Groundbreaking research shows that neurological health depends as much on signals sent by the body’s large, leg muscles to the brain as it does on directives from the brain to the muscles. Published today in Frontiers in Neuroscience, the study fundamentally alters brain and nervous system medicine — giving doctors new clues as to why patients with motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological diseases often rapidly decline when their movement becomes limited. Continue reading “Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health”
How social isolation transforms the brain
Chronic social isolation has debilitating effects on mental health in mammals — for example, it is often associated with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in humans. Now, a team of Caltech researchers has discovered that social isolation causes the build-up of a particular chemical in the brain, and that blocking this chemical eliminates the negative effects of isolation. The work has potential applications for treating mental health disorders in humans. Continue reading “How social isolation transforms the brain”
Self-consistency influences how we make decisions
When making decisions, our perception is influenced by judgments we have made in the past as a way of remaining consistent with ourselves, suggests new research published in eLife. Continue reading “Self-consistency influences how we make decisions”
New parts of the brain become active after students learn physics
Parts of the brain not traditionally associated with learning science become active when people are confronted with solving physics problems, a new study shows. Continue reading “New parts of the brain become active after students learn physics”
The logic of modesty – why it pays to be humble
Why do people make anonymous donations, and why does the public perceive this as admirable? Why do we downplay our interest in a potential partner, if we risk missing out on a relationship? A team of scientists, consisting of Christian Hilbe, a postdoc at the Institute Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Moshe Hoffman, and Martin Nowak, both at Harvard University, has developed a novel game theoretic model that captures these behaviors and enables their study. Their new model is the first to include the idea that hidden signals, when discovered, provide additional information about the sender. They use this idea to explain under which circumstances people have an incentive to hide their positive attributes. Continue reading “The logic of modesty – why it pays to be humble”
Can training improve memory, thinking abilities in older adults with cognitive impairment?
Cognition is the ability to think and make decisions. Medication-free treatments that maintain cognitive health as we age are attracting the attention of medical experts. Maintaining the ability to think clearly and make decisions is crucial to older adults’ well-being and vitality. Continue reading “Can training improve memory, thinking abilities in older adults with cognitive impairment?”
Novo Scriptorium 