Brain

BOSTON (Dec. 3, 2013) – The ability to localize the source of sound is important for navigating the world and for listening in noisy environments like restaurants, an action that is particularly difficult for elderly or hearing impaired people. Having two ears allows animals to localize the source of a sound. For example, barn owls can snatch their prey in complete darkness by relying on sound alone.

Philadelphia, PA, December 3, 2013 – A new paper published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) not only reduces symptoms but also affects the underlying biology of this disorder.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Prenatal exposure to alcohol severely disrupts major features of brain development that potentially lead to increased anxiety and poor motor function, conditions typical in humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), according to neuroscientists at the University of California, Riverside.

The electrophysiological properties of potassium ion channels are regarded as a basic index for determining the functional differentiation of neural stem cells. A recent study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013) showed that the proliferating neural stem cells selected were capable of differentiating into neural cells, and the differentiation process was accompanied by the expression of potassium currents. After 2 weeks of differentiation and development, the potassium current density increased sharply.

Synaptosomal-associated protein-25 is an important factor for synaptic functions and cognition. Prof. Zhong Wang and team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, China verified that synaptosomal-associated protein-25 expression in the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and cerebellum significantly lower at days 1 and 3 following subarachnoid hemorrhage using immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis.

Neurological functions following spinal cord injury have generally been assessed using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale. However, the scale primarily evaluates motor function, and little attention has been given to autonomic nerve functions, such as defecation, sweating or skin response. The sympathetic skin response test is a simple, safe, noninvasive electrophysiological detection method, and can objectively assess autonomic nerve functions in patients with spinal cord injury. According to a study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have become part of educational vernacular, as colleges, universities and other institutions strive to raise the profile of the areas of study and the number of graduates in each field.

Now a project from the University of Houston College of Education Urban Talent Research Institute encourages the incorporation of creative endeavors to attract more and better STEM students.

CHICAGO – Researchers have used radioimmunotherapy (RIT) to destroy remaining human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cells in the blood samples of patients treated with antiretroviral therapy, offering the promise of a strategy for curing HIV infection. Results of the study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Conjuring up a visual image in the mind — like a sunny day or a night sky — has a corresponding effect on the size of our pupils, as if we were actually seeing the image, according to new research.

These findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggest that the size of our pupils is not simply a mechanistic response, but one that also adjusts to a subjective sense of brightness.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Movements so minute they cannot be detected by the human eye are being analyzed by researchers to diagnose autism spectrum disorder and determine its severity in children and young adults, according to research presented at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in November.

Vitamin D decreases pain in women with type 2 diabetes and depression, according to a study conducted at Loyola University Chicago. These findings were presented at an Oct. 24, 2013 research conference at Loyola's Health Sciences Campus.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with depression and pain, but few studies have looked at how pain may affect the treatment of depression in patients with type 2 diabetes and no studies have evaluated the role of vitamin D supplementation on this association.

A single dose of the hormone oxytocin, delivered via nasal spray, has been shown to enhance brain activity while processing social information in children with autism spectrum disorders, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study published in the Dec. 2 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New York, NY – New York, NY – Age-related cognitive decline and changes in the nervous system are closely linked, but up until recently, they were thought to result from the loss of neurons in areas such as the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain important in working memory. A series of papers have shown that the "loss of neurons" concept is simply not true. Now, Mount Sinai scientists have begun to look elsewhere, focusing instead on synaptic health in the prefrontal cortex.

PHILADELPHIA—A new brain connectivity study from Penn Medicine published today in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that's lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior.

(Boston) – Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found further evidence that exercise may be beneficial for brain health and cognition. The findings, which are currently available online in Behavioural Brain Research, suggest that certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory.

Hormones called growth factors are thought to mediate the relationship between exercise and brain health. The hippocampus, a region of the brain crucial for learning and memory, is thought to be uniquely affected by these hormones.