Brain

Babies and children are whizzes at learning a second language, but that ability begins to fade as early as their first birthdays.

Researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are investigating the brain mechanisms that contribute to infants' prowess at learning languages, with the hope that the findings could boost bilingualism in adults, too.

Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals—molecules tied to aging and tissue damage—are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity.

DURHAM, NC -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that a "fountain of youth" that sustains the production of new neurons in the brains of rodents is also believed to be present in the human brain. The existence of a vital support system of cells around stem cells in the brain explains why stem cells by themselves can't generate neurons in a lab dish, a major roadblock in using these stem cells for injury repair.

Certain brain injuries can cause people to lose the ability to visually recognize objects, like confusing a harmonica for a cash register.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (8-26-11) -- Hovering helicopter parents who restrict their kids' unstructured play may actually harm rather than help, children according to the American Journal of Play, which gathered experts to discuss the near-extinction of free play and its effects on children and society.

For the first time, scientists can see pathways to stop a deadly brain cancer in its tracks. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have imaged individual cancer cells and the routes they travel as the tumor spreads.

The researchers used a novel cryo-imaging technique to obtain the unprecedented look at a mouse model of glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly aggressive cancer that has no treatments to stop it from spreading.

A description of their work, and images, will be published Sept. 1 in the journal Cancer Research.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Why do some folks who take every precaution still get the flu, while others never even get the sniffles?

NEW YORK – A new study involving nearly 2,500 high school students demonstrates the value of routine mental health screening in school to identify adolescents at-risk for mental illness, and to connect those adolescents with recommended follow-up care. The largest school-based study conducted to-date by the TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University, findings are published in the Sept. 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

National Institutes of Health researchers have found that Parkin, an important protein linked with some cases of early-onset Parkinson's disease, regulates how cells in our bodies take up and process dietary fats.

WASHINGTON — An analysis of more than 1,000 research articles concluded that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines. A committee of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine to review the scientific literature on possible adverse effects of vaccines found convincing evidence of 14 health outcomes -- including seizures, inflammation of the brain, and fainting -- that can be caused by certain vaccines, although these outcomes occur rarely.

CHICAGO –Thanks to a new diagnostic imaging technique, physicians now have an objective test to evaluate patients for parkinsonian syndromes, such as Parkinson's disease. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is among the first institutions in the country to offer DaTscan™, the only FDA-approved imaging agent for assessment of movement disorders. Until now, there were no definitive tests to identify the disease, forcing physicians to rely on clinical examinations to make a diagnosis. This technology allows doctors to differentiate Parkinson's from other movement disorders.

Quebec City, August 25, 2011—A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers. The team co-directed by professors Jasna Kriz and Frédéric Calon showed that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25% in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily.

MONTREAL, August 25th, 2011 - The brains of older people are 'wiser' than young brains, which allows older adults to achieve an equivalent level of performance, according research undertaken at the University Geriatrics Institute of Montreal by Dr. Oury Monchi and Dr. Ruben Martins of the Univeristy of Montreal. "The older brain has experience and knows that nothing is gained by jumping the gun. It was already known that aging is not necessarily associated with a significant loss in cognitive function.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A brain imaging scan identifies biochemical changes in the brains of normal people who might be at risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the August 24, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"I'll meet you at the place near the thing where we went that time," says the character Aaron in the 1987 movie Broadcast News. He and the woman he's talking to have a lot of common ground, the shared territory that makes conversations work. Common ground is why, after you've mentioned Great-Aunt Mildred's 80th birthday party once in a conversation, you can just refer to it as "the party."