Brain/Neurological News

How exercise affects the brain

Exercise clears the mind. It gets the blood pumping and more oxygen is delivered to the brain, but one reasearcher thinks there's even more going on.

Schizophrenia genes pinpointed

Scientists claimed to have pinpointed the genes most responsible for schizophrenia in a breakthrough they say will allow better diagnosis and treatment of the mental illness.

Dagga may ease MS symptoms

Smoking marijuana can help relieve muscle tightness, called spasticity, and pain in people with multiple sclerosis, a new, small study suggests.

Multiple sclerosis in mice halted

Researchers working with mice have found a way to halt the progressive nerve damage that makes multiple sclerosis (MS) such a debilitating disease.

New clues to evolution of the brain

New research suggests that a partial duplication of a gene played a significant role in a major advance in human brain evolution that occurred a few million years ago.

Cocaine habit speeds brain ageing

Researchers scanned the brains of people with cocaine dependence and found they had greater levels of age-related loss of brain grey matter than those with no cocain habit.

Autism-schizophrenia gene link

Scientists have identified 33 genes associated with autism and related disorders, and they say several of the genes also appear to be altered in people with schizophrenia.

The human brain: a logical 3D grid

Far from being a haphazard tangle of circuitry, the human brain is organised in a logical, simple 3D grid structure, scientists report. Connections in the brain appear to crisscross at right angles, with no diagonals, much like well-organised city streets.

Brain technology sparks debate

A British ethics group has launched a debate on the ethical dilemmas posed by new technologies that tap into the brain and could bring super-human strength.

Open your eyes and smell the roses

A new study reveals for the first time that activating the brain's visual cortex with a small amount of electrical stimulation actually improves our sense of smell.