Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind

Brain processes tasks while you snore

(NEWSER) - If studying hard makes you sleepy, you may as well indulge. New research from Harvard Medical School suggests that dreaming about a new piece of information helps you remember it. The findings could help improve memory and learning. Students, for instance, may be better off studying before bedtime or taking a post-study snooze. More»

Sleeping for 90 minutes at midday boosts the brain's ability to learn

(NEWSER) - Taking a nap after lunch helps the brain "reset" and prepare to assimilate new information, researchers say. "It's as though the e-mail inbox in your hippocampus is full and, until you sleep and clear out those fact e-mails, you're not going to receive any more mail," says the author of a new study. "It's just going to bounce until you sleep and move it into another folder." More»

'Try not to think about it' is good advice, research reveals

(NEWSER) - Suppressing memories may be as simple as deciding not to think about them, scientists say, offering hope to survivors of traumatic events. Researchers say the findings in a report out today could lead to new treatments for PTSD by offering patients a measure of control over their recollection of disturbing experiences, the LA Times reports. More»

New study suggests disease-related memory loss may be reversible

(NEWSER) - Alzheimer's patients may be able to recover some memory by using a combo of drugs and mental stimulation, a new study in the journal Nature concludes. Mice with an Alzheimer's-like condition were more likely to remember an electric shock if they had taken a drug stimulating brain-cell growth or lived in playground-like cages. More»

(NEWSER) - Add a little scent to your evening and your sleep, and your memory works better in the morning. A recent study showed that the smell of roses, administered while participants played a computer game, and then while they slept, improved their rate of recall after they woke by 13 percent. More»