Science News: Our Weekly Picks from Around the Web

Scans Show Smart Crows’ Brains are a Lot Like Those of Humans
Seattle researchers say the birds’ brains light up much like the human mind when they see a face they know.
www.msnbc.msn.com (09/12/2012)

UCSD Finds Possible Treatment for Paralysis
UC San Diego has discovered a way to grow nerve fibers in rats with severe spinal cord injuries, a potentially big step toward treating some of the 300,000 Americans who are fully or partially paralyzed.
www.utsandiego.com (09/13/2012)

Neuroscience Mapping Brain Connections
Discoveries could yield an understanding of and treatments for disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson’s disease. The Los Angeles Times reports on the Human Connectome Project.
articles.latimes.com (09/13/2012)

Brain Implant Improves Decision-Making in Monkey
A group of scientists created a novel brain implant that improves cognitive performance and decision-making in a monkey.
articles.latimes.com (09/14/2012)

Social Interaction in Early Life Affects Wiring to the Frontal Lobes
A new study shows social interaction during a critical period of early life has irreversible effects on maturation of connections to the frontal lobes of the brain, disrupting social interactions and cognitive ability into adulthood.
www.huffingtonpost.com (09/13/2012)

Disappointing Alzheimer’s Drug Shows New Promise
An experimental drug that failed to stop mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients also showed some potential benefit, fuller results of two major studies now show.
www.cbsnews.com (09/11/2012)

Scientists Scan Children’s Brains for Answers to Mental Illness
Researchers at the Child Mind Institute are helping to build a repository of brain scans to better understand both ordinary brain development and how mental illness might warp that process.
blogs.scientificamerican.com (09/11/2012)

Photo: By Jing Cao (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons