Monthly Archives: January 2010
Going to the gym shouldn’t be a workout for your eardrums
Listening to an iPod while working out feels like second nature to many people, but University of Alberta researcher Bill Hodgetts says we need to consider the volume levels in our earphones while working up a sweat.
from EurekAlert.org
Researchers Argue That Human Languages May Adapt Like Biological Organisms
A recent report, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, offers a new hypothesis, and challenges an explanation based only on drift. Gary Lupyan, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Rick Dale, of the University of Memphis, conducted a large-scale statistical analysis of over 2,000 of the world’s languages aimed at testing whether certain social environments are correlated with certain linguistic properties. Their results draw connections between the evolution of human language and biological organisms. Just as very distantly related organisms converge on evolutionary strategies in particular niches, languages may adapt to the social environments in which they are learned and used.
Duke scientists map brain pathway for vocal learning
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have identified neurons in the songbird brain that convey the auditory feedback needed to learn a song.
from EurekAlert.org
Disadvantaged neighborhoods set children’s reading skills on negative course: UBC study
A landmark study from the University of British Columbia finds that the neighbourhoods in which children reside at kindergarten predict their reading comprehension skills seven years later.
from EurekAlert.org
Revealed: The drug that could end the misery of tinnitus | Mail Online
A drug pump which is implanted in the ear is the latest approach for tackling tinnitus. It works by releasing a powerful new medicine that calms the overactive nerves thought to cause the condition. Tinnitus is a ringing, whistling, buzzing or hissing noise heard for no obvious reason. It may be constant, or come and go. It is estimated that about 15million people in the UK experience tinnitus at some time. For 10 to 15 per cent of sufferers, the condition is so loud and debilitating it affects sleeping and concentration. It has also been linked to depression and anxiety.
from Topix.net
Brain imaging may help diagnose autism
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) process sound and language a fraction of a second slower than children without ASDs, and measuring magnetic signals that mark this delay may become a standardized way to diagnose autism.
from EurekAlert.org
Brain Injury Association of America Announces New Web Seminars
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has announced three upcoming webinars on TBI case management, assistive technology and cognitive rehabilitation research.
from Brain Injury Blog
Study casts doubt on caffeine link to tinnitus
New research has found giving up caffeine does not relieve tinnitus and acute caffeine withdrawal might add to the problem. This is the first study of its kind to look at the effect of caffeine consumption on tinnitus.
from EurekAlert.org
Protein Needed to Develop Auditory Neurons Identified
Loss of spiral ganglion neurons or hair cells in the inner ear is the leading cause of congenital and acquired hearing impairment. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that Sox2, a protein that regulates stem cell formation, is involved in spiral ganglion neuron development.
from ScienceDaily.com
Some Blood Pressure Drugs May Stave Off Dementia
Generally well done though the story may have been, we’re troubled when a story talks about “a small but protective effect ” and uses active verbs to say the drugs “may stave off dementia” when it also states in the story this is not convincing proof of cause and effect. Then how can you have a protective effect? Association, maybe? Causation and protection, not yet.
Now speech therapy has more to say to help kids
Ken Uhlberg studied the time lines for when his son, Max, should babble, roll over, crawl, walk and talk.
from Topix.net
All we hear is baby ga-ga
Some Kiwi children are now struggling to speak by the age of three – and a shortage of speech therapists is exacerbating the problem.
from Topix.net
Phonak’s “Hear the World Tour” exhibit to raise hearing loss awareness at Miami
The Hear the World initiative by Phonak will bring the Hear the World Tour – a traveling photography exhibit – to Macy’s at Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL) to raise awareness about hearing loss, a growing issue that affects 31 million Americans. After officially joining forces in October 2009, Phonak and Macy’s kicked-off a cross-country hearing awareness tour that debuted in Dallas and San Francisco in the fall.
from News-Medical.net
Hearing Aids May Help Patients
There may be a way to ease the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimera s, which affect millions of people.
from Topix.net
Brain Imaging May Help Diagnose Autism
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) process sound and language a fraction of a second slower than children without ASDs, and measuring magnetic signals that mark this delay may become a standardized way to diagnose autism.
from Newswise.com
