While the trained Yogi can make exotic body movements appear effortless and graceful, top ranked neuro-scientists are painstakingly analyzing precisely how the brain commands limb movements. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map what parts of the brain are in charge of the actions of the left and right arms and other various coordinated limb movements. The work is being led by Dr. Randy Flanagan and Dr. Jason Gallivan. Recently, the Canadian Institute of Health Research has given them a considerable research grant to support their efforts. While their work is still in the preliminary stages, they hope to discover new treatments for sufferers of spinal-cord injuries and others with neurological movement-impairments.

Using the fMRI analysis they were able to detect which arm movements were going to commit to exerting a specific action just before it happened. The initial goal of their research is to figure out precisely how the brain maps out movement beforehand and gauges skilled mechanical balance using limb coordination. Thus far, they have had some success in detecting various predictive changes in brain activity patterns.

Another study conducted at the university analyzed how the brain learns to gauge object movement patters along with their mechanical properties. Their research has thus far found that human body movements utilize a series of mismatches between predicted and actual fingertip gestures to build internal familiarity, or brain models, to produce skilled manipulation of the properties.

To read more of their professionally published work, please visit The Journal of Neuroscience to read their latest jointly published work.

Scientists at Darmouth have found that fMRI brain scans may be forecast weight gain and sex drive. In a recent article published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers identified a connection between fMRI brain responses to visual food cues, as well as sexual images, as a predictor future behavior.

Researchers targeted a region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, which serves as a cognitive "reward center." In the study, first-year college students were asked to view images of various foods, people, and environmental scenes. Six months later, the subjects were interviewed again; and their bodyweight and survey responses were compared to previous brain scans.

The study concluded that those whose fMRI scans indicated stronger responses to food cues returned heavier than before. Additionally, the study uncovered a correlation between sexually provocative images and future sexual activity.

Interestingly, those who were identified as having stronger responses to food activity did not engage in more sexual behavior, while responses to non-food images did not predict weight gain.

Scientists believe the research results may be useful in understanding how self-awareness affects behavioral self-control.

cognitive supplement