• New Stem Cell Technology Better Helping Bone Fracture Patients

    Updated: 2010-02-27 16:42:37
    Until recently, standard treatment methods for serious bone loss due to bone fractures and bone disorders, have been limited at best. Standard treatments for serious bone fractures would encompass basically two treatment options: either face amputation, or face long periods of disability. While prosthetic implants, on the other hand, have proven equally as frustrating over recent years, and are proving more inefficient in the long term. Because of these problems, somethin...

  • 10 Mitos sobre el Cerebro y la Gimnasia Mental

    Updated: 2010-02-27 16:21:32
    (Editor’s Note: by popular demand, following goes the Spanish translation of an excerpt from The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness, available in English by clicking on Debunking 10 Brain and Brain Fitness Myths) 10 MITOS SOBRE EL CEREBRO Y EL ENTRENAMIENTO MENTAL: VERDADERO O FALSO? Extraído del libro electrónico “La guía de SharpBrains para un cerebro en [...]

  • Influenza of the Future

    Updated: 2010-02-27 16:21:07
    Ever since the Swine Flu scare of 2009, governments all over the world aren’t pulling any punches in the inevitability of a real pandemic event. The potential public-health risk posed by a real pandemic event would be altogether catastrophic in many parts of the world, especially in third world countries. The only hope for governments to stand any chance against a serious influenza outbreak would be to have a multitude of vaccines already available to the public, to fulfi...

  • 10 Mitos sobre el Cerebro y la Gimnasia Mental

    Updated: 2010-02-27 15:21:32
    (Editor’s Note: by popular demand, following goes the Spanish translation of an excerpt from The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness, available in English by clicking on Debunking 10 Brain and Brain Fitness Myths) 10 MITOS SOBRE EL CEREBRO Y EL ENTRENAMIENTO MENTAL: VERDADERO O FALSO? Extraído del libro electrónico “La guía de SharpBrains para un cerebro en forma” (The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness). Con permiso de sus autores Alvaro Fernández y Dr.Elkhonon Goldberg. Mito 1. Mis genes determinan el destino de mi cerebro Realidad. La neuroplasticidad hace que nuestro estilo de vida, acciones y experiencias tengan un rol importante en la evolución física de nuestro cerebro a lo largo de toda la vida, especialmente dado el incremento de la esperanza de vida. Mito ...

  • Brain Blogging, Forty-Ninth Edition

    Updated: 2010-02-27 14:58:16
    The forty-ninth edition of Brain Blogging is up. In this round, we try to undercover the neuroanatomy of depression, breakdown emotion into a binary process, take a history lesson on learning theories, and discuss other topics. Related posts:Brain Blogging, Forty-Seventh Edition Welcome to the forty-seventh edition of Brain Blogging. In... Brain Blogging, The Fourty-Fifth Edition The new Grand Round of Brain Blogging is up... Brain Blogging 44th edition Welcome to the forty-fourth edition of Brain Blogging. In... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

  • A Mozart Presto

    Updated: 2010-02-26 10:35:00
    Here is another of the rehearsal recordings we make to critique, to be eventually replaced by a final version. It is a run through of the Presto (last movement) of Mozart's Piano Sonata for 4-hands, K. 358. I'm playing base, David Goldberger is playing treble.

  • Targeted Genome Editing using Zinc Finger Nucleases

    Updated: 2010-02-26 08:18:04
    Targeted Genome Editing using Zinc Finger Nucleases http://www.embl.de/training/courses_conferences/course/2010/SGM10-01/index.html Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) enable manipulation of the genome with unprecedented ease and precision. ZFNs are a class of engineered DNA-binding proteins that facilitate targeted editing of the genome by creating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA at user-specified locations. DSBs are important for site-specific mutagenesis in that they stimula...

  • Stem Cells, Tissue Homeostasis and Cancer

    Updated: 2010-02-26 08:07:49
    Stem Cells, Tissue Homeostasis and Cancer www.embl.de/conferences/stemcells/2010The conference series aims to incorporate basic, translational and clinical aspects of stem cell research into a single framework. The mechanisms that generate and maintain mammalian embryonic and tissue-specific stem cell populations will be discussed, as will the application of this knowledge to regenerative medicine and cancer biology. In particular, the role of induced pluripotentcy and cance...

  • How and When The Brain Learns to See

    Updated: 2010-02-26 07:30:38
    Pawan Sinha details his groundbreaking research into how the brain’s visual system develops. Sinha and his team provide free vision-restoring treatment to children born blind, and then study how their brains learn to interpret visual data. The work offers insights into neuroscience, engineering and even autism. In India many young people are blind. This is a disaster because the brain will not learn to see when older, young age is critical for the brain to be able to see. Impressive lecture about blindness and neuroscience. If the brain is older than 4 to 5 years of age it looses it’s ability to learn to see. A Project Prakash was started to help blind or almost blind children and help if possible. The goal of Project Prakash is to bring light into the lives of curably blind c...

  • DNA ISOLATION AND AMPLIFICATION

    Updated: 2010-02-26 06:41:46
    Hi... I am having a zooplankton Thermocyclops decipiens. I want to extract DNA from that and sequence 18s rDNA gene. Please provide me the protocol how to do this or else any links which help me. I am in very much need. Please help me.Praveena

  • How Retinoic Acid enters a cell

    Updated: 2010-02-25 11:39:13
    Can please anyone tell me how does the retinoic acid molecule (any of the isoforms) enter the cell?Many thanks

  • A Decade after The Decade of the Brain – Educational and Clinical Implications of Neuroplasticity

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:54:38
    (Editor’s Note: In 1990, Congress designated the 1990s the “Decade of the Brain.” President George H. W. Bush proclaimed, “A new era of discovery is dawning in brain research.” During the ensuing decade, scientists greatly advanced our understanding of the brain. The editors of Cerebrum asked the directors of seven brain-related institutes at the National [...]

  • A Decade after The Decade of the Brain – Educational and Clinical Implications of Neuroplasticity

    Updated: 2010-02-23 15:54:38
    (Editor’s Note: In 1990, Congress designated the 1990s the “Decade of the Brain.” President George H. W. Bush proclaimed, “A new era of discovery is dawning in brain research.” During the ensuing decade, scientists greatly advanced our understanding of the brain. The editors of Cerebrum asked the directors of seven brain-related institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify the biggest advances, greatest disappointments, and missed opportunities of brain research in the past decade—the decade after the “Decade of the Brain.” They also asked them what looks most promising for the coming decade, the 2010s. Experts focused on research that might change how doctors diagnose and treat human brain disorders.) Neuroscience is at a historic turning point. To...

  • Holy surgery and the spiritual brain.

    Updated: 2010-02-23 10:31:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Deric Bownds' MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , and behavior as well as random curious stuff Deric s Website HOME DERIC'S MIND BLOG BIOLOGY OF THE MIND BOOK AND COURSE LECTURES AND WRITING DERIC PERSONAL , Piano Performance , Professional , Personal History EMAIL DERIC MINDBLOG : PODCASTS The I-Illusion The Beast Within MindStuff : a user's guide Twitter Updates Follow me on Twitter Scientific American Partner Search : MindBlog Selected Blog Categories acting choosing 210 aging 105 animal behavior 153 attention perception 274 autism 18 brain plasticity 163 consciousness 150 culture 14 culture politics 383 deric 146 embodied cognition 26 emotion 209 evolution debate 92 evolutionary psychology 88 faces 70 fear anxiety stress 166 futures 52 genes 77 happiness 112 human development 117 human evolution 137 language 89 meditation 38 memory learning 136 mirror neurons 42 morality 43 motivation reward 89 music 126 psychology 135 religion 75 self 73 self help 53 sex 83 sleep 31 social cognition 227 technology 167 unconscious 37 Tuesday , February 23, 2010 Holy surgery and the spiritual . brain Over the past several years I've

  • Brain Fitness Update: Man is a Tool-Making Animal

    Updated: 2010-02-22 20:24:23
    Here you have the February edition of our monthlyeNewsletter covering cognitive health and brain fitness topics. Please remember that you can subscribe to receive this Newsletter by email, using the box in the right column. The recent SharpBrains Summit witnessed the convergence of Benjamin Franklin’s words (”Man is a Tool-Making Animal”)  with neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y [...]

  • Brain Fitness Update: Man is a Tool-Making Animal

    Updated: 2010-02-22 19:24:23
    Here you have the February edition of our monthlyeNewsletter covering cognitive health and brain fitness topics. Please remember that you can subscribe to receive this Newsletter by email, using the box in the right column. The recent SharpBrains Summit witnessed the convergence of Benjamin Franklin’s words (”Man is a Tool-Making Animal”)  with neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal’s  (”Every man can, if he so desires, become the sculptor of his own brain.”) The neuroplasticity revolution that may well transform education, training, healthcare, aging, is under way. New Tools Will the Apple iPad Be Good for your Brain: Prof. Luc Beaudoin lays out key criteria to assess Apple iPad’s potential value for our cognitive fitness, and judges the iPad aga...

  • Effect of socioeconomic status on increase in stress hormones over time.

    Updated: 2010-02-19 10:30:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Deric Bownds' MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , and behavior as well as random curious stuff Deric s Website HOME DERIC'S MIND BLOG BIOLOGY OF THE MIND BOOK AND COURSE LECTURES AND WRITING DERIC PERSONAL , Piano Performance , Professional , Personal History EMAIL DERIC MINDBLOG : PODCASTS The I-Illusion The Beast Within MindStuff : a user's guide Twitter Updates Follow me on Twitter Scientific American Partner Search : MindBlog Selected Blog Categories acting choosing 210 aging 105 animal behavior 153 attention perception 274 autism 18 brain plasticity 163 consciousness 150 culture 14 culture politics 383 deric 146 embodied cognition 26 emotion 209 evolution debate 92 evolutionary psychology 88 faces 70 fear anxiety stress 166 futures 52 genes 77 happiness 112 human development 117 human evolution 137 language 89 meditation 38 memory learning 136 mirror neurons 42 morality 43 motivation reward 89 music 126 psychology 135 religion 75 self 73 self help 53 sex 83 sleep 31 social cognition 227 technology 167 unconscious 37 Friday , February 19, 2010 Effect of socioeconomic status on increase in stress hormones over . time A

  • Predictors of Recovery from PTSD

    Updated: 2010-02-17 12:30:34
    A Longitudinal Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Recovery from PTSD Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), described as both a psychiatric and memory issue, was investigated using fMRI neuroimaging. Why do some people recover after a trauma while others have persistent symptoms and seek treatment? Study participants were examined soon after a trauma and then 6 to 9 months later, looking at early neural predictors of recovery and later neural correlates of recovery after cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Grey matter volume in areas of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex appeared to be predictors of recovery. Slightly confusing talk, not for beginners, but interesting findings. (Source: Channel N)

  • Mindfulness Meditation can impact Mood and Working Memory

    Updated: 2010-02-16 22:21:49
    Very interesting and relevant recent study on the impact of mindfulness meditation (noticed thanks to heads up by SharpBrains reader John): Building Fit Minds Under Stress (Science Daily) “high-stress U.S. military group preparing for deployment to Iraq has demonstrated a positive link between mindfulness training, or MT, and improvements in mood and working memory” The study also suggests [...]

  • Mindfulness Meditation can impact Mood and Working Memory

    Updated: 2010-02-16 21:21:49
    Very interesting and relevant recent study on the impact of mindfulness meditation (noticed thanks to heads up by SharpBrains reader John): Building Fit Minds Under Stress (Science Daily) “high-stress U.S. military group preparing for deployment to Iraq has demonstrated a positive link between mindfulness training, or MT, and improvements in mood and working memory” The study also suggests that sufficient mindfulness training (MT) practice may protect against functional impairments associated with high-stress challenges that require a tremendous amount of cognitive control, self-awareness, situational awareness and emotional regulation Please note that this wasn’t a properly randomized study, so in fact much/ most of the effect may be due to the placebo effect, but stil...

  • Cat Turf War

    Updated: 2010-02-15 00:00:00
    My apologies (and this surely falls under the 'random curious stuff' category) but I can't resist passing on this hysterical cat video.

  • A Brainy Tattoo

    Updated: 2010-02-13 05:36:00
    From Carl Zimmer's The Loom:A report and picture of a brainy tattoo. :-) --- How do *you* spell brain? (Source: BrainBlog)

  • The Neuroscience of Meditation

    Updated: 2010-02-12 06:17:01
    In conclusion, there is converging evidence that fronto-parietal and fronto-limbic brain networks seem to be activated in the attention practices that lead to Meditation, presumably reflecting processes of internalised sustained attention and emotion regulation. One should keep in mind that these findings relate to meditation in general. Different kinds of meditations can result in slightly different activation and deactivation patterns. Different brain activation networks can thus be activated by different Meditation traditions. These findings mostly result from comparison of small groups of experienced meditators compared to novices. Rubia, K. (2009). The neurobiology of Meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders Biological Psychology, 82 (1), 1-11 DOI: 10.1016/j...

  • Were do Mirror Neurons Come From?

    Updated: 2010-02-10 06:29:32
    This video is about mirror neurons. These mirror neurons are the key to many aspects of social interaction. It allows us to understand the actions, feelings of others. In a way to “read their minds”. Possibly mirror neurons play an important role in empathy , an important asset for physicians. But were do they come from these motor neurons? One explanation could be that mirror neurons are an adaptation: an adaptation for action understanding concerns the origins, rather than the current utility, of mirror neurons. It asserts that a certain process – genetic evolution – produced mirror neurons, and that they were favoured by natural selection because they supported action understanding. The mirror neurons helped to understand what others were doing, which could be of importa...

  • Pumping up the Brain: Reflections on the SharpBrains Virtual Summit

    Updated: 2010-02-09 19:41:41
    On January 18-20, 2010 Alvaro Fernandez and his team at SharpBrains put together a splendid line-up of speakers on a wide range of topics related to emerging brain fitness research, technologies, and markets, and clinical cognitive and mental health issues. IFTF was proud to be a sponsor of this event. Although the conference was virtual, aside [...]

  • Pumping up the Brain: Reflections on the SharpBrains Virtual Summit

    Updated: 2010-02-09 18:41:41
    On January 18-20, 2010 Alvaro Fernandez and his team at SharpBrains put together a splendid line-up of speakers on a wide range of topics related to emerging brain fitness research, technologies, and markets, and clinical cognitive and mental health issues. IFTF was proud to be a sponsor of this event. Although the conference was virtual, aside from the rigors of travel and a basket of bagels on the hallway table, my level of intellectual stimulation (and fatigue) mirrored most of my face-to-face conference experiences. It was a technical success and the content was first-rate. The conference was a great opportunity for us at IFTF to gather data and map the research landscape in cognitive fitness, especially as it relates to our 2010 Health Horizons research project around “Neurocent...

  • Amygdala and Gaming Decisions

    Updated: 2010-02-09 00:54:00
    From the BBC:Patients with amygdala injury 'unafraid' to gamble09 February 2010"Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money."Read the full article (Source: BrainBlog)

  • Computer games and Neuropsychology- realizing the potential

    Updated: 2010-02-08 15:54:37
    There is increasing evidence that playing video games improves neuropsychological function.  I have just been reading another excellent paper from the people at the University of Rochester called Increasing Speed of Processing with Action Video Games.  The paper written by Mathew Dye, Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier looks at a range of previous studies on reaction time and video game playing.  The introduction to the paper states: Playing action video games-contemporary examples include God of War, Unreal Tournament, GTA, and call of Duty – requires rapid processing of sensory information and prompt action, forcing players to make decisions and execute responses at a far greater pace than is typical in everyday life. Looking at lots of different studies they conclude that: Video ...

  • Simulate the Human Brain using an IBM Computer

    Updated: 2010-02-06 12:08:25
    Bluebrain | Year One from Couple 3 Films on Vimeo. The Blue Brain Project is the first comprehensive attempt to reverse-engineer the mammalian brain, in order to understand brain function and dysfunction through detailed simulations. More on the Bleu Brain Project here…. Thanks Boing Boing Related posts:Augmented Reality Machine Turns You into Third Person Game Avatar Machine [LONDON] 2008 from MARC OWENS on Vimeo.... Human Computer Interfaces Better Matched to our Brains and Body MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables — cookie-sized,... Exercise boosts Brain Power Exercise boosts brain power is one of the rules... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

  • Our brain activity as desire collides with reason.

    Updated: 2010-02-05 10:30:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Deric Bownds' MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , and behavior as well as random curious stuff Deric s Website HOME DERIC'S MIND BLOG BIOLOGY OF THE MIND BOOK AND COURSE LECTURES AND WRITING DERIC PERSONAL , Piano Performance , Professional , Personal History EMAIL DERIC MINDBLOG : PODCASTS The I-Illusion The Beast Within MindStuff : a user's guide Twitter Updates Follow me on Twitter Scientific American Partner Search : MindBlog Selected Blog Categories acting choosing 210 aging 105 animal behavior 153 attention perception 274 autism 18 brain plasticity 163 consciousness 150 culture 14 culture politics 383 deric 146 embodied cognition 26 emotion 209 evolution debate 92 evolutionary psychology 88 faces 70 fear anxiety stress 166 futures 52 genes 77 happiness 112 human development 117 human evolution 137 language 89 meditation 38 memory learning 136 mirror neurons 42 morality 43 motivation reward 89 music 126 psychology 135 religion 75 self 73 self help 53 sex 83 sleep 31 social cognition 227 technology 167 unconscious 37 Friday , February 05, 2010 Our brain activity as desire collides with . reason How do we resist

  • Understanding the Brain by Reverse Engineering

    Updated: 2010-02-03 15:30:45
    Blue Brain: Year One The Blue Brain Project is an ambitious effort to model a brain, neuron by neuron, in order to understand its systems and functions in new ways and to build the facility to model brains across species. “I believe we will understand the brain before we finish building it,” says the project’s director, Henry Markram. First video release of a ten year documentary series by director Noah Hutton, following the project as it develops. Gorgeous imagery and an inspiring subject. See also: Blue Brain Neocortical Column Visualization, and the short lecture Simulated Brain by Dr. Markram. Hat tip: The Beautiful Brain. (Source: Channel N)

  • Measuring our happiness...

    Updated: 2010-02-03 10:35:00
    : . skip to main skip to sidebar Deric Bownds' MindBlog This blog reports new ideas and work on mind , brain , and behavior as well as random curious stuff Deric s Website HOME DERIC'S MIND BLOG BIOLOGY OF THE MIND BOOK AND COURSE LECTURES AND WRITING DERIC PERSONAL , Piano Performance , Professional , Personal History EMAIL DERIC MINDBLOG : PODCASTS The I-Illusion The Beast Within MindStuff : a user's guide Twitter Updates Follow me on Twitter Scientific American Partner Search : MindBlog Selected Blog Categories acting choosing 210 aging 105 animal behavior 153 attention perception 274 autism 18 brain plasticity 163 consciousness 150 culture 14 culture politics 383 deric 146 embodied cognition 26 emotion 209 evolution debate 92 evolutionary psychology 88 faces 70 fear anxiety stress 166 futures 52 genes 77 happiness 112 human development 117 human evolution 137 language 89 meditation 38 memory learning 136 mirror neurons 42 morality 43 motivation reward 89 music 126 psychology 135 religion 75 self 73 self help 53 sex 83 sleep 31 social cognition 227 technology 167 unconscious 37 Wednesday , February 03, 2010 Measuring our happiness . Does money buy happiness Economists empasize

  • How Neuroscience May Affect Law

    Updated: 2010-02-01 15:30:25
    [Image by bloomsberries.] Neuroscience, Law and Government Symposium Keynote speaker Hank Greely gives a basic talk about neuroscience and the law for an audience of lawyers/law students. Topics include predicting (behaviour and illnesses), mind reading and lie detection, responsibility and consciousness, treatment, and cognitive enhancement. Q&A follows. Greely blogged about it as well; sounds like it was a great symposium and it’s a pity the other videos aren’t online too. (Source: Channel N)

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