Language is universal whether it comes from voice or hands, study finds
Language is created in the same areas of the brain, regardless of whether a person speaks English or uses American Sign Language to communicate, new research found. The discovery suggests that something about language is universal and doesn't depend on whether people use their voices or their hands to talk.
Two centers in the brain - Broca's area, which is thought to be related to speech production, and Wernicke's area, which is associated with comprehending speech - have long been associated with verbal communication. But now scientists have found the brain areas might be tied to language, no matter whether it's spoken or signed.
Scientists suspected these areas might be particular to speaking, because they are located spatially near areas that are connected to moving the vocal chords, and to the auditory cortex, which is used to hear sounds. In that case, it stood to reason that deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate should use other brain areas to create language, such as parts located near the visual cortex, used for seeing.
Health & Wellness
Childhood abuse or emotional neglect can result in structural brain changes, say researchers at Ireland's Trinity College Dublin.
Thomas Frodl at the School of Medicine and Trinity Institute for Neuroscience said the finding was based on a study of 24 patients 18-65, who were being treated for major depression.
The researchers used high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain and childhood stress assessments. Special analysis programs were used to measure brain regions and the results were compared with 27 healthy control subjects matched for age and gender.
"These structural alterations of the brain are associated with a higher vulnerability to depression and a more chronic course of the depression might be associated with further structural changes," Frodl said.
Thomas Frodl at the School of Medicine and Trinity Institute for Neuroscience said the finding was based on a study of 24 patients 18-65, who were being treated for major depression.
The researchers used high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain and childhood stress assessments. Special analysis programs were used to measure brain regions and the results were compared with 27 healthy control subjects matched for age and gender.
"These structural alterations of the brain are associated with a higher vulnerability to depression and a more chronic course of the depression might be associated with further structural changes," Frodl said.
Study findings could have implications for autism, stroke and other conditions
Scientists studying the anatomy of children's brains during reading discovered something rather unexpected: Remedial training for poor readers results in a growth of white matter tracts in the brain, and the increase correlates with the level of improvement in sounding out words.
"This is the first evidence for an increase in white matter in response to a remedial behavioral intervention," said lead author Marcel Just, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and director of its Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging. "It provides evidence that repeated cognitive exercises can alter the cortical connectivity of the human brain."
The finding could have potential beyond enhancing reading ability. If a behavioral intervention can cause brain growth, benefits might be reflected in any number of brain conditions, including autism, stroke, multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury, experts say.
Scientists studying the anatomy of children's brains during reading discovered something rather unexpected: Remedial training for poor readers results in a growth of white matter tracts in the brain, and the increase correlates with the level of improvement in sounding out words.
"This is the first evidence for an increase in white matter in response to a remedial behavioral intervention," said lead author Marcel Just, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and director of its Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging. "It provides evidence that repeated cognitive exercises can alter the cortical connectivity of the human brain."
The finding could have potential beyond enhancing reading ability. If a behavioral intervention can cause brain growth, benefits might be reflected in any number of brain conditions, including autism, stroke, multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury, experts say.
A wide range of processed foods - including soups, snack foods, dips and dressings - is being recalled after salmonella was discovered in a flavor-enhancing ingredient.
Food and Drug Administration officials said Thursday that the ingredient, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, is used in thousands of food products, though it was unclear how many of them will be recalled. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no illnesses or deaths have been reported.
The officials said the recall, which dates to products manufactured since Sept. 17, is expected to expand in the coming days and weeks. It only involves hydrolyzed vegetable protein manufactured by Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., which did not return a call for comment Thursday.
Food and Drug Administration officials said Thursday that the ingredient, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, is used in thousands of food products, though it was unclear how many of them will be recalled. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no illnesses or deaths have been reported.
The officials said the recall, which dates to products manufactured since Sept. 17, is expected to expand in the coming days and weeks. It only involves hydrolyzed vegetable protein manufactured by Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., which did not return a call for comment Thursday.
© Peter Mason
Inspecting an Alfalfa Crop
Inspecting an Alfalfa Crop
For one, we speak up! The U.S. government's regulations.gov site will accept comments submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tonight (3/3/10). There is a handful of hours left to get your concerns heard. When the clock strikes midnight (or 9 p.m. PST, 11p.m CST and 7p.m HAST), it'll be too late. Instead of your carriage turning into a pumpkin, the patented DNA of two different strains of Roundup Ready™ Alfalfa may be on their way to commercial release into our food supply and environment.
And speak up where it counts! Direct comments are the only ones assured of consideration. There are many environmental groups encouraging people to comment through pre-written letters. They are great to gather more information and perspective. However, the USDA instructs commenters to "not use alternative means to send comments through the Internet."
Transcendental Meditation technique has the ability to activate the default mode network-a suggested natural "ground state" of the brain, according to a new EEG study.
The three-month randomized control study was conducted on college students at American University.
The study found that the TM technique produces a unique state of "restful alertness," as seen in the markedly higher alpha power in the frontal cortex and lower beta and gamma waves in the same frontal areas during TM practice.
It creates greater alpha coherence between the left and right hemispheres of the brain suggesting the brain is working as a whole.
The three-month randomized control study was conducted on college students at American University.
The study found that the TM technique produces a unique state of "restful alertness," as seen in the markedly higher alpha power in the frontal cortex and lower beta and gamma waves in the same frontal areas during TM practice.
It creates greater alpha coherence between the left and right hemispheres of the brain suggesting the brain is working as a whole.
There's an epidemic in progress, and it has nothing to do with the flu. A ground-breaking study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59 per cent of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml) of this important vitamin. Since Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a range of disorders, this is a serious health issue.
"Vitamin D insufficiency is a risk factor for other diseases," explains principal investigator, Dr. Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the Research Institute of the MUHC. "Because it is linked to increased body fat, it may affect many different parts of the body. Abnormal levels of Vitamin D are associated with a whole spectrum of diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes, as well as cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders."
The study by Dr. Kremer and co-investigator Dr. Vincente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern California, is the first to show a clear link between Vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue - a factor in muscle strength and overall health. Scientists have known for years that Vitamin D is essential for muscle strength. Studies in the elderly have showed bedridden patients quickly gain strength when given Vitamin D.
"Vitamin D insufficiency is a risk factor for other diseases," explains principal investigator, Dr. Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the Research Institute of the MUHC. "Because it is linked to increased body fat, it may affect many different parts of the body. Abnormal levels of Vitamin D are associated with a whole spectrum of diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes, as well as cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders."
The study by Dr. Kremer and co-investigator Dr. Vincente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern California, is the first to show a clear link between Vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue - a factor in muscle strength and overall health. Scientists have known for years that Vitamin D is essential for muscle strength. Studies in the elderly have showed bedridden patients quickly gain strength when given Vitamin D.
A new study, led by researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, demonstrates that acupuncture may be an effective therapy for joint pain and stiffness in breast cancer patients who are being treated with commonly used hormonal therapies.
Results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects of aromatase inhibitor therapy, in which the synthesis of estrogen is blocked. The therapy, which is a common and effective treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women, has been shown in previous research to cause some joint pain and stiffness in half of women being treated.
Results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects of aromatase inhibitor therapy, in which the synthesis of estrogen is blocked. The therapy, which is a common and effective treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women, has been shown in previous research to cause some joint pain and stiffness in half of women being treated.
It seems to make perfect sense: happy people are trusting people. But a new study suggests that, in some instances, people may actually be less trusting of others when they are in a pleasant mood.
"A person's mood may determine how much they rely on subtle -- or not so subtle -- cues when evaluating whether to trust someone," said Robert Lount, author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
In five separate experiments, Lount found that people in a positive mood were more likely than those in a neutral mood to follow cues or stereotypes when determining whether they should trust someone.
If you are predisposed to trust a stranger -- because he belongs to the same club as you, or he has a "trustworthy" face -- a happy mood makes you even more likely to trust him.
"A person's mood may determine how much they rely on subtle -- or not so subtle -- cues when evaluating whether to trust someone," said Robert Lount, author of the study and assistant professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
In five separate experiments, Lount found that people in a positive mood were more likely than those in a neutral mood to follow cues or stereotypes when determining whether they should trust someone.
If you are predisposed to trust a stranger -- because he belongs to the same club as you, or he has a "trustworthy" face -- a happy mood makes you even more likely to trust him.
Not getting enough sleep does more damage than just leaving you with puffy eyes. It can cause fat to accumulate around your organs -- more dangerous, researchers say, than those pesky love handles and jiggly thighs.
A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals how extremes of sleep -- both too much and too little -- can be hazardous to your health -- especially for young minority women, a group most affected by obesity and chronic metabolic disease. The findings also indicate that there's more to "fat" than what we choose to eat -- social factors such as the need to work three jobs in a bad economy -- could be causing dangerous fat deposition around vital organs.
"We put a lot of stock in diet," said Kristen G. Hairston, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism and lead author on the study. "But this study brings up some interesting questions about the way we live. We may need to start looking at other behaviors -- besides daily food choices -- that could be contributing to the obesity epidemic in younger age groups."
A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reveals how extremes of sleep -- both too much and too little -- can be hazardous to your health -- especially for young minority women, a group most affected by obesity and chronic metabolic disease. The findings also indicate that there's more to "fat" than what we choose to eat -- social factors such as the need to work three jobs in a bad economy -- could be causing dangerous fat deposition around vital organs.
"We put a lot of stock in diet," said Kristen G. Hairston, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism and lead author on the study. "But this study brings up some interesting questions about the way we live. We may need to start looking at other behaviors -- besides daily food choices -- that could be contributing to the obesity epidemic in younger age groups."
Comment: Interesting that this article coyly refers to the ingredient as "hydrolyzed vegetable protein." Last time I checked, that was MSG.