A meta-analysis of previously published studies found that the ratio of blood plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides Aβ42:Aβ40 was significantly associated with development of Alzheimer disease and dementia, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology.
Neuroscience
Guideline: IVIg effective for certain nerve and muscle disorders
Intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is an effective treatment for certain disorders of the nerve and muscles, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and a form of neuropathy called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), according to a guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology. The guideline is published in the March 27, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Brain ‘talks over’ boring speech quotes
(Medical Xpress) — Storytelling is a skill not everyone can master, but even the most crashing bore gets help from their audiences brain which talks over their monotonous quotes, according to scientists.
Specialized training of complex motor skills may induce sports-specific structural changes in the human brain
A new study, using brain imaging technology, reveals structural adaptations in short-track speed skaters’ brains which are likely to explain their extraordinary balance and co-ordination skills. The work by Im Joo Rhyu from the Korea University College of Medicine, and colleagues, is published online in Springer’s journal Cerebellum.
The innate ability to learn language
All human languages contain two levels of structure, said Iris Berent, a psychology professor in Northeasterns College of Science. One is syntax, or the ordering of words in a sentence. The other is phonology, or the sound structure of individual words.