New molecule protects the brain from effects of diabetes and high blood sugar

medicalxpress.com - Researchers at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem have created a molecule that could potentially lower diabetic patients' higher risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies indicate that high levels of sugar in the blood in diabetics and non-diabetics are a risk factor for the development of dementia, impaired cognition, and a decline of brain function. Diabetics have also been found to have twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to non-diabetics.

Natural plant compound prevents Alzheimer's disease in mice

medicalxpress.com - (Medical Xpress)—A chemical that's found in fruits and vegetables from strawberries to cucumbers appears to stop memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer's disease in mice, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered. In experiments on mice that normally develop Alzheimer's symptoms less than a year after birth, a daily dose of the compound—a flavonol called fisetin—prevented the progressive memory and learning impairments.

Men are more forgetful than women, study shows

medicalnewstoday.com - Men are frequently accused of forgetting birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and even something as simple as taking the trash out. But they have developed this stigma for a reason, a new study suggest - it found that men are more forgetful than women, regardless of their age. The research team, led by Prof. Jostein Holmen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, published the study findings in the journal BMC Psychology .

Forget About Forgetting: Elderly Know More, Use It Better

sciencedaily.com - Jan. 20, 2014 — What happens to our cognitive abilities as we age? If your think our brains go into a steady decline, research reported this week in the Journal Topics in Cognitive Science may make you think again. The work, headed by Dr. Michael Ramscar of Tübingen University, takes a critical look at the measures usually thought to show that our cognitive abilities decline across adulthood. Instead of finding evidence of decline, the team discovered that most standard cognitive measures, which date back to the early twentieth century, are flawed.

Toddlers' Aggression Strongly Associated With Genetic Factors

sciencedaily.com - Jan. 20, 2014 — The development of physical aggression in toddlers is strongly associated with genetic factors and to a lesser degree with the environment, according to a new study led by Eric Lacourse of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital. Lacourse's worked with the parents of identical and non-identical twins to evaluate and compare their behavior, environment and genetics.

Training your brain using neurofeedback

medicalxpress.com - A new brain-imaging technique enables people to 'watch' their own brain activity in real time and to control or adjust function in pre-determined brain regions. The study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre, published in NeuroImage , is the first to demonstrate that magnetoencephalography (MEG) can be used as a potential therapeutic tool to control and train specific targeted brain regions.

Quantum Vibrations in Brain Opens 'Pandora's Box' of Theories of Consciousness

ibtimes.co.uk - The discovery of quantum vibrations inside the brain has opened a "Pandora's Box" in terms of theories about levels of consciousness. A 20-year-old theory of consciousness published in the Physics of Life Reviews suggested that consciousness came from a deeper level, seemingly supporting spiritual approaches to how the brain works. It was proposed by scientists Sir Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff in the mid-1990s and suggested that quantum vibrational computations in the brain microtubules were "orchestrated" ("Orch") by synaptic inputs and memories stored in microtubules.

What's in a sugar pill? Maybe more than you think

nbcnews.com -  Doctors trying to use psychology to boost the power of migraine medication have made a startling discovery about how attitude can affect pain. They found that people felt relief from placebos — sugar pills — even when they knew they were taking placebos. While a real pain drug always worked better than placebo, the researchers also found a kind of “reverse-placebo” effect. If patients thought they were getting a placebo, the real drug didn’t work as well as it should have, the report in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Practice may not make perfect after all, study suggests

medicalnewstoday.com - We are all familiar with the saying "practice makes perfect." But new research from psychologists at the University of Sheffield in the UK suggests that when it comes to learning new skills, the way one practices is more important than the frequency of practice. To reach their findings, published in the journal Psychological Science, the research team analyzed data from 854,064 players of an online computer game called Axon.