Lab-coated muggles use Harry Potter to study brain

WASHINGTON –  Harry Potter swoops around on his broom, faces the bully Malfoy and later runs into a three-headed dog. For scientists studying brain activity while reading, it's the perfect excerpt from the young wizard's many adventures to give their subjects.

Reading that section of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" activates some of the same regions in the brain that people use to perceive real people's actions and intentions. Scientists then map what a healthy brain does as it reads.

The research reported Wednesday has implications for studying reading disorders or recovery from a stroke. The team from Carnegie Mellon University was pleasantly surprised that the experiment actually worked.

Most neuroscientists painstakingly have tracked how the brain processes a single word or sentence, looking for clues to language development or dyslexia by focusing on one aspect of reading at a time. But reading a story requires multiple systems working at once: recognizing how letters form a word, knowing the definitions and grammar, keeping up with the characters' relationships and the plot twists.

Measuring all that activity is remarkable, said Georgetown University neuroscientist Guinevere Eden, who helped pioneer brain-scanning studies of dyslexia but wasn't involved in the new work.

"It offers a much richer way of thinking about the reading brain," Eden said, calling the project "very clever and very exciting."

No turning pages inside a brain-scanning MRI machine; you have to lie still. So at Carnegie Mellon, eight adult volunteers watched for nearly 45 minutes as each word of Chapter 9 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was flashed for half a second onto a screen inside the scanner.

Why that chapter? It has plenty of action and emotion, but there's not too much going on for scientists to track, said lead researcher Leila Wehbe, a Ph.D. student.

The research team analyzed the scans, second by second, and created a computerized model of brain activity involved with different reading processes. The research was published Wednesday by the journal PLoS One.

"For the first time in history, we can do things like have you read a story and watch where in your brain the neural activity is happening," said senior author Tom Mitchell, director of Carnegie Mellon's Machine Learning Department. "Not just where are the neurons firing, but what information is being coded by those different neurons."

Wehbe had the idea to study reading a story rather than just words or phrases.

But parsing the brain activity took extraordinary effort. For every word the researchers identified features - the number of letters, the part of speech, whether it was associated with a character or action or emotion or conversation. Then they used computer programming to analyze brain patterns associated with those features in every four-word stretch.

They spotted some complex interactions.

For example, the brain region that processes the characters' point of view is the one we use to perceive intentions behind real people's actions, Wehbe said. A region that we use to visually interpret other people's emotions helps decipher characters' emotions.

That suggests we're using pretty high-level brain functions, not just the semantic concepts but our previous experiences, as we get lost in the story, she said.

A related study using faster brain-scanning techniques shows that much of the neural activity is about the history of the story up to that point, rather than deciphering the current word, Mitchell added.

The team's computer model can distinguish with 74 percent accuracy which of two text passages matches a pattern of neural activity, he said, calling it a first step as researchers tease apart what the brain does when someone reads.

Men suffering from depression may also suffer in the bedroom

Depression affects around 350 million people worldwide and can have a devastating impact on your life and relationships, including in the bedroom.

Sadly, when it comes to depression and low libido, men tend to suffer the most. Whereas women can say “Not tonight, I have a headache,” men often feel that avoiding sex somehow emasculates them or changes the way their partner views them. And, to be honest, many times women do not understand that all men aren’t in the mood for sex sometimes, even if they aren’t depressed. It’s just one of many urban legends in this country that needs to be debunked if men and women are going to able to communicate honestly in the bedroom.

Now that you know that low libido is common among depressed men, you might be wondering: Why does this happen?

There are many reasons. First, there is the emotional aspect. If you are feeling dejected and worthless, you aren’t going to feel very sexually desirable or very sexually desiring. In fact, you may shy away from all forms of physical affection, even kissing or snuggling with your mate.

Second, your physical health might be taking a hit (which means your sexual health will suffer as well). When men are depressed, they tend to pack on the pounds and avoid the gym—and they might be even reach for a few extra beers each night, all of which can do great harm to their sexual function and ability to perform.

Last, medication for depression often comes with sexual side effects. Many people who take anti-depressants report that they suffer decreased libido or decreased sexual response as a result.

However, there is good news. There are many medications that have been shown to have less of an impact on libido, so talk to your doctor about these options or about changing or lowering your dose if possible. You should also find ways to motivate yourself to get back in the gym, whether it is by making a pact with a buddy to workout together or simply by staying more active during the day (like taking a walk during your lunch break or playing with your kids in the snow after work instead of lounging on the couch).

You should also be honest with your spouse about where you are at right now emotionally. Otherwise, when you pull away from her advances or shut down in the bedroom, she is only going to assume the worst (i.e. “Is he no longer attracted to me?” or “Is there another woman?”). Let her know that you are feeling stressed and sad lately, and troubleshoot ways you can still stay connected during this time (maybe you aren’t in the mood for sex but you could enjoy a hot bubble bath together).

Finally, don’t be afraid to speak out and ask for help. Depression is a common occurrence and it can happen to everyone, men and women alike. Asking for help isn’t weak, it actually shows strength of character and a willingness to work hard and improve. Click here for more information on depression.

Laura Berman, PhD, is a world renowned sex and relationship educator and therapist; popular TV, radio and Internet host; New York Times best-selling author; and assistant clinical professor of ob-gyn and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Berman is a New York Times best-selling author of many books on sexual health and pleasure, a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, and host of the radio program “Uncovered with Dr. Laura Berman.” 

FDA to weigh lifting ban on gay men donating blood

Advisers for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet next week to decide whether gay men should be allowed to donate blood, the agency’s biggest step yet toward changing the 30-year-old prohibition.

If the FDA accepts the recommendation from its advisory board, it would roll back a policy that has faced mounting criticism from LGBT advocates and some members of Congress for more than four years.

“We’ve got the ball rolling. I feel like this is a tide-turning vote,” said Ryan James Yezak, an LGBT activist who founded the National Gay Blood Drive and will speak at next week’s meeting. “There’s been a lot of feet dragging and I think they’re realizing it now.”

Reconsidering the policy will be the first agenda item for the Advisory Blood Products Advisory Committee when it meets Dec. 2

Critics of the ban, which was enacted during the national AIDS epidemic in 1983 and was last updated in 1992, say it ignores mounds of scientific evidence concluding that blood donations pose no risk than the greater public if properly screened.

Groups such as the American Red Cross and America’s Blood Centers voiced support for the policy change this month, calling the ban “medically and scientifically unwarranted.” The American Medical Association voted to end the ban last summer.

“The public health rationale for this ban has kind of been packed away,” said Glenn Cohen, a medical ethics professor at Harvard Law School who criticized the ban in an article recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Members of Congress have also thrown in their support, led by those in the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.

Gay rights groups are also increasingly targeting the policy, bolstered by recent victories like the military eliminating its “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy and the Supreme Court striking down major portions of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Fighting the ban on blood donations is a logical next step for their advocacy, Cohen said.

“It’s a little crazy that you can shed blood for your country, but you can’t donate blood to another human being,” he added.

Some advocates say that people are surprised to hear the policy still exists despite the decades of advances in research.

Richard Dedor, an author and speaker who is gay, remembers trying to donate bone marrow about 18 months ago to help a family friend.

As he was filling out the form, he was shocked when he read a question asking if he had had sex with men.

“I sat there for a second and thought, should I be honest, or should I lie?” he recalled.

He said he decided to answer the question honestly, and realized then that he would get involved in the fight to strike down the ban.

“Others in my exact same situation do lie because they believe so vehemently that they have the right — forget the right, the ability — to keep the blood supply and the bone marrow supply safe,” he said. “We have the ability to help save lives.”

The FDA says that it still asks about men who have sex with men because no other questions are able to identify people with same risks to sexually transmitted infections, like HIV.

“In the future, improved questionnaires may be helpful to better select safe donors, but this cannot be assumed without evidence,” according to the agency’s website.

The FDA is not compelled to follow the recommendation from its advisory group, which includes more than a dozen top scientists from across the country – though it often does.

“Following deliberations taking into consideration the available evidence, the FDA will issue revised guidance, if appropriate,” a spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez wrote in a statement, though she declined to provide details about who would make the decision or when that could happen.

Members of the advisory committee did not return requests for comment.

A new FDA policy would likely not completely eliminate the ban, instead allowing men to donate only if they have not had sex with another man for one year.

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Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said that a policy with a one-year deferral would be “still discriminatory” and he hopes the ban will be reversed in full.

"I am encouraged by the continuation of this conversation to change current, outdated policies, which will bring equality for the LGBT community while still protecting the U.S. blood supply,” he wrote in a statement to The Hill.

Yessak, who founded the National Gay Blood Drive, said he believes a complete elimination of the ban is “only a matter of time.”

He pointed to accumulating pressure he’s seen against the policy. Over the last two years, participation has tripled for his blood drive, where gay men show up with “proxies” who donate in their place.

“This is really big,” he said. “It’s a huge step, but there’s a lot more work to do.”

13-year-old boy missing for four years rescued by police

Police in a Georgia town found a missing 13-year-old boy behind a false wall inside a home, and made five arrests including the boy’s father, authorities said on Saturday.

WSB-TV in Atlanta said that in 2010 the father refused to return the boy to his mother in Florida after he came to Georgia for a visit.

Police in Clayton County say the child's father was hiding the boy in his house. The boy was found early Saturday hidden behind a fake wall in a linen closet.

MyFoxAtlanta reported that the teen and his mother were reunited at the Clayton County police headquarters.  The station quoted authorities as saying she reported the boy missing to child welfare authorities but not to police, possibly because she is an immigrant and unfamiliar with the necessary procedures.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution identified the boy’s father as Gregory Jean, 37. They said he was taken into custody as was another adult, Samantha Joy Davis, 42. They faced charges of false imprisonment, obstruction of justice and cruelty to children. Also arrested were three juveniles.

Jean and Davis appeared in court Sunday morning, but the judge denied bond for both, MyFoxAtlanta reports.

Police told WSB-TV how they found the child.

“We opened the compartment area where he was and I saw him and asked him to come forward,” Clayton County Police Sgt. Joanne Sutherland told the station. “He was horrified. He was frozen with fear.”

The boy had recently texted his mother after downloading a phone app. She then called the police.

Sutherland told WSB-TV that police went to the home about 11 p.m. Friday on a child abuse complaint about the boy. She said Jean and Davis denied knowing anything about the child or where he was. At 2 a.m. Saturday police got a second call about the boy and returned to the house.

Police said the boy repeatedly thanked the officers who found him. Georgia child welfare workers will likely take custody of the boy.

Dog takes bullet to save child's life in road rage shooting

A dog that was shot and killed Friday during a road rage incident outside an Atlanta strip mall is being credited with saving a child's life, witnesses say.

Hobart Austin told police that he got into an argument with the driver of a Ford Taurus that nearly hit the vehicle he was riding in, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The driver then followed Austin to a strip mall on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, where he was dropped off.

The driver of the Taurus threatened to shoot Austin and opened fire, Sgt. Greg Lyon said.

Austin was not injured in the shooting, but bullets hit a Chevrolet Suburban occupied by a woman, three children and a dog – identified by the family as Noah -- according to police.

Witnesses told WXIA that Noah jumped in front of one of the children and was struck with a bullet.

"The dog took the bullet for the kids so the kids would be safe," a witness said.

Lyon said the Suburban and a nearby business were damaged by gunfire, but no injuries were reported and no arrests have been made.

The dog was seen on surveillance video running past one of the nearby shops following the shooting. He later died behind a building.

Photo of boy hugging officer at Portland's Ferguson protest goes viral

A touching photo that captures a helmeted white police officer hugging a teary-eyed 12-year-old African-American boy at a Ferguson shooting protest in Oregon has gone viral on social media.

More than 150,000 Facebook users shared the image hours after The Oregonian newspaper posted it on its website.

Freelance photographer Johnny Nguyen snapped the picture when Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum and 12-year-old Devonte Hart embraced at a Nov. 25 rally protesting the decision of a Missouri grand jury not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teen Michael Brown.

Barnum told the newspaper the hug took place after he saw Devonte in the crowd at the rally with tears in his eyes holding a "Free Hugs" sign.

"There were generic questions about his favorite subject and what he liked to do in the summer, but the one that mattered hit straight to the heart. He asked Devonte why he was crying," the boy's mother Jen said on Facebook.
She said the moment "was one of the most emotionally charged experiences I’ve had as a mother."

Resignation of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson unlikely to halt protests

City officials in Ferguson, Mo. were due Sunday to address the resignation of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed teenager Michael Brown in a confrontation in August that fueled protests in the St. Louis suburb and around the nation.

Stephanie Karr, Ferguson city attorney, told the Associated Press that city officials planned to make a statement regarding Wilson's resignation. Karr earlier this week said Wilson had been on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal police investigation.

Wilson's resignation was announced Saturday by one of his attorneys, Neil Bruntrager, who said his client's decision was effective immediately.

"I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow,” Wilson said in his resignation letter released late Saturday.

“It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Brown's parents planned to attend services at the church where their son's funeral was held, with the Rev. Al Sharpton scheduled to preach. 

"We were not after Wilson's job," Sharpton wrote in a statement. "We were after Michael Brown's justice."

On Saturday night, more than 100 protesters gathered near police headquarters, where they were outnumbers by officers, following the news. At least one person was arrested after a brief standoff with officers, while others wearing white masks sat in a nearby street blocking traffic. Another protester burned an American flag. By midnight, only about two dozen protesters remained.

But many seemed unfazed by the resignation. Several merely shrugged their shoulders when asked what they thought, while Rick Campbell flatly said he didn't care about the resignation, noting: "I've been protesting out here since August."

A grand jury spent more than three months reviewing evidence in the case before declining in November to issue charges against Wilson. He told jurors that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and reached for his gun.

The U.S. Justice Department is still conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting and a separate probe of police department practices.

After the shooting, Wilson spent months in hiding and made no public statements. He broke his silence after the grand jury decision, telling ABC News that he could not have done anything differently in the encounter with Brown.

Wilson said he has a clean conscience because "I know I did my job right." Brown's shooting was the first time he fired his gun on the job, he said.

Asked whether the encounter would have unfolded the same way if Brown had been white, Wilson said yes.

 Away from the protests Saturday night, resident Victoria Rutherford said she believed Wilson should have not only resigned, but been convicted of a crime.

"I'm upset. I have a 16-year-old son. It could've been him. I feel that he was absolutely in the wrong," she said.

Another resident, Reed Voorhees, said he hoped Wilson could find similar work "someplace where he would enjoy life, and move on with his life."

In the days after the shooting, tense and sometimes violent protests popped up in and around Ferguson, a predominantly black community patrolled by a mostly white police force. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called in the National Guard to help.

Then on Monday night -- when prosecutors announced that a grand jury declined to indict Wilson -- the St. Louis suburb of 20,000 residents was ravaged by looting and violence.

At least a dozen commercial buildings were destroyed in Ferguson and neighboring Dellwood, mostly along West Florissant Avenue, not far from where Brown was killed. By Tuesday, Nixon had sent more than 2,200 National Guard members to the Ferguson area to support local law enforcement.

Demonstrations, which also have been held other U.S. cities, are expected to continue, though a sense of normalcy -- or at least a new normal -- has begun to settle on the city.

Police earlier Saturday reopened several blocks of West Florissant that had been barricaded off since Tuesday. Although most store windows were still boarded up, many have been decorated or spray-painted with messages saying the stores are open and welcoming shoppers.

Some business owners spent an unseasonably warm day Saturday tidying up, hoping customers soon would return.

Tracy Ballard, 44, brought her 7-year-old daughter to a store on West Florissant to buy candy and soda, before a trip to the beautician up the street.

"I feel sad for the business owners," Ballard said. "It's really sad it had to come from this. We just wanted justice. If we'd have had justice, none of this would have happened."

Attorney for Michael Brown family keeps open possibility of civil suit

An attorney for Michael Brown's family said Sunday the grand jury proceedings that ended without an indictment for the police officer who shot and killed the unarmed 18-year-old was flawed -- and left open the possibility the Brown family could pursue a civil rights case.

“They have that option,” attorney Daryl Parks told "Fox News Sunday." But “this is not something being discussed publicly.”

Darren Wilson, a white police officer in the Ferguson (Mo.) Police Department, shot and killed Brown, a black teen, during an encounter in August. A St. Louis County grand jury last week decided not to indict Wilson, who resigned Saturday amid concerns about his safety and continued street protests in Ferguson and elsewhere around the country.

Parks said both sides first need to be given an opportunity to work out their differences.

“But it could be settled with some form of litigation, if needed,” he said.

Parks said his concern with the grand jury process is that it should have concluded with an indictment and suggested that Wilson presenting his defense should not have been part of the proceedings.

Parks said the Brown family has the option of filing a civil rights case against Wilson or the Ferguson Police Department.

Neil Bruntrager, an attorney for Wilson, suggested Sunday that winning such a case could be difficult, but that he would not object to such an effort.

“I think they will have a difficult row to hoe,” he told Fox News. “They certainly have that right to redress. I wouldn’t begrudge that to anybody.”

Phillip Hughes: Michael Clarke pays tribute on batsman's birthday

Australia captain Michael Clarke has paid an emotional tribute to Phillip Hughes on what would have been the batsman's 26th birthday.

Clarke described Hughes as his "brother" in a column for the Herald Sun newspaper,  adding: "I am a better man for having known him."

He also posted several images of the pair together to his Twitter account. 

Hughes died on Thursday, two days after being struck on the neck by a bouncer during a domestic match in Australia.

In his tribute column, Clarke wrote: "I was drawn to him instantly, falling for his cheeky grin and love of life.

"I don't think in 12 years of playing cricket at the top level I have ever come across a more loyal or generous-hearted team-mate.

"He was a country boy at heart, with honest values and a work ethic second to none."

Ex Australia player Adam Gilchrist on Hughes
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek
"He was an amazing young talent with cricket bat in hand. His character, his personality, his vibrancy, work ethic and passion for the game which has captured the mindset of the cricket loving world He was an infectious personality. One you wanted around in a team - we've seen that from the way his team-mates are in such a world of hurt as a result of this tragedy."

Clarke said Hughes, thought by many to be on the verge of a recall to the Australia team at the time of his death, would have gone on to play 100 Tests.

The Australia captain also paid tribute to his former team-mate on his Twitter account, posting pictures of the pair playing and relaxing together.

"Happy [birthday] bro," Clarke wrote.  "[I] will love you forever. It has been the hardest few days of my life."

Clarke was joined in remembering Hughes on social media by several other members of the Australia team.

Bowler Peter Siddle wrote:  "I'm going to miss your cheeky smile, but I'll never forget it."

Former all-rounder Andrew McDonald wrote:  "Happy birthday little man. You were a champion in every sense. You made life fun for us all. [We] will miss you."

This photo of Hughes and Clarke at a quiz night was one of several the Australia captain posted to his Twitter account

Clarke tweeted this image with the message 'What a smile'

Phillip Hughes: ICC chief says action on bouncers is 'unlikely'

Action is unlikely to be taken to restrict bouncers despite the death of Phillip Hughes, according to David Richardson, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Hughes died on Thursday, two days after he was struck on the neck by a short ball delivered by Sean Abbott in a domestic game in Australia.

But Richardson said any clampdown on bouncers was "unlikely".

He told BBC 5 live's Sportsweek: "We need to try and keep our perspective."

Bowlers are currently permitted to deliver two bouncers per over in Tests and one-day internationals, and one per over in Twenty20 internationals.

Asked if there was any prospect of further curtailing the use of the short ball, Richardson said: "It's a bit early to determine, but my initial reaction is that that's unlikely.

"People have died by being struck on the heart before. I don't think cricket needs to overreact, but do what we can."

Former England fast bowler Bob Willis on Sportsweek
On bowler Sean Abbott: "It's going to be something that haunts him every day for the rest of his life. It's not something that you can put out of your mind. It's a burden that he's going to have to bear."

Former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist also defended the use of bouncers, describing them as "part and parcel of the challenge between bat and ball".

He suggested that helmet modifications would be a more feasible change for cricket to consider.

"I guess we could extend the helmet a little bit further down the back of the neck," he told the programme.

"We've always thought it it is maybe the temple, the cheekbones, the skull itself that we needed to protect - and that still remains - but now we are going to look at any ways of curtailing blows to the neck."