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NEWS ABOUT: memory

memory stories: 36 news summaries

1 - 20 of 36 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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CIA Interrogations Caused Brain Damage: Scientist

Harsh techniques damaged subject's facility for recall

Sep 21, 09 3:26 PM CDT
(AP) - The CIA's harsh interrogations are likely to have damaged the brains of terrorist suspects, diminishing their ability to recall and provide the detailed information the spy agency sought, according to a new scientific paper. The paper scrutinizes the techniques used by the CIA under the Bush administration through the lens... More »

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CIA • memory • brain • brain damage • neuroscience • sleep deprivation • waterboarding • enhanced interrogation techniques

 Blueberry Smoothies 
 Boost Brain Power 

'Super food' can increase powers of concentration, ward off dementia

Sep 11, 09 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - A blueberry smoothie in the morning is good for your brain in the afternoon—and in the long run, according to new research. Scientists at a British university found that one blueberry smoothie increased powers of concentration by as much as 20% in a single day. Consumption of blueberries can... More »

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food • memory • dementia • brain • fruit and vegetables

(Newser) - If you have trouble remembering who Britney Spears is, there’s some good news and bad news. Good news: You have managed to forget Britney Spears. Bad news: You might be at risk for Alzheimer’s, according to a new study. A team of scientists recently found that people with... More »

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Britney Spears • memory • study • celebrity • fMRI • brain scans • Alzheimer's Disease

 Sunny Days Help You Think 

Cloudiness reduces cognitive agility in depressed people, researchers found

Aug 5, 09 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Does a cloudy day leave you groggy and unable to focus? If so, a study suggests you’re not alone: Cloudy days, regardless of season, can have an effect on cognitive function, MSNBC reports. Researchers cross-referencing the results of cognitive tests from 16,800 Americans with data on daily sunshine... More »

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weather • memory • depression • learning • brain • sun • sunlight • mild cognitive impairment

 Fetuses Form Memories: Study 

At 30 weeks, have 10-minute memory

Jul 16, 09 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fetuses can form memories, an important indicator of nervous-system maturation that may help doctors detect developmental problems, Dutch researchers say. Fetuses exposed to sound and vibration for 1 second every 30 seconds became accustomed to the stimuli, a process known as habituation. "Habituation is a form of learning,"... More »

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pregnancy • memory • parenting • study • research • fetus • prenatal care • Down Syndrome • pregnant women • babies

If Monkeys
Could Talk ...

Tamarins possess
skills fundamental
to human language: researchers

Jul 9, 09 3:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Monkeys can recognize “incorrect” syllable pattern in words, revealing that species other than human possess the underlying skills necessary for anguage, the BBC reports. Researchers played recordings of made-up words that shared either a common prefix or suffix for two groups of cotton-top tamarin monkey. Tamarins familiarized with either... More »

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memory • learning • monkey • language • primates • pattern recognition

Real 'Thinking Cap' May Not
Be So Far Off

Magnetic pulse boosts learning, study shows; headgear next?

Jul 7, 09 2:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - A magnetic pulse directed at a certain area of the brain may enhance learning and memory, the Telegraph reports. Canadian researchers subjected volunteers to a test that required they track a dot moving on a computer screen with a joystick, and volunteers who received stimulation fared much better. More »

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memory • learning • brain • neuroscience • cognitive science • magnetic field • cognitive enhancement • thinking cap

 Study: Fatty Foods 
 Boost Memory 

Hormone may have helped early humans remember where the rich pickings were

Apr 28, 09 3:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - The same foods blamed for clogging arteries may help the brain build memories, National Geographic reports. Researchers studying obesity discovered that rats given oleoylethanolamide, or OEA—a compound produced in the intestines when fat is digested—demonstrated improved memory retention in tasks. They believe the same mechanism exists in humans... More »

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food • memory • brain • long term memory • memory consolidation • Alzheimer's Disease

Poor Kids' Stress Harms the Brain, Chance of Success

Elevated stress hormones early can lead to lack of working memory later

Apr 6, 09 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chronic stress caused by growing up poor appears to impair a developing child’s working memory, the Washington Post reports, pointing to another link between childhood poverty and lessened long-term success. While environmental and experiential factors—such as having fewer toys and more exposure to lead—likely affect the achievement... More »

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memory • children • stress • poverty • cognitive science • cognitive development • scientific study • working memory

Brain Scientists Find 'Memory Molecule'

Blocking it could erase memories; enhancing may stave off dementia

Apr 6, 09 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Imagine having the power to wipe out a particularly troubling memory, or to enhance neuron systems in order to stave off the effects of dementia. Such techniques, once only considered by science fiction writers and philosophers, could now be within our grasp, based on studies in animals. The New York ... More »

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memory • dementia • neurons • molecules • brain chemistry

(Newser) - Gyms offering to exercise the brain instead of the body are attracting thousands of aging Americans seeking to tone their gray matter, the Wall Street Journal reports. The gyms are generally based around brain-fitness software, but some offer courses in brain nutrition as well as mental-fitness assessments with personal trainers... More »

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memory • dementia • aging • brain • brain fitness • Alzheimer's Disease

(Newser) - Decoding part of the complex system used by the brain to store memories has allowed scientists to determine a person’s location by looking at brain scans, Wired reports. A study took images of the hippocampus—the part responsible for spatial relationship and short-term memories—as individuals navigated a virtual-reality... More »

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memory • brain • fMRI • short-term memory • brain scans • hippocampus

 Cut Calories for a Sharper Mind 

Study finds that restricted eating leads to better memory in older adults

Mar 4, 09 12:19 PM CST
(Newser) - It's been shown in rats and monkeys, and now the first human study looking at the effects of calorie restriction on memory also confirms that eating less can improve your brain. A German research team gave 50 older adults a diet with normal nutrients but 30% fewer calories, and found... More »

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memory • diet • aging • calories • scientific study • brain fitness

(Newser) - A drug usually prescribed for high blood pressure can relieve people of painful memories, the Telegraph reports. Taking the beta blocker drug propranolol, subjects in a Dutch study experienced less fear when reminded of a shocking memory. Researchers said millions of people suffering from emotional disorders or "self-perpetuating memories"... More »

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memory • scientific study • beta blockers • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 Dieting Could 
 Help Your 
 Memory 



Cutting calories could help stave off
dementia, Alzheimer's

Jan 27, 09 11:57 AM CST
(Newser) - Eating less could help you remember more, a study suggests. Among volunteers with an average age of 60, the Telegraph reports, those instructed to eat 30% fewer calories improved their memory test scores by 20% compared to those asked to maintain their diets or eat 20% more. The finding fuels... More »

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memory • dementia • diet • memory loss • Alzheimer's Disease

Single Nerve
Cell Can Hold a Memory: Study

New findings may shed light on addiction, memory disorders

Jan 26, 09 12:04 PM CST
(Newser) - Individual neurons in the brain can hang on to memories for a minute or longer, a new study finds. Something like a computer’s temporary random access memory (RAM), this working memory is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head for a few seconds, then forget... More »

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memory • addiction • cognitive science • dopamine • scientific discoveries • scientific study • neurons • short-term memory • working memory

Feeling Lonely? Give Your Sweetie's T-Shirt a Sniff

Men, women report snuggling with clothing

Jan 7, 09 3:17 PM CST
(Newser) - Both men and women cuddle with and smell their loved ones' clothing when they can't be together, MSNBC reports. "When I was going through high school and college, I would wear a boyfriend’s shirt to bed," said the author of a new study on how scent evokes... More »

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memory • psychology • sense of smell • scents

GLOSSIES

Legal or Not, Bottled Smarts Are Here to Stay

Safer, cheaper drugs will quell dissidents, scientists argue

Jan 7, 09 6:52 AM CST
(Newser) - The case is stacking up in favor of "smart pills," memory- and alertness-boosting prescription drugs already used by fighter pilots, corporate execs, and students for a cognitive edge, writes Maia Szalavitz in Time. Proponents say legalization debates are moot at this point—"the genie is already out... More »

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memory • Adderall • science • legalization • Ritalin • attention • cognitive enhancement

Vitamin Could Delay Onset of Alzheimer's

B3 pills caused big improvement in mice; human trials to begin

Nov 5, 08 2:07 PM CST
(Newser) - A simple dose of vitamin B3 may be one of the keys to combating the brain deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease, California scientists say. The team found that diseased mice given high levels of the vitamin retained normal memory ability over the four months of a study, and healthy... More »

MORE ABOUT:
memory • medical breakthrough • medical research • vitamin B • neurons • scientific research • Alzheimer's Disease

 Scientists Wipe 
 Mouse Memories 

Treatment selectively erased memories of electric shocks

Oct 25, 08 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have succeeded in blanking selected memories from the brains of mice, Reuters reports. After brain protein levels were manipulated, the mice lost the memory of an electric shock but didn't forget anything else. The researchers said it was doubtful that it would be possible—or desirable—to do the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
memory • mice • brain • memory loss • neurology • mouse • lab mice

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