ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Research of plain wren duets could help further understand fundamentals of conversation Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST Known for their beautiful singing duets, plain wrens of Costa Rica perform precise phrase-by-phrase modifications to the duration between two consecutive phrases, achieving careful coordination as their songs unfold. A new study shows that these songbirds achieve precise coordination by adjusting the period between two consecutive phrases (inter-phrase intervals), depending on whether their song is answered, the phrase type used in the duet and the position of the inter-phrase interval within the duet.

Introverts prefer mountains Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:13 PM PST In a series of three studies, researchers tested whether there is a link between personality and an aspect of physical ecology: flat terrain versus mountainous terrain. The study found that only one of the Big Five personality traits predicted terrain preference -- extraversion.

New compounds protect nervous system from the structural damage characteristic of multiple sclerosis Posted: 27 Feb 2015 03:10 PM PST A newly characterized group of pharmacological compounds block both the inflammation and nerve cell damage seen in mouse models of multiple sclerosis, according to a study. Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord, where for unknown reasons, the body's immune system begins an inflammatory attack against myelin, the protective nerve coating that surrounds nerve fibers. Once myelin is stripped from these fibers, the nerve cells become highly susceptible to damage, which is believed to underlie their destruction, leading to the steady clinical decline seen in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.

Intimate partners with low self-esteem stay in unhappy relationships Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:48 PM PST People with low self-esteem are more likely stay in unhappy relationships, suggests new research. Sufferers of low self-esteem tend not to voice relationship complaints with their partner because they fear rejection.

Reviving drugs with anti-stroke potential, minus side effects Posted: 27 Feb 2015 12:48 PM PST Scientists have found NMDA receptor antagonists that can limit damage to the brain in animal models of stroke, apparently without the pronounced side effects seen with similar drugs. Now researchers have found a potential path around this obstacle, they report.

Employees become angry when receiving after-hours email, texts Posted: 27 Feb 2015 10:10 AM PST People who receive electronic correspondence from work after hours become angry more often than not and that can interfere with their personal lives, a new study from a management researcher shows.

Enhancing studies on a possible blood biomarker for traumatic brain injury Posted: 27 Feb 2015 10:09 AM PST New technology could help advance blood biomarker capabilities for improved diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). An estimated 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, and an estimated 5.3 million individuals -- approximately two percent of the U.S. population -- are living with disability as a result of TBI. Traumatic brain injuries can occur from even the slightest bump or blow to the head.

Physician-industry conflict of interest issue from MS patient perspective Posted: 27 Feb 2015 10:09 AM PST A new study explores what multiple sclerosis patients know, or want to know, about their physician’s financial relationship with the pharmaceutical company sponsoring clinical trials.

Aggressive boys tend to develop into physically stronger teens Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:27 AM PST Boys who show aggressive tendencies develop greater physical strength as teenagers than boys who are not aggressive, according to new research. Research has suggested a link between male upper-body strength and aggressive tendencies, but the mechanisms that account for the link are not well understood.

Study challenges theory on unconscious memory system in the brain Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:27 AM PST A long-accepted scientific theory about the role the hippocampus plays in our unconscious memory is being challenged by new research. For decades, scientists have theorized that this part of the brain is not involved in processing unconscious memory, the type that allows us to do things like button a shirt without having to think about it.

High stress for new mothers increases secondhand smoke risk for infants Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:27 AM PST Mothers with a high level of prenatal social stressors -- including possibly less control over their own housing situation or economic distress -- had 2.5 times higher odds to have only a partial or no restriction on smoking in their home than those with no stressors, which increases secondhand smoke risk, a study has found.

Left or right? The brain knows before you move Posted: 27 Feb 2015 08:24 AM PST A neural circuit that connects motor planning to movement has been identified by researchers. The study, the researchers say, explains why injuries that disrupt the brain's ability to carry out movement planning typically impair a person's ability to make movements on just one side of his or her body.

Suicide rates rising for older US adults Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:47 AM PST Suicide rates for adults 40-64 years of age in the US have risen about 40 percent since 1999, with a sharp rise since 2007. One possible explanation could be the detrimental effects of the economic downturn of 2007-2009, leading to disproportionate effects on house values, household finances, and retirement savings for that age group. Researchers found that external economic factors were present in 37.5 percent of all completed suicides in 2010, rising from 32.9 percent in 2005.

Teenagers aren't swayed by celebrity culture as a route to success Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:45 AM PST Young people believe that to get on in life they should work hard, a new study concludes. The study also notes that many teenagers admire celebrities who they think have earned their prosperity and behave respectably.

Dying in front of the camera: What are the impacts? Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:43 AM PST Clips of protesters dying in consequence of current conflicts appear more and more frequently on YouTube. What do they trigger? How do they change the media and the way we perceive things? These are the questions investigated by a media scientist using the example of the conflicts in Iran and Syria. She has realized that images of dying people, even those shot from the dying person’s perspective, are nothing new. What has changed is the quality of the images; the encounter with death is more intense, more intimate. What does that do to the viewer? What impact do such videos have on people affected by conflicts?

Calling the shots: Brain's decision-making structure Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:43 AM PST A key part of the brain involved with decision making, the striatum, appears to operate hierarchically – much like a traditional corporation with executives, middle managers and employees, according to researchers.

Shake it off? Not so easy for people with depression, new brain research suggests Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:40 AM PST Rejected by a person you like? Just "shake it off" and move on, as music star Taylor Swift says. But while that might work for many people, it may not be so easy for those with untreated depression, a new brain study finds. The pain of social rejection lasts longer for them -- and their brain cells release less of a natural pain and stress-reducing chemical called natural opioids.

Women veterans younger, more depressed when referred for heart test Posted: 27 Feb 2015 05:40 AM PST Women veterans face a different home front battle with heart disease. Younger and more depressed when getting attention for chest pain -- heart tests often show a surprising result.

Intermediary neuron acts as synaptic cloaking device Posted: 26 Feb 2015 10:20 AM PST A specific type of neuron might be thwarting researchers' efforts at mapping the connectome by temporarily cloaking the synapses that link a wide field of neurons, report scientists. The researchers found that somatostatin cells send out a signal -- much like a cloaking device - that silences neighboring neurons, making the synapses invisible to researchers. By doing this, somatostatin neurons can change the way the brain functions, heightening some perceptual pathways and silencing others.

Altering perception of feeding state may promote healthy aging Posted: 26 Feb 2015 10:20 AM PST Targeting mechanisms in the central nervous system that sense energy generated by nutrients might yield the beneficial effects of low-calorie diets on healthy aging without the need to alter food intake, suggests new research.

Patient perceptions of physician compassion measured Posted: 26 Feb 2015 09:24 AM PST Cancer patients perceived a higher level of compassion and preferred physicians when they provided a more optimistic message in a clinical trial that used videos with doctors portrayed by actors, according to a new study.

How does the human brain tackle problems it did not evolve to solve? Posted: 25 Feb 2015 10:22 AM PST Online dating, chatty smartphones, and social media played no role in the evolution of our ancestors, yet humans manage to deal with and even exploit these hallmarks of modern living. In a new article, researchers review the latest social neuroscience literature and argue that our ability to respond to the challenges of a fast-changing culture comes from our brains' ability to flexibly combine and repurpose the neural resources that evolution provided us.