2011 News and Announcements

Dec. 16, 2011 | Western News
New research identifies changes in spinal cord compression
Research from The University of Western Ontario is now looking beyond spinal cord injuries in patients to better understand what is happening in the brain.
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Nov. 1, 2011
We changed our name!
As of November 1, 2011, the Centre for Brain and Mind will be known as The Brain and Mind Institute. This change in our designation by the University of Western Ontario reflects the increasing visibility of our research enterprise on the international stage. The Brain and Mind Institute will continue to promote collaborations between Western researchers and other researchers around the world, and to seek new sources of funding for research in cognitive neuroscience, with a particular emphasis on international funding agencies. Since its inception, the Centre for Brain and Mind has been immensely productive, attracting substantial funding from federal and provincial sources, and has been recognized as successful research enterprise by both the scientific community and the general public. With the creation of the new Brain and Mind Institute, we look forward to creating even more opportunities for fostering research in cognitive neuroscience that is unmatched by any other research institute in the world.

Oct. 13, 2011 | Western News
Goodale to address renowned conference
Melvyn Goodale, director of the Centre for Brain and Mind at The University of Western Ontario, will address the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM). One of eight speakers, Goodale will deliver the Mac Keith Press Basic Science Lectureship on Friday, Oct. 14 in Las Vegas.


Jul. 6, 2011 | Western News
Humour lends insight into vegetative state
How the human brain processes jokes may help researchers determine if a person in a vegetative state can experience positive emotions – a breakthrough that could help friends, relatives and doctors better understand a patient’s mental state of mind.
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June 30, 2011 | Western News
Brain research predicts premeditated actions
Bringing the real world into the brain scanner, researchers at The University of Western Ontario from The Centre for Brain and Mind can now determine the action a person was planning, mere moments before that action is actually executed.
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June 9, 2011 | Western News
Ken Valyear receives the Governor General’s Gold Medal
Ken Valyear is quick to say he isn’t a scientific whiz kid or boy wonder. But his curiosity, determination and strong work ethic have paid off, earning him the Governor General’s Gold Medal.
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June 3, 2011 | Science News
A year adds up to big changes in brain
“I think this is really fascinating,” says cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Ansari of the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. “Anybody who doesn’t believe that development is important needs to read this paper, because it really shows how dynamically the brain changes as we learn.”
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May 13, 2011 | Western News
Seeing through sound: How a tongue click gave one man independence
Watching Daniel Kish climb aboard a bicycle and pedal along a path may not seem like a spectacular feat. Unless you know he has been fully blind since 13 months of age.
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May 25, 2011 | The Globe and Mail
Radar-like 'inner vision' helps blind learn to navigate beyond preconceived limits
Daniel Kish has no eyes, but can ride his bike down the street and walk through an unfamiliar airport on his own. He travels the world teaching other blind people the bat-like navigational technique that gives him so much freedom and allows him to perceive trees, bushes, cars or the furniture in a hotel room.
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May 25, 2011 | CBC News
Blind people echolocate with visual part of brain
Blind people who navigate using clicks and echoes, like bats and dolphins do, recruit the part of the brain used by sighted people to see, a new study has found.
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May 25, 2011 | PLOS ONE
Neural Correlates of Natural Human Echolocation in Early and Late Blind Echolocation Experts
By Mel Goodale, Lore Thaler, and Stephen R. Arnott
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Mar. 8, 2011 | Science Daily
Right-Handers, but Not Left-Handers, Are Biased to Select Their Dominant Hand
The vast majority of humans -- over 90% -- prefer to use their right hand for most skilled tasks. For decades, researchers have been trying to understand why this asymmetry exists. Why, with our two cerebral hemispheres and motor cortices, are we not equally skilled with both hands?
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Jan. 27, 2011 | Western News
Awarding excellence from our staff: Haitao Yang
Computer system administrator, Department of Psychology Haitao Yang is one person a lot of folks count on. His focus remains on software development, network maintenance and support/maintenance for more than 60 computers.


Jan. 14, 2011 | The Globe and Mail
Why things just don't add up for some students
It is not a typical math test. The elementary school students lie as still as they can in a brain scanner while they answer questions for University of Western Ontario neuroscientist Daniel Ansari. "Which number is larger, 7 or 1? What about 9 or 8?"
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