Pimples take center stage in the brain, in this new study: “Enjoyment of Watching Pimple Popping Videos: An fMRI Investigation,” Albert Wabnegger, Carina Höfler, Thomas Zussner, Harald H Freudenthaler, Anne Schienle, Behavioural Brain Research, vol. 402, March 26, 2021, 113129. The authors, at the University of Graz, Austria, explain: We administered a total of 96 […]
Tag: fMRI
nfMRI (non functional MRI) machine resources
The functional MRI Laboratory at the University of Michigan, US, is one of the few research centres to have their own fully non-functional MRI machine – which they call the “Mock Scanner”. The “fake” scanner is fitted with a set of loudspeakers which can faithfully replay the not-inconsiderable noise of a real, working, MRI machine. […]
How is a computer programmer like a dead salmon?
One statement, at least, in a June 5, 2020 press release would be hard to dispute: “Our goal was to develop a completely new approach to better understand the cognitive processes involved in programming.” The press release, issued by the Chemnitz University of Technology, comes with the headline “Programming ‘language’: Brain scans reveal coding uses […]
fMRI Brain Research: The Dead Salmon Has Lots of Company
Quite a lot of brain research uses the technique called fMRI—and now quite a lot of research shows that fMRI brain research fairly often leads to nonsense or bewilderment. A New Study Turns Up Much Nothingness A new study tries to sum up the situation: “What Is the Test-Retest Reliability of Common Task-Functional MRI Measures? New […]
Dogs versus Humans in counting
A new study says, more or less, that dogs can count. The study bases this on indirect, fMRI data. You may find the evidence persuasive: The study does not mention that there are many studies, done in many classrooms, showing that many people cannot count. This new dog study is: “Canine sense of quantity: evidence […]
A Look in the Brains of Publication-Hungry Brain Scientists
“The idea that one can study scholar journal publishing behavior by looking at their brain’s fMRI response to the ‘journal impact factor‘ of the journal is, to an academic serials librarian at least, incredibly funny. I suppose this is the serious-professor version of hooking up a child to an fMRI and offering them their favorite candy.” […]
Neuromarketing for dogs
Developing successful products aimed at dogs might not always be as straightforward as it may seem : “Because dogs cannot speak, traditional behavioral methods may be inadequate to reveal what dogs like or dislike.” But, according to the website of Dog Star Technologies LLC, newly developed methods involving fMRI scanning (combined with machine-learning algorithms) might […]
Brain Investigation of Crocodiles Listening to Bach
The music of Bach and the brains of crocodiles usher in a new era for explorers who use fMRI [functional magnetic resonance imaging] technology. A study documents this bold new step: “Functional MRI in the Nile Crocodile: A New Avenue for Evolutionary Neurobiology,” Behroozi Mehdi, Brendon K. Billings, Xavier Helluy, Paul R. Manger, Onur Güntürkün, […]
This is your brain on Scrabble™ : an fMRI study
It almost goes without saying that Improbable endeavours to keep our readers up-to-date with current fMRI research projects. In respect of which, may we recommend : ‘This is your brain on Scrabble: Neural correlates of visual word recognition in competitive Scrabble players as measured during task and resting-state’ published in the journal Cortex, Volume 75, […]
The Neural Bases of Disgust for Cheese: An fMRI Study
Brain researchers, using advanced fMRI technology, made another unexpected advance toward understanding how the brain does or does not work. Their newly published study is: “The Neural Bases of Disgust for Cheese: An fMRI Study,” Jean-Pierre Royet, David Meunier, Nicolas Torquet, Anne-Marie Mouly and Tao Jiang, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 10, October 2016, article 511. The authors, at […]