Summary: SETD1A, a gene linked to schizophrenia, impairs dendritic growth and branching and reduces dendritic spine density. Restoring normal SETD1A expression in mice reverses working memory deficits. Source: NIH/NIMH Researchers have identified how SETD1A, one of the few genes definitively associated with schizophrenia, likely contributes to risk for the disorder. In a mouse model, partial … Read more

Summary: People with a genetic predisposition to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) may preserve function and show resilience to the disease by maintaining regular physical exercise and engaging in mentally stimulating activities. Source: UCSF Active physical and cognitive lifestyles are linked to greater resilience against frontotemporal dementia, even for people who carry genetic mutations that greatly increase … Read more

Summary: Researchers have developed a new dry EEG sensor design capable of measuring brain activity through hair and across curved scalp surfaces, a step toward controlling robots and other devices with the mind. Source: American Chemical Society What once sounded like science fiction — wearing an electronic headband to control a robot using only your … Read more

Summary: A recent study indicates that unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) confined to the right hemisphere can improve motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease while avoiding the notable declines in verbal fluency that are sometimes observed after DBS. By contrast, stimulation in the left hemisphere was linked to measurable declines in word retrieval and … Read more

Summary: Researchers have confirmed a connection between a specific genetic mutation and several major psychiatric disorders. Source: University of Edinburgh. Brain imaging reveals how a genetic translocation affecting the DISC1 gene alters brain structure, chemistry and function, and raises risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. New brain imaging evidence clarifies how a balanced … Read more

Summary: Researchers offer fresh insight into human consciousness, arguing that we do not consciously choose our feelings or thoughts; rather, we simply become aware of them. Source: The Conversation. Consciousness feels obvious: it is our immediate sense of self-awareness that seems to give us control over thoughts, emotions and experiences. Most scientists divide consciousness into … Read more

About a dozen years ago, researchers identified ghrelin as a hormone that stimulates appetite. Known as the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin quickly became a target for drug development aimed at treating obesity, though those efforts have not yet produced effective weight-loss therapies. New work by neuroscientists at MIT shows that ghrelin’s role extends well beyond appetite … Read more

Summary: Equipping robots with social reasoning can make human-robot interaction smoother and more predictable, say MIT researchers. Source: MIT Robots can already deliver food on campus or make precise physical moves, but they struggle with simple social interactions that people rely on every day. Researchers at MIT have designed a computational framework that adds social … Read more

Summary: Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania apply cryptographic methods to decode motor neuron activity and predict limb movements. Source: University of Pennsylvania. Breaking the German Enigma cipher was a pivotal achievement in World War II. By combining clues from espionage with analytical and computational techniques, codebreakers discovered rules that converted scrambled characters into readable … Read more

Summary: Linking simple, easy-to-overlook tasks to distinctive, attention-grabbing cues encountered at the right place and time can significantly improve follow-through, according to new research. Source: APS Many everyday tasks—paying a bill, taking laundry out of the dryer, or dropping off a donation—get forgotten despite our good intentions. New research published in Psychological Science shows that … Read more