Scientists have speculated that the human brain features a “God spot,” one distinct area of the brain responsible for spirituality. Now, University of Missouri researchers have completed research that indicates spirituality is a complex phenomenon, and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences. Based on a previously published study that indicated spiritual transcendence is associated with decreased right parietal lobe functioning, MU researchers replicated their findings. In addition, the researchers determined that other aspects of spiritual functioning are related to increased activity in the frontal lobe.
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New study sheds light on how selective hearing works in the brain
The longstanding mystery of how selective hearing works how people can tune in to a single speaker while tuning out their crowded, noisy environs is solved this week in the journal Nature by two scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Brain changes may hamper decision-Making in old age
(HealthDay) — The ability to make decisions in new situations declines with age, apparently because of changes in the brain’s white matter, a new imaging study says.
Research reveals development of the glial cell
A vast majority of cells in the brain are glial, yet our understanding of how they are generated, a process called gliogenesis, has remained enigmatic. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have identified a novel transcripitonal cascade that controls these formative stages of gliogenesis and answered the longstanding question of how glial cells are generated from neural stem cells.
Electrocorticographic signals may restore arm movement
(HealthDay) — Electrocorticography (ECoG) signals from patients with chronic motor dysfunction represent motor information that may be useful for controlling prosthetic arms, according to a study published in the March issue of the Annals of Neurology.