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Understanding why some children enjoy TV more than others

New research shows that children’s own temperament could be driving the amount of TV they watch. The research shows how the brain responses of 10-month-old babies watching a clip from Disney’s Fantasia on repeat could predict whether they would enjoy w…

Key brain region was ‘recycled’ as humans developed the ability to read

A new study offers evidence that the brain’s inferotemporal cortex, which is specialized to perform object recognition, has been repurposed for a key component of reading called orthographic processing — the ability to recognize written letters and wo…

Study reveals greater excitability in social brain regions of autistic men compared to women

New findings suggest that autistic men, but not women, have enhanced neural excitability in their social brain regions, and this may impact their ability to navigate social situations.

Blood test could diagnose baby brain damage just hours after birth

An early blood test could detect which babies deprived of oxygen at birth are at risk of serious neurodisabilities like cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Humans and flies employ very similar mechanisms for brain development and function

A new study has shown that humans, mice and flies share the same fundamental genetic mechanisms that regulate the formation and function of brain areas involved in attention and movement control.

An averted glance gives a glimpse of the mind behind the eyes

Shakespeare once wrote that the ‘eyes are the window to your soul.’ But scientists have found it challenging to peer into the brain to see how it derives meaning from a look into another’s eyes. Psychologists have now found a new way to study this myst…

Energy demands limit our brains’ information processing capacity

Our brains have an upper limit on how much they can process at once due to a constant but limited energy supply, according to a new study using a brain imaging method that measures cellular metabolism.

New study on development of Parkinson’s disease is ‘on the nose’

Scientists suggest that the initial impact of environmental toxins inhaled through the nose may induce inflammation in the brain, triggering the production of Lewy bodies that can then be spread to other brain regions. However, the relationship linking…

Experiencing childhood trauma makes body and brain age faster

Children who suffer trauma from abuse or violence early in life show biological signs of aging faster than children who have never experienced adversity, according to new research. The study examined three different signs of biological aging — early p…

‘Little brain’ or cerebellum not so little after all

When we say someone has a quick mind, it may be in part thanks to our expanded cerebellum that distinguishes human brains from those of macaque monkeys, for example. High-resolution imaging shows the cerebellum is 80 percent of the area of the cortex, …