neurology

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Ibuprofen Cuts Alzheimer's Risk: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs reduced risk 40%, but experts sound note of caution

(Newser) - Long-term use of ibuprofen and some similar drugs cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The study found the drugs cut the risk of dementia by more than 40%, WebMD reports. Doctors warn, however, that such medications can have serious side effects and that it 's...

Depression Linked to Alzheimer's

Those prone to the blues may also be prone to dementia

(Newser) - Nearly 50% of Alzheimer's patients also suffer from depression, and new studies suggest the depression came first, WebMD reports. Researchers found that elderly people with a history of depression were much more likely to develop dementia. The findings give greater urgency to early treatment for depression, experts warn.

Study Links Sex and Gambling
 Study Links Sex and Gambling 
Apr 5, 2008 7:46 AM CDT

Study Links Sex and Gambling

Financial risk-taking lights up brain's pleasure center

(Newser) - Taking risks with money lights up the same parts of the brain as sexual arousal, a "neuroeconomics" study has found. Men shown sexy pictures gambled more daringly than those shown scary pictures—spiders and snakes—or neutral pictures, reports the AP. The study of 15 heterosexual Stanford students focused...

Heal Me, Amadeus!
 Heal Me, Amadeus! 
Mar 18, 2008 1:11 PM CDT

Heal Me, Amadeus!

Docs credit "Mozart effect" with improving epilepsy

(Newser) - A British patient's epilepsy showed remarkable improvement after he started listening to 45 minutes of Mozart daily, the Independent reports. And while research is still sparse on the music's effect on epilepsy, some doctors speculate that his complex melodies stimulate the brain in a way other composers' works don't. "...

Why Girls Are Better at Language
Why Girls Are Better at Language
Mar 6, 2008 11:12 AM CST

Why Girls Are Better at Language

Study finds brain wiring gives girls the edge

(Newser) - Study after study has found that girls have better language skills than boys, and scientists now think they've found a biological reason why, Scientific American reports. Researchers discovered that girls showed more activity in the language part of their brains, which deciphers abstract encoding, than boys. The boys had more...

Mind-Reading Edges Closer to Reality

New computer can determine what you're looking at

(Newser) - Mind-reading has taken a step toward possibility with a new computer that can decode brain activity to determine what a person is looking at with up to 90% accuracy, the Independent reports. With improvements, the technology could be able to reconstruct any image a person could conjure up—and someday,...

Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain
Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain
Feb 6, 2008 5:34 AM CST

Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain

Researchers find suffering constant pain can cause permanent changes

(Newser) - Researchers studying the brains of people suffering from chronic pain have found that  an area of their cortex is permanently active when it should sometimes deactivate, Reuters reports. That part of the brain, usually associated with emotion, stays on "full throttle" at all times. Researchers say this could explain...

Scientists Find Eternal Sunshine Spot in Your Mind

Study: Brain section thinks happy thoughts

(Newser) - If you think the glass is half empty, you’re a pessimist—but if you think it’s half full, you have strong activity in your rostral anterior cingulate cortex. That’s the section of the brain, located right behind the eyes, that controls optimism, according to a new study...

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Education Staves Off Alzheimer's
Oct 23, 2007 4:17 AM CDT

Education Staves Off Alzheimer's

But seems to speed progress of disease once it sets in

(Newser) - Higher levels of education help delay the onset of Alzheimer's, but once the disease takes hold, mental decline is faster among those with more schooling, researchers have found. Each year of  education is linked to a 2.5 month delay in accelerated memory loss, according to the study in Neurology....

Caught My Yawn? Aren't You Sweet
Caught My Yawn? Aren't You Sweet
Sep 11, 2007 3:19 AM CDT

Caught My Yawn? Aren't You Sweet

Study discovers contagious yawning is sign of empathy

(Newser) - If you yawn when someone nearby does, it may mean you're an empathetic person, a new study has found. Research shows that infectious yawning is a psychological phenomenon, limited to humans and some of their ape relatives, and that those more likely to "catch" yawns appear to be more...

Brains Hard-Wired to Swing Left or Right

Liberals deal with ambiguity better; conservatives are single-minded

(Newser) - The brains of conservatives and liberals function in fundamentally different ways—with liberals more capable of accepting ambiguity and conflict, and conservative better able to pursue a single-minded course. That's the conclusion of  a new study on the neurobiology of politics, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's
Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's
Sep 3, 2007 4:21 AM CDT

Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's

Smoking 'rusts' blood vessels, researchers find

(Newser) - If lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease and social ostracism aren't enough, here's another good reason to stop smoking: a new study links smoking to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The study, published in the journal Neurology, says that smoking alters the cells of arteries much the same way that metal rusts.

Old Doesn't Mean Crotchety, Whippersnapper

Study finds 'negative bias' erodes with age

(Newser) - Aging might cause the memory to, er, lapse, but it also can create a more positive outlook, reports Science. We tend to have a "negative bias"—an inclination to pay more attention to bad news than good—which is reversed as we age. Young people's brain activity jumps...

Heart Meds May Work Against Alzheimer's

Anti-cholesterol drugs appear to combat brain disease

(Newser) - The best medicine for Alzheimer's disease may be a heart drug, researchers say, and the discovery may shed light on the way the devastating disorder acts on the brain. Subjects taking popular statin-based cholesterol meds developed fewer protein deposits in their brains, reports Time, possibly confirming suspicions that Alzheimer’s...

Scientists Find Switch to Turn On Brain Cells

Breakthrough could treat mental disorders

(Newser) - Neuroscientists are experimenting with switching targeted groups of brain cells on and off using remote-controlled lasers, promising hope for treatment of mental disorders, reports the New York Times. The technique, using cells altered with a photo-sensitive protein called channelrhodopsin-2, could one day be used to treat a host of problems...

Drinking Slows Dementia
Drinking Slows Dementia
May 22, 2007 2:03 PM CDT

Drinking Slows Dementia

Add another item to list of alcohol-related miracles: It curbs cognitive decline

(Newser) - Score a victory for the nightcap: Booze may help halt dementia in the elderly, a new study suggests. The Italian research, published in the journal Neurology, concludes that a one-drink-a-day habit can slow the progression of dementia by 85% in those in people 65 and older who already show mild...

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