New MRI Reveals Mysteries of Brain Injuries

Understanding the brain on dance

How does the brain perceive and interpret beautiful movement? 

This is one of the key questions being asked by scientists at Bangor University who have enlisted the help of a professional dancer in their quest to better understand how our brains process movement and how we learn by observation.

Dr Emily Cross' research focuses on the relatively new field of science called neuroaesthetics which looks at how the brain perceives artistic endeavours.
 
Contemporary dancer Riley Watts was filmed dancing in a variety of settings, including a 3D motion-capture studio. He then underwent a functional MRI brain scan while simultaneously watching videos of himself dancing.
 
The pilot experiment will provide a window into what Mr Watts' brain is doing as he watches the videos of himself dancing.
The fMRI data will show what the professional dancer actually perceives when he sees himself moving in very complex ways; whether he is happy with that movement or not, and how his brain differentiates between the various different dancing contexts.

Think Like a Doctor: Doubled Over in Pain

The summary of a patient suffering from horrible abdominal pain that sent him to two different hospitals three times in two weeks.
Some of the laboratory reports and images ordered by the doctors who originally were faced with this medical mystery are provided.

Four Steps to Erase Chronic Pain without Toxic Addictive Medications

Institute of Medicine estimates, that some 116 million Americans have moderate to severe chronic pain.

Dr. Josh Wagner, a Manhattan chiropractor and founder of The Life House Chiropractic suggests simple steps which help relieve and eliminate chronic pain—safely and naturally:

1. Honor the Spine: Unlocking the spine and de-stressing the nervous system so it can run at its full potential is the key to naturally healing the body of chronic pain. 

2. Posture Matters: Poor posture doesn’t just look bad, it can result in backaches, headaches, and nerve irritation that leads to even more pain throughout the body. Here’s a simple but powerful way to improve your posture: visualize the posture of a person who’s feeling optimistic and energized (rather than someone who’s depressed or lethargic), and let your body re-align to that good feeling.

3. Drink Up: Dehydrated muscles become more stressed and tense, which can exacerbate any pain you’re feeling. Be sure to drink at least half your body weight in pure water each day (i.e., if you’re 150 lbs, drink 75 ounces) to greatly enhance your overall well being and body functioning. Reminder: Drinking caffeine or alcohol dehydrates the body, so increase your daily water intake accordingly.


4. Lay Off Daily Pain Killers: Pain is like your body’s fire alarm, warning you that something is wrong. Taking daily pain killers is like unplugging the fire alarm, instead of putting out the fire. Worse, the pain is telling you what Not to do.

Scientists Hint at Why Laughter Feels So Good

Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford demonstrated that it is not the intellectual pleasure of cerebral humor, but the physical act of laughing: ...the simple muscular exertions involved in producing the familiar ha, ha, ha, ... trigger an increase in endorphins, the brain chemicals known for their feel-good effect...

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Translational Research in Early Childhood Education

...Each year, it seems, brings another study on the dismal state of America's education system and a renewed debate about its causes and possible solutions. But lately there is something new -- or at least newish -- on the education scene: neuroscience. The mind, brain, and education (MBE) movement, also known as neuroeducation, is gaining momentum as a research field. Consider the recent formation of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and its journal Mind, Brain, and Education, which published its first issue in 2007. Also notable are the neuroeducation initiative led by former Society for Neuroscience President Tom Carew and the increasing visibility of research bridging neuroscience and education at scientific meetings, including the upcoming Aspen Brain Forum.

So what is MBE? You might say it's translational neuroscience research, applied to problems in education instead of medicine -- benchtop to blackboard, if you will. This week, Science Careers profiles two researchers who are working to span this neuroscience-education divide to help children with learning disorders...

Neuroscience in China: Growth factor

Mu-ming Poo is nurturing a Shanghai neuroscience institute that offers a glimpse of his country's future as a bioscience superpower. More

Read more: Chinese Cover of The Neuro Revolution
                   The Neuro Revolution Lands In China