Brain

Robot fetches objects with just a point and a click

Robot fetches objects with just a point and a click

ATLANTA (March 19, 2008) — Robots are fluent in their native language of 1 and 0 absolutes but struggle to grasp the nuances and imprecise nature of human language. While scientists are making slow, incremental progress in their quest to create a robot that responds to speech, gestures and body language, a more straightforward method of communication may help robots find their way into homes sooner.

Research on consequences: Hyperactive girls face problems as adults

U.K. / Montreal, March 20, 2008 – Young girls who are hyperactive are more likely to get hooked on smoking, under-perform in school or jobs and gravitate towards mentally abusive relationships as adults, according to a joint study by researchers from the Université de Montréal and the University College London (UCL).

Disgusting videos used to study coping methods

"Control yourself!"

Most of us haven't heard that admonition since our last childhood tantrum. Nonetheless, it's something we often tell ourselves, consciously or not, as we deal with life's daily ups and downs. The ability to regulate one's emotions is critical to successfully interacting with others. How we go about achieving that self-control has an equally important effect on our own well-being.

Stanford researchers developing 3-D camera with 12,616 lenses

The camera you own has one main lens and produces a flat, two-dimensional photograph, whether you hold it in your hand or view it on your computer screen. On the other hand, a camera with two lenses (or two cameras placed apart from each other) can take more interesting 3-D photos.

Hispanics with clogged arteries at greatest risk of stroke, heart attack

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Hispanics who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in the neck artery that supplies blood to the brain are up to four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke or heart attack than Hispanics who do not have plaque, according to a study published in the March 19, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Neuronal regulators offer potential targets for cancer

Boston, Mass. (March 19, 2008) -- Being too brainy can be a bad thing in a junior high cafeteria, where the social hierarchy favors other traits. "Braininess" also causes problems for cells. When a breast cell begins making the proteins normally produced in neurons, for example, it can acquire cancerous properties.

Molecular biology of sleep apnea could lead to new treatments

PHILADELPHIA – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have provided, for the first time, a detailed look at the molecular pathways underlying sleep apnea, which affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by temporary breathing interruptions during sleep, in which disruptions can occur dozens or even hundreds of times a night.

Coming soon: Cell therapies for diabetes, cancer?

News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience

1. Role of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel in Neurite Outgrowth William J. Brackenbury, Tigwa H. Davis, Chunling Chen, Emily A. Slat, Matthew J. Detrow, Travis L. Dickendesher, Barbara Ranscht, and Lori L. Isom

Scans spot hidden tumors in rare cancer syndrome

BOSTON--Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report that full-body PET/CT scanning detected unsuspected, treatable tumors in 3 of 15 patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic cancer syndrome for which no screening tests have been recommended.