Language learning makes the brain grow – At the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy in the city of Uppsala, young people with a flair for languages go from having no knowledge of a language such as Arabic, Russian or Dari to speaking it fluently in the space of 13 months. From morning to evening, weekdays and weekends, the recruits study at a pace unlike on any other language course.
Low cost design makes ultrasound imaging affordable to the world – An ultra-low cost scanner that can be plugged into any computer or laptop to reveal vital information about the unborn child has been developed by engineers at Newcastle University, UK.
First detailed timeline established for brain’s descent into Alzheimer’s – Scientists have assembled the most detailed chronology to date of the human brain’s long, slow slide into full-blown Alzheimer’s disease. As part of an international research partnership known as the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), scientists at Washington University and elsewhere evaluated a variety of pre-symptomatic markers of Alzheimer’s disease in 128 subjects from families genetically predisposed to develop the disorder.
The American obesity epidemic might be much worse than many experts believe — US obesity rates may be underestimated, study finds: Blame BMI test? – The scope of the obesity epidemic in the United States has been greatly underestimated. Researchers found that the Body Mass Index (BMI) substantially under-diagnoses obesity when compared to the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan, a direct simultaneous measure of body fat, muscle mass, and bone density.
New screening technique could provide more reliable breast cancer detection — Initial tests show promising results of new ultrasonic screening technique – Scientists have successfully completed an initial trial of a new, potentially more reliable, technique for screening breast cancer using ultrasound. The team at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Measurement Institute, working with the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, are now looking to develop the technique into a clinical device.
Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids linked to brain health — A Diet Rich in Fish May Help the Aging Brain – A diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
Skin cancer drug hopes raised by study — Advanced melanoma drug nearly doubles survival time – Investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and 12 other centers in the United States and Australia have found that a new drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubled median overall survival.
Lifelong brain-stimulating habits linked to lower Alzheimer’s protein levels – Individuals who keep their brains active throughout life with cognitively stimulating activities such as reading, writing and playing games appear to have reduced levels of the ?-amyloid protein, which is the major part of the amyloid plaque in Alzheimer disease.
Tuning out: How brains benefit from meditation — Meditation may help brain to recover from diseases – Brain imaging study reveals that experienced meditators seem to be able switch off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming as well as psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
MRI study finds that depression uncouples brain’s hate circuit — Depressed people may process feelings of hate differently – Depression frequently seems to uncouple the brain’s “Hate Circuit”. The study entitled “Depression Uncouples Brain Hate Circuit” is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
