Category: News
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Making information meaningful leads to better memory
When trying to memorize information, it is better to relate it to something meaningful rather than repeat it again and again to make it stick, according to a recent Baycrest study published in NeuroImage. “When we are learning new information, our brain has two different ways to remember the material for a short period of…
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Brain area involved in addiction activated earlier than previously thought in recreational cocaine users
Non-dependent users also experience dopamine release in response to drug cues Even among non-dependent cocaine users, cues associated with consumption of the drug lead to dopamine release in an area of the brain thought to promote compulsive use, according to researchers at McGill University. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that people who consider…
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Common acne medication offers new treatment for multiple sclerosis – Study results offer safe and affordable treatment option
A Canadian clinical trial led by researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), shows that minocycline, a common acne medication, can slow the progress of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who have recently experienced their first symptoms. In addition to being an unexpected discovery — an…
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Researchers identify specific neurons that distinguish between reality and imagination
New Western University research shows that neurons in the part of the brain found to be abnormal in psychosis are also important in helping people distinguish between reality and imagination. The researchers, Dr. Julio Martinez-Trujillo, principal investigator and professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Dr. Diego Mendoza-Halliday, postdoctoral researcher at…
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Researchers identify a new factor essential for the healthy development of a child’s brain
Proper brain development is a crucial step in a child’s health. An important part of brain development is the creation of white matter, which enables different regions of the brain to rapidly and effectively “talk” to one another. In a new study published in Neuron, a team of researchers led by Dr. Freda Miller and…
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Molecule shown to repair damaged axons
Discovery could be key to treating brain and spinal cord injury A foray into plant biology led one researcher to discover that a natural molecule can repair axons, the thread-like projections that carry electrical signals between cells. Axonal damage is the major culprit underlying disability in conditions such as spinal cord injury and stroke. Andrew…
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Second study from UBC shows “liberation therapy” fails to treat multiple sclerosis
Opening up narrowed veins from the brain and spinal cord is not effective in treating multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study led by the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. The conclusions about so-called “liberation therapy,” which thousands of people with MS have undergone since 2009, represent the most definitive debunking of…
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Largest international study of its kind finds new schizophrenia risk genes
Results of the International Psychiatric Genomics Consortium unveiled TORONTO – Canadian and international scientists have uncovered six new schizophrenia risk genes in the largest study of its kind. The results of the international Psychiatric Genomics Consortium CNV working group are published in the Nov. 21 advance online edition of Nature Genetics, and further support the…
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UBC scientists create a mouse that resists cocaine’s lure
Scientists at the University of British Columbia have genetically engineered a mouse that does not become addicted to cocaine, adding to the evidence that habitual drug use is more a matter of genetics and biochemistry than just poor judgment. The mice they created had higher levels of a protein called cadherin, which helps bind cells…
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An eye-catching result
Research determines how the brain recognizes what’s important at first glance. Researchers at the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS) at Queen’s University have discovered that a region of the brain – the superior colliculus – contains a mechanism responsible for interpreting how visual input from a scene determines where we look. This mechanism, known as…