ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Relationship between religion and educational attainment Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:03 PM PST Researchers have long studied and documented the influence religion has on social groups; however, few have examined the role it plays in education. A new research article examines the relationship between religion and educational attainment in the US.

Lucid dreams and metacognition: Awareness of thinking; awareness of dreaming Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:51 AM PST To control one's dreams and to live 'out there' what is impossible in real life -- a truly tempting idea. Some persons -- so-called lucid dreamers -- can do this. Researchers have discovered that the brain area which enables self-reflection is larger in lucid dreamers. Thus, lucid dreamers are possibly also more self-reflecting when being awake.

Why all-nighters don't work: How sleep, memory go hand-in-hand Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:17 AM PST Scientists have long known that sleep, memory and learning are deeply connected but how has remained a mystery. The question is, does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or do two distinct processes work together? In other words, is memory consolidated during sleep because the brain is quiet or are memory neurons actually putting us to sleep? In a recent paper, researchers make a case for the latter.

Stalking versus cyberstalking: Effects on victims, their responses compared Posted: 23 Jan 2015 08:07 AM PST The devastating effects of stalking and cyberstalking – harassing or threatening communication via the Internet – are explored in a new study. Key among the findings is that victims of cyberstalking engage in more 'self-protective' behaviours -- such as changing their normal routines or getting a new email address -- than victims of stalking.

Climate affects development of human speech Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:25 AM PST A correlation between climate and the evolution of language has been uncovered by researchers. To find a relationship between the climate and the evolution of language, one needs to discover an association between the environment and vocal sounds that is consistent throughout the world and present in different languages. And that is precisely what a group of researchers has done.

Live broadcast from inside the nerve cell Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:22 AM PST Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's are caused by defect and aggregated proteins accumulating in brain nerve cells that are thereby paralyzed or even killed. In healthy cells this process is prevented by the proteasome, which removes the defective proteins. Recently, for the first time, researchers observed and structurally characterized proteasomes at work inside healthy brain cells.

Lucky charms: When are superstitions used most? Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:22 AM PST People are more likely to turn to superstitions to achieve a performance goal versus a learning goal, researchers have found.

Mothers don't speak so clearly to their babies Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:20 AM PST People have a distinctive way of talking to babies and small children: We speak more slowly, using a sing-song voice, and tend to use cutesy words like "tummy". While we might be inclined to think that we talk this way because it is easier for children to understand, new research suggests that, surprisingly, mothers may actually speak less clearly to their infants than they do to adults.

New brain pathway offers hope for treating hypogylcemia Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:19 AM PST A novel pathway buried deep within a region of the brain produces a brain hormone that acts as a crucial sensor of blood glucose levels. Learning how the hormone helps orchestrate responses around the body when levels drop too low offers hope for treating hypoglycemia.

The brain's electrical alphabet: Timing, rate underlie neural information, study shows Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:17 AM PST The brain’s alphabet is a mix of rate and precise timing of electrical pulses, researchers have revealed. The study shows that the nervous system features a “multichannel” language that makes up the neural code, or the alphabet that processes information in the brain.

Scientists map brains of the blind to solve mysteries of human brain specialization Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:17 AM PST Studying the brain activity of blind people, scientists are challenging the standard view of how the human brain specializes to perform different kinds of tasks, and shedding new light on how our brains can adapt to the rapid cultural and technological changes of the 21st Century.

New 'systems genetics' study identifies possible target for epilepsy treatment Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:17 AM PST A single gene that coordinates a network of about 400 genes involved in epilepsy could be a target for new treatments, according to research. Epilepsy is a common and serious disease that affects around 50 million people worldwide. The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population. It is known that epilepsy has a strong genetic component, but the risk is related to multiple factors that are 'spread' over hundreds of genes.

Parents' Belief That a Child Will Attend College Plays Big Role in Early Academic Success Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:13 AM PST The factors influencing children's readiness for kindergarten include not only whether they attend preschool, but also their families' behaviors, attitudes and values, research indicates. In addition, parents' expectations go a long way toward predicting children's success throughout their schooling, the researchers found.