Brain/Neurological News

Pork tapeworm linked to seizures

A neuropeptide called Substance P is the cause of seizures in patients with brains infected by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, according to Baylor College of Medicine researchers.

Metaphors activate brain regions

When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers?

The brain and recognition of faces

Researchers are investigating the process of facial recognition, seeking to understand the complexity of what actually takes place in the brain when one person looks at another.

Aged brain more reluctant to work

Researchers have revealed a novel mechanism through which the brain may become more reluctant to function as we grow older.

Scientists decode brainwaves

Neuroscientists may one day be able to eavesdrop on the constant, internal monologs that run through our minds, or hear the imagined speech of a stroke patient.

Mom's love good for child's brain

School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress.

Texting slows walking pace

Talking on a cellphone or texting while walking slows you down and makes it difficult to walk in a straight line, researchers report.

The price of your soul

An Emory University neuroscience study finds that decision-making over 'sacred values' prompts a distinct cognitive process.

Slings and casts: brain adapts

Using a sling or cast after injuring an arm may cause your brain to shift quickly to adjust, according to a study.

Brain changes in web junkies

A small Chinese study suggests that the brains of teenagers who are seemingly addicted to the internet have abnormal "white matter."