brain

Learning to read, a phenomenon too recent to have influenced genetic evolution, has a significant impact on the brain, which adapts and uses, regardless of the age of literacy, brain regions destined for other functions.

A study from the University of Cincinnati (USA) reveals that pleasant activities, such as sex or food, reduce stress by inhibiting the anxiety response in our brain. The effect lasts at least seven days, according to the authors in the latest issue of the journal PNAS.

Speaking two or more languages can delay the appearance of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease such as memory loss or confusion by up to five years, according to a study by Canadian scientists published by the journal 'Neurology'.

Who says that memories of unpleasant experiences remain in the brain for a lifetime? Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that eliminating proteins from a certain area of the brain also eliminates negative memories.

Conversing with other people on friendly terms can improve brain function and our ability to solve problems, according to a study from the University of Michigan. However, if the tone of the conversations is competitive they have no cognitive benefits.

The progress of aging could be monitored by measuring lactic acid levels in the brain, according to a study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' (PNAS).

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have measured the activity of individual neurons in the brain's medial temporal lobe in real time as we look at images. And they have developed a method that could be used to read minds.

The combined intake of caffeine and glucose can benefit the prolongation of attention, learning and verbal memory, according to a new study published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.