Intake of alcoholic beverages causes the secretion of endorphins in certain areas of the brain, which triggers the positive emotions experienced in drunkenness and could lead to addiction. A study from the University of California has observed this phenomenon in humans for the first time, about which it has been speculated for more than thirty years.
A Belgian study published in the specialized journal 'Neuron' provides first direct evidence that there are specific brain areas involved in the perception of the world in 3D. Specifically, the work reveals that in the inferotemporal cortex there are neurons that specifically perceive convex (outward curved) and concave surfaces. That is, thanks to this brain area, we can look at a globe and identify that it is convex and three-dimensional.
You don't have to wait to turn sixty. Certain brain functions such as memory, reasoning and understanding can begin to deteriorate from the age of 45, a study published in the 'British Medical Journal (BMJ)' suggests.
The Council of Deputies will support the celebration in 2012 of the Year of Neuroscience in Spain. The objective is to promote research in this area and promote its dissemination among citizens.
A team of Italian researchers from the University of the Sacred Heart in Rome has discovered a molecule called CREB1 that is activated in the brains of mice on a low-calorie diet. As published today by Giovambattista Pani and his colleagues in the journal PNAS, the molecule also activates genes linked to longevity and proper brain function.
The brain regions where odors are processed - the temporal lobe and the olfactory bulb - were larger in early Homo sapiens than in Homo neanderthalensis, according to research led by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and published in the journal Nature Communications.
Brain tissue consumes a lot of energy. A team of researchers from the University of Zurich has found that fat storage potential generally goes hand in hand with relatively small brains, except in the case of humans. The ability of humans to use more energy depends on three key factors: common care of the offspring, a higher quality diet and their ability to walk upright.
Neurobiologists at Yale University have analyzed how our brain reacts when it lacks sugar and they have discovered that the area responsible for regulating emotions and impulses loses the ability to curb the desire to eat hypercaloric foods. It is the prefrontal cortex, which Rajita Sinha likens to a "glucose sink".
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.
