How neurons get past “no”
Inhibitory neurons target the weakest-responding neurons in the brain to facilitate transmission of signals When looking at a complex landscape, the eye needs to focus in on important details without losing the big picture—a charging lion in a jungle, for example....
Running to music helps combat mental fatigue
Listening to music while running might be the key to improving people’s performance when they feel mentally fatigued a study suggests. The performance of runners who listened to a self-selected playlist after completing a demanding thinking task was at the same level...
Personality traits relate to being a morning or evening person at both the phenotypic and genetic level
The link between the different hierarchies of personality, sleep patterns and even genetics has been discovered by researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick. A typical example of a morning person is thought to be someone who wakes up...
Non-invasive potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Ultrasound can overcome some of the detrimental effects of ageing and dementia without the need to cross the blood-brain barrier, Queensland Brain Institute researchers have found. Professor Jürgen Götz led a multidisciplinary team at QBI’s Clem Jones Centre for...
Inflammatory proteins may slow cognitive decline in aging adults
An unexpected discovery: Inflammatory proteins may slow cognitive decline in aging adults Research has previously linked inflammation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS) have...
Self-reported declines in cognition may be linked to changes in brain connectivity
Jessica Damoiseaux, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, recently published the results of a three-year study of cognitive changes in older adults. The team followed 69 primarily African American females, ages 50...
It’s True: Stress Does Turn Hair Gray (And It’s Reversible)
Legend has it that Marie Antoinette’s hair turned gray overnight just before her beheading in 1791. Though the legend is inaccurate—hair that has already grown out of the follicle does not change color—a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos...
Picky neurons
In the visual thalamus, neurons are in contact with both eyes but respond to only one The visual thalamus is classically known to relay visual stimuli coming from the retina to the cerebral cortex. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show...
Focus on emotions is key to improving heart health in people living with obesity
People living with obesity who attended a non-judgemental and personalised lifestyle modification programme improved their cardiovascular and mental health during just 10 weeks, according to a study presented at the EuroHeartCare – ACNAP Congress 2021, an online...
Introducing Play to Higher Education Reduces Stress and Forms Deeper Connection Course Material
A new study found higher education students are more engaged and motivated when they are taught using playful pedagogy rather than the traditional lecture-based method. The study was conducted by University of Colorado Denver counseling researcher Lisa Forbes and was...
Earliest memories can start from the age of two-and-a-half, new study shows
New study and a review of decades of data pushes the memory clock back over a year, but the study confirms everyone is different On average the earliest memories that people can recall point back to when they were just two-and-a-half years old, a new study suggests....
Rachel Zoffness talks Pain Management
Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a pain & health psychologist, medical consultant, author, speaker, and expert on nonpharmacological approaches to pain management. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Medicine, where she teaches pain education for...
The Science of Psychotherapy June 2021
This past year with COVID-19 has revealed how we are all equally vulnerable to this microscopic assailant. On the positive side, many have felt a sense of commonality and connection with people in countries previously given little thought. Ironically, separation has...
Dr Moshe Perl talks neurofeedback
Dr. Moshe Perl is a world-class expert in neurofeedback and QEEG/EEG analysis, areas in which he has almost two-decades of experience teaching and mentoring practitioners in Australia and internationally. He has successfully treated well over a thousand patients and...
Memory for Therapists
Memory Core Resource for The Science of Psychotherapy Standard Members Recall of memory is a creative process. What the brain stores is thought to be only a core memory. Upon recall, this core memory is then elaborated upon and reconstructed, with subtractions,...
Genetics for therapists
The Science of Psychotherapy Core Resource on Genetics The body itself is an information procesor. Memory resides not just in brains but in every cell. No wonder genetics bloomed along with information theory. DNA is the quintessential information molecule, the most...
Meditative Practice and Spiritual Wellbeing May Preserve Cognitive Function in Aging
Investigators review research that shows spiritual fitness and meditation mitigate the negative effects of stress and reduce the risk of memory loss, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease It is projected that up to 152 million people worldwide will be living...
Online CBT effective for social anxiety disorder in young people
Social anxiety disorder can cause considerable suffering in children and adolescents and, for many with the disorder, access to effective treatment is limited. Researchers at Centre for Psychiatry Research at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm have now shown...
Covid-19 Alters Gray Matter Volume in the Brain, New Study Finds
Covid-19 patients who receive oxygen therapy or experience fever show reduced gray matter volume in the frontal-temporal network of the brain, according to a new study led by researchers at Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The...
New findings linking brain immune system to psychosis
New research at Karolinska Institutet suggests a link between psychosis and a genetic change that affects the brain's immune system. The study published in Molecular Psychiatry may impact the development of modern medicines for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia....
Study reveals structure of key brain receptors involved in memory and learning
Research published in Nature could transform structural biology, lead to new treatments for epilepsy By Erik Robinson May 12, 2021 Portland, Oregon Scientists have for the first time revealed the structure surrounding important receptors in the brain’s hippocampus,...
Eating more fruit and vegetables linked to less stress
Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with less stress, according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU). The study examined the link between fruit and vegetable intake and stress levels of more than 8,600 Australians aged between 25 and...
Brain mechanism of curiosity
Curiosity is the motivational drive for exploring and investigating the unknown and making new discoveries. It is as essential and intrinsic for survival as hunger. Until recently, the brain mechanisms underlying curiosity and novelty seeking behavior were unclear....
Meaningful movies help people cope with life’s difficulties
Watching meaningful films – those that we find moving and poignant – can make us feel more prepared to deal with life’s challenges and want to be a better person, a new study found. The findings point to one reason why people may choose to see movies that make them...