Brain

Putnam Valley, NY. (Dec. 23 2013) – A study carried out at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for "The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis" has found that transplanting self-donated Schwann cells (SCs, the principal ensheathing cells of the nervous system) that are elongated so as to bridge scar tissue in the injured spinal cord, aids hind limb functional recovery in rats modeled with spinal cord injury.

The early management of acute thoracolumbar spine and spinal cord injury is one of the most difficult tasks when treating trauma cases. To standardize the evaluation and treatment of acute thoracolumbar spinal injury, the Chinese Association of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury organized a group of Chinese experts to collectively discuss the draft of "An Expert Consensus on the Evaluation and Treatment of Acute Thoracolumbar Spine and Spinal Cord Injury".

Humans with a high motor excitability have a better working memory than humans with a low excitability. This was shown in a study conducted by scientists from the Transfacultary Research Platform at the University of Basel. By measuring the motor excitability, conclusions can be drawn as to the general cortical excitability – as well as to cognitive performance.

Hypoxic preconditioning has been shown to have protective effects against acute cerebral infarction. To investigate the protective mechanisms of hypoxic preconditioning in relation to its effects on angiogenesis, Prof. Xunming Ji and team from Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University in China induced a photochemical model of cerebral infarction in an inbred line of mice (BALB/c) which were exposed to hypoxic preconditioning prior to model establishment. The researchers found that hypoxic preconditioning reduced infarct volume and attenuated the impairment of neurological function.

Transient receptor potential channel A1 is one of the important transducers of noxious stimuli in the primary afferents, which may contribute to generation of neurogenic inflammation and hyperalgesia. However, there is no direct evidence that activation of transient receptor potential channel A1 contributes to neuropeptide release from primary afferent neurons.

WASHINGTON – People who tell themselves to get excited rather than trying to relax can improve their performance during anxiety-inducing activities such as public speaking and math tests, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

NEW YORK, NY (December 22, 2013) — Using high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) imaging in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in mouse models of the disease, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have clarified three fundamental issues about Alzheimer's: where it starts, why it starts there, and how it spreads. In addition to advancing understanding of Alzheimer's, the findings could improve early detection of the disease, when drugs may be most effective. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Prescribing both a stimulant and an antipsychotic drug to children with physical aggression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with teaching parents to use behavior management techniques, reduces aggressive and serious behavioral problems in the children, according to a study conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

MADISON — Even scientists are fond of thinking of the human brain as a computer, following sets of rules to communicate, make decisions and find a meal.

But if the brain is like a computer, why do brains make mistakes that computers don't?

Research by Gary Lupyan, a cognitive scientist and psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shows that our brains stumble on even the simplest rule-based calculations. Instead, humans get caught up in contextual information, even when the rules are as clear-cut as separating even numbers from odd.

DALLAS – Dec. 19, 2013 – UT Southwestern neuroscience researchers have identified a gene that controls the response to cocaine by comparing closely related strains of mice often used to study addiction and behavior patterns.

Computerized neurocognitive testing for concussions is widely used in amateur and professional sports, but little research over the past decade proves its effectiveness, a paper published this month in the journal Neuropsychology Review says.

Jacob Resch, director of the Brain Injury Laboratory at The University of Texas at Arlington, is lead author on the review, which updates a 2005 look at the available research on computerized neurocognitive testing. In 2005, researchers said not enough evidence existed to support clinical use of the then relatively new assessments.

KANSAS CITY, MO—The face you critiqued in the mirror this morning was sculpted before you were born by a transient population of cells called neural crest cells. Those cells spring from neural tissue of the brain and embryonic spinal cord and travel throughout the body, where they morph into highly specialized bone structures, cartilage, connective tissue, and nerve cells.

December 19, 2013 —As Mayor Michael Bloomberg's term comes to a close, the latest research conducted by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public indicates that he leaves a legacy of ambitious public health policies from pioneering restrictions on trans fats and smoking to investments in green spaces and bicycle lanes that have improved the health and increased the life expectancy of New Yorkers.

AMHERST, Mass. – Using a computational model of addiction, a literature review and an in silico experiment, theoretical computer scientist Yariv Levy and colleagues suggest in a new paper this week that rehabilitation strategies coupling meditation-like practices with drug and behavior therapies are more helpful than drug-plus-talk therapy alone when helping people overcome addiction.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Anyone who has tried to learn a second language knows how difficult it is to absorb new words and use them to accurately express ideas in a completely new cultural format. Now, research into some of the fundamental ways the brain accepts information and tags it could lead to new, more effective ways for people to learn a second language.