July 19, 2018, by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter (HealthDay)—Young adults raised by lesbian moms show the same mental well-being as those who grew up with heterosexual parents, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the July 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, come from the largest, longest-running study to track the development...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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FOR EPILEPTICS, MOZART MAY BE MEDICINAL
New research confirms listening to a much-studied Mozart sonata has an anti-epileptic effect on children. The Mozart Effect—the notion that listening to music of the classical-era master, particularly his sublime Sonata for Two Pianos, can boost brain power—has experienced something of a renaissance. While some claims that circulated during its early ’90s media frenzy have been debunked,...
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Late-life high blood pressure may harm the brain, study says
July 11, 2018 by Marilynn Marchione Decades ago, hundreds of nuns and priests made an extraordinary decision: They agreed to donate their brains upon death to science, hoping to help solve mysteries about Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Now, a study that used their gifts is giving some clues. It reveals that high blood pressure late...
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Game-changer for Parkinson’s disease outcomes
July 10, 2018 by Robyn Mills, University of Adelaide A unique gaming system called ‘OrbIT’ will play a lead role in the fight to improve life for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, thanks to funding from the Estate of the late Olga Mabel Woolger. Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in...
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Researchers discover llama-derived nanobody can be potential therapy for hard-to-treat diseases
Finding holds promise to advance targeted treatment for neurological diseases and cancer CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found a nanobody that holds promise to advance targeted therapies for a number of neurological diseases and cancer. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Sahil Gulati, of the Department...
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Huntington’s disease—how brain training games could help
July 9, 2018 by Emma Yhnell, The Conversation In the search for new treatments, science often focuses on medication first. But drugs aren’t the only way to fight illness, particularly when looking at brain diseases. My research looks into how playing specially designed computer games might help people who are living with Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s is a brain disorder that gets...
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Scientists have discovered a new type of depression: Finding will pave the way for new treatments for 30% of patients who do not respond to drugs
Some mice with symptoms respond to drugs that act on ‘feel-good hormones’ Yet such medications have no effect on the mental states of other rodents Thought to be due to animals having different receptor levels for such hormones Findings may lead to new antidepressants that benefit more sufferers Around 7% of adults in the US...
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Huge meta-study confirms link between autoimmune disorders and psychosis
One of the most compelling hypotheses in scientific research today is the growing belief that psychiatric disorders are potentially related to immune system irregularities. A team from King’s College London has added substantial weight to that idea with a massive meta-analysis confirming that people with autoimmune disorders are consistently more likely to develop psychotic disorders. A study...
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Direct conversion of non-neuronal cells into nerve cells
In 2012, a team of scientists headed by Professor Benedikt Berninger first succeeded in reprogramming connective tissue cells present in the brain into neurons. Until now, however, it was completely unknown which intermediate states these pericytes pass through in the process, and how relevant these states are for successful reprogramming. Berninger and his team have...
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Scientists can predict intelligence from brain scans
If you’ve ever lied about your IQ to seem more intelligent, it’s time to fess up. Scientists can now tell how smart you are just by looking at a scan of your brain. Actually, to be more precise, the scientists themselves aren’t looking at your brain scan; a machine-learning algorithm they’ve developed is. In a...