ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Development of personalized cellular therapy for brain cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:51 AM PST Immune cells engineered to seek out and attack a type of deadly brain cancer were found to be both safe and effective at controlling tumor growth in mice that were treated with these modified cells, a study concludes.

Teen brain scans reveal a key to weight loss Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST MRI scans of teenagers who had successfully lost weight and kept it off show that they have higher levels of executive function -- the ability to process and prioritize competing interests. Executive function is a trait that can be improved, scientists say.

Autism genes activate during fetal brain development Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST Mutations that cause autism in children are connected to a pathway that regulates brain development, scientists have found. The researchers studied a set of well-known autism mutations called copy number variants or CNVs. They investigated when and where the genes were expressed during brain development.

Epigenomics of Alzheimer's disease progression Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:13 AM PST Our susceptibility to disease depends both on the genes that we inherit from our parents and on our lifetime experiences. These two components -- nature and nurture -- seem to affect very different processes in the context of Alzheimer's disease. A new study of epigenomic modifications reveals the immune basis of Alzheimer's disease.

An empty stomach can lead to an empty wallet Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:38 AM PST Looking to save money on your next shopping trip? Better eat something before you head to the mall. According to new research, hunger increases our intention to acquire not only food, but also nonfood objects.

High-powered X-ray laser unlocks mechanics of pain relief without addiction Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:38 AM PST Scientists have solved the structure of a bifunctional peptide bound to a neuroreceptor that offers pain relief without addiction. Opiate drugs like morphine relieve pain by targeting mu receptors. While they effectively work by doing so, their prolonged use causes a growing tolerance to the drug and, ultimately, physical dependence.

Recovering attention after a stroke: Brain's right hemisphere may be more valuable Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST The right hemisphere may assist a damaged left hemisphere recover visual attention after a stroke, new research suggests. "The results demonstrate that the tasks we do every day change how the brain pays attention to the world around us. By understanding how these changes occur in healthy individuals, we can focus on behaviors that are impaired in stroke patients and provide a focus for rehabilitation," one researcher noted.

New insights into origins of the world's languages Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:34 AM PST Linguists have long agreed that languages from English to Greek to Hindi, known as 'Indo-European languages', are the modern descendants of a language family that first emerged from a common ancestor spoken thousands of years ago. Now, a new study gives us more information on when and where it was most likely used. Using data from over 150 languages, linguists provide evidence that this ancestor language originated 5,500 - 6,500 years ago on the Pontic-Caspian steppe.

Brace yourself: Study finds people can use different strategies to prepare for stress Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:31 AM PST People are not consistent in how they prepare mentally to deal with arguments and other stressors, with each individual displaying a variety of coping behaviors, research shows. In addition, the study found that the coping strategies people used could affect them the following day.

A bodyguard for your ears: Scientists discover novel pain sensors in inner ear that warn of dangerously loud noise Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST Our hearing has a secret bodyguard, a newly discovered connection from the cochlea to the brain that warns of intense incoming noise that causes tissue damage and hearing loss. Scientists believe it's the ear's novel pain system designed to protect it from dangerous noise. Because the ear doesn't have the nerve cells that normally detect pain, it needs its own alert system. The findings could usher new treatments for painful hearing conditions like tinnitus and hyperacusis.

A good night's sleep keeps your stem cells young Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:29 AM PST Environmental stress is a major factor in driving DNA damage in adult hematopoietic stem cells, researchers have found, concluding that a good night's sleep keeps your stem cells "young."

Basic personality changes linked to unemployment, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:22 AM PST Unemployment can change peoples' core personalities, making some less conscientious, agreeable and open, which may make it difficult for them to find new jobs, according to new research.

Can you judge a man by his fingers? Link between relative lengths of index and ring fingers in men and behavior towards women Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:21 AM PST Men with short index fingers and long ring fingers are on average nicer towards women. This phenomenon stems from their fetal life, and the hormones these men have been exposed to in their mother's womb. The findings might help explain why these men have more children.

Men more dissatisfied with extra chores in more gender equal countries Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:18 AM PST Men are more likely to feel it's unfair when they tackle a greater share of household chores in countries where a more egalitarian division of labor is considered the norm, according to a new study.

Brain's iconic seat of speech goes silent when we actually talk Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:18 AM PST The brain's speech area, named after 19th century French physician Pierre Paul Broca, shuts down when we talk out loud, according to a new study that challenges the long-held assumption that 'Broca's area' governs all aspects of speech production.

People who believe they were 'born that way' more inclined to blame God for bad behavior Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:16 AM PST People are more likely to blame God for their bad moral behavior when they believe they were born to act that way, according to an ongoing project on spirituality and religion.

Many pregnant teens use alcohol and drugs, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:30 AM PST Many teenagers, especially younger teens, may not be getting the message about the risks of using alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy, researchers say -- but that having involved parents and being engaged academically can help.

Is the flame retardant, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a reproductive or developmental toxicant? Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:20 AM PST Two studies examined the effects of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) at oral doses of 10,100 or 1000 mg/kg bw/day over the course of 2 generations on growth as well as behavioral, neurological and neuropathologic functions in offspring.

Menthol increases nicotine exposure, worsens addiction Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:20 AM PST Menthol in cigarettes reduces irritation of the airways and increases a critical marker of nicotine exposure, researchers report. "Menthol may increase the numbers of smokers – they get addicted quicker and have a harder time quitting. It's a tool to make people addicted," authors of the new study conclude.

New growth factor indicates possible regenerative effects in Parkinson's disease Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:30 AM PST Researchers have long sought treatments that can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. Current treatments have for decades been only symptomatic in nature, supplying the neurotransmitter dopamine, which the dying nerve cells can no longer produce. Results from a recent clinical study offer hope that future therapies could take advantage of the brain's own protective mechanisms to limit neuronal cell death and restore dopamine production to natural levels. In the first time in humans, researchers have applied a growth factor to the brain with the hope of preserving dopaminergic cells and fibers.

Mulling the marijuana munchies: How the brain flips the hunger switch Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:27 AM PST The 'munchies,' or that uncontrollable urge to eat after using marijuana, appear to be driven by neurons in the brain that are normally involved in suppressing appetite, according to a new study.