ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Test of new device that protects brain during heart-valve procedure Posted: 15 Mar 2015 02:04 PM PDT In the first multicenter trial of its kind, researchers tested a new device that lowers the risk of stroke and cognitive decline in patients undergoing heart-valve replacement. "One of the major findings is, for the first time, we're showing that with protection, 55% more patients have completely clean brains -- with no ischemic brain lesions at all," said a researcher. Brain lesions increase risk of dementia and stroke two- to three-fold.

Folic acid supplementation among adults with hypertension reduces risk of stroke Posted: 15 Mar 2015 02:04 PM PDT In a study that included more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure but without a history of stroke or heart attack, the combined use of the hypertension medication enalapril and folic acid, compared with enalapril alone, significantly reduced the risk of first stroke, according to a study.

New quality measures approved for childhood sleep apnea Posted: 13 Mar 2015 02:16 PM PDT A work group of physicians from leading academic medical centers across the United States has developed new quality measures for the detection and treatment of childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a potentially morbid, life-altering condition that affects hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents nationwide.

E-cigarettes can be regulated now without more research, expert says Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT A legal scholar and tobacco control expert says he has developed a research-based roadmap that allows for the immediate regulation of e-cigarettes, and that his proposal would minimize the threats e-cigarettes pose to public health while still enabling them potentially help reduce smoking.

Cochlear implantation improved speech perception, cognitive function in older adults Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:35 AM PDT Cochlear implantation was associated with improved speech perception and cognitive function in adults 65 years or older with profound hearing loss, according to a report. Hearing impairment is associated with cognitive decline, the researcher say.

Received wisdom about mental illness challenged by new report Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:44 AM PDT A new report challenges received wisdom about the nature of mental illness and has led to widespread media coverage and debate in the UK. Many people believe that schizophrenia is a frightening brain disease that makes people unpredictable and potentially violent, and can only be controlled by medication. However the UK has been at the forefront of research into the psychology of psychosis conducted over the last twenty years, and which reveals that this view is false.