Applying lessons learned from autism to brain cancer, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have discovered why elevated levels of the protein NHE9 add to the lethality of the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma.
UCLA scientists have discovered that statins, a popular class of cholesterol drugs, reverse the learning deficits caused by a mutation linked to a common genetic cause of learning disabilities.
In 2010, the US Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people, with respect to their exercising of free speech in the form of political campaign spending. But could some big businesses also be compared to a very specific type of person: a charismatic cult leader? Do big businesses use some of the same tactics leveraged by cults to win followers and suppress dissent? Are they using a form of neurological manipulation? As medical research goes forward, will it unwittingly help teach big business how to control the public brain?
Brain training has gained popularity in recent years. But does it really work? Some are not so sure. Most certainly, Gareth Cook does not think so. In a 2014 New Yorker blog post titled Brain training games are bogus, Cook lambasted companies such as Lumosity, Jungle Memory, and CogniFit. The author even went so far as to say that 10 hours of brain training per week could be dangerous because it gives people false hope and prevents them from engaging in more healthy activities, such as exercising.
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have found that the protein glycogen synthase kinase-3, or GSK-3, is crucial for proper brain development early in life, a surprising finding considering that drug companies are searching for ways to limit the proteins function to treat conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimers disease.
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been documented throughout time, the earliest dating back to Plato. Generally, they are stories told by people who were dying, or thought to be dying, and then returned to life healthy enough to describe their experience. Dream-like, out-of-body NDEs usually involve a tunnel of light, seeing loved ones who have passed away, a sensation of euphoria, and a mind-expanding journey. The recent documentation of NDEs has raised the question of whether human beings have souls or not. In most NDE cases, there is the sensation that people’s souls have left their bodies. However, as our knowledge has advanced, many experts claim NDEs can be explained through neuroscience, dismissing the theory of a connection to the soul.
Starting in the 1970’s, cult classics such as Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Pong helped pave the way for video games to become an increasingly popular form of entertainment. Encompassing a myriad of genres, video games provide many unique experiences, but who would have thought that they would legitimately become a competitive sport? Human beings by nature are competitive, yet we are also able to cooperate to accomplish some amazing feats.
When a shooting left Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a critical brain injury, she could not speak a wordbut she could sing. At first, she and her certified music therapist sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star together. Then other classic songs soon followed and, in time, music therapy became a key component of her recovery process.
The revolutionary product comes in the form of a battery-powered headband fitted with an electrode that sends an electrical signal through the skin to the trigeminal nerve, which plays a role in many migraines. By stimulating the nerve, the device was shown to help prevent migraines in a clinical test of 67 people who previously had at least 2 migraine attacks per month. The participants wore the device for 20 minutes a day for 3 months and recorded that they took significantly less migraine medication than those who received a placebo device. A satisfaction survey of more than 2000 people in Belgium and France also showed that 53% of patients said they were happy with the headband and that they would buy one for continued use.
The impact of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), TBI, concussion and other head injuries associated with contact sports is a critical area of research within the field of neurosurgery. Today during the 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), researchers led by Alexander K. Powers, MD, presented the results of a study to determine the cumulative effects of head impacts as they relate to changes in the brain absent of concussion.
