Brain Research: Thickness of grey matter predicts ability to recognize faces and objects ♦ Does alcohol consumption affect the risk for Parkinson's disease?

Thickness of grey matter predicts ability to recognize faces and objects The thickness of the cortex in a region of the brain that specializes in facial recognition can predict an individual's ability to recognize faces and other objects

Does alcohol consumption affect the risk for Parkinson's disease? For many years, researchers have been investigating whether there are any associations between Parkinson's disease (PD) and lifestyle choices such as smoking and coffee and alcohol consumption. In a new review, authors say that the literature concerning alcohol consumption presents conflicting information

Researchers open 'Golden Window' in deep brain imaging The neuroscience community is saluting the creation of a 'Golden Window' for deep brain imaging. This is a first for brain imaging, explain the authors of a new report on the topic

Adults with OCD can benefit from exposure therapy when common drug treatment options fail, study find Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can improve their symptoms significantly by adding exposure and response prevention therapy to their treatment regimen when common drug treatment options have failed..

Brain Research:Solving the next step in the mystery of prions ♦ Safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agent ♦ Thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's 18 years prior to diseas

Brain scan can predict who responds best to certain treatment for OCD A certain detail from patients' brain scans could help clinicians identify which people are more likely to relapse after cognitive-behavioral therapy -- and why. Tens of millions of Americans will suffer at some point in their lifetimes from obsessive-compulsive disorder, a disorder characterized by recurrent, intrusive, and disturbing thoughts, and/or stereotyped recurrent behaviors .

Low scores on memory and thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's 18 years prior to disease Errors on memory and thinking tests may signal Alzheimer's up to 18 years before the disease can be diagnosed.

Solving the next step in the mystery of prions Working towards the ultimate goal to develop therapeutics to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and Mad Cow Disease, scientists are investigating the physical principles underlying the formation of misfolded protein aggregates. The aggregates of misfolded proteins -- proteins that clump together in the 'wrong' structure -- feature prominently in these fatal degenerative diseases.

Smartphone app may prevent dangerous freezing of gait in Parkinson's patients CuPID is striving to provide personalized rehabilitation for patients with Parkinson's disease who experience gait disturbances. It is a home-based personalized rehabilitation tool in the form of a smartphone app that harnesses wearable sensors, audio biofeedback, and external cuing to provide intense motivational training tailored to each patient.

Study highlights 'important safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agents New results in animals highlight a major safety concern regarding a class of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents used in millions of patients each year. The study adds to concerns that repeated use of specific "linear"-type gadolinium-based contrast agents lead to deposits of the heavy-metal element gadolinium in the brain.