Brain and Nervous System News

One theory is that contagious yawning is related to empathy, and that people with higher levels of empathy yawn more often when someone else yawns, compared to people with lower levels of empathy or those with a mental disorder.

The findings, published online May 25 in JAMA Network Open,  are based on a sample of 831 patients who went to a top-level trauma center with a concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Specialists estimate the condition affects about five of every 100,000 people worldwide each year, often because of a head injury, but it is often misdiagnosed.

Checking her IPG, the woman noticed the "Power On Reset" warning had appeared, so she took the device to a clinic and found that the lightning had turned it off. Luckily, the device was otherwise undamaged.

The researchers noted that previous studies have shown that dehydration reduces exercise performance and brain function in young people, but less is known about its impact on seniors.

Pediatric brain disease patients the latest to gather data for clinical trials from the comfort of their own home.

Essential tremor affects upwards of 7 million Americans, according to the American Academy of Neurology. Its cause is unknown, and there is no cure.

Contrary to popular thought, older adults' brains can churn out just as many new cells as younger brains do, a new study suggests.

In the study, the Chinese team used an MRI technology known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique provides important information on the conditions of the brain's "white matter," the researchers explained.

Prior research has shown that kids with severe head injuries are more likely to have attention problems following their injury. In fact, ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder among children with a history of serious brain injury.

Stephen Hawking, a visionary physicist who overcame a debilitating disease, died Wednesday at the age of 76.

It had been thought that the hippocampus -- which plays a major role in learning and memory -- generates new neurons throughout adulthood, CNN reported.

Jobs with a lot of diesel exhaust exposure include truck drivers, police officers, shipyard hands, construction workers, farm laborers and tool operators, as well as many people who work in an industrial setting.

But the exact nature of what harmed more than 20 U.S. government personnel stationed in Havana, Cuba, last year remains mysterious, reports a team led by Dr. Douglas Smith of the University of Pennsylvania.

Known as the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator, it could help reduce the need for CT scans and thus decrease radiation exposure to patients, according to the FDA.

About 7 percent of children 3 to 17 years old have experienced a head injury, according to U.S. health officials.

Researchers have found that implanting an electrical device that sends signals to the brain’s frontal lobe appears to slow the progression of certain symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s.

The overall difference in death rates did not reach statistical significance, but NFL players were more likely than replacements to suffer deaths related to neurological disorders and drug overdoses, the study authors said.

Brain scans revealed that friends had the most similar brain-pattern responses to videos. And friends of friends had more similar brain activity than friends of friends-of-friends.

High-salt diets were linked in studies to several health problems, including memory loss.

The group is instead endorsing a program called "Flag Football Under 14," launched by the Concussion Legacy Foundation. The program aims to educate parents and young players about chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The findings could lead to early detection and improved treatment and prevention of CTE, the researchers suggest.

For eons, researchers have wondered what sets the da Vincis, Shakespeares and Einsteins apart. Results from this new study offer more evidence to debunk the popular notion that creativity is a "right brain" activity.

The procedure, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), improved tic severity by nearly half in 171 patients with uncontrolled Tourette symptoms at 31 hospitals in 10 countries.

A new recommendation from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that exercise is indeed helpful for people with mild cognitive impairment.