4 Troubled Teens Blog

A study of laboratory animals found that a gene mutation associated with schizophrenia breaks down communication between two areas of the brain responsible for memory.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that mice with the gene mutation were unable to synchronize their activity in order to negotiate a maze.

"This gene mutation hinders communication between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus," said author Dr. Joshua Gordon writing in a report published in the journal Nature.

Labels: genetics, brain_function, schizophrenia

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Parents who are concerned that their children may be prone to video game addiction may be interested in a new study from the University of Pittsburgh

Pitt researchers under the direction of Dr. Kirk Erickson found that people whose brains have certain larger-than-average structures are better at playing video games.

Dr. Erickson used magnetic resonance imaging to track brain activity in 39 people playing a video game called Space Fortress. Those who had enlarged caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens in their brains were able to learn new skills easier and to score higher.

Labels: brain_function, video_games

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Traumatic experiences can affect children's memories, according to new research from Stanford University.

• Dr. Victor Carrion and his colleagues tested 16 children ages 10 to 17 years old, who had Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS), and 11 children without the syndrome.
• Researchers monitored brain responses using magnetic resonance imaging as the children tried to remember lists of words.
  
• The children in the PTSS group suffered poor memory, and the hippocampi in their brains did not activate as often as those in the control group.

Dr. Carrion said he is hopeful that this research may help children who survive natural disasters and other traumas. The study appeared in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Labels: stress, brain_function, trauma

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