All posts; Tags Include "Cognitive Neuroscience"
- October 9, 2014
- 08:06 PM
- 459 views
Use of CAM in Mental Health – What Does it Take ?
by Vivek Misra in Uberbrain Research Frontier
“These are ways of treating illness that have developed outside the mainstream of modern medicine.” (The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2009) There is growing evidence that Complementary Therapies are being used to good effect within mental health services throughout the UK and Internationally. Many clinicians are expanding the spectrum and variety of services to be […]... Read more »
Eisenberg, D., Kessler, R., Foster, C., Norlock, F., Calkins, D., & Delbanco, T. (1993) Unconventional Medicine in the United States -- Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use. New England Journal of Medicine, 328(4), 246-252. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199301283280406
Kessler, R. (2001) The Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies to Treat Anxiety and Depression in the United States. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(2), 289-294. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.2.289
Unützer J, Klap R, Sturm R, Young AS, Marmon T, Shatkin J, & Wells KB. (2000) Mental disorders and the use of alternative medicine: results from a national survey. The American journal of psychiatry, 157(11), 1851-7. PMID: 11058485
Briggs JP, & Killen J. (2013) Perspectives on complementary and alternative medicine research. JAMA, 310(7), 691-2. PMID: 23990064
- October 7, 2014
- 08:00 AM
- 1,293 views
Get Some Sleep - Your Brain Will Thank You
by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope
We all know we should get more sleep, but new research is showing that it isn’t just a good idea, it preserves brain structure and function. Sleep loss affects learning, and new studies show that sleep deprivation can cause irreversible neuron loss in the locus coeruleus, and that depression associated with lack of sleep can reduce hippocampus size. In fatal familial insomnia, the prion plaques destroy the thalamus and indicate a decrease in mitochondrial function – the same type pro........ Read more »
Zhang J, Zhu Y, Zhan G, Fenik P, Panossian L, Wang MM, Reid S, Lai D, Davis JG, Baur JA.... (2014) Extended wakefulness: compromised metabolics in and degeneration of locus ceruleus neurons. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 34(12), 4418-31. PMID: 24647961
Qiao, H., An, S., Ren, W., & Ma, X. (2014) Progressive alterations of hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses in an animal model of depression. Behavioural Brain Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.040
Prince TM, Wimmer M, Choi J, Havekes R, Aton S, & Abel T. (2014) Sleep deprivation during a specific 3-hour time window post-training impairs hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory. Neurobiology of learning and memory, 122-30. PMID: 24380868
Tian C, Liu D, Sun QL, Chen C, Xu Y, Wang H, Xiang W, Kretzschmar HA, Li W, Chen C.... (2013) Comparative analysis of gene expression profiles between cortex and thalamus in Chinese fatal familial insomnia patients. Molecular neurobiology, 48(1), 36-48. PMID: 23430483
- October 5, 2014
- 11:45 PM
- 1,335 views
Models and metaphors we live by
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Metaphors we live by is a classic, that has had a huge influence on parts of linguistics and cognitive science, and some influence — although less so, in my opinion — on philosophy. It is structured around the thought that “[m]etaphor is one of our most important tools for trying […]... Read more »
Narayanan, S. (1997) Embodiment in language understanding: Sensory-motor representations for metaphoric reasoning about event descriptions. PhD Thesis (University of California, Berkeley). info:/
- September 26, 2014
- 08:14 AM
- 891 views
Anthropomorphic Neuroscience Driven by Researchers with Large TPJs
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
For immediate release — SEPTEMBER 26, 2014Research from the UCL lab of Professor Geraint Rees has proven that the recent craze for suggesting that rats have “regrets” or show “disappointment” is solely due to the size of the left temporal-parietal junction (TPJ) in the human authors of those papers (Cullen et al., 2014). This startling breakthrough was part of a larger effort to associate every known personality trait, political attitude, and individual difference with the size of a un........ Read more »
Cullen, H., Kanai, R., Bahrami, B., & Rees, G. (2013) Individual differences in anthropomorphic attributions and human brain structure. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(9), 1276-1280. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst109
Shabel, S., Proulx, C., Piriz, J., & Malinow, R. (2014) GABA/glutamate co-release controls habenula output and is modified by antidepressant treatment. Science, 345(6203), 1494-1498. DOI: 10.1126/science.1250469
Steiner, A., & Redish, A. (2014) Behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of regret in rat decision-making on a neuroeconomic task. Nature Neuroscience, 17(7), 995-1002. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3740
- September 18, 2014
- 11:11 AM
- 911 views
Genetics of Social Skills: Oxytocin Receptor Gene
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Social neuroscience is an emerging emphasis in the field of neuroscience research.Social cognition is the subset of cognitive functions related to social processes and includes factors such as facial recognition, social memory and ability to form friendships and other social bonds.Impairment in social cognition is a known feature in autism, schizophrenia and other mental disorders. This type of impairment can produce significant problems in life adjustment, employment and human attachment.Geneti........ Read more »
Skuse DH, Lori A, Cubells JF, Lee I, Conneely KN, Puura K, Lehtimäki T, Binder EB, & Young LJ. (2014) Common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with human social recognition skills. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(5), 1987-92. PMID: 24367110
- September 16, 2014
- 11:01 AM
- 725 views
Cannabis-induced Paranoia: Cognitive Mechanisms
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Some individuals appear vulnerable to paranoia induced by exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis.The mechanism for this effect is poorly understood.Daniel Freeman from University of Oxford along with colleagues in England and Switzerland recently conducted an interventional research study on this issue.In this study, 121 subjects were recruited to receive injections of THC in a laboratory setting.These subjects were required to have taken cannabis at least once before participation i........ Read more »
Freeman D, Dunn G, Murray RM, Evans N, Lister R, Antley A, Slater M, Godlewska B, Cornish R, Williams J.... (2014) How Cannabis Causes Paranoia: Using the Intravenous Administration of ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to Identify Key Cognitive Mechanisms Leading to Paranoia. Schizophrenia bulletin. PMID: 25031222
- September 14, 2014
- 01:00 AM
- 1,187 views
Telepathy is Almost Here
by Viputheshwar Sitaraman in Draw Science
Telepathy is under works; it's just super clunky right now. Non-invasive technology enables brain-to-brain communication by converting words into binary and from binary into pulses of light and back. [Infographic]... Read more »
Grau C, Ginhoux R, Riera A, Nguyen TL, Chauvat H, Berg M, Amengual JL, Pascual-Leone A, & Ruffini G. (2014) Conscious Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans Using Non-Invasive Technologies. PloS one, 9(8). PMID: 25137064
- September 8, 2014
- 10:41 AM
- 839 views
Coping with Stress – Some Essential Constructs
by Vivek Misra in Uberbrain Research Frontier
Anxiety, insomnia, muscle tension, fatigue, high blood pressure, and anger are just some of the symptoms of stress. Stress not only affects our body, but also our behavior that can lead to social withdrawal. This presentation will explore the nature of our mind and the various factors in our lives that cause us stress. We will learn simple meditation techniques that can nourish the mind which will lead to increased focus, greater productivity, and improved relationships. ~ Pandi Gadadhara Pandi,........ Read more »
Walsh F. (2009) Human-animal bonds II: the role of pets in family systems and family therapy. Family process, 48(4), 481-99. PMID: 19930434
- September 2, 2014
- 05:39 PM
- 1,062 views
Supernatural believers see minds at work behind random patterns
“Theory of Mind” is the term used to describe the mental ability to put yourself inside the mind of someone else – to imagine what it is that they are thinking. Recently, there’s been some evidence that people who do not have a strong theory of mind are more likely to be atheists. For example, [Read More...]
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Riekki, T., Lindeman, M., & Raij, T. (2014) Supernatural believers attribute more intentions to random movement than skeptics: An fMRI study. Social Neuroscience, 9(4), 400-411. DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2014.906366
- September 2, 2014
- 08:00 AM
- 1,271 views
The Anti-Vaccine Movement Is A Preventable Disease
by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope
Yet another study that attempts to make a link between vaccines and autism has been withdrawn by the publishers. Data from the CDC was re-analysed, and low and behold, a link between vaccine timing and autism was drawn, but only for African-American boys. The problems with this paper and the anti-vaccine movement in general are discussed.... Read more »
Hooker, B. (2014) Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination timing and autism among young african american boys: a reanalysis of CDC data. Translational Neurodegeneration, 3(1), 16. DOI: 10.1186/2047-9158-3-16
Tang G, Gudsnuk K, Kuo SH, Cotrina ML, Rosoklija G, Sosunov A, Sonders MS, Kanter E, Castagna C, Yamamoto A.... (2014) Loss of mTOR-Dependent Macroautophagy Causes Autistic-like Synaptic Pruning Deficits. Neuron. PMID: 25155956
- September 1, 2014
- 09:24 PM
- 890 views
The neuroscience of self-control
by neurosci in Neuroscientifically Challenged
In the 1960s, a psychologist at Stanford named Walter Mischel began a series of experiments exploring the dynamics of self-control in children. In one such experiment, Mischel gave preschoolers the choice between two outcomes, one of which was clearly preferable. For example, they were able to choose between 2 marshmallows and 1 marshmallow (the experiments became known as the Stanford marshmallow experiments for this reason).But there was a catch. The experimenter would tell the children that h........ Read more »
Inzlicht, M., Legault, L., & Teper, R. (2014) Exploring the Mechanisms of Self-Control Improvement. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(4), 302-307. DOI: 10.1177/0963721414534256
- August 31, 2014
- 06:36 PM
- 1,142 views
Whitman Was Not a Neuroscientist
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
Do I contradict myself?Very well then I contradict myself,(I am large, I contain multitudes.)-Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself" (from Leaves of Grass)Science is the search for objective truth based on physical laws of the universe. Scientific theories try to explain the consistent and predictable behavior of natural systems. They are generally reductionist, meaning that complex systems are reduced to simpler and more fundamental elements. The principles of physics, for instance, are expressed in th........ Read more »
Chen, C., Huang, M., Yen, J., Chen, C., Liu, G., Yen, C., & Ko, C. (2014) Brain correlates of response inhibition in Internet gaming disorder. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12224
Daniel Z. Freedman. (1994) Some beautiful equations of mathematical physics. CERN-TH.7367/94. arXiv: hep-th/9408175v1
Ko, C., Hsieh, T., Chen, C., Yen, C., Chen, C., Yen, J., Wang, P., & Liu, G. (2014) Altered brain activation during response inhibition and error processing in subjects with Internet gaming disorder: a functional magnetic imaging study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1007/s00406-013-0483-3
Zeki, S., Romaya, J., Benincasa, D., & Atiyah, M. (2014) The experience of mathematical beauty and its neural correlates. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00068
- August 30, 2014
- 02:54 PM
- 1,656 views
Direct mind-to-mind communication in humans
by Shelly Fan in Neurorexia
Image credit: www.techspot.com Here’s something right out of science fiction: a team of neuroscientists in Spain developed a system that allows a person to transmit the...... Read more »
Grau C, Ginhoux R, Riera A, Nguyen TL, Chauvat H, Berg M, Amengual JL, Pascual-Leone A, & Ruffini G. (2014) Conscious Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans Using Non-Invasive Technologies. PloS one, 9(8). PMID: 25137064
- August 30, 2014
- 03:31 AM
- 809 views
Neurobiological Basis of Music Therapy
by Vivek Misra in Uberbrain Research Frontier
The basic and one of oldest socio-cognitive domains of Human species is music. Listening to music regularly helps to keep the neurons and synapses more active. Depending on the way sound waves are heard or pronounced, they have an impact in the way neurological (brain and nerve) system work in the human body. Neurological studies have identified that music is a valuable tool for evaluating the brain system [1]. Its observed that while listening to music, different parts of the brain are involved........ Read more »
Peretz, I., & Zatorre, R. (2005) Brain Organization for Music Processing. Annual Review of Psychology, 56(1), 89-114. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070225
Kristeva R, Chakarov V, Schulte-Mönting J, & Spreer J. (2003) Activation of cortical areas in music execution and imagining: a high-resolution EEG study. NeuroImage, 20(3), 1872-83. PMID: 14642497
Schellenberg, E., Nakata, T., Hunter, P., & Tamoto, S. (2007) Exposure to music and cognitive performance: tests of children and adults. Psychology of Music, 35(1), 5-19. DOI: 10.1177/0305735607068885
Patton, J., Routh, D., & Stinard, T. (2013) Where do children study? Behavioral observations. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 24(6), 439-440. DOI: 10.3758/BF03330575
Chan AS, Ho YC, & Cheung MC. (1998) Music training improves verbal memory. Nature, 396(6707), 128. PMID: 9823892
Asada H, Fukuda Y, Tsunoda S, Yamaguchi M, & Tonoike M. (1999) Frontal midline theta rhythms reflect alternative activation of prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex in humans. Neuroscience letters, 274(1), 29-32. PMID: 10530512
TSANG, C., TRAINOR, L., SANTESSO, D., TASKER, S., & SCHMIDT, L. (2006) Frontal EEG Responses as a Function of Affective Musical Features. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 930(1), 439-442. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05764.x
Sammler D, Grigutsch M, Fritz T, & Koelsch S. (2007) Music and emotion: electrophysiological correlates of the processing of pleasant and unpleasant music. Psychophysiology, 44(2), 293-304. PMID: 17343712
Luu P, Tucker DM, & Makeig S. (2004) Frontal midline theta and the error-related negativity: neurophysiological mechanisms of action regulation. Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, 115(8), 1821-35. PMID: 15261861
Kubota Y, Sato W, Toichi M, Murai T, Okada T, Hayashi A, & Sengoku A. (2001) Frontal midline theta rhythm is correlated with cardiac autonomic activities during the performance of an attention demanding meditation procedure. Brain research. Cognitive brain research, 11(2), 281-7. PMID: 11275489
Pavlygina RA, Sakharov DS, & Davydov VI. (2004) [Spectral analysis of the human EEG during listening to musical compositions]. Fiziologiia cheloveka, 30(1), 62-9. PMID: 15040288
Koelsch S. (2010) Towards a neural basis of music-evoked emotions. Trends in cognitive sciences, 14(3), 131-7. PMID: 20153242
Lonsdale, A., & North, A. (2011) Why do we listen to music? A uses and gratifications analysis. British Journal of Psychology, 102(1), 108-134. DOI: 10.1348/000712610X506831
- August 15, 2014
- 04:46 PM
- 823 views
Global similarity signals of recognition strength
by Emilie Reas in Emilie Reas - Remember
The below article was recently rejected from the Journal of Neuroscience as a ‘Journal Club’ commentary on Davis et al., 2014, ‘Medial temporal lobe global similarity signals underlie recognition strength’. Hoping that my efforts will not go to waste, I’d like to give the piece an alternate home here. Please read, comment and share, all […]... Read more »
Davis T, Xue G, Love BC, Preston AR, & Poldrack RA. (2014) Global neural pattern similarity as a common basis for categorization and recognition memory. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 34(22), 7472-84. PMID: 24872552
- August 14, 2014
- 11:17 AM
- 967 views
FDA Approves Novel Insomnia Drug Suvorexant (Belsomra)
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Regular readers of this blog had a heads up last year on the development of orexin receptor antagonists for the treatment of insomnia.I posted a review of an Italian clinical drug trial in humans with insomnia paired with polysomnography. This study used three different doses of a orexin receptor antagonist (10 mg 30 mg and 60 mg).In a second post, I reviewed a sleep lab study of the effects of an orexin antagonist drug compared to zolpidem (Ambien) on sleep architecture.This second study found ........ Read more »
Michelson D, Snyder E, Paradis E, Chengan-Liu M, Snavely DB, Hutzelmann J, Walsh JK, Krystal AD, Benca RM, Cohn M.... (2014) Safety and efficacy of suvorexant during 1-year treatment of insomnia with subsequent abrupt treatment discontinuation: a phase 3 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet neurology, 13(5), 461-71. PMID: 24680372
Bennett T, Bray D, & Neville MW. (2014) Suvorexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist for the management of insomnia. P , 39(4), 264-6. PMID: 24757363
- August 11, 2014
- 09:38 AM
- 880 views
Lithium For Aging Brain
by Vivek Misra in Uberbrain Research Frontier
Recent studies investigating Lithium, a drug commonly used for the treatment of mood disorders in humans, found its robust neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects which can help us exploring new novel, exciting, and promising targets. The molecular mechanism underlying lithium’s mood stabilizing effect is not yet unraveled. Suggested hypotheses include inositol-depletion via inhibition of inositol- monophosphatase and neuroprotection, via inhibition of GSK-3. Chronic lithium treatment inc........ Read more »
Chen G, Rajkowska G, Du F, Seraji-Bozorgzad N, & Manji HK. (2000) Enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis by lithium. Journal of neurochemistry, 75(4), 1729-34. PMID: 10987856
O'Brien WT, Harper AD, Jové F, Woodgett JR, Maretto S, Piccolo S, & Klein PS. (2004) Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta haploinsufficiency mimics the behavioral and molecular effects of lithium. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 24(30), 6791-8. PMID: 15282284
Berggren U, Tallstedt L, Ahlenius S, & Engel J. (1978) The effect of lithium on amphetamine-induced locomotor stimulation. Psychopharmacology, 59(1), 41-5. PMID: 100811
Wexler EM, Geschwind DH, & Palmer TD. (2008) Lithium regulates adult hippocampal progenitor development through canonical Wnt pathway activation. Molecular psychiatry, 13(3), 285-92. PMID: 17968353
Agam G, Bersudsky Y, Berry GT, Moechars D, Lavi-Avnon Y, & Belmaker RH. (2009) Knockout mice in understanding the mechanism of action of lithium. Biochemical Society transactions, 37(Pt 5), 1121-5. PMID: 19754464
Bessa JM, Ferreira D, Melo I, Marques F, Cerqueira JJ, Palha JA, Almeida OF, & Sousa N. (2009) The mood-improving actions of antidepressants do not depend on neurogenesis but are associated with neuronal remodeling. Molecular psychiatry, 14(8), 764. PMID: 18982002
Lu T, Aron L, Zullo J, Pan Y, Kim H, Chen Y, Yang TH, Kim HM, Drake D, Liu XS.... (2014) REST and stress resistance in ageing and Alzheimer's disease. Nature, 507(7493), 448-54. PMID: 24670762
- August 11, 2014
- 09:00 AM
- 1,616 views
OCD Linked With Broad Impairments in Executive Function
by amikulak in Daily Observations
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), characterized by intrusive and persistent thoughts that are often accompanied by repetitive or ritualized acts, is a serious clinical disorder that can significantly impact a person’s ability […]... Read more »
Snyder, H., Kaiser, R., Warren, S., & Heller, W. (2014) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Is Associated With Broad Impairments in Executive Function: A Meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1177/2167702614534210
- August 8, 2014
- 09:52 AM
- 1,540 views
Know your brain: Corpus callosum
by neurosci in Neuroscientifically Challenged
Corpus callosum (in red).CC image courtesy of Life Science Databases(LSDB).
Where is it?The corpus callosum is a large, C-shaped nerve fiber bundle found beneath the cerebral cortex. It stretches across the midline of the brain, connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres. It makes up the largest collection of white matter tissue found in the brain.What is it and what does it do?To understand the role of the corpus callosum, it is first importan........ Read more »
Gazzaniga MS. (2005) Forty-five years of split-brain research and still going strong. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 6(8), 653-9. PMID: 16062172
- August 6, 2014
- 12:01 PM
- 1,260 views
Brain Striatum and Loss-Chasing in Gambling
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Pathological gambling (PG) is a pattern of gambling characterized by loss of control and large gambling debts.The near-miss phenomenon in gambling is the gaming scenario where gamblers sense they were very close to winning.This near-miss phenomenon can be programmed into slot machines. For example, a gambler might be presented frequently with four cherries when five cherries would result in a huge payout.The response to the near-miss in PG is often a sense that a big win is just around the corne........ Read more »
van Holst RJ, Chase HW, & Clark L. (2014) Striatal connectivity changes following gambling wins and near-misses: Associations with gambling severity. NeuroImage. Clinical, 232-9. PMID: 25068112
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