Where in the brain, exactly, is intelligence? Is a high I.Q. just a result of a flawed test – or do high-I.Q. brains have specific, measurable differences from others? Answers await, Intrepid Reader – but first we have to make sure we’re asking the right questions. Let’s start with the big news: a study just published [...]
Posts Tagged ‘depression’
Brains and Brilliance
August 1st, 2012 
The Connectome 
Posted in Brain News, Featured 
Tags: anxiety, connectomics, depression, drugs, functional networks, intelligence, learning, neurophysiology 
4 Comments »
Reward Lasers
March 21st, 2012 The Connectome Our ability to feel pleasure in rewarding situations depends on a delicate balance of two specific types of brain circuits, a new study reports. By using targeted lasers to activate specific cells in a mouse brain, researchers can disrupt and reactivate small sections of that brain’s reward pathway, causing mice to drastically change their behavior. [...]
Posted in Brain News, Featured Tags: biochemistry, biology, depression, drugs, learning, memory, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, technology 4 Comments »
5 Ways to Fight the Blues…with Science!
February 22nd, 2012 The Connectome So you’re stuck in that mid-week slump…the weekend lies on the other side of a scorching desert of work, and you have no canteen because you gave up water for Lent (in this metaphor, “water” refers to alcohol…just to be clear). But fear not! Neuroscience knows how to cheer you up! Nope, this isn’t another [...]
Posted in Feature Stories, Featured Tags: anxiety, depression, fear, psychology, science to the rescue!, senses 3 Comments »Stress Intervention
December 15th, 2011 The Connectome Scientists have discovered a way to shut down the brain’s “stress process” before it gets going, says a new study. By blocking the brain’s ability to manufacture certain chemicals called neurosteroids, researchers have managed to temporarily cut off a biological process crucial for stressful behavior – and for many stressful feelings as well. Animals from amphibians [...]
Posted in Brain News Tags: anxiety, biochemistry, depression, emotions, fear, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, stress 1 Comment »Working Off Worry
August 24th, 2011 The Connectome Want to get rid of gloomy thoughts? Try working some physical activity into your daily routine, says a new study. For people who struggle with depression and anxiety, the research shows, exercise can be just as effective as antidepressant medication. It often prevents symptoms from getting worse – and in some cases, it even helps cure the problem. [...]
Depression Protection
August 23rd, 2011 The Connectome If you’re starting to feel depressed, try looking around you, a new study suggests. People who tend to ponder their internal feelings are often prone to depression relapses, the research found; while people who focus on what they see can sometimes resist a spiral of negativity.1 As the journal Biological Psychiatry reports, a team led by ACLAB’s Dr. Norman [...]
Posted in Brain News Tags: depression, fMRI, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, psychology, senses 1 Comment »
