Custom Search

Register
Sign In
Sign In Using Facebook

Brain Scans Record Happy Memories of Hoop Fans

by Savitha on  February 10, 2010 at 4:18 PM Research News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
 Brain Scans Record Happy Memories of Hoop Fans
In a novel study that used historical tape of a thrilling overtime basketball game between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, brain researchers at Duke have found that fans remember the good things their team did much better than the bad.


It's serious science, aimed at understanding the links between emotion and memory that might affect Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and how well people recall their personal histories.

Struggling to find a way to measure a person's brain while subjecting them to powerful emotions, Duke scientists hit on the idea of using basketball fans who live and die with each three-pointer. Using game film gives researchers a way to see the brain deal with powerful, rapid-fire positive and negative emotions, without creating any ethical concerns.

"You can get much more emotional intensity with a basketball film than you could ethically otherwise," said study co-author David Rubin, the Juanita M. Kreps Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke. Similar studies, for example, might use pictures of flowers versus mutilated bodies.

Two dozen college-aged men from both Duke and UNC who had passed a basketball literacy test to determine their true fandom were shown an edited tape of the Feb. 3, 2000 game at UNC's Dean Smith Center, which Duke won 90-86 in overtime. They watched the full game three times with a few like-minded friends, and then went into an MRI machine individually to watch a series of 12-second clips leading up to a shot. Each of the 64 taped segments ends just as a player releases the shot, and the subjects had to answer whether it went in the basket or not.

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Be the first to comment!
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  

X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
Quiz on Brain
Feeling bad, sad, silly or glad? Find out what is responsible by taking part in our brain quiz.
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Brain
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Teen's Health Center

Research Related News

» Organ Damage in Inflammatory Genetic Disorder Arrested by Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug » Immune System Regulation Directly Affected If Raised on a Farm
» Shortly, Memory- Impaired Patients to Get Smartphone 'Prescription' » Sporting Activity in Excess Could Mar Long-Term Success of Hip Resurfacing
» Spread of Clostridium Difficile in Hospitals Probably Not by Contact With Infected Patients » Study Finds Cognitive Performance Decline After Natural Disasters
» Study Provides Evidence of Malaria's Impact on Fetal Growth » Research Sheds Light on Usefulness of Bubble-Propelled Microrockets
Read More >>