Reckless Teens Have More Mature Brains

It might help them ward off peer pressure

(NEWSER) - Looks like teens have a built-in defense mechanism against peer pressure: New research shows that the part of the brain involved in decision-making develops significantly in the early teen years, the Telegraph reports. Researchers from the University of Oregon found that activity in the ventral striatum, a part of the pre-frontal cortex tasked specifically with whether to take risks, increases dramatically between ages 10 and 13. More»

Study finds new neurons clear out short-term memory

(NEWSER) - The birth of new brain cells bumps old memories into long-term storage, according to new research which upends earlier theories. Researchers working with rodents found that the creation of new neurons destabilized existing connections in the hippocampus instead of strengthening them as they had expected, effectively "clearing the inbox" and causing short-term memories to be transferred elsewhere in the brain More»

...and another for every celeb you recognize, study finds

(NEWSER) - You have a neuron in your brain devoted entirely to recognizing Tom Cruise. Another specializes in Barack Obama, yet another LeBron James, and, yes, Jon and Kate are taking up two. By studying a decade worth of brain activity, researchers have discovered a series of cells that act like celebrity groupies, the Wall Street Journal reports. Each pulls together all the sensory data on a personality to create a mental image. More»

(NEWSER) - A functional artificial brain could be built within the next decade, leading scientist and brain-builder Henry Markram told a tech conference. Markram, who leads a project seeking to reverse engineer the mammalian brain from lab data, says his team has already duplicated parts of the rat brain, the BBC reports. The synthetic brain will be key to understanding mental disorders, according to Markam. More»

Scans confirm gender split on one-on-one interaction

(NEWSER) - Ever wonder why girls are so fixated on swapping friendship bracelets? They may just be wired that way, according to a new study. Using MRIs to look inside tweens' and teens' brains, researchers found that one-on-one interactions got girls’ synapses firing, Time reports. Boys focused less on other individuals than they did on groups and competition—a possible evolutionary adaptation that helps prepare them to deal with rivals for females' affection. More»