Researchers identify nerves associated with ciguatera, deadly tropical disease
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) have identified the nerves involved in the painful tropical disease called ciguatera.
View ArticleChanges in patterns of brain activity predict fear memory formation
Psychologists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have discovered that changes in patterns of brain activity during fearful experiences predict whether a long-term fear memory is formed. The research...
View ArticleFDA aims to change the way it monitors safety of defibrillators
Defibrillators are supposed to save lives by shocking a patient's heart back into a normal rhythm, but they have malfunctioned in about 45,000 cases since 2005, according to the Food and Drug...
View ArticleApp lets amputees program their own bionic hands
Double-amputee Jason Koger used to fly to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands. Now, he's got an app instead. Koger this week demonstrated the i-limb ultra...
View ArticleSecurity risks found in sensors for heart devices, consumer electronics
The type of sensors that pick up the rhythm of a beating heart in implanted cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers are vulnerable to tampering, according to a new study conducted in controlled...
View ArticleFear: A justified response or faulty wiring?
Fear is one of the most primal feelings known to man and beast. As we develop in society and learn, fear is hard coded into our neural circuitry through the amygdala, a small, almond-shaped nuclei of...
View ArticleSolutions for improving first aid in cardiorespiratory arrests
An algorithm capable of diagnosing heart rhythm with just 3 seconds' worth of signal, and the demonstration that it is possible to come up with the diagnosis without stopping cardiac massage,...
View ArticleNew clues to memory formation may help better treat dementia
Do fruit flies hold the key to treating dementia? Researchers at the University of Houston (UH) have taken a significant step forward in unraveling the mechanisms of Pavlovian conditioning. Their work...
View ArticleChinese come out against sexuality change therapy
A wire connected to his genitals, a Chinese man says doctors administered repeated electric shocks as he watched a pornographic film—part of treatment he hoped would eliminate his sexual attraction to...
View ArticleDoing something is better than being alone with their thoughts for most...
Most people are just not comfortable in their own heads, according to a new psychological investigation led by the University of Virginia.
View ArticleFirst evidence for painless atrial fibrillation treatment
The first evidence for a shockless treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) will be presented today at Frontiers in CardioVascular Biology (FCVB) 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. The meeting is organised by the...
View ArticleTwo mechanisms work in tandem to form memories of frightening events
The formation of memories of fearful experiences involves not only changes in brain wiring, but also the action of a chemical known as noradrenaline, shows a study led by researchers from the RIKEN...
View ArticleResearch points to genes that may help us form memories
Gene expression within neurons is critical for the formation of memories, but it's difficult to identify genes whose expression is altered by learning. Now researchers have successfully monitored the...
View ArticleWhat is deja vu and why does it happen?
Have you ever experienced a sudden feeling of familiarity while in a completely new place? Or the feeling you've had the exact same conversation with someone before?
View ArticleElderly benefit from using implantable defibrillators
The elderly may benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators as much as younger people, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
View ArticleStudy uncovers a starring role for supporting cells in the inner ear
Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn...
View ArticleDishonest deeds lead to 'cheater's high,' as long as no one gets hurt, study...
People who get away with cheating when they believe no one is hurt by their dishonesty are more likely to feel upbeat than remorseful afterward, according to new research published by the American...
View ArticleStudy of neurogenesis in mice may have solved mystery of childhood amnesia in...
(Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers working at the University of Toronto in Canada may have found the answer to the question of why we humans tend to have little to no memory of the first few years...
View ArticleOxytocin helps to better overcome fear
Frightening experiences do not quickly fade from memory. A team of researchers under the guidance of the University of Bonn Hospital has now been able to demonstrate in a study that the bonding hormone...
View ArticleHow our emotions transform mundane events into strong memories
Human beings are information seekers. We are constantly taking in details – big and small – from our environment. But the majority of the stuff we encounter in a given day we rarely need to remember....
View ArticleHow the stress hormone cortisol reinforces traumatic memories
The stress hormone cortisol strengthens memories of scary experiences. However, it is effective not only while the memory is being formed for the first time, but also later when people look back at an...
View ArticleKeep fears at bay by learning something new
Exposure therapy is a commonly used and effective treatment for anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias.
View ArticlePartners of heart defibrillator patients concerned about resuming sex
Intimate partners of people with heart defibrillators are more concerned about resuming sexual activity than the patients immediately after the device is implanted, according to research presented at...
View ArticleStudy of individual neurons in flies reveals memory-related changes in gene...
Researchers at Princeton University have developed a highly sensitive and precise method to explore genes important for memory formation within single neurons of the Drosophila fly brain. With this...
View ArticleCarrots and sticks fail to change behaviour in cocaine addiction
People who are addicted to cocaine are particularly prone to developing habits that render their behaviour resistant to change, regardless of the potentially devastating consequences, suggests new...
View ArticleEver noticed time seems to move faster when you're in control of things?...
We've all been there: waiting for a boring meeting to finish or for a bus to arrive and time just seems to drag on far more slowly than usual. Yet our most enjoyable moments seem to whizz by at...
View ArticlePatients with OCD have difficulty learning when a stimulus is safe
People who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are poorer at learning about the safety of a stimulus than healthy volunteers, which may contribute to their struggles to overcome compulsive...
View ArticleConducting the milgram experiment in Poland, psychologists show people still...
A replication of one of the most widely known obedience studies, the Stanley Milgram experiment, shows that even today, people are still willing to harm others in pursuit of obeying authority. The...
View ArticleCommon antibiotic may help to prevent or treat PTSD
The common antibiotic doxycycline can disrupt the formation of negative associations in the brain, according to new research from UCL and the University of Zurich.
View ArticleMotivation through punishment
The goal of punishment usually is to stop undesirable behaviour. But in fact, punishment may also have a facilitative to motivating effect, as researchers at the Institute of Psychology of the...
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