ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Team enlarges brain samples, making them easier to image Posted: 15 Jan 2015 12:29 PM PST Researchers have discovered a method that enlarges tissue samples by embedding them in a polymer that swells when water is added. This technique, which uses inexpensive, commercially available chemicals and microscopes commonly found in research labs, should give many more scientists access to super-resolution imaging, the researchers say.

Women who experience 'postpartum' depression before giving birth may face greater risk Posted: 15 Jan 2015 12:28 PM PST Postpartum depression (PPD) may have a diverse clinical presentation and this has critical implications for diagnosis, treatment and understanding the underlying biology of the illness, a new study finds. "Clinicians should be aware of the diverse presentation of women with postpartum depression," said a corresponding collaborator of the study. "A thorough assessment of a women's history is necessary to guide appropriate clinical and treatment decisions."

Study supports new explanation of gender gaps in academia Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:22 AM PST It isn't that women don't want to work long hours or can't compete in highly selective fields, and it isn't that they are less analytical than men, researchers report in a study of gender gaps in academia. It appears instead that women are underrepresented in academic fields whose practitioners put a lot of emphasis on the importance of being brilliant -- a quality many people assume women lack.

What causes brain problems after traumatic brain injury? Studies have a surprising answer Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:48 AM PST There is a widespread misunderstanding about the true nature of traumatic brain injury and how it causes chronic degenerative problems, researchers argue. The authors propose that chronic brain damage and neuropsychiatric problems after trauma are largely caused by long-term inflammation in the brain. They say inflammation is a key culprit behind the symptoms linked with TBI, including brain atrophy and depression.

How midbrain map continuously updates visuospatial memory Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:48 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new physiological system that continuously updates the remembered location of visual targets. The finding also suggests that continuous updating of signals could emerge in other visuomotor areas of the brain.

Discovery of CLPB gene associated with a new pediatric mitochondrial syndrome Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:47 AM PST A new study describes a new pediatric mitochondrial syndrome and discovery of the responsible gene, called CLPB. Researchers report findings based on gene mapping and exome sequencing in five children with CLPB-related disease. These patients had strikingly similar clinical findings including cataracts, severe psychomotor regression during febrile episodes, epilepsy, neutropenia with frequent infections, urinary excretion of 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, and death in early childhood.