Brain

MRI shows disrupted connections in the brains of young people with ADHD

OAK BROOK, Ill. – A new study has found that children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have disrupted connections between different areas of the brain that are evident on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI). The results of this research are published online in the journal Radiology.

The findings point to the potential of rfMRI to help provide objectively accurate, early diagnosis of a disorder that affects approximately 5 percent of children and adolescents worldwide.

Want a young child to 'help' or 'be a helper'? Choice of words matters

How do you get a preschooler to help with chores and other household tasks? A new study suggests that adults' word choice can make a big difference.

The study, by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the University of Washington, and Stanford University, appears in the journal Child Development.

Out of sight but not out of mind: Babies transfer learning from pictures to real objects by 9 months

Babies begin to learn about the connection between pictures and real-life objects early on. A new study has found that by 9 months, babies can learn about an object from a picture of it and can transfer that learning to the real object when they come across it.

The study, by researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London and the University of South Carolina, appears in Child Development, the journal of the Society for Research in Child Development.

Babies recognize real-life objects from pictures as early as 9 months

Babies begin to learn about the connection between pictures and real objects by the time they are nine-months-old, according to a new study by scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London, and the University of South Carolina.

The research, published today in Child Development, found that babies can learn about a toy from a photograph of it well before their first birthday.

The big bad wolf was right; among wasps, bigger eyes evolved the better to see social cues

Some wasps have developed bigger eyes, and thus better vision, to read the social cues written on the faces of their sister wasps, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study.

"The Big Bad Wolf had it right," said lead author Michael Sheehan, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow. "When Little Red Riding Hood said, 'Goodness, what big eyes you have,' he replied, 'The better to see you with.'"

Molecular networks provide insights for computer security, Carnegie Mellon finds

PITTSBURGH—The robust defenses that yeast cells have evolved to protect themselves from environmental threats hold lessons that can be used to design computer networks and analyze how secure they are, say computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University. Environmental "noise" is a key evolutionary pressure that shapes the interconnections within cells, as well as those of neural networks and bacterial/ecological networks, they observe in a paper to be published online April 30 by the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

You took the words right out of my brain

Our brain activity is more similar to that of speakers we are listening to when we can predict what they are going to say, a team of neuroscientists has found. The study, which appears in the Journal of Neuroscience, provides fresh evidence on the brain's role in communication.

Information technology can simplify weight-loss efforts; social support still important for success

COLUMBIA, Mo. – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69 percent of adults in the United States are currently overweight or obese, which puts these individuals at increased risk for chronic health problems. Although weight loss decreases this risk, statistics show that dieters often fail multiple times before meeting their goals. Now, MU researchers have found that information technology, such as smartphone applications, can help dieters integrate healthy behavior changes into their daily lives.

Model sheds new light on sports-related brain injuries

A new study has provided insight into the behavioral damage caused by repeated blows to the head. The research provides a foundation for scientists to better understand and potentially develop new ways to detect and prevent the repetitive sports injuries that can lead to the condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Girls make higher grades than boys in all school subjects, analysis finds

WASHINGTON -- Despite the stereotype that boys do better in math and science, girls have made higher grades than boys throughout their school years for nearly a century, according to a new analysis published by the American Psychological Association.

'Tell-tail' MRI image diagnosis for Parkinson's disease

An image similar in shape to a Swallow's tail has been identified as a new and accurate test for Parkinson's disease. The image, which depicts the healthy state of a group of cells in the sub-region of the human brain, was singled out using 3T MRI scanning technology – standard equipment in clinical settings today.

Stroke risk reduced if brain blood vessel disorder is left alone

Treating patients who suffer from a common condition that affects blood vessels in the brain increases their risk of stroke, a study has found.

People with a condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – which causes blood vessels in the brain to tangle – have a better outcome if doctors treat their symptoms only and not the AVM.

A team of doctors looked at the long-term outcome of patients with the condition, which is caused by abnormal connections between the arteries and veins in the brain.

Study highlights importance of parents talking to kids about money

A new study from North Carolina State University and the University of Texas finds that children pay close attention to issues related to money, and that parents should make an effort to talk with their children to ensure that kids don't develop misconceptions about finance.

'Let it go,' but not in the boardroom

While Disney's Frozen Academy Award-winning diva anthem "Let It Go" has dominated the Billboard 200, sales records and parents' eardrums with its message of all-out emotional display, that approach probably won't always resonate in the boardroom, according to a recent study from Marshall and USC faculty.

Research sees overlap in genes altered in schizophrenia, autism, intellectual disability

Dublin, Ireland and Cold Spring Harbor, NY – In research published today in Molecular Psychiatry, a multinational team of scientists presents new evidence supporting the theory that in at least some cases of schizophrenia, autism and intellectual disability (ID), malfunctions in some of the same genes are contributing to pathology.