Neuroscience News

Babies Can Form Abstract Relations Before They Learn Words

Babies are able to learn abstract relations before the first year of life. Image credit: Kang Heungbo.
May 26, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Child Development, infants are capable of understanding abstract relations like ‘same’ and ‘different.’ Babies are able to learn abstract relations before the first year of life. Image credit: Kang Heungbo. “This suggests that a skill key to human intelligence is present very early in human development, and that language skills are not necessary for learning abstract relations,” said Dr...

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The experimental setup of the invisible body condition, left panel, and the mannequin condition. The participants were fitted with a set of head-mounted displays that showed the real-time 3-D video feed of a pair of downward-facing cams that were mounted on the wall or on the head of a mannequin. The scientist applied touches to the participants’ body and the corresponding body part of the invisible body/mannequin using a paintbrush. The grayed-out body in the left panel illustrates the discrete portion of empty space that was meant to represent the invisible body. Two sample frames of the actual visual stimuli presented in head-mounted displays are shown below, featuring the brushing procedure and knife threat event for the two conditions, respectively. Image credit: Arvid Guterstam et al.

Neuroscientists Create Illusion of Having Invisible Body

Apr 24, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the feeling of invisibility changes physical stress response in challenging social...

Curiosity helps learning and memory, scientists say. Anonymous painter, 15th century - Cahiers de Science et Vie no. 114.

New Study Provides Insight into How Piquing Curiosity Changes Our Brains

Oct 3, 2014 by News Staff

The more curious we are about a topic, the easier it is to learn information about that topic. A new study carried out by California University scientists...

Brain-to-brain communication system overview. On the left, the brain-computer interaction subsystem is shown schematically, including electrodes over the motor cortex and the EEG amplifier/transmitter wireless box in the cap. Motor imagery of the feet codes the bit value 0, of the hands codes bit value 1. On the right, the computer-brain interface system is illustrated, highlighting the role of coil orientation for encoding the two bit values. Communication between the brain-computer interaction and computer-brain interface system components is mediated by the Internet. Image credit: Grau C et al.

Neuroscientists Demonstrate Direct Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans

Sep 4, 2014 by News Staff

In a groundbreaking study, scientists led by Dr Giulio Ruffini of Starlab Barcelona, Spain, have successfully transmitted the words ‘hola’ and ‘ciao’...

Blue light may increase hunger. Image credit: Alexofdodd / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Blue Light Exposure before Evening Meal Linked to Increased Hunger

Jun 17, 2014 by News Staff

Blue-enriched light exposure immediately before the evening meal may increase hunger, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep (abstract...

Rats show regret too. Image credit: Duke University.

Rats Can Feel Regret Like Humans, Study Reveals

Jun 10, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, rats can feel regret – a cognitive behavior once thought to be uniquely human. Rats...

This drawing shows several of the most important brain structures. Image credit: National Institute for Aging.

Bilingualism Benefits Aging Brain, Scientists Say

Jun 5, 2014 by News Staff

Individuals who speak two or more languages, even those who acquired the second language in adulthood, may slow down cognitive decline from aging, according...

Researchers mapped brain activity when volunteers read poetry and prose. The results show that poetry is like music to the human mind. Image credit: Jens Langner.

fMRI Study Reveals Differences in Brain Response to Poetry and Prose

Oct 11, 2013 by News Staff

Researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, have used the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to map the different ways in which...

Acute brain slice: thin brain slices allow the selective study of a neural circuit in isolation not possible in intact organism; here one can also selectively manipulate the conditions and observe their specific effect. Image credit: Bhuminder Singh.

Future of Neurophysiology: to Slice or not to Slice?

Oct 1, 2013 by Bhuminder Singh

We would like to think that scientific efforts are free of trends and human whims and proceed in a straight line for the good of humanity; but this is...

This image shows a monocyte - a type of white blood cell and part of the human body's immune system (Adam Orlando / University of Massachusetts Amherst).

Immune Cells in Brain Can Influence Your Mood

Aug 27, 2013 by News Staff

According to a new mice study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, immune system cells called to the brain in response to stress lead to anxiety symptoms. This...

The study finds red light least harmful, while blue light is worst. Image credit: Bryan William Jones / University of Utah.

Night Light Color May Affect Your Mood, Suggests Study

Aug 23, 2013 by News Staff

A new animal study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that nocturnal light exposure may induce depressive responses and alter neuronal structure. The...

Loyola University Medical Center researchers have described a 60-year-old woman with history of bilateral hearing impairment and tinnitus who experienced both recognizable and non-recognizable songs. Image credit: Meridian School, Seattle, WA.

Scientists Report Unique Case of Musical Hallucination

Aug 22, 2013 by News Staff

Researchers at the Loyola University Medical Center have reported the first known case of a patient hallucinating music that was familiar to people around...

Stylized structural diagram of oxytocin (DARPA).

Love Hormone Oxytocin Can Cause Emotional Pain, New Study Says

Aug 11, 2013 by News Staff

New research reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience says that oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of love, social bonding and well-being, can...

The study sheds new light on the link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Image credit: Sweet Briar College.

New Study Confirms Link between Poor Sleep and Obesity

Aug 7, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a study published in journal Nature Communications, sleep deprivation can make us crave junk food more than healthy food. The study sheds...

The California sea hare, Aplysia californica

Neuroscientists Reverse Memory Loss in Animal Brain Cells

Apr 18, 2013 by News Staff

A team of neuroscientists from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston reversed memory loss in nerve cells of the California sea hare (Aplysia...

The discovery of a new molecular mechanism that helps trigger long-term memory formation adds a piece to the puzzle in the ongoing effort to uncover the mysteries of memory (University of Minnesota)

Neuroscientists Discover New Molecular Mechanism for Long-Term Memory Formation

Apr 1, 2013 by News Staff

A team of researchers led by Dr Marcelo Wood from the University of California at Irvine has discovered a new molecular mechanism that helps trigger long-term...

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