The weight of most smokers increase about a couple of kilos when they quit smoking. This is not due to an increased calorie intake, but to a change in the composition of the intestinal flora after quitting smoking. This evidence was provided in a study supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) suggests (Biedermann et al., PLoS One, 2013).
Detailed information can be found in the following link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130829093032.htm
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0059260
When an individual is close to death, he/she may re-experience some events in the past very clearly, like a phantasmagoria.
By reading this article, we may learn how the phantasmagoria is possible.
In a study introduced in this article, the researchers found sharp increase in EEG gamma band power when rats were dying.
(Oscillations in gamma band have been known as the important indicator of conscious state.)
I hope this article attracts your interest.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/aug/12/dying-brains-conscious-experience
In this article, the researchers have found that the neural activation in striatum and auditory cortex when we listened the song.
And also they try to figure out the what is going on when someone hears a new piece of songs or music and dicides he likes it enough to buy it.
More detail: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/why-music-makes-our-brain-sing.html
There are some wrong knowledge about brain. That is a “brained-ness”.
We used to think about that the more analytical person is using the more right brain on the other hand, the more artistic person is using the more left brain. But, researchers said that there are no connection between personality and using which hemisphere of brain
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19/right-brain-left-brain-debunked_n_3762322.html
The researchers have revealed that the different brain structure have involved different function to read. They separate the reading skill to three parts. First, Sound out the written word, Second, Connect the seen word with sound, Third, Read out loud at speed. They used the scanning to investigate the structure of brain.
Read more : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23703355
Researchers have found that the exercise is helpful to handle the stress.
It is prevalent that exercise have the result of more excitable neurons. However exercise also strengthens the mechanisms that prevent these brain cell from firing.
Theses may help to understand better to understand anxiety disorder.
Read more : http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112890910/exercise-helps-brain-handle-stress-better-070413/
A new research finds that REM sleep is regulated by an ancient brain region called the lateral habenula, which maintains theta brainwaves in the hippocampus.
Read more here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130514184514.htm
Original journal paper here: http://bit.ly/10z37vG
Researchers have revealed that computer games can make brain younger especially in older people. Actually cognitive function such as attention and memory tends to decline as we age. Suggested “Road Tour” game can be helpful in preventing their mental excutive function from decaying.
Researchers have studied whether aerobic exercise could prevent damage from occurring in long-time drinkers.They haven’t known that exercise causes white matter to improve among heavy drinkers yet. But It can be said that combined benefits of aerobic exercise suggest it could be helpful, though the link between improving white matter and exercise isn’t confirmed.
Researchers have found that the people who listened their favorite song usually have brain especially activated the nucleus accumbens. It represented that we are willing to pay for new song by listening to only 30-second of song.
Read more: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/04/why-your-brain-loves-that-new-so.html