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There could be a very serious problem with the past 15 years of research into human brain activity, with a new study suggesting that a bug in fMRI software could invalidate the results of some 40,000 papers. That's massive, because functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the best tools we have to measure brain activity, and if it’s flawed, it means all those conclusions about what our brains look like

Exercising may help boost memory because it triggers a protein which boosts brain cell growth, scientists believe. For several years, researchers have noticed that aerobic exercise, of the kind which gets the heart pumping, also appears to improve memory and learning. But nobody knew how. Now researchers at the National Institute on Ageing in the US have discovered that when muscles exercise they produce a protein called cathepsin B which travels to the brain and triggers neuron growth. The team has also shown that the levels of the protein soars when humans exercise. "Overall, the message is that a consistently...

Following 98 patients with schizophrenia and 83 without, the team used MRI technology and a special method called "covariance analysis," to distinguish the increase of brain tissue. This is the first time such a method has been used to prove the brain's ability to reverse the illness' effects, and opens doors to possible cures. "Even the state-of-art frontline treatments aim merely for a reduction rather than a reversal of the cognitive and functional deficits caused by the illness," said research team member Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Medical Director at the Prevention & Early Intervention Program for Psychoses at London Science Centre....

A standard brain scanning technique is showing promise for helping doctors distinguish between patients in a vegetative state and those with hidden signs of consciousness. A study released Thursday is the latest to investigate using technology to help meet the challenge of making that distinction, which now is generally based on a doctor's bedside exam. Patients in a vegetative state have open eyes and show periods of sleep and wakefulness, but they are unaware of themselves or others and unable to think, respond or do anything on purpose. Patients in a minimally conscious state show only intermittent and minimal signs...

Feeling drowsy after lunch is completely natural, according to Dr Fiona Kerr, a neuro specialist from the University of Adelaide, who explains that humans are “built for two sleeps a day”.

A 29-Year Study Has Found No Link Between Brain Cancer and Cellphones If, and by how much cellphones increase the risk of brain cancer is a long and disputed argument. No one study is going to settle anything, but one statistical analysis of data in Australia hints at cellphones being reasonably safe. The study examines the incidence of brain cancer in the Australian population between 1982 to 2013. The study pitted the prevalence of mobile phones among the population—starting at 0 percent—against brain cancer rates, using data from national cancer registration data. The results showed a very slight increase in...

Danish research is behind a new epoch-making discovery, which may prove decisive to future brain research. The level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we are asleep or awake. This discovery may be of great importance to research on psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and convulsive fits from lack of sleep as well as post-anaesthetization confusion, according to Professor Maiken Nedergaard. Salts in our brain decide whether we are asleep or awake. For the first time, researchers have shown that the level of salts in our body and brain differ depending on whether we are...

Scientists from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Glasgow University injected mice with a protein called IL-33 on a daily basis, which resulted in a full reversal in cognitive decline and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in a matter of days. Though the tests have so far been limited to rodents, the team believes it possible that the same technique could be used to treat human patients. The mice had been bred to exhibit the same kinds of symptoms as those of Alzheimer’s, though within a week were brought back to their prior cognitive capacities with the protein injections....

(CNN)Scientists have for the first time visualized the effects of LSD on the human brain. Using brain scanning and other techniques, researchers at Imperial College London were able to show what happens when someone takes the popular (and illegal) psychedelic, scientific-name Lysergic acid diethylamide. The findings may indicate how the drug produces the complex visual hallucinations often associated with its use.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Tryptophan and methionine are essential amino acids -- the diet must provide them because cells cannot make them. Normally, the lack of an essential amino acid in the diet can lead to serious diseases and even death. Foods rich in tryptophan and methionine include cheese, lamb, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts and soybeans.

Closing your eyes while you kiss isn’t just romantic, it’s a necessity. That’s the word from scientists in the UK who found that the reason so many lovebirds keep their peepers closed during intimate moments is that our brains are unable to process all the sensations at once. “Shutting out the visual input leaves more mental resources to focus on other aspects of our experience,” the brainiacs say.

Today's Carson / Trump press conference was an extraordinary event.  It answered many questions about the two's relationship.  Both men captivated us with their 45 minute talk where they spoke about each other and explained their passion for the mission ahead: to put America back on the course of greatness. From the beginning of the race, we could sense the men liked and respected each other.  But until today we never quite knew what Carson thought about Trump's political take down of Carson last year.   As you'll recall, in his autobiography, Gifted Hands, Carson claimed he was a...

A 14-year-old girl wounded during the shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, Mich., was declared brain-dead and about to have her organs harvested when she suddenly showed signs of life, according to a new report Monday. Michigan State Police Lt. Dale Hinz told ABC that the girl's family said Bronson Methodist Hospital was preparing to remove the girl's organs for donation when she squeezed her distraught mom's hand. The girl squeezed her mother's hand again when the mom asked if her daughter could hear her, Hinz said. She also gave thumbs-up signs with both hands when a doctor asked her to give...

Are there any memories you'd like to permanently remove from your head? Or what if you could alter unpleasant memories so they're no longer upsetting? Or create entirely new memories of events that never occurred? It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but according to a new documentary that premiered in the US this week, scientists have discovered how to do just that - and more.

"Using a combination of ultrafast chemical fixation and cryogenic storage, it is the first demonstration that near­ perfect, long-term structural preservation of an intact mammalian brain is achievable," the Brain Preservation Foundation wrote in a news release. The team, led by recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Robert McIntyre, filled the vascular system of the rabbit brain with chemicals that prevent decay and allow it to be cooled to -211 degrees Fahrenheit. When thawed, the brain was found to have all of its synapses, cell membranes, and intracellular structures intact. "Every neuron and synapse looks beautifully preserved across the entire...

Did Henry VIII suffer same brain injury as some NFL players? February 3, 2016 by Bill Hathaway Henry VIII may have suffered repeated traumatic brain injuries similar to those experienced by football players and others who receive repeated blows to the head, according to research by a Yale University expert in cognitive neurology. Traumatic brain injury explains the memory problems, explosive anger, inability to control impulses, headaches, insomnia—and maybe even impotence--that afflicted Henry during the decade before his death in 1547, according to a paper published online the week of Feb. 1."It is intriguing to think that modern European history...

Your Brain Has More Memory Than the Internet by Brian Thomas, M.S. * Whoever said the human brain is the most highly organized collection of matter in the universe was more correct than they could have known. New research modeled tiny structures within nerve cells and discovered a clever tactic brains use to increase computing power while maximizing energy efficiency. Its design could form the basis of a whole new and improved class of computer.

New research published today in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine confirms what many of us have suspected for some time: If you smoke a lot of weed -- like a lot of it -- it can potentially do permanent damage to your short-term memory. Professor Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne led a team of researchers who examined data on the marijuana habits of nearly 3,400 Americans over a 25-year period. At the end of the study period, the subjects took a battery of tests designed to assess cognitive abilities -- memory, focus, ability to make quick decisions, etc....

(This conversation has been edited and condensed.) *** There have been some high-profile lies this election season. The most recent that comes to mind is the story about the thousands of Muslims that were supposedly having tailgate-style parties celebrating after 9/11. In the book, you say, essentially, we’re OK with lies. Can you walk me through why we’re built not only for being deceptive, but also tolerating deception? Trump’s supporters don’t particularly care whether he’s lying or not. Our brain doesn’t really care—I know that’s appalling. Our default position is we simply want to be right. This is why our...

Since it’s a topic that never seem to fall very far out of the news these days, I was interested to see an analysis at the Washington Post on the subject of “transgender” Americans and how their status has changed under the current administration. Titled, Obama's quiet transgender revolution, the piece tells a rather sad story of a politically motivated, populist deep dive into the confused end of the pool as our own government moved the goalposts of reality back in marked increments. Years before the White House was lit in rainbow colors celebrating the Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex...