablets millions of us use every day may also keep us awake. In the American Chemical Society's (ACS') latest Reactions video, find out how the light emitted from those devices triggers a chemical reaction that tells our brains to rise-and-shine, rather than snooze. The video is available at http://youtu.be/mnDfPpUC_jg.
Chicago, May 19, 2014—The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has released the results of a major survey on long-term care in the United States. The study, the second on this topic done by AP-NORC, provides much-needed data on how Americans are, or are not, planning for long-term care as policy makers grapple with how to plan for and finance high-quality long-term care in the United States.
Increased physical activity among women who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can lower the risk of progression to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
A Stanford electrical engineer has invented a way to wirelessly transfer power deep inside the body, and then use this power to run tiny electronic medical devices such as pacemakers, nerve stimulators, or new sensors and gadgets yet to be developed.
The discoveries reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) culminate years of efforts by Ada Poon, an assistant professor of electrical engineering, to eliminate the bulky batteries and clumsy recharging systems that prevent medical devices from being more widely used.