Your brain can fall asleep while you're awake and make your life miserable

Microsleep: Brain regions can take short naps during wakefulness, leading to errors

ScienceDaily (2011-04-28) -- If you've ever lost your keys or stuck the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the refrigerator, you may have been the victim of a tired brain region that was taking a quick nap. ... > read full article

Even babies can detect the Circadian rhythm of day and night

From the beginning, the brain knows the difference between night and day

ScienceDaily (2011-04-28) -- The brain is apparently programmed from birth to develop the ability to determine sunrise and sunset, according to new research on circadian rhythms that research sheds new light on brain plasticity and may explain some basic human behaviors. ... > read full article

Circadian clock genes in the brain disrupted in Alzheimer's patients

Disruptions of daily rhythms in Alzheimer's patients' brains

ScienceDaily (2011-04-29) -- Disruptions of circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. A new study unravels a possible basis for these perturbations. Recent findings show function in multiple areas of the human brain. ... > read full article

Being busy for busy's sake: Just doing anything is better than doing nothing

Who needs motivation? The rewards of doing 'something'

ScienceDaily (2011-04-29) -- When psychologists think about why people do what they do, they tend to look for specific goals, attitudes, and motivations. But they may be missing something more general -- people like to be doing something. These broader goals, to be active or inactive, may have a big impact on how they spend their time. ... > read full article

How our brains respond to danger may be different for women vs. men

Men and women may respond differently to danger

ScienceDaily (2009-11-30) -- Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activation have found that men and women respond differently to positive and negative stimuli, according to a new study. ... > read full article

Our brains respond to social status based on our own social status...say what?

Our own status affects the way our brains respond to others

ScienceDaily (2011-04-28) -- Our own social status influences the way our brains respond to others of higher or lower rank, according to a new study. People of higher subjective socioeconomic status show greater brain activity in response to other high-ranked individuals, while those with lower status have a greater response to other low-status individuals. ... > read full article

What makes former smokers successful? Brain imaging studies may be able to tell us!

Brain imaging demonstrates that former smokers have greater willpower than smokers

ScienceDaily (2011-04-27) -- A new study compares former smokers to current smokers, and obtains insight into how to quit smoking might be discovered by studying the brains of those who have successfully managed to do so. ... > read full article

Men Respond to Stress with OFC Fight or Flight; Women Not So Much...

ScienceDaily -- Functional magnetic resonance imaging of men and women under stress showed neuroscientists how their brains differed in response to stressful situations. In men, increased blood flow to the left orbitofrontal cortex suggested activation of the "fight or flight" response. In women, stress activated the limbic system, which is associated with emotional responses.

Neural Correlates of Embarrassment

Neurological basis for embarrassment described

ScienceDaily (2011-04-16) -- Recording people belting out an old Motown tune and then asking them to listen to their own singing without the accompanying music seems like an unusually cruel form of punishment. But for a team of scientists, this exact Karaoke experiment has revealed what part of the brain is essential for embarrassment. ... > read full article

Reading Sarcasm Clue to Dementia Risk

Inability to detect sarcasm, lies may be early sign of dementia, study shows

ScienceDaily (2011-04-17) -- By asking a group of older adults to analyze videos of other people conversing -- some talking truthfully, some insincerely -- a group of scientists has determined which areas of the brain govern a person's ability to detect sarcasm and lies. ... > read full article

Judging First Impressions...With Accuracy!

People know when first impressions are accurate

ScienceDaily (2011-04-17) -- First impressions are important, and they usually contain a healthy dose both of accuracy and misperception. But do people know when their first impressions are correct? They do reasonably well, according to a new study. ... > read full article

Addicted to Media? College Students Are!

Students around the world report being addicted to media, study finds

ScienceDaily (2011-04-05) -- College students around the world report that they are 'addicted' to media, describing in vivid terms their cravings, their anxieties and their depression when they have to abstain from using cell phones, social networking sites, mp3 player. ... > read full article