It turns out that there is a striking similarity between how the human brain determines what is going on in the outside world and the job of scientists. Good science involves formulating a hypothesis and testing whether this hypothesis is compatible with the scientist's observations...

Alterations in our response to the taste or smell of food may be another culprit responsible for Type 2 diabetes, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center who have identified the specific mechanism in human specimens and in mice...

Computer programs have been able to predict which of three short films a person is thinking about, just by looking at their brain activity. The research, conducted by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London), provides further insight into how our memories are recorded...

Video games can have a very positive influence in the education of children, and, when used in moderation, they do not harm children's academic performance...

Entirely different signal paths and parts of the brain are involved when you try to remember something and when you just happen to remember something, prompted by a smell, a picture, or a word, for instance. This is shown by Kristiina Kompus in her dissertation at Umeå University in Sweden. Imagine you are asked to remember what you were doing exactly one week ago...

One of the most common questions I am asked after someone hits their head is, "How serious is this bump on my head and should I make an appointment?" Head injuries are the result of trauma to the scalp, skull or brain. Concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is an injury that occurs after a blow to the head and results in a temporary loss of consciousness...

Allon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX:NPC) announced today that a Phase 1 clinical trial of its lead neuroprotective drug, davunetide , which began patient enrolment January 28, 2010, has been completed. The results demonstrated that the intranasal dose range can be broadened and provided additional information on the pharmacokinetic profile of davunetide...

Scientists using advanced genomic analysis technologies from Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) have sequenced an individual's genome and identified the specific causative mutation associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), one of the most common inherited neurological disorders currently affecting 1 in 2,500 individuals in the United States...

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced the U.S. launch of the VERTEX SELECT® Reconstruction System. When a patient has a spinal condition that requires fusion or a procedure that must be performed from the back of the spine, also known as a posterior approach, the VERTEX SELECT® Reconstruction System contains implants and an instrument set for performing this surgical procedure...

In one of the first such studies involving human patients with schizophrenia, researchers at UC Davis have provided evidence that deficits in a brain chemical may be responsible for some of the debilitating cognitive deficits - poor attention, memory and problem-solving abilities - that accompany the delusions and hallucinations that are the hallmarks of the disorder...

Researchers have new insight into the relationship between Parkinson's disease and smoking. Several studies have shown that smokers have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease...

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered the pain caused by sickle cell disease may not occur solely from damaged tissues, but also from injured nerves. The research is published in the Journal of the National Medical Association. Sickle cell disease is a hereditary disorder where red blood cells change from round to a sickle shape...

Many Americans will lose an hour of sleep on March 14, the first day of daylight-saving time, when clocks are set ahead one hour at 2 a.m. local standard time-making it harder to wake up, causing difficulty in staying alert and increasing the chance of sleepy-driving car crashes. Ronald D. Chervin, M.D., says Americans can prepare for the daylight-saving time switch...

A pioneering collaboration between two laboratories from the University of London has provided the first evidence of neuroplastic changes occurring directly after natural brainwave training...

Heralding what they hope is a new era of personalized genomic medicine, experts in the US have identified the gene behind a patient's inherited neurological disorder, in this case a form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, by sequencing his complete genome. Details of the quest are published online in the 10 March issue of the New England Journal of Medicine...

Since its founding in 2007, the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) has become the pre-eminent professional society for MIS surgeons. On March 1, 2010, the organization's educational activities expanded dramatically with the launch of SMISS Highlights, an online series of CME-accredited education modules that are free of charge for spine surgeons...

Approximately 21 million visits were made to physicians' offices due to back problems in 2006. While countless adults experience back pain and stiffness, many suffer from serious spine and back conditions - including injury, herniated discs and the deterioration of the vertebrae...

Rabies is a deadly virus. It is usually transmitted through saliva from the bite of an infected animal, into the bloodstream. The rabies virus is an infection of the central nervous system and causes inflammation of the brain. It is zoonotic, meaning it is transmitted by animals. If treated immediately after a bite, it is possible to prevent rabies...

Common wisdom tells us that for a successful relationship partners shouldn't go to bed angry. But new research from a psychologist at Harvard University suggests that brain activity - specifically in the region called the lateral prefrontal cortex - is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner...

Bad behaviour in childhood is associated with long-term, chronic widespread pain in adult life, according to the findings of a study following nearly 20,000 people from birth in 1958 to the present day. Chronic widespread pain is a common complaint that can have a major adverse effect on quality of life, often requiring referral to a hospital specialist for investigation and treatment...