Neuroscience
From a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release:
Imitation Promotes Social Bonding in Primates
Capuchin Monkeys Predisposed Toward Individuals Who Imitate Them
Imitation, the old saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. It also appears to be an ancient interpersonal mechanism that promotes social bonding and, presumably, sets the stage for relative strangers to coalesce into groups of friends, according to a study by a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health and two Italian research institutions.
The study authors found that capuchin monkeys preferred the company of researchers who imitated them to that of researchers who did not imitate them. The monkeys not only spent more time with their imitators, but also preferred to engage in a simple task with them even when provided with the option of performing the same task with a non-imitator.
Read the full press release
- Neural Systems Are Fluid, Even When No Learning Is Taking Place
Brain uses both neural 'teacher' and 'tinkerer' in learning - MIT News Office This seems to be the first publication confirming a property of the brain that's been widely suspected by neuroscientists for years, namely, that neurons...
- Learning Disabilities
A press release from the NIH: NIH announces funding for new learning disabilities research centers Centers in Boulder, Houston, Tallahassee, and Seattle 17 January 2012 "Funding for four centers to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning...
- Aging Research
A press release from the NIH earlier today: NIA and McKnight Brain Research Foundation Join Forces to Support Cognitive Aging Research The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging is a newly launched public-private effort to support current and emerging...
- Neurodegenerative Diseases: Progranulin (pgrn) Mutation And Tdp-43
From a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release on the 26th: Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell Death in Dementia Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer...
- Multiple Sclerosis
From a National Institutes of Health press release issued on the 29th: After a Decades-Long Search, Scientists Identify New Genetic Risk Factors for Multiple Sclerosis A pair of large-scale genetic studies supported by the National Institutes of Health...
Neuroscience
Imitation and Social Bonding
From a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release:
Imitation Promotes Social Bonding in Primates
Capuchin Monkeys Predisposed Toward Individuals Who Imitate Them
Imitation, the old saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. It also appears to be an ancient interpersonal mechanism that promotes social bonding and, presumably, sets the stage for relative strangers to coalesce into groups of friends, according to a study by a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health and two Italian research institutions.
The study authors found that capuchin monkeys preferred the company of researchers who imitated them to that of researchers who did not imitate them. The monkeys not only spent more time with their imitators, but also preferred to engage in a simple task with them even when provided with the option of performing the same task with a non-imitator.
Read the full press release
- Neural Systems Are Fluid, Even When No Learning Is Taking Place
Brain uses both neural 'teacher' and 'tinkerer' in learning - MIT News Office This seems to be the first publication confirming a property of the brain that's been widely suspected by neuroscientists for years, namely, that neurons...
- Learning Disabilities
A press release from the NIH: NIH announces funding for new learning disabilities research centers Centers in Boulder, Houston, Tallahassee, and Seattle 17 January 2012 "Funding for four centers to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning...
- Aging Research
A press release from the NIH earlier today: NIA and McKnight Brain Research Foundation Join Forces to Support Cognitive Aging Research The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging is a newly launched public-private effort to support current and emerging...
- Neurodegenerative Diseases: Progranulin (pgrn) Mutation And Tdp-43
From a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release on the 26th: Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell Death in Dementia Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer...
- Multiple Sclerosis
From a National Institutes of Health press release issued on the 29th: After a Decades-Long Search, Scientists Identify New Genetic Risk Factors for Multiple Sclerosis A pair of large-scale genetic studies supported by the National Institutes of Health...