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Columbia researchers have identified brain injuries that may underlie hidden consciousness, a puzzling phenomenon in which brain-injured patients are unable to respond to simple commands, making them appear unconscious despite having some level of awareness.

“Our study suggests that patients with hidden consciousness can hear and comprehend verbal commands, but they cannot carry out those commands because of injuries in brain circuits that relay instructions from the brain to the muscles,” says study leader Jan Claassen, MD, associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and chief of critical care and hospitalist neurology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The findings could help physicians more quickly identify brain-injured patients who might have hidden consciousness and better predict which patients are likely to recover with rehabilitation.

Do you prefer originals to remakes, or the whacky option compared to something more relevant? Well, a new study published in the journal American Psychologist suggests that people more inclined towards original ideas are likely to be more inventive themselves.

Creative mechanisms in the brain are complex and largely unknown – and scientists are still learning how creativity works and what motivates it. But a French team of cognitive neuroscientists are trying to shed the light on this process.

Neuroscientists currently agree that the creative process has two parts: coming up with ideas and then assessing them to choose the good ones.

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Exercise has many health benefits, from improving brain health to strengthening bones and muscles. Included in the vast array of advantages associated with exercise is cancer prevention and control.

The scientific literature suggests that physical activity mobilizes immune cells, activating them to fight cancer. This idea prompted an investigation into the interplay between exercise and immunity, the results of which were recently published in Scientific Reports.

The study investigated how 10-minute exercise sessions impact immune cells in patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The exercise regimen in the study consisted of pedaling a supine bicycle (laying on the back while cycling the legs) for ten minutes. This type of activity, considered “acute exercise,” is loosely defined as single bouts of physical activity. Acute exercise directly impacts circulation, and when the blood starts pumping, immune cells travel throughout the body, becoming more likely to encounter cancerous cells.

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Continue reading “What are mini brains? — Madeline Lancaster” »

The more we like our ideas, the faster we give them shape. But to be creative, we need to focus on out-of-the-box thinking. This is what Alizée Lopez-Persem and Emmanuelle Volle, Inserm researchers at Paris Brain Institute, showed in a new study published in American Psychologist.

Using a behavioral study and a computational model to replicate the different components of the creative process, the researchers explain how individual preferences influence the speed of the emergence of new ideas and their degree of creativity. These preferences also determine which ideas we choose to exploit and communicate to others.

What drives us to develop new ideas rather than settling for standard methods and processes? What triggers the desire to innovate at the risk of sacrificing time, energy, and reputation for a resounding failure? Creativity is based on complex mechanisms that we are only beginning to understand and in which motivation plays a central role. But pursuing a goal is not enough to explain why we favor some ideas over others and whether that choice benefits the success of our actions.

It’s easy to overlook blatant, glaring aspects to our surroundings when we’re hyper focused on a task. These neuroscience theories explain why.

Well, I’ve got news for you: none of those three are bad things. You’re shooting the messenger. It’s an emotional friendly fire incident.

In fact, boredom, frustration, and impatience are downright good for you. Yeah, I said it.

Continue reading “New Neuroscience Reveals How To Overcome Boredom, Frustration, And Impatience” »

Scientists may have successfully spotted the brain center for the male libido responsible for sexual interest and mating in mouse models. The discovery may lead to improved drugs for sexual function.

This is according to a report by Medical Xpress published on Friday.

Senior researcher Dr. Nirao Shah, a professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, in California, said in the article that the newly-discovered region is responsible for recognizing the sex of other mice.