I keep hearing that all our children are being diagnosed ADD. Perhaps this comes from our fear of being maligned, diagnosed, and forced to conform to some dystopian, fascist mind control future in the making. Or perhaps it’s fueled by our morbid fascination with subcultures of freaks. Hence, this... Read more →

Welcome to the thirty-third edition of Encephalon. We at Brain Blogger are honored to host this neuroscience blogging carnival. We received many quality posts that we have included below. Enjoy your readings; you will certainly learn a great deal! Read more →  Read More →

The reason why chronic pain is chronic appears to be linked to its persistent memory in the prefrontal cortex. A new study by Dr. Vania Apkarian, professor of physiology and anesthesiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, shows that treatment with a drug called D-cycloserine,... Read more →

The genetic basis for Alzheimer’s disease has been a focus of research in recent years, and the gene most studied so far has been the ApoE gene, which codes for apoprotein E, a blood protein concerned with the transport of lipids in blood. Specifically, ApoE is thought to be associated with the... Read more →

The human brain recognizes “patterns” as a natural way of looking at places and things. The feeling of deja vu is the result of such a pattern match; although we might not actually have been in a similar situation, the brain thinks it has, and produces a feeling of familiarity. New research... Read more →

In nature’s original design plan, the brain was the leader for coordinating our physical activities: the “motor high-command.” It comes as little surprise then, that exercise strengthens the brain’s interconnections, and rejuvenates the mind. Read more →  Read More →

Maybe, finally we know, why cramming all night in the weeks before the test, isn’t such a good strategy after all. New research suggests that poor memory as a result of sleep deprivation is not so much as a result of not getting enough sleep that will allow the visual memory to consolidate in the... Read more →

After a review of aging- and exercise-related literature, researchers found that physical exercise not only slows the effects of aging, but helps people as well as animals maintain significant cognitive (thinking) abilities into their old age. In fact, they found a significant relationship between physical... Read more →

“Keep that estrogen level up, my lady” seemed like a great motto for American Academy of Neurology’s 59th Annual Meeting. A study announced earlier this month at AAN’s 59th annual meeting shows that women who use hormone therapy before the age of 65 can cut their risk of developing... Read more →

An interesting article from The New York Times raises the question of the brain’s ability to multitask. Given the pervasiveness of technology and the increasing need to juggle phone calls, emails, instant messages, and computer work, the article suggests that while we feel like we are being more... Read more →

It’s pretty well known that sleep deprivation affects memory formation. Getting a good night of sleep after a long day of learning helps consolidate memory formation of the prior day. What hasn’t been known is whether sleep deprivation affects new memory formation. Some research out of Harvard... Read more →