THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Older adults, who were trained at home daily for 12 weeks using a digital trail-making peg test device improved their manual dexterity and cognitive functioning. http://dlvr.it/SpwbBt

An artificial intelligence computer program that processes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can accurately identify changes in brain structure that result from repeated head injury, a new study in student athletes shows. These variations have not been captured by other traditional medical images such as computerized tomography (CT) scans. The new technology, researchers say, may help design new diagnostic tools to better understand subtle brain injuries that accumulate over time. http://dlvr.it/SptnxV

Researchers induced a hibernation-like state in mice by using ultrasound to stimulate the hypothalamus preoptic area in the brain, which helps to regulate body temperature and metabolism. The findings show the first noninvasive and safe method to induce such a state; a similar condition has been previously proposed for spaceflight or for patients with life-threatening health conditions. http://dlvr.it/SpmxBD

Patients with MS show structural abnormalities in their white matter even before MS inflammation develops. Could this finding lead to a target for a new treatment to prevent MS inflammation? http://dlvr.it/Sphg93

Regular walks strengthen connections in and between brain networks, according to new research, adding to growing evidence linking exercise with slowing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which is a slight decline in mental abilities like memory, reasoning and judgment and a risk factor for Alzheimer's. http://dlvr.it/SpdM6q

Neuroscientists have shown how vitamin D deficiency affects developing neurons in the brain's dopamine circuit, which may lead to the dopamine dysfunction seen in adults with schizophrenia. http://dlvr.it/SpZkPY

Repeatedly heading a soccer ball has been previously associated with negative long-term brain health for professional players. However, a new study found that a small number of repeated soccer headers equivalent to a throw-in did not cause immediate neurophysiological deficits for teens, suggesting that limited soccer heading exposure in youth sports may not result in irreversible harm if players are properly trained. http://dlvr.it/SpZkLC

A new study has revealed how magnetic stimulation treats severe depression: by correcting the abnormal flow of brain signals. http://dlvr.it/SpXpHk

Research has revealed features of early human brain development are mimicked in the brains of marsupials. http://dlvr.it/SpWJgl

Research has shown that social media users are likely to share posts that contain information that they feel is relevant to themselves or to the people they know. http://dlvr.it/SpVfnk

Ants' brains are amazingly sophisticated organs that enable them to coordinate complex behavior patterns such as the organization of colonies. Now, researchers have developed a method that allows them to study ants' brain chemistry and gain insights into the insects' neurobiological processes. The findings could help to explain the evolution of social behavior in the animal kingdom, and shed light on the biochemistry of certain hormone systems that have developed similarly in both ants and humans. http://dlvr.it/SpSpSV

Researchers have recorded pain-related data from inside the brain of individuals with chronic pain disorders caused by stroke or amputation (phantom limb pain). A long sought-after goal has been to understand how pain is represented by brain activity and how to modulate that activity to relieve suffering from chronic pain. Data were collected over months while patients were at home, and they were analyzed using machine learning tools. Doing so, the researchers identified an area of the brain associated with chronic pain and objective biomarkers of chronic pain in individual patients. http://dlvr.it/SpRfxb

Fresh insights into the spread of damaging proteins that build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease could hold the key to stopping the condition progressing, a study says. http://dlvr.it/SpP78v

The difficult-to-treat brain cancer glioblastoma steals a person's mental faculties as it spreads, yet the tumor's insidious ability to infiltrate neighboring networks in the brain could also prove its undoing. http://dlvr.it/SpJDpY

A study found changes in patients' brain activity along with improved depression and anxiety symptoms after using Lumen. http://dlvr.it/SpBRzQ

Researchers described the structure of a special type of amyloid beta plaque protein associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. Scientists showed the small aggregates of the amyloid beta protein could float through the brain tissue fluid, reaching many brain regions and disrupting local neuron functioning. The research also provided evidence that a newly approved AD treatment could neutralize these small, diffusible aggregates. http://dlvr.it/Sp7TN4

The touch of another person may increase levels of the 'feelgood' hormone oxytocin. But the context really matters. The situation impacts oxytocin levels not only in the moment, but also later. http://dlvr.it/Sp5SBp

A new study in mice and rats found that restoring certain signals in a brain region that processes smells countered depression. http://dlvr.it/SnnXyQ

Researchers have developed a zebrafish model that provides new insight into how the brain acquires essential omega-3 fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and linolenic acid (ALA), with the potential to improve understanding of lipid transport across the blood-brain barrier and of disruptions in this process that can lead to birth defects or neurological conditions. http://dlvr.it/SnkH6B

Depression is a condition affecting millions across the globe. However, efficient drugs with minimal adverse effects are scarce. Now, researchers have reported how KNT-127, a delta opioid receptor agonist, quickly and efficiently reduces classic parameters of depression in a mouse model. This anti-depressant agent exhibits the dual nature of being a stress reliever and an anti-depressant and could broaden the potential of existing treatments. http://dlvr.it/Snjsg0

Scientists have found a lipid transporter crucial to regulating the cells that make myelin, the nerve-protecting sheath. http://dlvr.it/SnbSZY

In the first in-human clinical trial, scientists used a novel, skull-implantable ultrasound device to open the blood-brain barrier and repeatedly permeate large, critical regions of the human brain to deliver chemotherapy that was injected intravenously. This is potentially a huge advance for glioblastoma patients because the most potent chemotherapy can't permeate the blood-brain barrier to reach the aggressive and deadly brain tumor. http://dlvr.it/SnXFGG

Scientists studied guinea pigs' communication to understand how the brain recognizes communication sounds regardless of accents and surrounding noise. http://dlvr.it/SnTK63

Stress causes the levels of Alzheimer's proteins to rise in females' brains but not males' brains, according to a new study. This difference may contribute to women's greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. http://dlvr.it/SnRvMq

A new study provides early evidence of a surge of activity correlated with consciousness in the dying brain. http://dlvr.it/SnNyCL

For adolescents who may get stuck in negative thought spirals, refocusing on mental imagery is a more effective distraction than verbal thoughts. http://dlvr.it/SnMS2y