10/29/2009 - 3:49pm

Sometimes, Sugar Might Be Good For You

We all know by now that sugar is generally not a good thing for our bodies- empty calories, diabetes, bad for your teeth- there is not much to be said for sugar...until now.

Prof. Roy Baumeister, in his psychology lab at Florida State University in Tallahassee, asked subjects to perform a mentally taxing task (watching video while being careful to ignore random words scrolling across the bottom of the screen).

10/28/2009 - 3:15pm

Scientists Find How Brains Keep Track of Time

Keeping track of time and remembering things that happened in the past is one of the brain’s most important functions. A recent study has identified the neurons in primate brains that code time.

Neuroscientists have theorized that the brain “time stamps” events as they happen, allowing us to keep track of where we are and when past events occurred. Scientists were not able to find evidence that such time stamps existed. But a study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has now found that missing evidence.

10/27/2009 - 12:08pm

Scientists Find Way to Reverse Insomnia-Induced Cognitive Impairment

Sleep deprivation affects cognitive function and learning and memory are the cognitive functions most affected by lack of sleep. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a molecular pathway in the brain that causes the cognitive impairment due to insomnia. They have also found that by reducing the concentration of a specific enzyme that builds up in the hippocampus, they can reduce the inability to focus, learn or memorize that is symptomatic of sleep deprivation.

10/26/2009 - 11:38am

Brain Trauma and Amateur Athletes

Recent news items have brought to light the increased incidence of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related diseases in retired professional football players. The high incidence of brain disorders and cognitive decline is thought to be caused by the many head traumas professional football players receive during their careers.

10/26/2009 - 9:38am

Music and the Brain

Several interesting studies about Music and the Brain were presented at the 158th Acoustical Society of America meeting that was held in San Antonio in October.

Music Can Train the Brain

One study of the brain’s electrical and magnetic signals showed that musical training changes the auditory cortex-the part of the brain where the processing of sound takes place.

10/19/2009 - 10:59am

Harvard Hockey Team First to Use New Type of Helmet to Reduce Concussions

Ice hockey is another sport where players suffer concussions on a regular basis. The NFL has already produced a study that showed how ex-NFL players suffer from a higher percentage of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related disease than does the regular population. It is thought that concussions and continuous hits to the head cause cognitive problems in later years.

Harvard’s equipment manager, John O’Donnell has purchased a new type of helmet for the Harvard Hockey Team to help reduce the number of head injuries, to make the game safer and to keep players off the bench and in the game.

10/18/2009 - 4:42pm

Pet Dementia: Older Dogs and Cats Can Get Dementia Too

According to Dr. Shawn Messonnier, a holistic vet who has written a new book, Unexpected Miracles (Forge Books), millions of older dogs and cats are affected by dementia.

The signs of canine and cat dementia, according to Messonnier, could be deafness, lethargy, excess sleep, house-training problems, string at the wall, occasionally not recognizing its owner and in a general lack of awareness of its surroundings.

10/05/2009 - 2:53pm

Surrealism for Sharper Thinking

Psychologists at the University of California in Santa Barbara and the University of British Columbia have shown that when subjects are exposed to surrealistic stories the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning are enhanced.

09/24/2009 - 3:55pm

Teamwork Raises Your Pain Threshold

Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology have found that when people act together as a group in close synchrony, their ability to withstand pain increases.

09/24/2009 - 11:52am

Chemotherapy Affects More Than Memory

Although chemotherapy saves the lives of millions of cancer patients each year, it takes a significant toll on the cognitive function and emotional lives of the survivors.