Brain

A study led by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development finds a startling scarcity of children's books in low-income neighborhoods in Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

The lack of children's books was even more pronounced in areas with higher concentrations of poverty, according to the findings published online in the journal Urban Education.

Approximately one in 68 people are on the autism spectrum. Experts are unanimous on this: early intervention is critical for improving communication skills and addressing behavioral issues. But how can researchers expedite the identification of children in need of help and simultaneously provide a more clear-cut map for intervention and support?

July 12, 2016, Porto, Portugal - Did you know that your gut sends neural messages to the brain to tell it when it is full? Researchers at the University of Georgia, Binghamton University, and Pennsylvania State University have now found that chronic consumption of high fat foods disturbs these neural messages in rats by shifting the populations of bacteria that ordinarily reside inside the gut. Delaying the fullness message can lead to overeating and eventual weight gain. Dr.

It is often difficult to resist the presentation of a dessert tray or a display of candy bars near a cashier. Eating those excess calories can contribute to overweight and obesity and is often driven by environmental cues - the sight of beautiful dessert or the colorful wrapper of a candy bar - rather than metabolic need. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a pathway in the brain responsible for the ability to control this impulsive behavior.

Obese mice are much more likely than lean mice to overeat in the presence of environmental cues, a behavior that could be related to changes in the brain, finds a new study by a Michigan State University neuroscientist. The study is to be presented this week at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that the brain networks that mediate stress relief after eating highly palatable foods may vary between males and females, and may also depend on the stage of the estrous cycle. The study performed by Ann Egan, a doctoral candidate in the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Graduate Program in the laboratory of Dr. Yvonne Ulrich-Lai, PhD, used a rodent model of 'comfort food' to investigate the neurocircuitry behind this phenomenon.

July 14 2016, Porto, PORTUGAL. Obesity may ultimately be a disease of the brain, involving a progressive deterioration of various cognitive processes that influence eating. Researchers at Macquarie University have now shown that memory inhibition - the useful ability to 'block out' memories that are no longer useful, which depends on a brain area called the hippocampus - is linked to dietary excess. Usually, food-related memories should be at the forefront during hunger but then inhibited during fullness, so that thoughts of food are set aside when eating is no longer top priority.

• Decreasing set of proteins reduces depression in mice
• Gene therapy turns off channels in hippocampus to improve mood
• Scientists working on adapting gene therapy for clinical use

CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine scientists have shown how manipulating a novel target in the brain using gene therapy could lead to new treatments for depression.

Stomach MRI images combined with functional fMRI of the brain activity have provided scientists new insight into how the brain listens to the stomach during eating. Research from Wageningen University in the Netherlands shows - for the first time - real time data of the brain, the stomach, and people's feelings of satiety measured simultaneously during a meal, in a study to be reported this week at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, held in Porto, Portugal.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness was not associated with late-life mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease or dementia but it appeared to be associated with increased risk for other neurodegenerative and neuropathologic findings, according to a new article published online by JAMA Neurology.

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Girl Scouts and their parents reported increases in energy-saving behaviors, such as turning off power strips at night and washing clothes in cold water, after the children participated in an intervention program, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Energy.

The new energy conservation program was developed by researchers from Oregon State University and Stanford University, who designed and tested the program's effectiveness with 30 Girl Scout troops in northern California.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Researchers are learning whether a simple part of our diets might be linked to a healthier weight - and it has nothing to do with carbs, fat or protein.

The potential secret weapon? Water.

People who are obese and have a higher body mass index (BMI) are more likely to be inadequately hydrated and vice versa, suggests new research from the University of Michigan published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

PHILADELPHIA -State mandates requiring commercial health plans to cover the cost of services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have resulted in an increased number of children being diagnosed and treated for ASD, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings will be published in the July 11th issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

Researchers have found that the parts of the inner ear that process sounds such as speech and music seem to work differently than other parts of the inner ear. Researchers from Linköping University are part of the team behind the discovery.

"This helps us understand the mechanisms that enable us to perceive speech and music. We hope that more knowledge about the capabilities of the ear will lead to better treatments for the hearing impaired," says Anders Fridberger, professor of neuroscience at Linköping University.

(Boston)--According to a recent Framingham Heart Study, people who experience the heart arrhythmia atrial fibrillation (AF), may also suffer from a smaller brain, specifically reduced frontal lobe volume.