Detecting autism from brain activity
Neuroscientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto have developed an efficient and reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in...
View ArticleScientists find ethnicity linked to antibodies
(Medical Xpress)—Cracking the DNA code for a complex region of the human genome has helped 14 North American scientists, including five at Simon Fraser University, chart new territory in immunity...
View ArticleResearchers identify and block protein that interferes with...
Ever since the appetite-regulation hormone called leptin was discovered in 1994, scientists have sought to understand the mechanisms that control its action. It was known that leptin was made by fat...
View ArticleStudy identifies 'chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus
A key building block in the Schmallenberg virus could be targeted by anti-viral drugs, according to a new study led from the University of Leeds.
View ArticleScientists probe the source of a pulsing signal in the sleeping brain
New findings clarify where and how the brain's "slow waves" originate. These rhythmic signal pulses, which sweep through the brain during deep sleep at the rate of about one cycle per second, are...
View ArticleResearchers abuzz over caffeine as cancer-cell killer
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from the University of Alberta are abuzz after using fruit flies to find new ways of taking advantage of caffeine's lethal effects on cancer cells—results that could one...
View ArticleParkinson's discovery could lead to earlier diagnosis
(Medical Xpress)—A new study could help earlier diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, after a Malaysian researcher working for Newcastle University in the UK identified that even early in the disease...
View ArticleSocial gaming promotes healthy behavior, reveals new research
Adding social gaming elements to a behavior tracking program led people to exercise more frequently and helped them decrease their body-mass index, according to new research from the USC School of...
View ArticleHigh levels of glutamate in brain may kick-start schizophrenia
An excess of the brain neurotransmitter glutamate may cause a transition to psychosis in people who are at risk for schizophrenia, reports a study from investigators at Columbia University Medical...
View ArticleCross-cultural similarities in early adolescence
Acquiring self-esteem is an important part of a teenager's development. The way in which adolescents regard themselves can be instrumental in determining their achievement and social functioning. New...
View ArticleBursts of brain activity may protect against Alzheimer's disease
Evidence indicates that the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, is critical for the development of Alzheimer's disease, which...
View ArticleScience surprise: Toxic protein made in unusual way may explain brain disorder
A bizarre twist on the usual way proteins are made may explain mysterious symptoms in the grandparents of some children with mental disabilities.
View ArticleEvolving genes lead to evolving genes
Researchers have designed a method that can universally test for evolutionary adaption, or positive (Darwinian) selection, in any chosen set of genes, using re-sequencing data such as that generated by...
View ArticleReinventing drug discovery: Promising drug target for ALS
Using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology with the potential to reinvent and greatly reduce the cost of the way new pharmaceuticals are developed, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI)...
View ArticleStudy discovers that stem cell senescence drives aging
Declining levels of the protein BubR1 occur when both people and animals age, and contribute to cell senescence or deterioration, weight loss, muscle wasting and cataracts. Mayo Clinic researchers have...
View ArticleFirst steps of synapse building is captured in live zebra fish embryos
Using spinning disk microscopy on barely day-old zebra fish embryos, University of Oregon scientists have gained a new window on how synapse-building components move to worksites in the central nervous...
View ArticleLearning disabilities affect up to 10 percent of children, study finds
Up to 10 per cent of the population are affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to 2 or 3 pupils in every classroom according to a new...
View ArticleRats' and bats' brains work differently on the move
A new study of brain rhythms in bats and rats challenges a widely used model - based on studies in rodents - of how animals navigate their environment. To get a clearer picture of the processes at work...
View ArticleChild's counting comprehension may depend on objects counted, study shows
such as toys, tiles and blocks—that students can touch and move around, called manipulatives, have been used to teach basic math skills since the 1980s. Use of manipulatives is based on the long-held...
View ArticleRisk factor for depression can be 'contagious'
A new study with college roommates shows that a particular style of thinking that makes people vulnerable to depression can actually "rub off" on others, increasing their symptoms of depression six...
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