The human heart and brain produce ultra-weak magnetic signals, and researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences near Barcelona have overcome a limit previously considered insurmountable and managed to detect these signals. The findings, published in Nature, promise to have many applications, such as in image diagnosis, the detection of gravitational waves and for atomic clocks in navigation

STAFF | MARCH 24TH, 2011

Research on the human brain, cognition and behavior has a new center dedicated to this exciting scientific field. The Institute of Brain, Cognition and Behavior Research is a pioneering center created by the University of Barcelona which aims to become a leader in this area

STAFF | FEBRUARY 9TH, 2011

A recent study using the technique of functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural substrate of the combined effects of caffeine and glucose indicated the two substances taken together are beneficial to the brain’s performance

STAFF | NOVEMBER 24TH, 2010

After analyzing data from nearly 500 species of mammals, researchers at the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) have concluded that mammals with large brains in relation to body size tend to live longer.

STAFF | AUGUST 16th, 2010

The part of the brain located in the posterior parietal cortex is called the ventral intraparietal area, and its discovery will help to understand the human body’s episodes of disorientation.

Staff | June 24, 2010

Psychologists, psychiatrists and neuroscientists have traditionally considered daydreaming as a waste of mental discipline, which, in pathological cases, could lead to psychosis. Recent findings, however, have consistently shown that having a distracted mind or being addicted to daydreaming not only encourages creativity but also allows for overcoming crisis situations with high levels of success. Modern imaging technologies corroborate this new vision of daydreaming.

Xavier Pujol Gebellí | 2 July 2010

Being bilingual or multilingual has many advantages, but it comes with its disadvantages as well. Several experts exposed these pros and cons in addition to debunking a few myths about mastering many more than one tongue following the presentation of the book “Multilingües desde la cuna” (“Multilingual from the cradle”) by Anna Solé, which took place in Barcelona. But all the experts agreed on the importance of education from the very beginning of an child’s life.

Patricia Moreno | 1 june 2010

A study by the Research Institute at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, has concluded that liver transplants, in addition to being necessary for the survival and improved quality of life of patients with liver diseases, also have a short-term beneficial effect on their cognitive functions.

Staff 6 may 2010

From the greatest pieces of art to the most complex theories in science, the human mind is truly wondrous. During all of evolution, the gift of reacting accurately to threats and inventing tools for hunting was certainly an asset. But how is all of this done? Today's sophisticated scientific methods allow us to understand the human body and even the mechanisms inside our brain better than ever before.

19 april 2010

Armand Niederberger, Physics

In 'Drosophila melanogaster' larvae, brain stem cells are called neuroblasts that, upon division, generate another stem cell and a glanglion mother cell (GMC) that is committed to differentiation. Later, the GMC specialises in neuron or glial cell (cells that support neurons). This cell division strategy, called asymmetric mitosis, allows stem cells to produce large amounts of tissue in a relatively long period of time.

16 APRIL 2010

The treatments of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can affect the brain and impair cognitive functions. Although we need more evidence regarding the scope of this harmful effect, there are already studies that observe this association. Understanding the mechanisms by which it occurs and whether the neuroprotection may be effective for preventing it are two important research fronts that are open from now.

Patricia Moreno | 22 March 2010

On Wednesday the 17th of March in the Barbier-Mueller Museum of the Pre-Columbian Art in Barcelona, a talk entitled "The evolution of the capacity for art" was held by Camilo Jose Cela Conde, professor of Human Evolution of the University of the Balearic Islands, with the participation of the art critic Joan Ripoll, the artists Eusebi Vila Delclós and Trinidad Sotos, and the researcher at the Center for Genomic Regulation, Mara Dierssen. The act was done in the framework of the World Brain Week, held in Barcelona from the 15th to the 22nd of March.

Mònica Batalla | 19 march 2010

"I don't like Mondays (*). I only did it to cheer up my day", said Brenda Ann Spencer on the 29th of January 1979. Hours earlier, from a window of her house, she had wielded the rifle that her father had given her at Christmas, killed two people and wounded nine in an elementary school in San Diego (California). She was 16 and totally surprised her father.

Ànnia Monreal | 8 March 2010

One more year, Barcelona celebrates the World Brain Awareness Week 2010 in its 15th anniversary. Between 15 and 21 March, the Barcelona Science program, along with the Centre for Genomic Regulation, the Barcelona Institute of Education and the collaboration of numerous research centres, organizes a special program for schools and proposals for the general public, adding to this initiative, which emerged from the researchers themselves and which followed in over 72 countries, with the aim of publicizing the efforts being made in the study of human brain to understand its operation.

12 March 2010

While a high cholesterol level is a risk factor for cardiovascular and brain-vascular disease, cholesterol may also have a beneficial role in the recovery and prognosis of patients with stroke. Neurologists at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona have published a study in the journal 'Stroke' which demonstrates that patients with high cholesterol and triglycerides (hyperlipidemia) show less degeneration of brain white matter, also called leukoaraiosis.

9 March 2010