Brain

Researchers from the University of Houston have analyzed brain activity data collected from more than 400 people who viewed an exhibit at the Menil Collection, offering evidence that useable brain data can be collected outside of a controlled laboratory setting. They also reported the first real-world demonstration of what happens in the brain as people observe artwork.

PHILADELPHIA (November 12, 2015) - A new research study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) shows that lead exposure in early childhood are associated with increased risk for sleep problems and excessive daytime sleepiness in later childhood. This is the first longitudinal, population-based study that investigated early lead exposure to sleep problems. The findings are set for publication in the December issue of SLEEP, but can now be found online here.

Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are exploring and pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) by partnering with one of AI's most notable citizens -- IBM's Watson -- to advance how computers could help humans creatively solve problems in a wide variety of professions.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A framework co-developed by a Binghamton University researcher could help future scientists improve their understanding of all types of networks, from social media channels to beehives.

Hiroki Sayama, director of the Center for Collective Dynamics of Complex Systems and associate professor of systems science and industrial engineering at Binghamton University, co-led a team of over 30 network science researchers, educators, teachers and students to set up a framework that any school can adapt to teach students the concept of a network from the ground up.

Anxiety sensitivity, in simple terms, is a fear of fear. But when people with anxiety sensitivity also have asthma, their suffering can be far more debilitating and dangerous, because they have difficulty managing their asthma. A new study explores this issue and recommends treatment to help decrease asthma symptoms.

Although the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage was a victory for the gay community, same-sex couples continue to face challenges such as discrimination, stigma and lack of role models for their long-term relationships and marriages. Furthermore, same-sex female couples suffer breakups more often and more quickly than heterosexual couples. To help address these disparities, psychology researchers are testing a relationship education program to address the unique needs of female same-sex couples.

Planning how to resolve incomplete work tasks can help employees switch off from work and enjoy their evenings.

That is one of the conclusions of research by Dr Brandon Smit from Ball State University, Indiana, published in the Journal of Organizational and Occupational Psychology today, Thursday 12 November 2015.

In a study of people's ability to detach themselves from work, Dr Smit used an online questionnaire to survey 103 employees pursuing 1127 work goals.

MINNEAPOLIS - Brain scans of people in a coma may help predict who will regain consciousness, according to a study published in the November 11, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at connections between areas of the brain that play a role in regulating consciousness.

The neuroscience community is saluting the creation of a "Golden Window" for deep brain imaging by researchers at The City College of New York led by biomedical engineer Lingyan Shi. This is a first for brain imaging, said Shi, a research associate in City College's Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers, and the biology department.

The breakthrough holds promise for the noninvasive study of the brain and breasts in greater detail than possible today.

A group of researchers from the University of Sassari (Italy) and the University of Plymouth (UK) has developed a cognitive model, made up of two million interconnected artificial neurons, able to learn to communicate using human language starting from a state of "tabula rasa", only through communication with a human interlocutor. The model is called ANNABELL (Artificial Neural Network with Adaptive Behavior Exploited for Language Learning) and it is described in an article published in the international scientific journal PLOS ONE.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- A new study in Science Translational Medicine describes three software innovations that substantially improved the user experience and performance of the BrainGate* brain computer interface (BCI). Researchers said the gains are a significant advance in their ongoing work to develop and test a practical BCI assistive technology that people with paralysis could use easily, reliably, independently, and on demand to regain control over external devices.

Researchers have taken a significant step forward in developing gene therapy against a fatal neurodegenerative disease that strikes children. By delivering a working version of a gene to produce a key enzyme that is lacking in Batten disease, the scientists delayed symptoms and extended lifespan in dogs with a comparable disease.

The paper appears online today in Science Translational Medicine.

In a study of dogs, scientists showed that a new way to deliver replacement genes may be effective at slowing the development of childhood Batten disease, a rare and fatal neurological disorder. The key may be to inject viruses that carry the codes for the gene products into the ventricles, which are fluid-filled compartments in the center of the brain that serve as a plumbing system. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health.

PHILADELPHIA - Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can improve their symptoms significantly by adding exposure and response prevention therapy to their treatment regimen when common drug treatment options have failed, according to new research from psychiatrists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Exposure and response prevention therapy is a type of cognitive behavior therapy in which the patient is asked to confront triggers that give rise to their obsessions in order to refrain from performing the rituals in response to these obsessions.

Most adults know that a quick apology for a minor transgression, such as bumping into someone, helps maintain social harmony. The bumped-into person feels better, and so does the person who did the bumping. It's all part of the social norm.

But do apologies have this effect on children?