How much can you control rate of aging?

In 1979, Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer carried out an experiment to find if changing thought patterns could slow aging. "Everybody knows in some way that our minds affect our physical being, but I don't think people are aware of just how profound the effect actually is," she says. The results of that ground-breaking experiment have resurfaced and are now being fully revealed. Read about it for yourself! Then think about your habitual thought patterns . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8498233.stm

Unconscious -- by whose definition?

A report of research studies that was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), is more than attention-getting! Individuals described as being in a "vegetative state" (described as a persistent lack of awareness following brain injury), may be more aware than previously thought. According to the article, one of the patients was able to correctly answer a series of yes or no questions, his responses interpreted via brain imaging. Whoa! This information may eventually impact the way in which vegetative patients are managed . . .


http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24475/

Rest to Remember

Researchers at New York University have found that your brain is working for you when you're resting. This means "awake rest" is important for memory and cognitive function, something that many don't seeem to understand with today's round-the-clock activities. According to Lila Davachi, an assistant professor in NYU's Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, "Taking a coffee break after class can actually help you retain that information you just learned. Your brain wants you to tune out other tasks so you can tune in to what you just learned."

http://www.physorg.com/news183819123.html

Synapses and Memory

Ever wondered how a memory is created--and lasts? with each other. It's all about"strengthening the synapses." Studies at UCSB's Neuroscience Research Institute have shown that part of the strengthening process involves making new proteins. Those proteins build the synapse and make it stronger. Just like with exercise, when new proteins must build up muscle mass, synapses must also make more protein when recording memories. In this research, the regulation and control of that process was uncovered.

http://www.physorg.com/news180780161.html