Hearing is a function of the brain that is heavily involved with language. When sound information is processed in the language centers of the brain, it allows the person to comprehend what is heard. Hearing is also connected to music through the...
Memory is the brain's ability to convert a current experience into a code and store the information for later recall. As explained on the Brainwaves Center website, the brain will not commit sensory input to memory until it has been interpreted...
Dreaming is a complex state of consciousness that involves many parts of the brain. The neuroscience of dreams involves stronger brain synchronization and higher levels of activation than the waking state. Aspects of dreaming such as...
Almost all people experience dreaming, and many reference dreams in conversation, literature and artistic expression. An emerging field is the biology and psychology of dreaming. Recent discoveries have provided insight into the anatomical...
Memory is a complex function that involves multiple steps, starting with the input of the stimulus to the brain and ending with independent memory retrieval. Georgia Tech states that human memory is made up of three basic stages: sensory memory,...
Speech and other language abilities are lateralized brain functions, meaning they are all located on one side of the brain. For most people, the left hemisphere controls language. Shippensburg University states that the lateralized hemisphere...
Hostility is a form of aggression. Aggression is categorized as predatory or affective; in the predatory form, aggression is used by predators to capture prey. In animals, affective aggression is marked by vocalization, hair standing on end and...
Diffuse axonal injury (DAI), is a common and important feature of traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI. Axons are the parts of nerve cells that send a signal from a nerve body to an adjacent nerve or nerves. In the case of severe head trauma,...
Hearing a sound and detecting its origin sparks a complex cascade of neurological processes in areas of the brain responsible for discerning sound, vision and object location. Brain regions, such as the temporal cortex, occipital cortex, posterior...
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects 1 percent of the world's population, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A patient with schizophrenia cannot tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, and has issues...
While the various parts of the brain have been observed to have discreet functions for processing specific types of information, the process of thought, or cognition, uses a neural network of interconnections between separate areas. A region of...
Rabies is a viral infection of the brain. It is typically contracted from the bite of an infected animal. In the U.S., the illness is exceedingly rare but often deadly. In an April 2010 article published by the Centers for Disease Control and...
L-tyrosine supplements may trigger painful, long-lasting headaches called migraines in some people. If you already suffer from chronic headaches and migraines, avoiding these supplements is especially important. L-tyrosine, also known simply as...
The American Cancer Society estimates a man's lifetime risk of receiving a diagnosis for breast cancer at 1 in 1000. Further estimates include about 2000 men being diagnosed with and about 450 men dying from breast cancer each year. Although rare,...
The bacterium bartonella henselae causes the illness cat scratch fever, also known as cat scratch disease. Transmission of the bacteria occurs via scratches or a bite from an infected kitten or cat. Lymph node swelling in the area near the wound...
Wheat gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat and wheat flour. It also provides structure to many food products, especially breads and baked goods. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are health conditions in which gluten cannot be consumed...
Appropriate nutrition includes sufficient amount of nutrients to meet the body's needs. Inadequate amounts of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals can occur as a result of increased need, difficulties with absorption or lack of these nutrients...
Bacteria abound in the environment, on the skin and in the human body. While most bacteria are harmless to humans, some species prove uniformly dangerous. Campylobacter jejuni, Rickettsia rickettsii and Salmonella typhi are examples of...
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, represents the second eruption of the virus that causes chicken pox. After a person becomes infected, the body never actually clears the virus. Instead, it remains inactive within the roots of nerves along...
The concurrent presence of headaches and seizures proves deeply concerning to patients and health care professionals---with good reason. The combination of these symptoms typically indicates a serious disturbance in the brain. The onset of seizure...
Autism is a term that covers a wide range, or "spectrum," of social impairments, communication disorders and abnormally repetitive patterns of behavior. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the disorder is found in 1-in-110 children. It...
Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that infects humans and animals, including birds, cats, cattle, pigs and sheep. Among people with a normal immune system, Toxoplasma gondii infection rarely causes symptoms, although the parasite...
Two or more areas of the brain often work together, so it is sometimes difficult for scientists to isolate specific areas that relate to behaviors such as hostility. However, it is apparent that the right side of the brain is often involved with...
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi). Humans contract Lyme disease from the bite of an infected tick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 28,921 confirmed and 6,277 probable cases...
The causes of depression and anxiety disorders are not fully known, but it is believed that electrochemical processes in the brain are involved along with the psychological factors. Depression may be involved in an abnormal process delivering...
Caffeine is a stimulatory drug belonging to a class of chemicals called methylxanthines. Caffeine is bitter in taste and occurs naturally in such foods as chocolate, kona nuts and coffee beans. As a stimulant, caffeine affects the central nervous...
Spinal cord injuries, or SCIs, are traumatic injuries that trigger temporary or permanent damage to the main nerve pathway between your brain and body. Involvement in organized sports is a known underlying factor in a significant number of these...
Epilepsy is a disorder in which abnormal electrical activity causes problems throughout the brain. This condition most commonly manifests during childhood because it is caused by anatomical problems within the brain.
A seizure, the production of sudden and strong surges in electrochemical impulses by a group of nerves in the brain, can cause a loss of consciousness, or a blackout. Seizures are classified based on how much of the brain is involved, which part...
Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation and can happen during puberty or later in life. Amenorrhea generally does not result from a serious condition. However, not knowing why menstruation has stopped can be stressful. Learn about the symptoms...
Epilepsy is a disorder that disrupts the transmission of electrical signals inside the brain. It is most often characterized by unprovoked seizures. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of epilepsy in this video.
Brain tumors are created by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. Learn about the symptoms and treatments for brain cancer in this video.
