Brain | Page 1361 | Science Codex

Is the 'break' in a curveball a trick of the eye?

The answer to the question of whose curveball breaks harder -- that of the Yankees' A.J. Burnett or the Phillies' Cole Hamels -- may be neither.

Zhong-Lin Lu, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at USC, along with USC alumni Emily Knight and Robert Ennis and Arthur Shapiro, associate professor of psychology at American University, developed a simple visual demo that suggests a curveball's break is, at least in part, a trick of the eye.

Their demo won the Best Visual Illusion of the Year prize at the Vision Sciences meeting earlier this year.

Crushing virtual cigarettes helps smokers kick the habit

New Rochelle, NY, October 27, 2009—Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a study described in the current issue of CyberPsychology and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com).

TBI-vision loss impacts vets; low-vision patients may have hallucinations

SAN FRANCISCO— Today's Scientific Program, 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting, includes a Veterans Administration study that indicates that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with vision loss from traumatic brain injury have significantly poorer quality of life than comparable civilian patients, and a Harvard doctor's insights on how to best evaluate and care for low-vision patients who experience vivid visual hallucinations due to Charles Bonnet syndrome.

Cataract surgery helps AMD patients; steroid improves DME; online eye health forum

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 2, 2009

Contact:Media Relations(415) 561-8534media@aao.org

Cataract Surgery Benefits AMD Patients; Steroid Drug May Restore Vision in DME Patients; Top Online Eye Health Forums AnalyzedHighlights of November 2009 "Ophthalmology"

New 'schizophrenia gene' prompts researchers to test rapamycin

Johns Hopkins scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism.

Packages of care for alcohol use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

In the latest article in PLoS Medicine's series proposing the delivery of "packages of care" for mental, neurological and substance-use disorders in low- and middle-income countries, Vivek Benegal and colleagues discuss the treatment of alcohol use disorders in settings where resources are limited. "Packages of care" are combinations of treatments aimed at improving the recognition and management of conditions to achieve optimal outcomes.

Nepotism has its benefits when it comes to survival

While nepotism may have negative connotations in politics and the workplace, being surrounded by your relatives does lead to better group dynamics and more cooperation in some animals. That certainly seems to be the case for spiders, according to a new study published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. In an extensive study, the researchers found that Stegodyphus tentoriicola spiders are far more efficient at foraging for food and cooperate better when they're related to each other.

Psychologists say torture can make anyone seem guilty

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 26, 2009 -- The rationale behind torture is that pain will make the guilty confess, but a new study by researchers at Harvard University finds that the pain of torture can make even the innocent seem guilty.

Participants in the study met a woman suspected of cheating to win money. The woman was then "tortured" by having her hand immersed in ice water while study participants listened to the session over an intercom. She never confessed to anything, but the more she suffered during the torture, the guiltier she was perceived to be.

First national and evidence-based guidelines for brain cancer released

DETROIT - The first national treatment guidelines for brain metastases, which account for nearly 500,000 new cancers annually in the United States, were released today at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in New Orleans.

The guidelines were developed by a 20-member panel in various specialties over the last year after reviewing the literature and reaching a consensus for different treatments. The panel was headed by neurosurgeon Steven Kalkanis, M.D., co-director of the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Emerging imaging modalities impact diagnosis of digestive disease

San Diego, CA (October 26, 2009) – Recent advances in colonoscopic technology are featured in a number of studies presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology this week. In this research some technologies fare better than others at improving detection of potentially pre-cancerous growths in the colon known as adenomas.

Researchers reverse cognitive impairment caused by sleep deprivation

PHILADELPHIA –- A research collaboration led by biologists and neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found a molecular pathway in the brain that is the cause of cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation. Just as important, the team believes that the cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation, such as an inability to focus, learn or memorize, may be reversible by reducing the concentration of a specific enzyme that builds up in the hippocampus of the brain.

Brain chemistry changes mark shifts in infant learning

When do you first leave the nest? Early in development infants of many species experience important transitions—such as learning when to leave the protective presence of their mother to start exploring the wider world. Neuroscientists have now pinpointed molecular events occurring in the brain during that turning point.

Based on animal studies, the findings may shed light on the strength of attachments in many species—including the conundrum of why human children form strong attachments to even abusive caregivers.

Faulty brain 'wiring' triggers onset of schizophrenia, says new study

A new study by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King's College London has discovered abnormalities in the white matter of the brain that seem to be critical for the timing of schizophrenia. The study, led by Professor Phillip McGuire and Dr Sophia Frangou, has been published in this month's edition of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Making music makes you smarter

Regularly playing a musical instrument changes the anatomy and function of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.

There is growing evidence that musicians have structurally and functionally different brains compared with non-musicians. In particular, the areas of the brain used to process music are larger or more active in musicians. Even just starting to learn a musical instrument can changes the neurophysiology of the brain.

CSHL-led team discovers rare mutation dramatically increasing schizophrenia risk

An international team of researchers led by geneticist Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), has identified a mutation on human chromosome 16 that substantially increases risk for schizophrenia.