The most experienced karate fighters are capable of hitting their opponents with incredible power. Although it is easy to intuit that, more than strength, it is a matter of skill, until now scientists have not been able to unravel the causes of this ability. Now, a study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex reveals part of the secret: the white matter of the brain of 'black belts' is structured differently from that of other mortals.
Depression and chronic stress can cause a decrease in brain volume due to a loss of neural connections in it, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine. Responsible for this loss is the transcription factor GATA1, a kind of 'genetic switch' that is activated in the brains of people with depression.
The brain changes the way it works during colds to preserve and protect the sense of smell, according to a study by Northwestern Medicine in Chicago (United States). Thus, it is explained that changes occur in the brain when you have a blocked nose and there is a "lack of olfactory information" that the brain tries to compensate.
If your way of thinking and communicating is dominated by the left half of your brain - that is, if the regulatory nerve centers for language and verbal intelligence are located in your left hemisphere - it is most likely that, in addition to being right-handed , use your right ear to answer a phone call when your mobile phone rings.
One in five Spaniards falls under the grip of insomnia each night. Among the culprits that our eyes go wide when trying to rest, the lack of exposure to natural daylight in schools and workplaces stands out, which delays the secretion of the hormone melatonin. The growing number of insomniacs can also be attributed to sedentary habits. In fact, practicing 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise four times a week can make sleep problems a thing of the past, as Phyllis Zee and her colleagues at Northwestern University have recently shown.
Imagine that you are sitting in front of your computer buying a ticket to go on a trip to a destination in Europe when, suddenly, the phone rings. After answering the call, when you resume the purchase, your choice will most likely change. This is the conclusion that Wendy Liu and her colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles have reached after examining the effects of interruptions on decision-making. His work is of special interest considering that, in today's world, suffering constant interruptions is the order of the day.
High alcohol consumption during adolescence is dangerous as it can affect the brain, which during this stage is in full development. Now, a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs reveals that, in addition, certain patterns in an adolescent's brain activity help predict whether the young person in question will end up having problems with alcohol consumption.
About 10 percent of the differences in intelligence between people and others is due to the connections between neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex and the rest of the brain, according to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers have analyzed the intelligence of various individuals by scanning their brains while carrying out various activities.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
