Mindfulness, a meditative practice focusing on attention and awareness training, has been shown to have positive effects on mental and physical wellbeing. A recent review of studies has also shown that mindfulness meditation helps people with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder reduce their mental and physical problems. Challenging behaviour is the most prevalent problem…
Author: D.C.Demetre
Microglia Cells Key To Maintaining Blood-brain Barrier
New research shows that the cells responsible for protecting the brain from infection and inflammation are also responsible for repairing the system of defenses that separates the brain from the rest of the body. These findings have significant clinical implications because certain cardiovascular drugs could possibly impede the brain’s ability to repair itself after a…
Ability To Control Dreams May Help Unravel Mystery Of Consciousness
We spend around six years of our lives dreaming – that’s 2,190 days or 52,560 hours. Although we can be aware of the perceptions and emotions we experience in our dreams, we are not conscious in the same way as when we’re awake. This explains why we can’t recognise that we’re in a dream and…
Infant Reach Training Affects Object Exploration 12 Months Later
Scientists have known that infants’ early learning experiences may positively affect later development through processes called developmental cascades. For example, walking and fine motor skills have been associated with vocabulary size and later language development. These cascades have been commonly theorized, but until now evidence supporting them has been largely correlational. A new study demonstrates…
Glioblastoma Multiforme: Key Driver For Treatment Found
Glioblastoma multiforme is a particularly deadly cancer. A person diagnosed with this type of brain tumor typically survives 15 months, if given the best care. But scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a key to how these tumor cells proliferate so quickly —and ways to turn this engine of tumor growth into a target…
A Single Brain Connection Predicts Risky Gambling
Scientists tracked the activity in two brain regions and found that people who have a strong connection between the two regions are less likely to place a risky bet. Says Brian Knutson, associate professor of psychology at Stanford University: “Activity in one brain region appears to indicate ‘uh oh, I might lose money,’ but in…
The Antibacterial Mechanism Behind Medicinal Clay
Since prehistoric times, humans have used clays for medicinal purposes. Whether through ingestion, mud baths, or as a way to stop bleeding from wounds, clay has long helped keep humans healthy. Scientists have found that certain clays possess germ-killing abilities, but how these work has remained unclear. A new discovery by Arizona State University (ASU)…
Dance Could Help Treat Neurodegenerative Disorders
Millions of Americans dance, recreationally or professionally. How many of those who ballroom dance, foxtrot, break dance, or line dance realize that they are doing something positive for their brains? “There’s no question, anecdotally at least, that music has a very stimulating effect on physical activity,” said Daniel Tarsy, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical…
Cellular Switch Helps Brain Tell Safety From Danger
A cellular circuit that helps the mouse brain to remember which environments are safe, and which are harmful, has been identified by researchers at Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study also reveals what can happen when that circuitry is…