Close Caregiver Relationship May Slow Alzheimer's Decline

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2009) — A study led by Johns Hopkins and Utah State University researchers suggests that a particularly close relationship with caregivers may give people with Alzheimer's disease a marked edge over those without one in retaining mind and brain function over time. The beneficial effect of emotional intimacy that the researchers saw among participants was on par with some drugs used to treat the disease.

A report on the study, believed to be the first to show that the patient-caregiver relationship may directly influence progression of Alzheimer's disease, is published in the September 2009 The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences and currently available online.

"We've shown that the benefits of having a close caregiver, especially a spouse, may mean the difference between someone with AD staying at home or going to a nursing facility," says Constantine Lyketsos, M.D., M.H.S., the Elizabeth Plank Althouse Professor in Alzheimer's Disease Research and director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Associated With Higher Alzheimer's, Dementia Risk

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2009) — Though discoveries about Alzheimer's disease risk factors are often in the news, adults do not know about the relationship between Alzheimer's disease risk and heart health, nor that physical activity can be protective against dementia, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

An additional study reported at ICAD 2009 shows higher Alzheimer's risk in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"Your brain plays a critical role in almost everything you do: thinking, feeling, remembering, working, and playing – even sleeping," said Maria Carrillo, PhD, Director of Medical & Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer's Association. "The good news is that we now know there's a lot you can do to help keep your brain healthier as you age. These steps might also reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or another dementia."

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Study will delve into oral health, memory link

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The National Institutes of Health has awarded $1.3 million to an interdisciplinary team that will investigate how people's oral health might affect their memory, and vice versa.

Dr. Bei Wu, a gerontologist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will lead the research, which will examine existing national and regional studies of thousands of people.

Research has already established a strong association between oral health and heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as Alzheimer's disease. Yet there has been little study of how the state of an older person's teeth and gums relates to their mental function, Dr. Richard Crout, who is participating in the new study, noted in an interview with Reuters Health. Nevertheless, he added, it's becoming increasingly clear that "to have overall good general health you need to have good oral health."

By Anne Harding

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Stop And Smell The Flowers -- The Scent Really Can Soothe Stres

Rich lavender field in Provence, France. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels. (Credit: iStockphoto/Andreas Karelias)

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2009) — Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender, or other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels.

In the new study, Akio Nakamura and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today. And linalool is one of the most widely used substances to soothe away emotional stress. Until now, however, linalool's exact effects on the body have been a deep mystery.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Potential New Drug Target For Diabetes And Alzheimer's Disease

A single dose of Humanin near-normalizes diabetic levels of glucose in a rat model for type 2 diabetes mellitus. (Credit: Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2009) — A cellular protein that may prevent nerve cells from dying also helps to improve insulin action and lower blood glucose levels, according to a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in collaboration with scientists at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The study, which focuses on diabetic rodents, appears this month in PLoS One and is the first to show a role in glucose metabolism for humanin, a small protein (peptide). The researchers also demonstrated that humanin resembles the peptide leptin by acting on the brain to influence glucose metabolism.

Humanin is found in mitochondria — structures that populate the cytoplasm of cells and provide them with energy. The peptide was first detected in brain nerve cells in 2001, and subsequent studies suggest that it protects nerve cells from death associated with Alzheimer's and other brain disease.

To view entire article, please click on the link above.

A single dose of Humanin near-normalizes diabetic levels of glucose in a rat model for type 2 diabetes mellitus. (Credit: Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Chemicals Found In Fruit And Vegetables Offer Dementia Hope

ScienceDaily (July 19, 2009) — A group of chemicals found in many fruits and vegetables, as well as tea, cocoa and red wine, could protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease, a dementia expert will tell scientists at a conference July 11.

Speaking at the British Pharmacological Society’s Summer Meeting in Edinburgh, Dr Robert Williams will argue that, while much more research needs to be done, there is mounting evidence that certain flavonoids – chemicals found in plants and food derived from plants – might provide therapeutic benefit for Alzheimer’s sufferers.

“There have been some intriguing epidemiological studies that the consumption of flavonoid-rich vegetables, fruit juices and red wine delays the onset of the disease,” says Dr Williams, a Biochemist working at Kings College London. “These reports, while not as powerful as controlled, randomised clinical trials, have encouraged a number of research groups, including our own, to investigate the biology of flavonoids in more detail.”

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Calendar of Workshops

7/23/2009
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Workshop
Lexington County Library
5440 Augusta Road
Lexington, SC 29072
Tanya M. Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

7/25/2009
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
*Transitioning Into Special Education Workshop
Marathon Church
315 Roe Road
Greenville, SC
Heather Watson-Kelley, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

7/28/2009
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Section 504 Workshop
Oconee DDSN
116 South Cove Road
Seneca, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/03/2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
*Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Bamberg DSS Office
374 Log Branch Road
Bamberg, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/08/2009
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
*Individualized Education Program (IEP) Workshop
New Berkeley Restaurant
Highway 52
Moncks Corner, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/08/2009
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
*ADD / ADHD Workshop
Grace Fellowship Church
2427 Midland Park Road
North Charleston, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/11/2009
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
*Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Horry DSS Office
1951 Industrial Park Road
Conway, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/13/2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
*Individualized Education Program (IEP) Workshop
Chester DSS Office
115 Reedy Street
Chester, SC
Heather Watson-Kelley, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/18/2009
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Communication Workshop
SCYAP
3815 Montague Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29418
Gayle Munn, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 1, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/20/2009
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
*Transitioning Into Special Education Workshop
Lees Body Shop (Union FPA)
1572 Furman L. Fendley, Highway 176
Union, SC
Heather Watson-Kelley, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/20/2009
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
*Transitioning Into Special Education Workshop
Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church
5503 Sunset Blvd
Lexington, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/25/2009
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tourette Syndrome Conference – Susan Conners
S.C. State Museum
301 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC
Fee: $20.00
* Must Register to Attend. Scholarships Available *
Heather Watson-Kelley, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/25/2009
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
*Communicating with Your Child’s School Workshop
(This Workshop is Presented Via the Internet and Conference Call)
Call PRO-Parents of SC to Register
** E-Mail Address and Phone Required **
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/26/2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Positive Behavioral Interventions (PBI) Workshop
Clarendon County DDSN
312 Pine Street
Manning, SC
Gayle Munn, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 1, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

8/27/2009
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
*Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Clarendon DSS Office
3 South Church Street
Manning, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

8/31/2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
*ADD / ADHD Workshop
Child Enrichment Center
Lee & Bartdale Blvd
Spartanburg, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
Foster Parent Project - Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call:
1-866-863-1512

To view the website, please click on the link above.

The Sounds Of Learning: Studying The Impact Of Music On Children With Autism

ScienceDaily (July 21, 2009) — In June 2009, researchers reported that archaeologists in Germany had discovered a 35,000-year-old flute made of bird bone. It represented, one newspaper said, "the earliest known flowering of music-making in Stone Age culture." And we have been tapping our toes, humming along, singing and dancing ever since.

The power of music affects all of us and has long appealed to our emotions. It is for this reason that UCLA researchers are using music to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), for whom understanding emotions is a very difficult task. This inability robs them of the chance to communicate effectively and make friends and can often lead to social isolation and loneliness.

Thanks to a grant from the NAMM Foundation, the trade association of the international music products association, Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a researcher at the UCLA Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity and member of the of the Help Group–UCLA Autism Research Alliance, and colleagues have developed a music education program designed to help children with ASD better understand emotions and learn to recognize emotions in others.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Childhood Adversity May Affect Processing In The Brain's Reward Pathways

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — New research shows that childhood adversity is associated with diminished neural activity in brain regions implicated in the anticipation of possible rewards.

Scientists at Harvard University used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity as participants played a game involving cues that predicted monetary rewards and penalties.

"We found that, in comparison to community controls, young adults who had experienced childhood adversity showed weaker responses to reward-predicting cues in left hemisphere regions of the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that is important for orchestrating goal-directed actions," says Diego Pizzagalli, the John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Psychology at Harvard.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Social Reasoning And Brain Development Are Linked In Preschoolers

ScienceDaily (July 15, 2009) — New research at Queen's University shows that the way preschool children understand false beliefs can be linked to particular aspects of brain development. This landmark research may aid in understanding developmental disorders such as autism.

One of the most important ways that preschool children develop socially is by learning how to understand others people's thoughts and feelings. As they mature, most children discover that people's thoughts and feelings about the world and the way the world really is may not agree.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Alzheimer's Risk: Would You Want To Know?

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that disclosing genetic risk information to adult children of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who request this information does not result in significant short-term psychological distress. The report from the REVEAL Study*, which appears in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first randomized trial to disclose to participants whether or not they carried the ε4 variant of the APOE gene, a variant that has been found to increase the risk of developing AD.

The study demonstrated that test-related distress was reduced among those who learned that they were APOE ε4 negative, and was only transiently increased among those who learned they were APOE ε4 positive. The study also showed that persons with high levels of emotional distress before undergoing genetic testing were more likely to have emotional difficulties after disclosure.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Asperger Syndrome, Autism, And Empathy: Study Links 27 Genes

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — Scientists from the University of Cambridge have identified 27 genes that are associated with either Asperger Syndrome (AS) and/or autistic traits and/or empathy. The research will be published July 16 in the journal Autism Research. This is the first candidate gene study of its kind.

The research was led by Dr Bhismadev Chakrabarti and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen from the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge. 68 genes were chosen either because they were known to play a role in neural growth, social behaviour, or sex steroid hormones (e.g. testosterone and estrogen). The latter group of genes was included because AS occurs far more often in males than females, and because previous research from the Cambridge team has shown that foetal testosterone levels are associated with autistic traits and empathy in typically developing children.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Better Than A Hearing Aid? Better Hearing With Bone Conducted Sound

The red marking shows bone conduction from one's own voice and from an implanted vibrator. The blue marking shows air conduction from one's own voice. (Credit: Image courtesy of The Swedish Research Council)

ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) — New technology to hear vibrations through the skull bone has been developed at Chalmers University of Technology. Besides investigating the function of a new implantable bone conduction hearing aid, Sabine Reinfeldt has studied the sensitivity for bone conducted sound and also examined the possibilities for a two-way communication system that is utilizing bone conduction in noisy environments.

A new Bone Conduction Implant (BCI) hearing system was investigated by Sabine Reinfeldt. "This hearing aid does not require a permanent skin penetration, in contrast to the Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHAs) used today," she said.

Measurements showed that the new BCI hearing system can be a realistic alternative to the BAHA.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

New Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Promising

ScienceDaily (July 13, 2009) — Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that a compound called NIC5-15, might be a safe and effective treatment to stabilize cognitive performance in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The two investigators, Giulio Maria Pasinetti, M.D., Ph.D. , and Hillel Grossman, M.D., presented Phase IIA preliminary clinical findings at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Vienna on July 12.

NIC5-15's potential to preserve cognitive performance will be further evaluated in a Phase IIB clinical trial. Early evidence suggests that NIC5-15 is a safe and tolerable natural compound that may reduce the progression of Alzheimer's disease-related dementia by preventing the formation of beta-amyloid plaque, a waxy substance that accumulates between brain cells and impacts cognitive function.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Difference In The Way Children With Autism Learn New Behaviors Described

ScienceDaily (July 6, 2009) — Researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have collaborated to uncover important new insights into the neurological basis of autism. Their new study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, examined patterns of movement as children with autism and typically developing children learned to control a novel tool. The findings suggest that children with autism appear to learn new actions differently than do typically developing children.

As compared to their typically developing peers, children with autism relied much more on their own internal sense of body position (proprioception), rather than visual information coming from the external world to learn new patterns of movement. Furthermore, researchers found that the greater the reliance on proprioception, the greater the child’s impairment in social skills, motor skills and imitation.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Language Skills In Your Twenties May Predict Risk Of Dementia Decades Later

ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) — People who have superior language skills early in life may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later, despite having the hallmark signs of the disease, according to research published in the July 9, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"A puzzling feature of Alzheimer's disease is how it affects people differently," said study author Juan C. Troncoso, MD, with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "One person who has severe plaques and tangles, the telling signs of Alzheimer's disease in their brains, may show no symptoms affecting their memory. Another person with those same types of plaques and tangles in the same areas of the brain might end up with a full-blown case of Alzheimer's disease. We looked at how language ability might affect the onset of symptoms."

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Alzheimer's Research Pinpoints Antibodies That May Prevent Disease

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) — Antibodies to a wide range of substances that can aggregate to form plaques, such as those found in Alzheimer's patients, have been identified in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy people. Levels of these antibodies decline with age and, in Alzheimer's patients, with increasing progression of the disease.

These findings by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers and outside collaborators, described in a paper to be published online July 6 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise the possibility that many of us are carrying antibodies in our blood that could be playing a role in staving off or slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease. This seems to be true even when we are young and healthy and would presumably have had little or no exposure to the substances that build up in the brain to cause this disorder.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Children With Autism Need To Be Taught In Smaller Groups, Experts Argue

ScienceDaily (July 4, 2009) — Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise.

At the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum (June 29th – July 2nd) being held at The City College of New York (CCNY), neuroscientists argue in favor of smaller class sizes for children with autism.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. John J. Foxe, Professor of Neuroscience at CCNY said: “Sensory integration dysfunction has long been speculated to be a core component of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but there has been precious little hard empirical evidence to support this notion. Viewing a speaker’s articulatory movements can greatly improve a listener’s ability to understand spoken words, and this is especially the case under noisy environmental conditions.”

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Hearing Manipulated By Electronics

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) — An implanted electronic ion pump in organic material can be used to carry signals to specific cells in the nervous system and in this way treat various illnesses. In a unique study, researchers at Linköping University (LiU) and Karolinska Institutet (KI) have used the pumps to successfully manipulate the hearing in laboratory animals.

The technique which is described in an article in the journal Nature Materials represents a breakthrough for the machine-to-brain interface, with opportunities for greater symbiosis between electronics and biological systems.

“In the future we envisage a wirelessly controlled and permanent implant”, says Magnus Berggren, Professor of Organic Electronics at LiU and one of the authors of the article.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Meditation Workshop

For Parents and Others of Children with Disabilities

Monday

7/13/2009

6:00 pm-7:30 pm

Conducted by:

Arthur K. Stewart

Coordinator of Mediation

Virginia Department of Education

Presented by:

South Carolina Department of Education

Office of Exceptional Children

Location:

American Red Cross Bldg

2751 Bull Street

Columbia SC 29201

TOPICS:

When to Consider Mediation

How Does Mediation Work

What You Should Expect From a Mediator

What Mediators Will Never Do

Examples of Practice

This is a Free Workshop

Seating is Limited

Call to Register :(803)734-2833

Accommodation Notice:

Any person requiring special accommodations who wishes to attend this meeting should contact Dana Reed at 803-734-2833 at least 48 hours in advance.

PRO-Parents of SC

652 Bush River Road Ste 203

Columbia SC 29210

803.772.5688

800.759.4776 toll free

To visit the website, please click on the link above.

More Gene Mutations Linked To Autism Risk

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2009) — More pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and several collaborating institutions. This study identified 27 different genetic regions where rare copy number variations – missing or extra copies of DNA segments – were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but not in the healthy controls.

The complex combination of multiple genetic duplications and deletions is thought to interfere with gene function, which can disrupt the production of proteins necessary for normal neurological development.

"We focused on changes in the exons of DNA—protein-coding areas in which deletions or duplications are more likely to directly disrupt biological functions," said study leader Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "We identified additional autism susceptibility genes, many of which, as we previously found, belong to the neuronal cell adhesion molecule family involved in the development of brain circuitry in early childhood." He added that the team discovered many "private" gene mutations, those found only in one or a few individuals or families—an indication of genetic complexity, in which many different gene changes may contribute to an autism spectrum disorder.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Placebo Effects In Caregivers May Change Behavior Of Children With ADHD

ScienceDaily (June 30, 2009) — Stimulant medications, such as Ritalin and Adderall, are the accepted treatment to stem hyperactivity in children with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and improve their behavior.

Now a recent review of research by University at Buffalo pediatric psychologists suggests that such medication, or the assumption of medication, may produce a placebo effect -- not in the children, but in their teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate them.

A placebo effect is a positive change in symptoms or behavior after a patient receives a "fake" medication or procedure; in other words, the belief can become the medicine. In this case, the review suggested that when caregivers believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication, they tended to view those children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether or not medication was actually involved.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Importance Of Developmental Screening Tool For Identifying Delays In Pre-term Children Shown

Ryerson University Professor Hollie Hix-Small (left) and Dr. Kevin Marks, PeaceHealth Medical Group.

(Credit: PeaceHealth Medical Group)

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2009) — A new study finds that U.S. pediatricians have plenty of room for improvement when it comes to using a screening questionnaire to flag developmental delays in premature children.

The study was a collaboration between physicians at PeaceHealth Medical Group, led by pediatrician Dr. Kevin Marks, lead author, and co-author Professor Hollie Hix-Small, of Ryerson University’s School of Child and Youth Care, formerly of the Early Intervention Program at the University of Oregon. The study was published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

In the study, a group of 1,427 caregivers and children in the U.S. attending their 12- or 24-month well-child visits (regular screening for developmental delays by pediatricians) completed the Ages & Stages Questionnaire® (ASQ), a child development screening tool.

The study examined the number of lower-risk, pre-term (most who were born between 34 and 37 weeks gestational age) children versus the number of term children who were referred to an early-intervention agency. Higher-risk premature infants already involved with an early-intervention agency or previously identified with a delay were excluded.

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

In 'Reading' A Gaze, What We Believe Changes What We See

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2009) — In primates including ourselves, the ability to register where others are looking is key in social circles. And, according to a new report published online on June 25th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, the way our brains process gaze-direction is much more sophisticated than a simple eyes-right versus eyes-left.

In fact, the way our brains code another's gaze-direction can hinge on what we already believe about that person's mental state, the new evidence shows.

"When we look at a face, it is not just a head or eyes pointing in some direction we see," said Greg Davis of the University of Cambridge. "Rather, our brain is coding another person's attention and intentions."

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.

Student’s Design Helps Piece Together Parts Of The Alzheimer’s Puzzle

Credit: Image courtesy of Kingston University

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2009) — A Kingston University design student has turned his coursework into a budding business venture, launching a jigsaw puzzle ideal for people living with dementia.

Ben Atkinson-Willes, 22, who is completing a degree in product and furniture design at Kingston University in South West London this year, was inspired to use his skills to create a specially-designed activity puzzle after his granddad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s important to keep people with Alzheimer’s as physically and mentally active for as long as possible, because it gives them a better quality of life in the long run,” Ben explained. “One thing my granddad loves doing is puzzles, but the products with fewer pieces were generally designed for very young children. I wanted to create something that would suit his need and respect his age.”

To view the entire article, please click on the link above.