A new study led by an international team of biologists has identified some of the brain chemicals that allow seals to sleep with half of their brain at a time. Continue reading
Author: Julie
Bilingual babies know their grammar by seven months
Babies as young as seven months can distinguish between, and begin to learn, two languages with vastly different grammatical structures, according to new research from the University of British Columbia and Université Paris Descartes.
Early music lessons boost brain development
Montreal researchers find that music lessons before age seven create stronger connections in the brain
If you started piano lessons in grade one, or played the recorder in kindergarten, thank your parents and teachers. Those lessons you dreaded – or loved – helped develop your brain. Continue reading
When food porn holds no allure: the science behind satiety
New research from the University of British Columbia is shedding light on why enticing pictures of food affect us less when we’re full.
Finding the way to memory
Guidance proteins regulate brain plasticity
Our ability to learn and form new memories is fully dependent on the brain’s ability to be plastic – that is to change and adapt according to new experiences and environments. Continue reading
Cocaine use during adolescence changes shape and size of brain regions that govern drug-seeking
Adolescents who use cocaine risk changing the part of the brain involved in reward and learning, according to research published in the January 30 edition of The Journal of Neuroscience. Continue reading
Addiction: abnormal communication in the brain
Addiction to cigarettes, drugs and other stimulants has been linked in the past to the brain’s frontal lobes, but now there is scientific evidence that indicates where in the frontal cortex addiction takes hold and how. Addiction could be a result of abnormal communication between two areas of the frontal lobes linked to decision-making. The discovery will undoubtedly stimulate clinical work on new therapies for millions of people who suffer from addiction. Continue reading
New research finds slower growth of preterm infants linked to altered brain development
Preterm infants who grow more slowly as they approached what would have been their due dates also have slower development in an area of the brain called the cerebral cortex, report Canadian researchers in a new study published today in Science Translational Medicine. Continue reading
Major step toward an Alzheimer’s vaccine
A team of researchers from Université Laval, CHU de Québec, and pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has discovered a way to stimulate the brain’s natural defense mechanisms in people with Alzheimer’s disease.A team of researchers from Université Laval, CHU de Québec, and pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has discovered a way to stimulate the brain’s natural defense mechanisms in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading
Western neuroscience study reveals new link between basic math skills and PSAT math success
Dr. Daniel Ansari
New research from Western University provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests. Continue reading