http://newscenter.berkeley.edu News from the University of California, Berkeley Sat, 25 May 2013 00:34:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/wireless-signals-for-brain-trauma-diagnostics/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/wireless-signals-for-brain-trauma-diagnostics/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 21:00:20 +0000 Sarah Yang http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34483 New technology developed at UC Berkeley is using wireless signals to provide real-time, non-invasive diagnoses of brain swelling or bleeding. The device could potentially become a cost-effective tool for medical diagnostics and to triage injuries in areas where access to medical care, especially medical imaging, is limited. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/05/14/wireless-signals-for-brain-trauma-diagnostics/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:24:50 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34182 Chronic stress is known to cause major health problems, yet acute stress is thought to improve people's performance and health. A new study by UC Berkeley professor Daniela Kaufer shows why that is. Stress generates new nerve cells in the brain that, two weeks later, help people learn better.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/campus-poised-to-join-obamas-brain-initiative/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/campus-poised-to-join-obamas-brain-initiative/#comments Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:40:54 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=34294 President Barack Obama has announced a major national initiative to understand how the brain works and how it goes awry. Neuroscientist John Ngai, chemist Paul Alivisatos and chemical engineer Jay Keasling were on hand at the White House to lend support to the so-called BRAIN initiative, which Ngai termed "our moon project."]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/02/campus-poised-to-join-obamas-brain-initiative/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/01/28/sleep-memory/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/01/28/sleep-memory/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:50:25 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=33898 The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration as we grow older has been elusive. But for the first time, UC Berkeley scientists have found a link between these hallmark maladies of old age. Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/01/28/sleep-memory/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:00:47 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=33707 Our eyes may be our window to the world, but how do we make sense of the thousands of images that flood our retinas each day? UC Berkeley scientists have found that the brain is wired to put in order all the categories of objects and actions that we see. They have created the first interactive map of how the brain organizes these groupings.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/12/19/semanticspace/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/08/22/intense-prep-for-law-school-admissions-test-alters-brain-structure/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/08/22/intense-prep-for-law-school-admissions-test-alters-brain-structure/#comments Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:35:15 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=32620 Intense prep courses for tests like the Law School Admission Test are popular for good reason: They can improve scores significantly. Now UC Berkeley neuroscientists have revealed the underlying result of such preparation: the brain's neural connections change measurably, suggesting a bolstering of interconnections among reasoning areas of the brain.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/08/22/intense-prep-for-law-school-admissions-test-alters-brain-structure/feed/ 0 http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/daily-planet/february-2012/daily-planet---february-02-2012/#clip612247 http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/daily-planet/february-2012/daily-planet---february-02-2012/#clip612247#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:32:38 +0000 Roxanne Makasdjian http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=24776 Scientists have decoded electrical activity in the brain’s auditory system in order to predict the words a person has heard. Listen to the interview with Robert Knight on Canadian TV.]]> http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/daily-planet/february-2012/daily-planet---february-02-2012/#clip612247/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/01/31/scientists-decode-brain-waves-to-eavesdrop-on-what-we-hear/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/01/31/scientists-decode-brain-waves-to-eavesdrop-on-what-we-hear/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:00:37 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=22908 Stroke victims or paralyzed people unable to speak may someday be able to communicate via synthesizers that decode their internal speech and play it back. That hope comes from research by UC Berkeley neuroscientists Brian Pasley and Robert Knight, who have successfully decoded brain waves to predict what a person heard.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/01/31/scientists-decode-brain-waves-to-eavesdrop-on-what-we-hear/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/12/21/new-visionreconstructionvideo/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/12/21/new-visionreconstructionvideo/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:16:45 +0000 Roxanne Makasdjian http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=22752 UC Berkeley scientists Jack Gallant and Shinji Nishimoto have wowed the world by using brain scans and computer modeling to reconstruct images of what we see when we're watching movies. UC Berkeley broadcast manager Roxanne Makasdjian has produced a video of how they achieved this breakthrough, and where they're headed. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/12/21/new-visionreconstructionvideo/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/23/dream-sleep/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/23/dream-sleep/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:00:54 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=20822 They say time heals all wounds, and new research from UC Berkeley indicates that time spent in dream sleep can help. UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the painful edge off difficult memories.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/23/dream-sleep/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/14/wired-to-be-trustworthy/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/14/wired-to-be-trustworthy/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:03:12 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=20349 There’s definitely something to be said for first impressions. New research from UC Berkeley suggests it can take just 20 seconds to detect whether a stranger is genetically inclined to being trustworthy, kind or compassionate. See if you can guess which people shown in the video have the empathy gene.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/11/14/wired-to-be-trustworthy/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/10/30/addicted-brain/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/10/30/addicted-brain/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:00:56 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=19106 What drives addicts to choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, overeating or kleptomania — despite the risks? Campus neuroscientists have pinpointed the locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior. Their astonishing findings could lead to improved treatments for many addictions and disorders.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/10/30/addicted-brain/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:00:49 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=16595 Imagine tapping into the mind of a coma patient, or watching one’s own dream on YouTube. With a cutting-edge blend of brain imaging and computer simulation, UC Berkeley scientists are bringing these futuristic scenarios within reach. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and computational models, researchers have succeeded in decoding and reconstructing people’s dynamic visual experiences – in this case, watching Hollywood movie trailers.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/feed/ 0 http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/476022a.html http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/476022a.html#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:38:25 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=14506 Neuroscientist Mu-ming Poo "leads a double life," according to a piece in the journal Nature. He spends three-quarters of his time doing research on campus, but for the past decade has spent one day a week nurturing budding neuroscientists at the Institute of Neurosciences in Shanghai.]]> http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/476022a.html/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/06/14/new-neurons-help-to-remember-fear/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/06/14/new-neurons-help-to-remember-fear/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:10:51 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=12835 UC Berkeley’s Daniela Kaufer and colleagues have discovered one way by which emotions such as fear affect memory. The brain’s emotional center, the amygdala, induces the hippocampus, a relay hub for memory, to generate new neurons. In a fearful situation, these newborn neurons are activated by the amygdala, providing a “blank slate” for the new fearful memory. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/06/14/new-neurons-help-to-remember-fear/feed/ 0 http://www.rwjf.org/humancapital/product.jsp?id=72209 http://www.rwjf.org/humancapital/product.jsp?id=72209#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:42:17 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=9660 A recent study by UC Berkeley neuroscientists Emily Jacobs and Mark D'Esposito highlights the need to include female animals in research studies, since sex hormones have an impact on how females respond. The research, published April 6, showed that estrogen levels affected how women scored on memory tests.]]> http://www.rwjf.org/humancapital/product.jsp?id=72209/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/22/pulling-an-all-nighter/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/22/pulling-an-all-nighter/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:00:17 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=7752 A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research from UC Berkeley]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/22/pulling-an-all-nighter/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/08/sleep-brainwaves/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/08/sleep-brainwaves/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:00:40 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=6542 Scientists have long puzzled over the many hours we spend in light, dreamless slumber. But a new study from UC Berkeley suggests we’re busy recharging our brain’s learning capacity during this traditionally undervalued phase of sleep, which can take up half the night. ]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/08/sleep-brainwaves/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/02/09/chinksanxiety/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/02/09/chinksanxiety/#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:10:44 +0000 Yasmin Anwar http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=5451 Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? UC Berkeley researchers have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/02/09/chinksanxiety/feed/ 0 http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/01/05/functionalmri/ http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/01/05/functionalmri/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:39:11 +0000 Robert Sanders http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/?p=3875 UC Berkeley physicist David Feinberg, in collaboration with physicians at the University of Minnesota, has combined two new techniques to speed MRI scans of the brain by more than a factor of 10. The faster functional MRI scans will boost the national effort to map the brain’s wiring, called the Human Connectome Project.]]> http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/01/05/functionalmri/feed/ 0