Neuroscience in the News: January 30 - February 5

Protein Linked to Three Brain Disorders
UPI – February 4 
U.S. scientists say they have discovered three different degenerative brain disorders are linked by a toxic form of the same protein.

Trace of Thought Is Found in “Vegetative” Patient
The New York Times – February 3 
He emerged from the car accident alive but alone, there and not there: a young man whose eyes opened yet whose brain seemed shut down. For five years he lay mute and immobile beneath a diagnosis — “vegetative state” — that all but ruled out the possibility of thought, much less recovery.

Pregnancy Baby Brain Lapse ‘A Myth’
BBC – February 3 
Expectant mums need to stop blaming their bump for memory lapses, say experts who want to dispel the "baby brain" myth.

Journal Retracts 1998 Paper Linking Autism to Vaccines
The New York Times – February 2 
A prominent British medical journal on Tuesday retracted a 1998 research paper that set off a sharp decline in vaccinations in Britain after the paper’s lead author suggested that vaccines could cause autism.

SIDS May Involve Deficit of Brain Chemical
Los Angeles Times – February 2 
Two decades ago, medical experts began urging new parents to place infants on their backs to sleep because studies showed that infants who slept on their stomachs had higher rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Can a Brain Scan Predict a Broken Promise? 
Scientific American – February 2 
A new study suggests that brain activity may give away dishonest intent

Antidepressants May Improve Memory After a Stroke
The Guardian – February 2 
A frequently used antidepressant may help people who develop memory problems after having a stroke. Problems with thinking and memory are quite common after a stroke, and so far there's been no medical treatment that helps.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Patients See Details, Not Whole Face
CNN – February 1
Some people check their appearance in any mirror, window or computer screen they can find, but not out of vanity. It's because they hate the way they look so much. An obsession with one or more bodily features, normally in the face, indicates a condition called body dysmorphic disorder.

Subtle Thinking Problems May Up Stroke Risk: Study
Reuters – February 1 
Men with impaired brain function may be at higher risk of suffering a stroke, even if these impairments are quite minor, a new study published today in the journal Neurology hints.

On Financial Decisions, Older Isn’t Always Wiser
The Boston Globe – February 1 
Contrary to the popular notion that young people are reckless, while older people avoid risks, new research shows that in an investment task that involves balancing risk to make the most money, older people make more mistakes than their younger counterparts.

Chronic Insomnia May Affect Brain
UPI – February 1 
Dutch researchers suggest chronic insomnia may adversely affect brain microstructure -- smaller volume of gray matter.

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