Can’t stop putting your hand in the candy dish? Scientists may have found why

A national team of scientists has identified a circuit in the brain that appears to be associated with psychiatric disorders ranging from overeating to gambling, drug abuse and even Parkinson’s disease. “We discovered the brain connections that keep impulsivity in check,” said Scott Kanoski, a neuroscientist and associate professor at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “The key […]

Continue reading »

Scientists identify brain circuit responsible for building memories during sleep

Neuroscientists at the University of Alberta have identified a mechanism that may help build memories during deep sleep. In a study published last month in eNeuro, the researchers focused on the role of the nucleus reuniens, an area of the brain that connects two other brain structures involved in creating memories and may co-ordinate their activity during slow-wave sleep. “Slow […]

Continue reading »

Groundbreaking study improves understanding of brain function

Researchers at KAUST are officially one step closer to understanding the brain and its function. Dr. Corrado Calì, a research scientist specializing in brain imaging at KAUST, and Swiss scientists from the Blue Brain Project (BBP) have shown how lactate is necessary for memory formation and learning, which could lead to improved learning and memory function. The project falls under […]

Continue reading »

Anti-inflammatory agents can effectively and safely curb major depressive symptoms

Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin/paracetamol, statins, and antibiotics, can safely and effectively curb the symptoms of major depression, finds a pooled analysis of the available evidence, published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. And the effects are even stronger when these agents are added on to standard antidepressant treatment, the results show. Around a third of people […]

Continue reading »

Psychiatric diagnoses ‘neither necessary nor sufficient’ for access to NHS care in UK

A new study, published in the Journal of Mental Health, finds psychiatric diagnoses are seldom used as entry criteria for NHS mental health services in the UK. Despite controversy over their validity, and the damage they can do to people who receive the labels, psychiatric diagnoses are usually argued to be essential for accessing care, determining treatment options, communicating between […]

Continue reading »

Deep inside the brain: Mapping the dense neural networks in the cerebral cortex

Mammalian brains, with their unmatched number of nerve cells and density of communication, are the most complex networks known. While methods to analyze neuronal networks sparsely have been available for decades, the dense mapping of neuronal circuits is a major scientific challenge. Researchers from the MPI for Brain Research have now conducted connectomic mapping of brain tissue from the cerebral […]

Continue reading »

The first test to detect dysphagia in patients with cognitive problems

Researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) of the University of Granada (UGR) have designed a test to detect dysphagia, a disorder that prevents people from swallowing when eating. It affects 8 percent of the world’s population. Dysphagia is prevalent among older people in particular (30 percent to 40 percent of the elderly people admitted to hospitals […]

Continue reading »

Penn gets $9.7 million grant to study concussion-related brain damage

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania will lead an international team in a new project to study relationships between brain injuries and various types of neurodegeneration that lead to dementia symptoms. The work will be supported by a five-year, $9.7 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute on Aging, Penn announced Thursday. […]

Continue reading »

Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice

Researchers have discovered in mice how one of the few genes definitively linked to schizophrenia, called SETD1A, likely confers risk for the illness. Mice genetically engineered to lack a functioning version of the enzyme-coding gene showed abnormalities in working memory, mimicking those commonly seen in schizophrenia patients. Restoring the gene’s function corrected the working memory deficit. Counteracting the gene’s deficiencies […]

Continue reading »

New survey shows link between comprehensive antibiotic stewardship programs and infection preventionist certification

Nearly half of all nursing homes do not have adequately trained infection prevention staff and their efforts to combat the over prescription of antibiotics are suffering as a result, according to a new study in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Elderly nursing home residents are more […]

Continue reading »
1 41 42 43 44 45 202