ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Family income, child behavior factors in legal disputes about kids with autism Posted: 12 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST A national survey of parents of kids with autism indicates these families with higher incomes are more likely to use their procedural safeguards -- including mediation and due process hearings -- to solve disputes with schools over their children's education.

Up in smoke or bottoms up: How policy could affect substance abuse Posted: 12 Jan 2015 03:13 PM PST Half of young drivers who died in car crashes in American states such as California, Hawaii and West Virginia were under the influence of either alcohol or marijuana, or both. This is the story told by the statistics recording fatal road accidents involving 16- to 25-year-olds in nine US states.

BPA and BPS (substitute for BPA) affect embryonic brain development in zebrafish: Low levels of chemicals linked to hyperactivity Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:46 PM PST Bisphenol A, known as BPA, is produced in massive quantities around the world for use in consumer products, including household plastics. In response to public concerns, many manufacturers have replaced BPA with a chemical called bisphenol S (BPS), which is often labeled as "BPA-free" and presumed to be safer by consumers. Scientists have provided evidence that both BPA and BPS cause alterations in brain development leading to hyperactivity in zebrafish.

Computers using digital footprints are better judges of personality than friends and family Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:44 PM PST Researchers have found that, based on enough Facebook Likes, computers can judge your personality traits better than your friends, family and even your partner. Using a new algorithm, researchers have calculated the average number of Likes artificial intelligence (AI) needs to draw personality inferences about you as accurately as your partner or parents.

Pediatricians miss autism symptoms in brief checkups Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:56 AM PST Researchers studied pediatric exams where care providers performed autism observations for 15-33-month-old children. Even the researchers missed referrals for 39 percent of the children with autism, based on the brief observation alone. Parents are the experts for their children, and researchers explain that tools are available for parents to be educated, and in doing so, they can work with care providers and have an impact on their children's care.

New research on what the nose 'knows' reveals an unexpected simplicity Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:54 AM PST Two types of neuronal processors found in the rat olfactory bulb solve the difficult problem of identifying constantly fluctuating environmental odors through linear summation. A team working for 5 years across two continents have made thist surprising discovery, explaining that it's an operation no less straightforward than the one a child uses to add or multiply numbers.

Possible new target for treating brain inflammation found Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:39 AM PST An enzyme that produces a class of inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain has been identified by researchers. Abnormally high levels of these molecules appear to cause a rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder, they report.

Virtual reality brain training game can detect mild cognitive impairment, a condition that often predates Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 12 Jan 2015 08:04 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated the potential of a virtual supermarket cognitive training game as a screening tool for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among a sample of older adults. MCI is a condition that often predates Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is characterized by memory loss and inability to execute complex activities such as financial planning.

Curcumin's ability to fight Alzheimer's studied Posted: 12 Jan 2015 08:04 AM PST One of the most promising new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease may already be in your kitchen. Curcumin, a natural product found in the spice turmeric, has been used by many Asian cultures for centuries, and a new study indicates a close chemical analog of curcumin has properties that may make it useful as a treatment for the brain disease.

Disruptive children benefit from tailored classroom intervention Posted: 12 Jan 2015 08:03 AM PST Kindergartners and first graders with high maintenance temperaments showed less disruptive behavior and more active engagement and on-task behavior in the classroom, thanks to a program that helps teachers, parents, and students recognize and adapt to individual differences.

Researchers dispute warning that drugs for high cholesterol could impair memory, cognitive functioning Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:31 AM PST Review of clinical trials show no link between statin use and changes in cognition, say researchers who question whether there is substance to the US Food and Drug Agency's recent warning that statins could affect the memory, attention span and other cognitive abilities of people who take this drug to control high cholesterol. This follows a systematic review of 25 clinical trials incorporating nearly 47,000 people.

Do viruses make us smarter? Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:31 AM PST Inherited viruses that are millions of years old play an important role in building up the complex networks that characterize the human brain, researchers say. They have found that retroviruses seem to play a central role in the basic functions of the brain, more specifically in the regulation of which genes are to be expressed, and when.

Involuntary hospitalization of patients with anorexia nervosa in extreme situations can save their lives Posted: 12 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST Involuntary hospitalization of patients with anorexia nervosa in extreme situations can save their lives, experts report. Anorexia nervosa affects 0.5%-1% of women during their lifetimes, and about one tenth that number of men, putting the lives of patients with anorexia at risk in severe cases of the illness.

Brain protein aids influenza recovery, scientists find Posted: 12 Jan 2015 05:30 AM PST A brain protein that boosts the healing power of sleep and speeds an animal's recovery from the flu has been discovered by researchers who say that the discovery could lead to alternative treatments for influenza and other infectious diseases, possibly by using intranasal sprays to stimulate the production of the brain protein, called AcPb.

The brain thinks, the spinal cord implements: Research team identifies important control mechanisms for walking Posted: 12 Jan 2015 05:29 AM PST Even after complete spinal paralysis, the human spinal cord is able to trigger activity in the leg muscles using electrical pulses from an implanted stimulator. Now researchers have succeeded in identifying the mechanisms the spinal cord uses to control this muscle activity. These mechanisms still work even if the neural pathways from the brain are physically interrupted as the result of a spinal cord injury. This is the first time throughout the world that the spinal-cord activation patterns for walking have been decoded.

United States: Mental health care lacking in state, federal prisons Posted: 12 Jan 2015 05:19 AM PST A significant portion of state and federal prisoners are not receiving treatment for mental health conditions, according to research. Mental health disorders among prisoners have consistently exceeded rates of disorders in the general population. Twenty six percent of prisoners reported a mental health diagnosis in the study, compared to 18 percent in the general population in 2012, according to the National Institutes of Health.