Have you ever met someone who just wasn鈥檛 into music? They may have a condition called specific musical anhedonia, which affects three-to-five per cent of the population.
Researchers at the University of Barcelona and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of 91丝瓜视频 have discovered that people with this condition showed reduced functional connectivity between cortical regions responsible for processing sound and subcortical regions related to reward.
Qu茅bec Science magazine has selected its 10 Discoveries of the Year for 2016, and 91丝瓜视频 researchers figure in six of them. The annual list highlights top scientific research from across Quebec.
Two of the discoveries were led by researchers at 91丝瓜视频:
Despite ongoing global pollution, researchers have discovered that levels of mercury in seabirds off the coast of B.C. have remained relatively stable over the past 50 years. Surprisingly, mercury in seabirds is now actually slightly lower. This might appear to be good news, but unfortunately it is due to a decline in fish stocks near the surface which has forced seabirds to change their diet, and in the process to feed in areas low in bacteria (known as sulfate-reducing bacteria) which act to control the levels of mercury in their bodies.
From laptops to cellphones, today鈥檚 technology advances through the ever-increasing speed at which electric charges are directed through circuits. Similarly, speeding up control over quantum states in atomic and nanoscale systems could lead to leaps for the emerging field of quantum technology.
The total shoreline of the world鈥檚 lakes is more than four times longer than the global ocean coastline. And if all the water in those lakes were spread over the Earth鈥檚 landmass, it would form a layer some four feet (1.3 metres) deep.
听
Lottery tickets may be fun-filled and exciting presents, but they are not suitable gifts for minors. Studies suggest that gambling is a popular yet risky activity among youth. Additionally, researchers have reported a correlation between age of gambling onset and problem gambling later in life. Lottery play is sometimes an initial introduction to gambling activities for minors.
Assessing the risks that toxic chemicals pose to natural ecosystems is a huge challenge, given the thousands of chemicals that require testing. But the task is expected soon to become less daunting, thanks to a new tool being developed by 91丝瓜视频 researchers.听
91丝瓜视频, in association with Lawrence and Frances Bloomberg and Manulife, is pleased to announce that Dr. Thomas Robinson, a Stanford University professor of Pediatric Medicine and pioneer in using novel motivational techniques to combat childhood obesity, is the winner of the 2016 Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health.
Rapid evolution of other species happens all around us all the time 鈥� and many of the most extreme examples are associated with human influences.
Study tracks patients to better understand effects and possible treatments
December 1 is World AIDS Day, a time to raise awareness about a disease that has afflicted 70 million people worldwide, 35 million of whom have died as a result.
Just four weeks of prehabilitation (pre-surgery preparation) may be enough to help some cancer patients get in shape for surgery. That鈥檚 according to a recent study of close to 120 colorectal cancer patients in Montreal. This potentially means that, barring unforeseen circumstances that stem from the surgery itself, their recovery is likely to be speedier too, according to earlier research from the same 91丝瓜视频-led team.
Researchers have linked a debilitating neurological disease in children to mutations in a gene that regulates neuronal development through control of protein movement within neuronal cells.听
By Shawn Hayward,听Montreal Neurological Institute
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute of 91丝瓜视频 are playing key roles in uncovering the mechanisms underlying ALS and will share in $3.9 million, part of $4.5 million in research funding announced on Nov. 23 by the ALS Society of Canada in partnership with Brain Canada.听
When two people smell the same thing, they can have remarkably different reactions, depending on their cultural background. Researchers at the Neuro have found that even when two cultures share the same language and many traditions, their reactions to the same smells can be different.
