Brain

The tortoise and the hare: A sex difference in marathon pacing

ALLENDALE, Mich. — Men are more likely than women to slow their pace in the marathon, according to a new study led by a Grand Valley State University researcher. The findings were published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

High earners in a stock market game have brain patterns that can predict market bubbles

If you're so smart, why aren't you rich? It may be that, when it comes to stock market success, your brain is heeding the wrong neural signals.

Neuroeconomists confirm Warren Buffett's wisdom

Investment magnate Warren Buffett has famously suggested that investors should try to "be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy only when others are fearful."

For a holistic approach to POW trauma

The full circumstances of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl's captivity have yet to be revealed. During his tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009, Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban and held in captivity for five years until a controversial prisoner exchange led to his release on May 31. Bergdahl has been accused of deserting his post and advocating the release of Afghani prisoners.

Rats purposefully use their whiskers in different ways to help navigate in the dark

The way rats use their whiskers is more similar to how humans use their hands and fingers than previously thought, new research from the University of Sheffield has found.

Rats deliberately change how they sense their environment using their facial whiskers depending on whether the environment is novel, if there is a risk of collision and whether or not they can see where they are going.

Exploring rats move their long facial whiskers back and forth continuously while they are moving – a behaviour called "whisking".

Dodging dots helps explain brain circuitry

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A neuroscience study provides new insight into the primal brain circuits involved in collision avoidance, and perhaps a more general model of how neurons can participate in networks to process information and act on it.

Sleep deprivation leads to symptoms of schizophrenia

Twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation can lead to conditions in healthy persons similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia. This discovery was made by an international team of researchers under the guidance of the University of Bonn and King's College London. The scientists point out that this effect should be investigated more closely in persons who have to work at night. In addition, sleep deprivation may serve as a model system for the development of drugs to treat psychosis. The results have now been published in "The Journal of Neuroscience".

Teen dating violence cuts both ways: 1 in 6 girls and guys are aggressors, victims or both

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dating during the teen years takes a violent turn for nearly 1 in 6 young people, a new study finds, with both genders reporting acts like punching, pulling hair, shoving, and throwing things.

The startling number, drawn from a University of Michigan Medical School survey of more than 4,000 adolescent patients ages 14 to 20 seeking emergency care, indicates that dating violence is common and affects both genders.

Alzheimer's disease: Simplified diagnosis, with more reliable criteria

This news release is available in French.

College athletes with abusive coaches more willing to cheat

WASHINGTON — College athletes who have abusive coaches are more willing to cheat in order to win than players with more ethical coaches, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association and based on surveys from almost 20,000 student athletes at more than 600 colleges across the country.

Dental pulp stem cells promote the survival and regeneration of retinal cells after injury

Researchers at the University of Birmingham, UK, led by Dr. Ben Scheven, Dr. Wendy Leadbeater and Ben Mead have discovered that stem cells isolated from the teeth, termed dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), can protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from death following injury and promote regeneration of their axons along the optic nerve.

Houshiheisan maintains stabilization of the internal environment of neurovascular units

Cerebral ischemia not only injuries neurons, but also involves the glial cells that provide a supportive scaffold to which the neurons are attached and the microvessels that provide energy for nervous tissue. Therefore, protection of a single neuron is not sufficient to recover nervous function, and more attention should be paid to maintenance of the function of entire neurovascular units. Houshiheisan compound is one of effective traditional Chinese compound prescriptions for stroke.

Gene therapy and the regeneration of retinal ganglion cell axons

Because the adult mammalian central nervous system has only limited intrinsic capacity to regenerate connections after injury, due to factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to the mature neuron, therapies are required to support the survival of injured neurons and to promote the long-distance regrowth of axons back to their original target structures. The retina and optic nerve are part of the CNS and this system is much used in experiments designed to test new ways of promoting regeneration after injury.

Visualization of peripheral nerve regeneration

Researchers at the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering in Taipei, Taiwan, led by Dr. Hsu have been involved in peripheral nerve regeneration research for more than ten years. Dr. Hsu and her team have focused on development of polymeric nerve conduits to facilitate peripheral nerve regeneration. To better translate the research from animal experiments to human therapies, they have recently paid more attention on clinically available methods to visualize the peripheral nerve regeneration process.

Scientists find important piece in the brain tumor puzzle

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University and McGill University Health Centre have shown that a member of the protein family known as SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) is a key to why tumour cells multiply uncontrollably, especially in the case of glioblastoma. The SUMO family proteins modify other proteins and the SUMOylation of proteins are critical for many cellular processes. Identifying SUMO's role in the cancer cell growth will lead to a new strategy for glioblastoma treatment.