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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: neurology

neurology stories: 33 news summaries

1 - 20 of 33 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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chemical revisited

Dopamine: Produces the Rush, Not the Pleasure

The "it" neurotransmitter stimulates drive, not good feeling

Oct 27, 09 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dopamine has become the decade’s “it” neurotransmitter, just as serotonin was in the ‘90s. But the popular image of dopamine as the brain chemical in charge of making us feel good, and hooking us on craving that feeling, a “Bacchus in the brain,” is misleading... More »

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dopamine • neurotransmitter • neurology • neurobiology • scientific research

Your Brain Has
a Neuron Just for Tom Cruise

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

Oct 9, 09 11:47 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Barack Obama • Tom Cruise • LeBron James • brain • neurology • neurons • Jon Gosselin • Kate Gosselin • celebrities


 Playing Tetris 
 Boosts Brain 
 Power 

Study claims game
has building blocks
for better grey matter

Sep 2, 09 6:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Playing Tetris leaves people's brains better-equipped to deal with more than just an onslaught of falling blocks, according to a new study. Researchers—funded by the video game's makers—took brain scans of adolescent girls before and after three months of daily Tetris playing and found that some parts of... More »

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brain • neurology • arcade games • video games • Tetris

Scientist Seeks Help for the Hopelessly Lost

Brain disorder causes people to get lost even in their own homes

Aug 15, 09 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Canadian neuroscientist has discovered a brain disorder that causes sufferers to spend their lives hopelessly lost even in their own neighborhoods, reports the Canadian Press. People with developmental topographical disorientation utterly lack the ability to form mental maps and orient themselves, leaving them with no idea how to navigate... More »

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brain • neuroscience • neurological disorder • neurology

(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.... More »

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technology • brain • neurology • neurons • cortex • supercomputer • Henry Markram

(Newser) - An immune-system booster already used in the treatment of other diseases could prove to be a powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. Analyzing the records of patients who received intravenous immunoglobulin—IVIg—they discovered that recipients were 42% less likely to develop Alzheimer's, HealthDay reports. More »

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dementia • neurology • clinical trials • immunotherapy • immunoglobulin • Alzheimer's Disease

'Rogue' Protein Spread Key to Alzheimer's 

Discovery casts light on tangles found in brains of disease sufferers

Jun 8, 09 8:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - A protein linked to Alzheimer’s can run amok in the brain, affecting healthy tissue, scientists have found. All nerve cells contain the tau protein, but a “rogue form” can lead to protein clumps in cells, called neurofibrillary tangles, that are believed to play a major role in Alzheimer’... More »

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medical breakthrough • brain • protein • neurology • Alzheimer's Disease • spread • tau protein

 'Walk and Die' 
 Syndrome 
 Likely Killed 
 Richardson 

Head injury from ski fall caused delayed bleeding in the brain

Mar 19, 09 6:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - The head injury Natasha Richardson sustained in a skiing accident produced what doctors call "walk and die" syndrome, a UCLA neurologist tells the Los Angeles Times. Patients in such cases at first seem fine, walking and talking normally, but they swiftly deteriorate due to delayed bleeding from an... More »

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celebrity • neurology • brain injuries • actor • traumatic brain injury • Liam Neeson • ski accidents • Natasha Richardson


 Sleepwalker 
 Stirs Yuks 
 Off-Broadway 

Sleepwalking With Me
wins praise from neurologists

Jan 25, 09 9:18 AM CST
(Newser) - Fighting off an imaginary Brad Pitt and leaping from a second-story window confirmed it: Mike Birbiglia was ready to turn his sleepwalking stories into a one-man show, Newsweek reports. Launched off-Broadway in November, the comedic Sleepwalk With Me is drawing raves from reviewers and sleep researchers alike. "Mike... More »

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theater • Brad Pitt • Broadway • comedy • neurology • skiing • sleep disorder

 Scientist: Love's 
 Just Brain Chemicals 

...that could someday be reproduced in a lab

Jan 8, 09 8:10 AM CST
(Newser) - An American neurologist is determined to prove wrong the poets who say love is beyond understanding, reports the BBC. The Emory professor argues that neurochemical reactions in certain parts of the brain can explain love, raising the possibility that scientists could someday create drugs to bring love back to dying... More »

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love • brain • neuroscience • neurology • oxytocin

Left-Handed
Men Earn
More: Study

Southpaws struggle
in school but surpass righties at work

Nov 29, 08 4:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Left-handed men earn an average of 5% more than right-handed men, two British and Irish studies have discovered. The studies found that southpaw males tended to do worse in school—possibly because of trouble adapting to a right-handed world—but were more successful as adults. Female lefties, however, did worse... More »

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wages • brain • left handed • neurology • male brain • female brain

 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 »

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memory • mice • brain • memory loss • neurology • mouse • lab mice

(Newser) - The precise application of electricity to certain areas of the brain—the same principles a pacemaker uses for the heart—is showing promise for people with an array of illnesses such as Parkinson's, severe depression, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's, the Chicago Tribune reports. The treatment, called deep brain stimulation, remains in... More »

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medicine • depression • surgery • neuroscience • neurology • therapy • deep brain stimulation

 Archery's Terrifying Secret

Experts can't even say the name of biggest fear: target panic

Aug 1, 08 7:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - The greatest fear of elite archers is something called "target panic"—an affliction that keeps some from releasing their bow, and causes others to shoot wildly as soon as the bull's-eye comes into sight. Many archers won't even say the words, although the condition has at some time... More »

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psychology • neurology • archery • Olympics

 'Pre-Dementia' on the Rise

Mild impairment strikes nearly a million elderly a year, especially men

Jul 29, 08 5:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Almost a million Americans each year develop a mild form of memory loss that is often a precursor to Alzheimer's, according to new research. Mild Cognitive Impairment—more serious than normal "senior moments"—was found to be more common in men, the Los Angeles Times reports. Doctors warn... More »

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elderly • dementia • aging • cognitive decline • neurology • Alzheimer's Disease

Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

Scientists say any kind of phone use makes for risky driving

Jul 1, 08 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - California motorists are now banned from using cell phones, but scientists say the move won't make the freeways any safer, reports the Los Angeles Times. Research shows that it is the lack of attention rather than occupied hands that impacts safety, and that drivers chatting on phones with both hands... More »

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California • cell phones • motorists • highway safety • driving • neurology

 Ted Kennedy to Undergo
 Brain Surgery Today 

Procedure begins at 9am; chemo to follow

Jun 2, 08 6:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ted Kennedy will undergo brain surgery this morning at Duke University Medical Center to treat his malignant tumor, CNN reports. Afterwards, he will begin chemotherapy, but he doesn’t expect it to sideline him for long. “After completing treatment, I look forward to returning to the United States Senate... More »

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Ted Kennedy • tumor • neurology • brain surgery

Ibuprofen Cuts
Alzheimer's Risk: Study

Anti-inflammatory drugs reduced risk 40%, but experts sound note of caution

May 6, 08 7:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - Long-term use of ibuprofen and some similar drugs cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The study found the drugs cut the risk of dementia by more than 40%, WebMD reports. Doctors warn, however, that such medications can have serious side effects and that it 's... More »

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dementia • medical research • neurology • inflammation • ibuprofen • Alzheimer's Disease

 Depression Linked 
 to Alzheimer's 

Those prone to the blues may also be prone to dementia

Apr 8, 08 5:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Nearly 50% of Alzheimer's patients also suffer from depression, and new studies suggest the depression came first, WebMD reports. Researchers found that elderly people with a history of depression were much more likely to develop dementia. The findings give greater urgency to early treatment for depression, experts warn. More »

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dementia • depression • medical research • neurology • Alzheimer's Disease

 Study Links Sex and Gambling 

Financial risk-taking lights up brain's pleasure center

Apr 5, 08 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Taking risks with money lights up the same parts of the brain as sexual arousal, a "neuroeconomics" study has found. Men shown sexy pictures gambled more daringly than those shown scary pictures—spiders and snakes—or neutral pictures, reports the AP. The study of 15 heterosexual Stanford students focused... More »

MORE ABOUT:
evolution • gambling • brain • neurology • risky trading • scientific research

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