People are more likely to remember specific information such as faces or words if the pattern of activity in their brain is similar each time they study that information, according to new research. The finding challenges psychologists' long-held belief that people retain information more effectively when they study it several times under different contexts and, thus, give their brains multiple cu
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September 10, 2010
People learn new information more effectively when brain activity is consistent, research shows
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August 12, 2010
Inherited Brain Activity Predicts Childhood Risk For Anxiety
A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. The findings, published in the Aug. 12 edition of the journal Nature, may lead to new strategies for early detection and treatment of at-risk children...
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9 Vote(s)
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August 11, 2010
Inherited brain activity predicts childhood risk for anxiety, research finds
A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. The findings may lead to new strategies for early detection and treatment of at-risk children.
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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August 9, 2010
Storytellers and How They Force Their Brainwaves on Their Audience
In a previous post, I suggested that writers were brain manipulators. Now I'm refining the description. It's more like a Vulcan mind meld.A recent experiment by scientists at Princeton University shows neural coupling (coordinated brain activity) between a storyteller and a listener. The researchers used fMRI to scan a speaker's brain as she told an unrehearsed story about an experience from hig
5 Vote(s)
5 Vote(s)
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July 30, 2010
Resting brain activity associated with spontaneous fibromyalgia pain
A recent study provides the first direct evidence of linkage between elevated intrinsic (resting-state) brain connectivity and spontaneous pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia. This research shows an interaction of multiple brain networks, offering greater understanding of how pain arises.
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13 Vote(s)
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July 21, 2010
Every action has a beginning and an end (and it’s all in you brain)
Activity of certain neurons in the brain can signal the initiation and termination of behavioral sequences we learn anew, scientists have discovered. Furthermore, they found that this brain activity is essential for learning and executing novel action sequences, many times compromised in patients suffering from disorders such as Parkinson's or Huntington's.
12 Vote(s)
12 Vote(s)
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July 19, 2010
Tales of Passion and Disgust
Robert Mapplethorpe - St. SebastianThe previous post (Pleasure or Pain?) described the visual stimuli and behavioral results (subjective emotional ratings) from an experiment examining brain activity in response to pictures from four categories: neutral, disgust-inducing, erotic, and sadomasochistic (Stark et al., 2005). The participants were 24 adults, 12 of whom identified as having sadomaso
20 Vote(s)
20 Vote(s)
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February 26, 2010
Area responsible for neuroscience errors located
I liked this funny and recursive brain diagram from tech journalist Quinn Norton that makes fun of our tendency to be wowed by brain scans.The diagram has a good evidence base. A 2008 study found that adding a picture of a brain scan to a scientific argument about human nature made the general public more likely to be believe it even if brain activity wasn't relevant to the point being made.Anoth
7 Vote(s)
7 Vote(s)
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February 23, 2010
Internal and environmental factors trigger unique brain activity in teens
While the otherworldly behavior of teenagers is well documented, researchers have taken a significant step toward finally unraveling the actual brain activity that can drive adolescents to engage in impulsive, self-indulgent, or self-destructive behavior.
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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February 5, 2010
On communicating through the coma-like state
A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on how a subset of patients diagnosed as being in a coma-like state can be trained to show specific brain activity to answer yes / no questions despite seeming to be unconscious and unresponsive.Many news reports seem to suggest that researchers have found a way of 'reaching inside coma' with a brain scanner to communicate with
10 Vote(s)
10 Vote(s)
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