Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Brain imaging and genetic studies link thinking patterns to addiction

Scientists have for the first time identified brain sites that fire up more when people make impulsive decisions. In a study comparing brain activity of sober alcoholics and nonaddicted people making financial decisions, the group of sober alcoholics showed significantly more "impulsive" neural activity.

Read more »

Keywords: brain, imaging, genetic, studies, link, thinking, patterns, addiction, study, pattern

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Brain imaging and genetic studies link thinking patterns to addiction":

1. Cognitive, genetic clues identified in imaging study of alcohol addiction
   12-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
   fMRI studies identified cognitive differences in people with a history of alcoholism during decision-making tasks, and a variant of the COMT gene was associated with impulsive decisions in alcoholics.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
2. Study suggests nicotine addiction might be controlled by influencing brain mechanisms
   12-08-2007 · EurekAlert!
   There is a clear link between GABA -- a chemical substance of the central nervous system that inhibits neurons in the brain -- and nicotine dependence, according to a study presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting. Researchers discovered that nicotine has significant effects on brain GABA, a finding which could potentially help curb the pleasurable effects of nicotine and help people break their addiction to it.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
3. Study points to a genetic link for schizophrenia
   02-20-2007 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
   Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
4. Adult brain can change, study confirms
   09-05-2007 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
   Neuroscientists from MIT and Johns Hopkins University have used evidence from brain imaging and behavioral studies to show that the adult visual cortex reorganizes--and that the change affects visual perception.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
5. Culture influences brain function, MIT imaging shows
   01-11-2008 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
   People from different cultures use their brains differently to solve the same visual perceptual tasks, researchers report in the first brain imaging study of its kind, focusing on mapping brain activity patterns that reflect different mental operations.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
6. Brain pattern associated with genetic risk of obsessive compulsive disorder
   11-25-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Cambridge researchers have discovered that individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder and their close family members have distinctive patterns in their brain structure. This is the first time that scientists have associated an anatomical trait with familial risk for the disorder.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
7. New neuroimaging study identifies 'brain signature' for cigarette cravings
   12-18-2007 · EurekAlert!
   A new brain imaging study by researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania shows that cigarette cravings in smokers who are deprived of nicotine are linked with increased activation in specific regions of the brain. Using a novel method of measuring brain blood flow developed at Penn, this study is the first to show how abstinence from nicotine produces brain activation patterns that relate to urges to smoke.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
8. It's in their genes: Study of twins connects smoking addiction with major depression
   07-16-2007 · EurekAlert!
   Saint Louis University researcher finds genetic link between smoking, depression and conduct disorder.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
9. Stroke victims may benefit from stem cell transplants
   01-28-2008 · EurekAlert!
   Two studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation examine the potential for cell transplants to benefit stroke victims. When injected into animal models and tracked via chemical tags and imaging, mensenchymal stem cells in one study, and bone marrow stromal cells in a second study, migrated within one to two weeks to affected brain areas and became therapeutically active. Both studies suggest that novel stem cell therapies can be developed.
   Similar news · Read more »
   
10. MIT study shows genetic link for schizophrenia
    02-19-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers.
    Similar news · Read more »