MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'brain scan'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:21:46 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768038&cid=t_144344_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fcurrent-science-news-2.html Uranium hard drive – A new uranium-containing compound maintains its magnetic behaviour at low temperatures. The discovery could take us a step closer to magnetic memory devices with capacities thousands of times denser than current high-end hard drives. Clouds from both sides – Atmospheric and climate models may have overlooked the fact that exactly how clouds appear to reduce the amount of sunlight available for warming the surface of the earth depends on the wavelength being measured across the spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. The finding could now help researchers improve climate models by factoring in the effects of cloud cover more precisely. Soap story – It is perhaps no real surprise to any chemist who has unblocked a drain clogged with white lardy deposits,... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768038 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:19:59 +0100 4768038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399677&cid=t_144344_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fk7HhdSXLx0w%2F This article from the Washington Post explains how neuroplasticity will help Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recover from her brain injury: brain reorganization after injury is far more common and extensive than previously thought … neuroplasticity depends to a great degree on experience — which is to say, what the brain is forced to do in the critical weeks and months after it is injured. When an area with a specific function is destroyed, the brain first attempts to recruit nearby cells, which are often doing similar tasks, to change and perform the function of the destroyed cells. . 2. In this study, Dr. Yaffe and her colleagues measured risks of Alzheimer’s by measuring beta amyloid (the protein fragment that makes up Alzheimer’s plaque) levels in the blood. They found that the less ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399677 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:07:27 +0100 4399677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360982&cid=t_144344_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fkids-with-dyslexia-predicting-their-reading-skills-with-mri%2F2011.01.17 An international team of researchers has developed a rather reliable test that predicts the future improvement of reading abilities in kids with dyslexia. The method uses functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) to scan the brain, and data crunching software to interpret the data. The researchers hope that the finding will help parents and therapists uniquely identify which learning tools are best for each child. From the announcement by Vanderbilt University : The 45 children who took part in the study ranged in age from 11 to 14 years old. Each child first took a battery of tests to determine their reading abilities. Based on these tests, the researchers classified 25 children as having dyslexia, which means that they exhibited significant difficulty le... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360982 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:02 +0100 4360982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538150&cid=t_144344_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F06%2Fcan-fmri-tell-if-youre-lying%2F The simple answer is, no. You can now go back to work, content in that little tidbit of brain knowledge. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a fancy name for a brain scan that purportedly measures “brain activity.” What is actually measures is simply changes in blood oxygenation and flow in your brain, which we believe to be directly related to brain activity — but this is an indirect measure at best. It’s not actually measuring “brain activity.” fMRI scans are most often used in research to try and better understand our brains and how other things affect our brains (like mental illness or a specific cognitive activity). So you can imagine the challenges that might be faced when you connect this kind of brain measurement to a legal proceeding... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538150 Thu, 06 May 2010 12:16:21 +0100 3538150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208446&cid=t_144344_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F26%2Fptsd-brain-scan-hype%2F Last week, we noted along with many news outlets that a biomarker had been apparently discovered for PTSD. The researchers claimed they had a new tool to help make a differential diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The tool is a brain scanning technology that, like EEG, measures the brain’s electrical activity. But instead of directly measuring such activity, it measures magnetic fluctuations in the electrical activity. The technique is called MEG. There are certain technical benefits to this method as compared to a traditional EEG, so some researchers are exploring its greater use. Mind Hacks has a very good analysis of why the researchers’ claims were overreaching and a bit ridiculous: Crucially, the scan didn’t pick out cases of PTSD among people with ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208446 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:00:08 +0100 3208446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828262&cid=t_144344_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F24%2Feverything-has-a-neurobiological-correlate%2F This study tells us nothing about how these dopamine receptors got the way they did. Instead, it joins the growing number of studies that analyze the brain and tell us things like, the structure of the brain may influence ADHD, or that hundreds of gene variations are linked to ADHD, or that, it’s not that people with ADHD’s brains don’t have enough dopamine, it’s that the brain pushes dopamine in the wrong direction influencing a ‘speed’ response between nerve cells. I could go on, but I hope you get the point. Hundreds of studies have now been done analyzing the brains and genes of people with mental illness, but it doesn’t feel like we are any closer to the truth than we were 10 years ago. One of the reasons is because none of these kinds of studies she... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828262 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:55:44 +0100 2828262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074309&cid=t_144344_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F3V2zlo2fMfI%2F If Charlie’d had a younger sibling, would we have decided to participate in studies like this one at the University of Washington, as noted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Autism researchers at the University of Washington are seeking parents who will allow them to do brain scans of their infants. …………. The UW scientists are looking for 84 six-month-old infants from California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Alaska who have an older sibling who has been diagnosed with autism. They also need 34 infants with typically developing older brothers or sisters. Each child will be scanned three times over two years. Certainly I would have considered having a sibling of Charlie’s participate in such a study—-and then, after reading (wading... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074309 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:18:15 +0100 2074309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1924860&cid=t_144344_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Fweb-searching-stimulates-seniors-psyches%2F Add Web searching to the list of mental activities like crossword puzzles that are thought to keep the aging mind engaged and healthy. Why? Take a look at the pictures below of two functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans. The one on the left shows brain activity while reading a book, while the one on the right shows brain activity while doing an Internet search. The differences are obvious and dramatic and the implication is that Web searching can be good for your mental health. UCLA Newsroom - http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/srp-view.aspx?id=34812 At least that’s the conclusion of researchers at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior who studied 24 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. According to their press release, “[T]he study results are e... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924860 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:52:32 +0100 1924860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526390&cid=t_144344_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F16%2Fan-m-r-i-dont-know-know-if-this-is-a-good-idea%2F Tomorrow I’m having an MRI… with AND without contrast. I have to admit, the “with contrast” makes me a little nervous… It’s on my brain. I’ve been having, what could only be called “seizures”…. Simple partial seizures. Just a little deja vu to start off with… I always know they’re coming… I don’t [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526390 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:58:29 +0100 1526390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1010461&cid=t_144344_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F180975981%2F The November 2007 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience is all about mirror neurons, brain cells that are activated or “fire” both when we perform an action and also when we see that action being performed. The November 7th Science Daily contains an overview of the journal’s articles. Mirror neurons are thought to be of interest in understanding autism and the brains of autistic persons: Some scientists speculate that a mirror system in people forms the basis for social behavior, for our ability to imitate, acquire language, and show empathy and understanding. It also may have played a role in the evolution of speech. Mirror neurons were so named because, by firing both when an animal acts and when it simply watches the same action, they were thought to “mirror&#8221... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1010461 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:13:18 +0100 1010461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1005224&cid=t_144344_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F180221079%2F Autism has recently been talked about as a “whole body” syndrome—-recent research on the brain can still very much aid in understanding autism, and helps me to think about why my son struggles not simply to talk, but to connect the spoken word to his thoughts and then again to his actions. Mike Stanton at Action for Autism has a recent post on Neuroscience and Autism and “brains that go bump in the night”; he notes how modern brain imaging techniques enable us to see the brain in living subjects and considers one study about how autistic persons process faces. One type of brain imaging technique is magnetoencephalography (MEG), which is being used to scan the brains of autistic children in a study at at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The Nov... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1005224 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:12:05 +0100 1005224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=833604&cid=t_144344_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F150358335%2Fsee_how_lies_color_your_brain.html We’ve all seen colorful stories that win unfair promotion or destroy others at work. Well now the color itself shows up as a lie. Compare the images below and hope your stories ... no matter how colorful ... project as the duller figure on the left. Why so? Today ABC News posted the brain scan you see here – where the image on the right shows the brains way of telling the truth in an image - when people lie. Lie into the FMRI scan, and the brain stops its impulse to tell the truth, in order to generate the deception or lie. This extra work that it takes the brain to develop an untruth cause more blood to rush to that area as a help. It’s the extra rush of blood to that area of the brain – that can be picked up by the imaging machine and voila &nd... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=833604 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:02:33 +0100 833604