THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Scientists may have discovered a new way to test for autism by measuring how children's eyes move when they turn their heads. http://dlvr.it/T3RpMY

When people lack visual imagination, this is known as aphantasia. Researchers investigated how the lack of mental imagery affects long-term memory. They were able to show that changes in two important brain regions, the hippocampus and the occipital lobe, as well as their interaction, have an influence on the impaired recall of personal memories in aphantasia. http://dlvr.it/T3RWr8

The human brain's adaptability to internal and external changes, known as neural plasticity, forms the foundation for understanding cognitive functions like memory and learning, as well as various neurological disorders. Scientists have now unveiled a novel technique that could transform the treatment landscape for brain disorders. The team developed a non-invasive brain stimulation method called Patterned Low-Intensity Low-Frequency Ultrasound (LILFUS), which holds tremendous potential for inducing long-lasting changes in brain function. http://dlvr.it/T3PNWy

How does listening to live music affect the emotional center of our brain? A study has found that live performances trigger a stronger emotional response than listening to music from a device. Concerts connect performers with their audience, which may also have to with evolutionary factors. http://dlvr.it/T3P8ly

In a new perspective article, researchers underscore the importance of integrating environmental effects into genetic research. The authors discuss how failure to do so can perpetuate deterministic thinking in genetics, as historically observed in the justification of eugenics movements and, more recently, in cases of racially motivated violence. http://dlvr.it/T3N6KY

Researchers have unraveled how mutations in a gene can lead to an incurable neurodevelopmental disorder that causes abnormal brain development in newborns and infants. http://dlvr.it/T3Lj6B

A new study demonstrated the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to map a 'human dysfunctome' -- a collection of dysfunctional brain circuits associated with different disorders. http://dlvr.it/T3LTPn

The idea that people make decisions based on social context is not a new one in neural economic games. But now, for the first time, researchers show the impact of the social context may spring from the dynamic interactions of dopamine and serotonin. Researchers built carbon-fiber electrodes that were implanted in patients receiving Deep Brain Stimulation surgery. The method allows researchers to measure more than one neurotransmitter at a time, revealing a dance that has never been seen before. http://dlvr.it/T3J2jQ

Scientists have identified a new therapeutic approach for combating neurodegenerative diseases, offering hope of improved treatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Vanishing White Matter disease and multiple sclerosis, among others. http://dlvr.it/T3GSHD

Researchers have investigated whether the body is truly disconnected from the external world during sleep. To do so, they focused on how heartbeat changes when we hear different words during sleep. They found that relaxing words slowed down cardiac activity as a reflection of deeper sleep and in comparison to neutral words that did not have such a slowing effect. This discovery sheds new light on brain-heart interactions during sleep. http://dlvr.it/T3FW2z

Researchers have mapped out the proteins implicated in the early stages of motor neurone disease (MND). They have developed a longitudinal map of the proteins involved in MND across the trajectory of the disease, identifying potential therapeutic pathways for further investigation. http://dlvr.it/T39HdG

A team of researchers has found a potential way to treat conditions like depression and anxiety with fewer side effects. http://dlvr.it/T39HQh

Mouse study provides insights into communication between neurons during decision-making. http://dlvr.it/T38x4k

New research used brain scanning technology to understand the effect of advertisements that try to sell products with talking versions of themselves. The work suggests that that anthromorphic displays lead to different cognition, and that buyers are likely to spend up to 20 percent more on more complex products promoted in advertisements that anthropomorphizes the product. http://dlvr.it/T38Wm6

People with higher exposure to traffic-related air pollution were more likely to have high amounts of amyloid plaques in their brains associated with Alzheimer's disease after death, according to a new study. Researchers looked at fine particulate matter, PM2.5, which consists of pollutant particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter suspended in air. http://dlvr.it/T360b4

Fear and addiction exert significant influence within society. Managing them is often challenging, as they are driven by intricate neuronal circuits in our brains. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms is crucial to intervene when these processes malfunction. The novel 'Flash and Freeze-fracture' technique provides a unique glimpse into the respective brain region. http://dlvr.it/T33PSh

Smiling for just a split second makes people more likely to see happiness in expressionless faces, new research has revealed. The study shows that even a brief weak grin makes faces appear more joyful. The pioneering experiment used electrical stimulation to spark smiles and was inspired by photographs made famous by Charles Darwin. http://dlvr.it/T321Dk

Echoes can make speech harder to understand, and tuning out echoes in an audio recording is a notoriously difficulty engineering problem. The human brain, however, appears to solve the problem successfully by separating the sound into direct speech and its echo, according to a new study. http://dlvr.it/T2sGqW

Scientists have developed a new machine learning method that reveals surprisingly consistent intrinsic brain patterns across different subjects by disentangling these patterns from the effect of visual inputs. http://dlvr.it/T2mGTv

Gender, culture, and age all appear to play a role in how emojis are interpreted, according to a new study. http://dlvr.it/T2m357