Wednesday 21 May 2008 No sleep 'renders brain erratic'
Scientists have shown relying on the sleep deprived-brain to perform well is potentially fraught with danger.
They found that even after sleep deprivation, people have periods of near normal brain function in which they can finish tasks quickly.
Tuesday 20 May 2008 Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain
New research suggests that memory lapses that occur with age might be a sign of a widening focus of attention.
Some brains do deteriorate with age. Alzheimer’s disease, for example, strikes 13 percent of Americans 65 and older. But for most aging adults, the authors say, much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number. Although that can be frustrating, it is often useful.
“It may be that distractibility is not, in fact, a bad thing,” said Shelley H. Carson, a psychology researcher at Harvard whose work was cited in the book. “It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind.”
Dr. Alain Dagher
is a neurologist specializing in movement disorders and functional brain imaging. His
research aims to understand how the normal brain controls movement and how illnesses like
Parkinson's Disease and dystonia impair movement. He analyzes brain activity in patients
learning or planning tasks involving movement to identify the parts of the brain involved
in these tasks and to understand how disease causes disability, work that could help
refine therapies for Parkinson's Disease. He is also developing a new method to measure
the release of dopamine by neurons in the living human brain, the goal being to understand
more fully dopamine's role in Parkinson's Disease and schizophrenia as well as in drug
addiction. (Recent Publications) more at MvConnel brain imaging center
Dr. Dagher is a neurologist specializing in movement disorders and functional brain imaging. His research aims to understand how the normal brain controls movement and how illnesses like Parkinson's Disease and dystonia impair movement. He analyzes brain activity in patients learning or planning tasks involving movement to identify the parts of the brain involved in these tasks and to understand how disease causes disability, work that could help refine therapies for Parkinson's Disease. He is also developing a new method to measure the release of dopamine by neurons in the living human brain, the goal being to understand more fully dopamine's role in Parkinson's Disease and schizophrenia as well as in drug addiction. Publications (on Google Scholar)
(MNI Director 1972-1984) granted the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Quebec. google
Saturday Apr 19, 2008 Hypnotist goes right to the source
Delving Deep Stephen Gruber, 55, describes hypnosis as "a focused state of attention." Once people are in this state, he says, they are ready to do the work needed to examine the long-held beliefs that drive their emotions and lead to such unwanted behaviour as overeating or smoking. "There is a feeling inside of them that they are distracting themselves away from. ... I resolve the feeling that is driving them," he said in a recent interview in his office at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex in N.D.G.
... “The old fear memories had not gone away,” said Dr. Ross Levin, a psychologist and sleep researcher at Yeshiva University in New York. They “were easily reactivated by the recent trauma,” and just as readily twisted into the basis of a repetitive nightmare.
Tuesday 09 October 2007 How Baboons Think (Yes, Think) Royal is a cantankerous old male baboon whose troop of some 80 members lives in the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. A perplexing event is about to disturb his day.
video nyt
Monday 27 August 2007 Calisthenics for the Older Mind, on the Home Computer After a study by researchers at the University of Washington suggested this month that Baby Einstein and similar videos for infants might not be beneficial, consumers may be wondering about products created for the other end of the age spectrum. These can cost from $29.95 to more than $2,500 for a program. Some makers of cognitive fitness software argue that their products are still too new to show long-term results, especially because cognitive decline can take many years to surface.
“The scientific evidence for those commercial products is still very weak,” said Timothy A. Salthouse, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. “Manufacturers and companies have jumped into this without doing the research” to prove that their products enhance cognitive function or delay mental decline, he said.
August 19, 2007 Phys Ed Lobes of Steel Consider this before skipping yet another workout: exercise could make your brain stronger and faster, too.
To Reap Psychotherapy’s Benefits, Get a Good Fit Americans seem to like psychotherapy. Whether it’s for the mundane conflicts of everyday life or life-threatening illnesses like major depression, psychotherapy is widely viewed as a healthy, if not harmless, pursuit.
Aug. 10 - A 59-year-old German woman has had most of a pencil removed from her head, after it had been lodged in her skull for 55 years.
Aug. 20, 2007 | By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK ...s impossible--that you've been here before. Psychologists call it déjà vu--"already seen," in French--but despite the phenomenon's universal familiarity, 706 words It's an eerie experience that just about everyone has had more than once: you walk into a room or find yourself in a conversation, and suddenly you have the overwhelming sense--even though you know it's impossible--that you've been here before. Psychologists call it déjà vu--"already seen," in French--but despite the phenomenon's universal familiarity, no one has offered a convincing explanation for why it happens.
The Mystery of Consciousness(A User''s Guide To The Brain / What is Consciousness?)
You exist, right?
Prove it. How 100 billion jabbering neurons create the knowledge--or
illusion--that you're here
Sarah Scantlin is a living medical miracle. An accident injured her brain so severely she should have died, but 20 years later she has regained the ability to speak
• Sarah Scantlin's Dad Speaks
Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how we can keep our memory as we age and even create new brain cells through mental and physical exercise
• Dr. Gupta Interviews Professor Arthur Kramer
How The Brain Rewires Itself(A User's Guide To The Brain)
Not only can the brain learn new tricks, but it can also change its structure and function--even in old age
6 Lessons for Handling Stress(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Take a deep breath. Now exhale slowly. You've just taken the first step toward managing stress and avoiding burnout
Time Travel in the Brain(A User''s Guide To The Brain / Essay)
What are you doing when you aren't doing anything at all?
What Do Babies Know?(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Less than we thought, say scientists at the new Babylab. What passed for intelligence may have been boredom
How We Make Life-and-Death Decisions(A User''s Guide To The Brain / Essay)
"Morality is more properly felt
than judged of; though this feeling or sentiment is commonly so soft and
gentle, that we are apt to confound it with an idea." DAVID HUME, Scottish
philosopher
The Flavor Of Memories(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Emotions turn out to be key in how we remember--and can help us recast traumas dredged from the past
Marketing To Your Mind(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
With new scanning technologies, smart companies may soon sell their products directly to the decider in chief: the brain itself
The Power of Hope(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
We say "Sweet dreams" when we induce general anesthesia--but nobody dreams. Consciousness stops.With anesthesia, however, we know how to undo the spell. You wake up when the operation is over, and there you are again. Not so when you drop into the coma of an advanced brain tumor
Who Should Read Your Mind?(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Brain scanners are becoming more powerful all the time--and privacy experts are worried
How To Change A Personality(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Drugs and implants can be used for more than treating brain disorders. But there are limits
What The Mouse Brain Tells Us(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Stunning new images from the brains of mice offer insights into the human mind disorders
The Gift Of Mimicry(A User''s Guide To The Brain)
Why monkeys see and do, why babies smile at mothers and why our skin crawls at scary movies
A Clever Robot(A User''s Guide To The Brain / What Is Consciousness?)
Tuesday 16 January 2007 ec The Voices in My Head Say ‘Buy It!’ Why Argue? Now that scientists have spotted the pain and pleasure centers in the brain, they’ve moved on to more expensive real estate: the brain’s shopping center. They have been asking the big questions:
Friday 12 January 2007 TORONTO: MULTILINGUALISM GOOD FOR BRAIN
Speaking more than one language has its obvious advantages. But Canadian researchers have discovered one that is not so obvious. Bilingualism may keep senile dementia at bay. Researchers at the Baycrest Research Centre for Ageing and the Brain in Toronto examined the diagnostic records of 184 patients with cognitive complaints. Of that group, 91 were unilingual and 93 were bilingual. The researchers determined that the mean age of onset of dementia symptoms in the unilingual group was 71.4 years, while the bilingual group was 75.5 years. Dr. Morris Freedman, one of the authors of the study published this week, said there is no known drug treatment that can achieve similar results.
NYT video Brain health programs are aimed at baby boomers anxious about entering their golden years and at their parents trying to stave off memory loss or dementia
2006
Tuesday 26 December 2006 Exercise for Your Aging Brain
If you’re worried that your mental powers will decline as you age, a new study offers hope that a relatively brief flurry of brain exercises can slow the mind’s deterioration.
Monday May 22, 2006 Let's I.M. as You Read This We think of America as a sleep-deprived nation, but we are becoming deep-thought deprived, too.
Wednesday Apr 26, 2006 nyt Analyze These Sigmund Freud's drawings chart the evolution of his thinking, from his early devotion to marine anatomy to his psychological theories.
Saturday Mar 18, 2006 ts Tweaked your brain today?
Can you learn to be a happier person by repeatedly visualizing two tiny parts of your brain and imagining yourself tweaking them? Janice Mawhinney reports.
Sunday Feb 5, 2006 nyt Looking for the Lie By ROBIN MARANTZ HENIG Scientists are using brain imaging and other tools as new kinds of lie detectors. Bit trickier even than finding the source of the deception might be navigating a world without it. 46 W-N pages citing the lie
Tuesday Jan 31, 2006 ts Science for (and against) brain boosters
Brainspeed professes to "increase the rate at which information travels from one cell to the next within your brain." This can only mean one thing: Brainspeed is claiming to accelerate neurotransmitter processes.
Wednesday Jan 11, 2006 nyt Cells That Read Minds By SANDRA BLAKESLEE Scientists plumb the secrets of mirror neurons, which allow the brain to perform its highest tasks. One mystery remains: What makes them so smart?
Sunday Jan 1, 2006 ts MRIs offer clues to infant brains
BOSTON—Brain scientists are experimenting with tests to show in infancy whether a child will later develop autism, trouble speaking, or even problems reading.
2005
Tuesday Nov 22, 2005 nyt This Is Your Brain Under Hypnosis By SANDRA BLAKESLEE Hypnosis is receiving some new respect from neuroscientists as brain scans show how a suggestion can change the mechanism of perception.
Tuesday Oct 18, 2005 nyt Can Brain Scans See Depression? By BENEDICT CAREY For a variety of reasons, the hopes and claims for brain imaging in psychiatry have far outpaced the science, experts say.
Just one tuna fish sandwich a week can slow brain decline by the equivalent of three to four years, new research shows.
Previous
studies have found diets high in fish reduce the risk of dementia and
stroke. And recent experiments show a particular type of fatty acid
found in fish called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) protects aging rodents'
brains from the sticky clumps that cause Alzheimer's disease and keeps
neurons communicating and functioning properly.
DHA-fed rodents perform better on learning and memory tests.
The
new study, published online today in Archives of Neurology, suggests
eating fish also keeps the aging human brain from losing the ability to
think.
Researchers tracked 3,718 Chicago residents, age 65 and
older, who were first interviewed between 1993 and 1997, and at
three-year intervals in two follow-up interviews.
The team looked
at each person's fish consumption at the start of the study and then
related it to the change in his or her "thinking ability" over time,
said Martha Clare Morris, an epidemiologist at Rush University Medical
Centre in Chicago and the study's lead author.
The seniors were
tested on how much they could remember about a story they had just been
read, and other tests of immediate and delayed recall.
As well, they were asked how frequently they ate 139 different foods, including fish.
Overall,
just 21 per cent ate two or more fish meals per week; 42 per cent
rarely ate fish. A "meal" could be anything from a tuna fish sandwich
to fish sticks, fish cakes, fish as a main course, and shrimp, lobster
and crab.
"What we found was that eating fish at least once a
week was associated with a 10- to 13-per-cent reduction in the decline
in one's thinking ability per year," Morris said. "That's the
equivalent of three to four years of age.
"I wouldn't call that a
huge protection," she said in an interview. But "everyone is looking
for ways to preserve the brain as they grow older, just as we are our
physical abilities. It looks promising that consuming at least one fish
meal a week may help to preserve our brains."
It's not clear exactly how fish protects the brain. What is known is that one of the important components of fish is
DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, and DHA is abundant in brain tissue.
"And the primary structure of the brain is DHA," Morris said.
DHA,
in animal studies, has been shown to be important for brain development
in the womb and in the first few months of life. Breast milk is high in
DHA.
But humans lose DHA as we age, probably from oxidative
stress - a kind of body corrosion caused by chemicals that react with
and damage healthy cells. Think of rust on a car. Animal studies show
that replacing the lost DHA boosts communication between neurons.
DHA
is found in all types of fish, both cold water and warm. Morris is
doing a follow-up study to see if the type of fish makes a difference
in slowing cognitive decline.
Tuesday Jun 21, 2005 ts I downloaded my brain but I forget where I put it
A computer so powerful that you will be able to download your mind into it. Technologists claim they`re on the verge of being able to build one. It could be on the market by 2050.
Wednesday Jun 8, 2005 ts Right-brain thinkers ready to rule world, author says
Diana Bishop, a reporter for 20 years at CTV and Global News, now runs her own marketing firm. She teaches businesses how to tell their own stories.
Dec 12, 2004 ts Sad switch implant eases depression
Toronto scientists have implanted a brain pacemaker that turns down a key "sad" part of the brain in seriously depressed patients.
Dec 12, 2004 time Why We Sleep
You may think it's for your body, but it's really for your brain. The latest research is full of surprises
Whether or not you realize it, your brain has already started to check out for the night.
That yawn was the first sign that you're not so awake as you think ...... One theory is that sleep allows the brain to review and consolidate all the streams of information it gathered while awake. Another suggests that we sleep in order to allow the brain to stock up on fuel and flush out wastes. A third, which has been gaining currency, is that sleep operates in some mysterious way to help you master various skills, such as how to play the piano and ride a bike.
Monday Oct 25, 2004 ts Second language changes brain
OTTAWA—Add yet another item to the growing list of skills and experience that have been shown to cause physical changes in the adult brain — learning a second language.
Wednesday Aug 4, 2004 ts Shoot me, I feel a migraine coming
Gun-like device destroys headaches
Magnetic pulses disrupt pain producers
Thursday 25 Mar 2004 cbc TRADING WEAKER JAWS FOR BIGGER BRAINS
A single genetic mutation for smaller, weaker jaws may explain how
humans developed such large brains, a new study suggests. Biologists and plastic surgeons in Pennsylvania found people from all over the world have a mutation in a gene called MYH16 that encodes a key protein in jaw muscles.
Primates such as chimpanzees and macaques don't have the mutation and have stronger jaw muscles squeezing the skull
Friday 20 Feb 2004 cbc BRAIN SCANS SHOW PAIN RELIEF OF PLACEBO
Just expecting pain relief changes how the brain responds to pain,
according to a new study examining the placebo effect.
Friday 20 Feb 2004 cbc CALGARY SCIENTIST GROWS BRAIN CELLS ON MICROCHIP
Canadian and German researchers have grown snail nerve cells on a
microchip and showed the cells have memory and can communicate.
Thursday, January 22, 2004 cc WHY SLEEPING ON IT JUST MIGHT WORK
From Coleridge's epic Kubla Khan to Mendeleyev's periodic table
of elements, many artistic and scientific milestones seem to have sprung
into being when their creators fell asleep.
2003
Friday Dec 5, 2003 bbc WHY SLEEPING ON IT JUST MIGHT WORK
From Coleridge's epic Kubla Khan to Mendeleyev's periodic table
of elements, it's long been believed that sleep can help fuel artistic
creativity and scientific insight.
Parents wired to respond to child
The brains of parents - especially mothers - are wired up to respond to the cry of their baby, research finds.
Thursday Dec 25, 2003 Brain wiring schizophrenia link
Faults in the way the brain is wired may account for some cases of schizophrenia in young people, say scientists.
Saturday Dec 20, 2003 cbc BRAIN SURGERY HELPS TEEN REGAIN HER FOOTING
Cutting-edge neurosurgery has helped a New Brunswick teenager with an
incurable disease learn to walk for a second time.
Sunday Dec 14, 2003 bbc Gene 'key' to alcohol's effects
Scientists believe they have uncovered a key gene which may account for many of the effects of alcohol on the brain. The discovery was made in the roundworm, which shares many of the same genes with humans.
Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco turned off the gene in some worms - who then proved resistant to alcohol's effects.
Tuesday Dec 9, 2003
Distress raises Alzheimer's risk
People prone to psychological distress are at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.
Monday, 3 November 2003 ABC Brain Sale When our days are numbered most of us hope we can leave something of value behind.
Jonathon Keats has decided his contribution will be his brain. Jonathan plans to sell his brain to bidders. So what is a neuron worth nowdays?
Wednesday Nov 5, 2003 bbc Brain benefits of 'a quick pint'
Chess, evening classes and even going to the pub can be good for your brain, say researchers.
Monday Oct 27, 2003 bbc
The man who sold his brain An artist has put his brain up for sale. But this is more than a mere stunt - investors could see a big payout. He just has to die first. ...Unfortunately, copyright laws have watered down his plan for eternal life. Copyright in the US lasts for the life of its creator, plus 70 years.
Thursday Oct 9, 2003 cbc
WHY 'SLEEPING ON IT' WORKS
A good night's sleep not only recharges us, it rescues memories by
storing and reinforcing them deep in the brain, researchers have found.
Thursday Sep 11, 2003, bbc Clue to cab drivers' brainpower
Key changes in the brain enable taxi drivers to remember the best routes, a study suggests.
Fri, 6 September, 2003, bbc 'Brain training' link to hunger
Scientists show the brain can be trained to hunger for foods on seeing an abstract image.
Thursday, 4 September, 2003, bbc Mental illnesses share gene flaw
Schizophrenia and manic depression could have similar genetic causes, researchers suggest.
Sunday Aug 31, 2003 cbc SAGE MAY MAKE YOU A SAGE
British scientists say they've confirmed an age-old theory: sage can
improve memory.
Friday Aug 29, 2003 bbc Sage herb 'can boost memory' Centuries-old theories that the herb sage can improve memory appear to be borne out by modern research.
Scientists at the Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria tested 44 people, who were either given the herb or a dummy placebo pill
Saturday Aug 23, 2003 bbc Clues to ageing brain
Scans of the brain cells of rats are helping scientists to understand what happens in the mind as the body gets older.
Wednesday Aug 13, 2003 bbc Creatine 'boosts brain power'
The dietary supplement creatine - known to improve athletic performance - can also boost memory and intelligence, researchers say. "Creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power "
Wednesday Aug 13, 2003 bbc Scans spot dementia differences
Doctors use brain scans to distinguish between different types of dementia, which could mean better treatment for patients.
Friday Aug 8, 2003 bbc Test for early Parkinson's
Brain scientists believe they have found a way to detect the earliest signs that a patient is developing Parkinson's disease.
Tuesday Jul 8, 2003 bbc Brain chemistry link to sleep disorders
Chemical imbalances in the brain may be partly to blame for life-disrupting sleep disorders.
Thursday Mar 13, 2003 bbc Gene therapy hope for Huntington's
Scientists believe gene therapy could be used to slow down or prevent the fatal brain disorder Huntington's disease. Gene therapy is a way of treating disease by either replacing damaged or abnormal genes with normal ones or by providing new genetic instructions to help fight disease.
Wednesday Feb 5, 2003 cbc HIGH BLOOD SUGAR LINKED TO MEMORY LOSS
High levels of sugar in the blood may be linked with poor memory that
comes as we age, a new study suggests.
-
Music of the Hemispheres December 31, 2006 
BBC
Dr. Alain
Brain science Helpful junk June 16th 2005 
Grey matter, blue matter June 9th 2005 
Why We Sleep
Changing minds Might the proper study of management be man?
TRADING WEAKER JAWS FOR BIGGER BRAINS
BRAIN SCANS SHOW PAIN RELIEF OF PLACEBO
CALGARY SCIENTIST GROWS BRAIN CELLS ON MICROCHIP
WHY SLEEPING ON IT JUST MIGHT WORK
Gene 'key' to alcohol's effects
The man who sold his brain
FISH OIL A BALM FOR DEPRESSION: STUDIES
Test for early Parkinson's
Gene therapy hope for Huntington's
HIGH BLOOD SUGAR LINKED TO MEMORY LOSS