ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Heavy drinking in middle-age may increase stroke risk more than traditional factors Posted: 29 Jan 2015 02:03 PM PST Drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day in middle-age raised stroke risks more than traditional factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Heavy drinking in mid-life was linked to having a stroke about five years earlier in life irrespective of genetic and early-life factors.

FDA approves first-of-kind device to treat obesity Posted: 29 Jan 2015 02:03 PM PST The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Maestro Rechargeable System for certain obese adults, the first weight loss treatment device that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach that controls feelings of hunger and fullness.

Is this the year you join the top one percent? Affluence more fluid than once thought Posted: 29 Jan 2015 01:09 PM PST Here's some good news for the New Year: According to new research, there's a 1 in 9 chance that a typical American will hit the jackpot and join the wealthiest 1 percent for at least one year in her or his working life. And now the bad news: That same research says only an elite few get to stay in that economic stratosphere -- and nonwhite workers remain among those who face far longer odds.

Complex environments push 'brain' evolution Posted: 29 Jan 2015 01:08 PM PST Little animations trying to master a computer game are teaching neuroscience researchers how the brain evolves when faced with difficult tasks. Neuroscientists have programmed animated critters that they call 'animats.' The critters have a rudimentary neural system made of eight nodes: two sensors, two motors, and four internal computers that coordinate sensation, movement and memory.

Privacy challenges: Just four vague pieces of info can identify you, and your credit card Posted: 29 Jan 2015 01:08 PM PST Just four fairly vague pieces of information -- the dates and locations of four purchases -- are enough to identify 90 percent of the people in a data set recording three months of credit-card transactions by 1.1 million users. If someone had copies of just three of your recent receipts -- or one receipt, one Instagram photo of you having coffee with friends, and one tweet about the phone you just bought -- would have a 94 percent chance of extracting your credit card records from those of a million other people. This is true, the researchers say, even in cases where no one in the data set is identified by name, address, credit card number, or anything else that we typically think of as personal information.

First-ever view of protein structure may lead to better anxiety drugs Posted: 29 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST When new medicines are invented, the drug may hit the intended target and nullify the symptoms, but nailing a bull's eye -- one that produces zero side effects -- can be quite elusive. New research has, for the first time, revealed the crystal structure of a key protein, TSPO, which is associated with several forms of anxiety disorders.

Individuals may fail to navigate complex tradeoffs in privacy decision-making Posted: 29 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST Researchers have detailed the privacy hurdles people face while navigating in the information age, and what should be done about privacy at a policy level, in a new review.

Public and scientists express strikingly different views about science-related issues Posted: 29 Jan 2015 11:30 AM PST Despite similar views about the overall place of science in America, the general public and scientists often see science-related issues through a different lens, according to a new pair of surveys.

New clues about a brain protein with high affinity for valium Posted: 29 Jan 2015 11:29 AM PST Valium, one of the best known antianxiety drugs, produces its calming effects by binding with a particular protein in the brain. But the drug has an almost equally strong affinity for a completely different protein. New studies revealing atomic level details of this secondary interaction might offer clues about Valium's side effects and point the way to more effective drugs.

Texting may be more suitable than apps in treatment of mental illness Posted: 29 Jan 2015 11:11 AM PST Texting may be a more suitable treatment aid for those with mental illness than mobile applications.This is the key finding of a new study led by researchers from Clemson University in collaboration with researchers from Indiana University and the Centerstone Research Institute. The study was published in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

Walking on ice takes more than brains: 'Mini-brain' in spinal cord aids in balance Posted: 29 Jan 2015 10:28 AM PST Scientists have discovered how a "mini-brain" in the spinal cord aids in balance. Much of the balancing act that our bodies perform when faced with a task such as walking on an icy surface happens unconsciously, thanks to a cluster of neurons in our spinal cord that function as a "mini-brain" to integrate sensory information and make the necessary adjustments to our muscles so that we don't slip and fall, researchers report.

Common pesticide may increase risk of ADHD Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST A new study provides strong evidence, using data from animal models and humans, that exposure to a common household pesticide may be a risk factor for ADHD.

Infants create new knowledge while sleeping Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST There is no rest for a baby's brain -- not even in sleep. While infants sleep they are reprocessing what they have learned. Researchers have discovered that babies of the age from nine to 16 months remember the names of objects better if they had a short nap.

Parkinson's gene linked to lung cancer Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST A gene that is associated with lung cancer has been identified by researchers. Through whole exome sequencing, they identified a link between a mutation in PARK2, a gene associated with early-onset Parkinson's disease, and familial lung cancer.

Functioning brain tissue grown in 3-D structure Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:54 AM PST Researchers have induced human embryonic stem cells to self-organize into a three-dimensional structure similar to the cerebellum, providing tantalizing clues in the quest to recreate neural structures in the laboratory. One of the primary goals of stem-cell research is to be able to replace damaged body parts with tissues grown from undifferentiated stem cells. For the nervous system, this is a particular challenge because not only do specific neurons need to be generated, but they must also be coaxed into connecting to each other in very specific ways.

New deep-brain imaging reveals separate functions for nearly identical neurons Posted: 29 Jan 2015 09:54 AM PST New deep-brain imaging shows activity of individual, genetically similar neurons to particular behaviors of mice. Scientists watched as one neuron was activated when a mouse searched for food while a nearly identical neuron next to it remained inactive until the mouse began eating.

Blame men for political gridlock, study says Posted: 29 Jan 2015 08:37 AM PST Men in survey and experimental data were more likely than women to avoid cross-party political discussion, to judge political arguments based solely on what party is advancing them, and to form strong political opinions about the opposite party's positions without actually listening to the other side's reasoning, researchers report.

Obesity, diabetes symptoms in mice improved by reversing brain inflammation Posted: 29 Jan 2015 07:43 AM PST Using an antioxidant to reverse inflammation in the brain caused by a high-fat diet greatly improves symptoms related to obesity and type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. The research suggests that butein and other natural compounds that block inflammation in the brain should be vigorously investigated as novel anti-diabetic treatments, he says.

Diet, nutrition essential for mental health Posted: 29 Jan 2015 07:42 AM PST Evidence is rapidly growing showing vital relationships between both diet quality and potential nutritional deficiencies and mental health, a new international collaborative study has revealed.

How poverty may affect memory Posted: 29 Jan 2015 07:41 AM PST Investigators have studied whether working memory of children living in rural poverty is distinct from the working memory profiles of children in urban poverty. The results clearly suggest that school-aged low-socioeconomic status children exhibit both verbal and visuospatial working memory deficits, possibly due to increased levels of stress. Children in urban poverty showed symmetric working memory weaknesses, while children in rural poverty had worse visuospatial working memory than verbal working memory.

Novel eye-tracking technology detects concussions, head injury severity Posted: 29 Jan 2015 07:40 AM PST New research could move the medical community one step closer toward effectively detecting concussion and quantifying its severity. Neuroscientists and concussion experts present a unique, simple and objective diagnostic tool for concussion that can be utilized in the emergency room or, one day, on the sidelines at sporting events. The study utilized a novel eye-tracking device to effectively measure the severity of concussion or brain injury in patients presenting to emergency departments following head trauma.

Feelings of loneliness, depression linked to binge-watching television Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:43 AM PST It seems harmless: getting settled in for a night of marathon session for a favorite TV show, like House of Cards. But why do we binge-watch TV, and can it really be harmless? A recent study has found that the more lonely and depressed you are, the more likely you are to binge-watch.

Can synesthesia be taught? Colored letters, tasty sounds? Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:42 AM PST Can synesthesia have cognitive benefits and can it be taught? There are over 60 known types of synesthesia, a condition in which stimulation of one sense, such as taste, leads to automatic, involuntary experience in a second sense. People with synesthesia tend to perform better on memory tasks, particularly involving color, abstract patterns or words and this can also be transferred to creative disciplines such as music.

School failure linked to higher use of computers at home, Spanish study shows Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:42 AM PST Researchers have analyzed the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by secondary school students, by using a sample of 5,538 students. The study, based on surveys taken in the 2010/2011 academic year, finds links between school failure and an elevated use of computers at home.

She thinks friends, he thinks sex Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:41 AM PST Men and women constantly misunderstand each other when it comes to the difference between being friends or sexual partners. But is that also true in a sexually liberal country where gender equality is strong -- like Norway? The answer, surprisingly, is yes.

Love and intimacy in later life: Active sex lives common in the over 70s Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:41 AM PST Older people are continuing to enjoy active sex lives well into their seventies and eighties, according to new research. More than half (54%) of men and almost a third (31%) of women over the age of 70 reported they were still sexually active, with a third of these men and women having frequent sex.

Child maltreatment not a clear path to adult crime Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:39 AM PST Research has long made a connection between childhood abuse and neglect and crime in adulthood. But a new study found that when other life factors are considered, that link all but disappears.

Many religious people view science favorably, but reject certain scientific theories Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:39 AM PST A new study finds that many U.S. adults -- roughly one in five -- are deeply religious, know a lot about science, and support many practical uses of science and technology in everyday life, but reject scientific explanations of creation and evolution.

Gender roles: Men and women are not so different after all Posted: 29 Jan 2015 06:38 AM PST Gender is a large part of our identity that is often defined by our psychological differences as men and women. But a researcher says in reality men and women are more alike than we may think.