Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) are critically involved in learning and memory processes. It is not known, however, whether the expression of the Kv1.1 subunit, constituting Kv1 channels, can be specifically regulated in brain areas important for learning and memory processing. Radioactive in situ hybridization was used to evaluate the…

Learning tasks are typically thought to be either hippocampal-dependent (impaired by hippocampal lesions) or hippocampal-independent (indifferent to hippocampal lesions). Here, we show that conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning fits into neither of these categories. Rats were trained to avoid two taste stimuli, one novel and one familiar.…

Hebbian learning is a biologically plausible and ecologically valid learning mechanism. In Hebbian learning, "units that fire together, wire together". Such learning may occur at the neural level in terms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Many features of Hebbian learning are relevant to developmental theorizing,…

Background: Boys with early onset of conduct disorder (CD), most of whom also meet diagnostic criteria of a comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tend to exhibit high levels of aggression throughout development. While a number of functional neuroimaging studies on emotional processing have been performed in antisocial adults,…

This paper estimates the effects of handedness on earnings. Augmenting a conventional earnings equation with an indicator of left-handedness shows there is a positive effect on male earnings with manual workers enjoying a slightly larger premium. These results are inconsistent with the view that left-handers in general are handicapped either…

Overview: Behavioural data reveal an inverted U-shaped function in the efficiency of prospective memory from childhood to young adulthood to later adulthood. However, prior research has not directly compared processes contributing to age-related variation in prospective memory across the lifespan, hence it is unclear whether the same factors…

As part of a multidisciplinary study, the rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), learning disability (LD), and brain abnormalities was examined in 20 participants (12 males, 8 females; age range 8mo-17y, mean age 8y 1mo) diagnosed as falling within the oculoauriculovertebral spectrum (OAV). A neuropsychiatric examination was performed, including…

Objective: Executive dysfunction in ADHD is well supported. However, recent studies suggest that more fundamental impairments may be contributing. We assessed brain function in adults with ADHD during simple and complex forms of processing. Method: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging with forward and backward digit spans to investigate…

In this review, we report on studies that have assessed the effects of exogenous and endogenous increases in stress hormones on human cognitive performance. We first describe the history of the studies on the effects of using exogenous stress hormones such as glucocorticoids as anti-inflammatory medications on human cognition and mental health.…

This study contrasts the performance of a 17-year-old female subject with Turner's syndrome before and after developing left temporal lobe seizures, as a means of identifying the mechanism responsible for the Turner's syndrome spatial impairment. The results revealed a deficit in spatial processing before onset of the seizure disorder. Results…

In a continuation study, 12 students with dyslexia participated in muscle testing and exercises. Six areas were evaluated via pre- and post-tests: academics (using measures of spelling, reading, and math); parental observations of changes in their children (behavioral, academic or affective); perceptual drawing; oral reading; written language; and…

Dance is a common metaphor in both the change and leadership literature. However, can dance, a movement art, actually be used to learn about leadership? The answer is yes and this exercise shows you how. Dance as an instructional strategy allows the instructor to tap the cognitive, affective, and conative components of the brain.

The correspondence of left-right confusion in children to the bilateral symmetry in the nervous system was tested by presenting left-right and up-down discrimination-learning tasks to 80 preschoolers who viewed these stimuli from either an upright or 90-degree-rotated body position. The data contradict anatomical model predictions. (Author/BN)

Briefly reviews theories of brain hemisphere functions and draws implications for social studies instruction. Maintains that the metaphor aids the development of understanding because it connects right and left brain functions. Provides a learning activity based on the metaphor of the U.S. government functioning as a machine. (BSR)

The article reviews the literature on creativity, learning styles, brain studies, teaching technologies, and learning strategies. Although learning styles and strategies differ among individuals, creativity is maximized through use of the fully functioning brain. Teaching suggestions include producing alternative explanations/consequences,…