Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

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• How vegetables make the meal
• 'Fountain of youth' technique rejuvenates aging stem cells
• Four common antipsychotic drugs found to lack safety and effectiveness in older adults
• Possible trigger for multiple sclerosis nerve damage
• Reducing sibling rivalry in youth improves later health and well-being
• Seeing the world through the eyes of an orangutan
• Sonar vision system for congenitally blind
• Researchers study cry acoustics to determine risk for autism
• New test to help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake
• New behavioral strategies may help patients learn to better control chronic diseases
• Brief exercise immediately enhances memory: Results apply to older adults both with and without cognitive deficits
• Early intervention prevents behavioral problems, experts say
• Linguist makes sensational claim: English is a Scandinavian language
• Being bullied can cause trauma symptoms
• Chemical 'switches' for neurodegenerative diseases discovered
• Smells like Christmas spirit: Researchers tie simple scent to increased retail sales
• Neuroimaging study: Negative messages less effective on those who are substance dependent
• Unique treatment proposed for children's 'hidden' neurological disorder
• Exercise rate related to improvements in Parkinson’s disease
• Active lifestyle boosts brain structure and slows Alzheimer’s disease
• Researchers discover gender-based differences in Alzheimer's disease

How vegetables make the meal Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:12 PM PST Adding vegetables to a meal can make you seem a better cook and a better person. A new study found that adding vegetables to the dinner led to more positive evaluations of both the main entree and the cook. Given that vegetables are served with only 23 percent of meals, these results could provide added motivation for parents to serve vegetables with dinner.

'Fountain of youth' technique rejuvenates aging stem cells Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:12 PM PST A new method of growing cardiac tissue is teaching old stem cells new tricks. The discovery, which transforms aged stem cells into cells that function like much younger ones, may one day enable scientists to grow cardiac patches for damaged or diseased hearts from a patient's own stem cells -- no matter what age the patient -- while avoiding the threat of rejection.

Four common antipsychotic drugs found to lack safety and effectiveness in older adults Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PST In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications -- schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia, some of which carry FDA warnings on prescription information for these drugs.

Possible trigger for multiple sclerosis nerve damage Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia.

Reducing sibling rivalry in youth improves later health and well-being Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST Sibling conflict represents parents' number one concern and complaint about family life, but a new prevention program demonstrates that siblings of elementary-school age can learn to get along. In doing so, they can improve their future health and well-being.

Seeing the world through the eyes of an orangutan Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:01 AM PST A captive bred Sumatran orangutan and a neuroscientist in Malaysia are hoping to explain some of the mysteries of the visual brain and improve the lives of captive bred animals.

Sonar vision system for congenitally blind Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:01 AM PST A "sonar vision" system that enables people who are blind from birth to perceive the shape of a face, a house or even words and letters, is now being developed. Using this device, the researchers have shown that, in people that are blind from birth, the areas of the cerebral cortex normally devoted to reading become activated in response to stimulation.

Researchers study cry acoustics to determine risk for autism Posted: 27 Nov 2012 08:13 AM PST Researchers have been studying the cry acoustics of six-month-old infants. At-risk infants produced pain related cries with higher and more variable fundamental frequency (commonly referred to as "pitch") as compared to low-risk infants. A small number of the at-risk infants were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder at 36 months of age.

New test to help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:15 AM PST Researchers have developed a computer-based test that could help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol consumption.

New behavioral strategies may help patients learn to better control chronic diseases Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:43 AM PST Physicians should take a serious look at tools and strategies used in behavioral economics and social psychology to help motivate their patients to assert better control over chronic diseases. Breaking large goals into smaller, more manageable parts, for example, may help patients better manage diseases such as diabetes.

Brief exercise immediately enhances memory: Results apply to older adults both with and without cognitive deficits Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:43 AM PST A short burst of moderate exercise enhances the consolidation of memories in both healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment, scientists have discovered.

Early intervention prevents behavioral problems, experts say Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:42 AM PST To prevent negative behavior among children, the work must start early, experts urge.

Linguist makes sensational claim: English is a Scandinavian language Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:41 AM PST "Have you considered how easy it is for us Norwegians to learn English?" asks Jan Terje Faarlund, professor of linguistics at the University of Oslo. "Obviously there are many English words that resemble ours. But there is something more: its fundamental structure is strikingly similar to Norwegian. We avoid many of the usual mistakes because the grammar is more or less the same."

Being bullied can cause trauma symptoms Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:40 AM PST Problems caused by bullying do not necessarily cease when the abuse stops. Recent research shows that victims may need long-term support.

Chemical 'switches' for neurodegenerative diseases discovered Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:39 AM PST Researchers have identified and “switched off” a chemical chain that causes neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and dementia. The findings could one day be of particular therapeutic benefit to Huntington’s disease patients.

Smells like Christmas spirit: Researchers tie simple scent to increased retail sales Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST Scientists and business people have known for decades that certain scents -- pine boughs at Christmas, baked cookies in a house for sale -- can get customers in the buying spirit. Researchers have been homing in on just what makes the most commercially inspiring odor. They recently found that a simple scent works best.

Neuroimaging study: Negative messages less effective on those who are substance dependent Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST What types of public messages will most likely deter drug and alcohol abuse? Negatively framed messages may not be an effective way to reach those most in need of persuasion, a new study suggests. "The findings are somewhat ironic because a whole lot of public service announcements say, 'Drugs are bad for you,' 'Just say no,' or 'This is your brain on drugs' with an image of an egg frying," said researcher Joshua Brown.

Unique treatment proposed for children's 'hidden' neurological disorder Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST A new study proposes an innovative treatment for developmental coordination disorder, a potentially debilitating neurological disorder in which the development of a child's fine or gross motor skills, or both, is impaired. Affecting one in 20 children, predominantly boys, the condition has broad academic, social and emotional impact. It can severely affect reading, spelling and handwriting abilities and lead to problems with self-esteem, obesity and injury.

Exercise rate related to improvements in Parkinson’s disease Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST People with Parkinson's disease benefit from exercise programs on stationary bicycles, with the greatest effect for those who pedal faster, according to a new study.

Active lifestyle boosts brain structure and slows Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST An active lifestyle helps preserve gray matter in the brains of older adults and could reduce the burden of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

Researchers discover gender-based differences in Alzheimer's disease Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST All patients with Alzheimer's disease lose brain cells, which leads to a shrinking, or atrophy, of the brain. But the pattern of gray matter loss is significantly different in men and women, according to a new study.