Depression Affects Male and Female Brains Differently Summary: Exposing depressed adolescents to positive and negative words elicited different effects in specific brain regions depending on the sex of the subject, a new Frontiers in Psychiatry study reports. Source: Frontiers. New findings suggest that adolescent girls and boys might experience depression differently and that sex-specific treatmentsContinue reading “Depression Affects Male and Female Brains Differently”
Category Archives: brain
Neural Stem Cells Steered by Electric Fields in Rat Brain
Neural Stem Cells Steered by Electric Fields in Rat Brain Summary: A recent study in Stem Cell Reports suggests electrical fields can be used to help guide transplanted neural stem cells towards a specific location in the brain. The finding could pave the way for new treatments that could help repair brain damage. Source: UCContinue reading “Neural Stem Cells Steered by Electric Fields in Rat Brain”
Controlling Memory By Triggering Specific Brain Waves During Sleep
Summary: Using optogenetics, researchers manipulated pulses of neural activity during non REM sleep that made mice either remember of forget things they had learned. This novel study demonstrated that altering sleep spindle oscillations during sleep has an impact on memory formation and retention. Source: Institute For Basic Science. IBS researchers find that manipulating the pulsesContinue reading “Controlling Memory By Triggering Specific Brain Waves During Sleep”
Chemicals that poison our brain
Forty-one million IQ points. That’s what Dr. David Bellinger determined Americans have collectively forfeited as a result of exposure to lead, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides. In a 2012 paper published by the National Institutes of Health, Bellinger, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, compared intelligence quotients among children whose mothers had been exposed to theseContinue reading “Chemicals that poison our brain”
Low Dose THC Can Relieve Stress But More Does Just the Opposite
Summary: A new study reports low doses of THC can help to lower social anxiety and stress, while higher levels can increase anxious feelings. Source: University of Illinois. Cannabis smokers often report that they use the drug to relax or relieve stress, but few studies provide clinical evidence of these effects. Now, researchers at theContinue reading “Low Dose THC Can Relieve Stress But More Does Just the Opposite”
Greater Muscle Strength Means Better Cognitive Function for Older People
Summary: A new study reports greater muscle strength is associated with better cognitive function in older adults. However, handgrip strength was not associated with improved cognitive function. Source: University of Eastern Finland. Greater muscle strength is associated with better cognitive function in ageing men and women, according to a new Finnish study. The association ofContinue reading “Greater Muscle Strength Means Better Cognitive Function for Older People”
The Brain’s Fight and Flight Response to Social Threat
Summary: In a study exploring the neural correlates of the fight or flight response, people who choose to flee perceive a greater threat, leading them to behaviorally and mentally disengage from a situation, researchers report. Source: SfN. A study published in eNeuro exploring the neural correlates of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response finds that people who chooseContinue reading “The Brain’s Fight and Flight Response to Social Threat”
Brain Evolved to Need Exercise
Summary: While much research has shown that exercise can be good for our brains, the link between how physical activity benefits the brain is not clearly understood. In a new study, researchers suggest the link between brain health and exercise could be a product of our evolutionary history and our hunter-gatherer past. Source: University ofContinue reading “Brain Evolved to Need Exercise”
Why Social Isolation Can Bring A Greater Risk of Illness
Summary: Social isolation has previously been linked to shorter life spans and a wide range of health problems in humans. A new study reveals social isolation leads to sleep loss, which, in turn, leads to cellular stress. Source: University of Pennsylvania. Penn study found that isolating animals leads to sleep loss, eventually cell stress. SocialContinue reading “Why Social Isolation Can Bring A Greater Risk of Illness”
Frequent Sexual Activity Can Boost Brain Power in Older Adults
Summary: According to a new study, older people who engage in sexual activity on a frequent basis scored higher on tests that reflect cognitive abilities. Source: Coventry University. More frequent sexual activity has been linked to improved brain function in older adults, according to a study by the universities of Coventry and Oxford. Researchers foundContinue reading “Frequent Sexual Activity Can Boost Brain Power in Older Adults”
Why we love and have sex? Vasopressin and Oxytocin hormones
I get a kick out of you Scientists are finding that, after all, love really is down to a chemical addiction between people OVER the course of history it has been artists, poets and playwrights who have made the greatest progress in humanity’s understanding of love. Romance has seemed as inexplicable as the beauty ofContinue reading “Why we love and have sex? Vasopressin and Oxytocin hormones”
Brain foods and keeping a healthy nervous system
Eating foods good for the brain, exercise, adequate sleep and keeping a healthy nervous system are important factors for a healthy brain. Brain Foods Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these plant-based foods mayContinue reading “Brain foods and keeping a healthy nervous system”
Swearing and the Brain
Swearing and the Brain BY JULIETTE SIEGFRIED In real life (that is, when I’m not toning things down when writing articles such as this), I am occasionally given to bursts of “sailor-speak.” That is, I from time to time pepper my language with the occasional expletive of the four-letter (or longer) variety. I am not apologeticContinue reading “Swearing and the Brain”
Poor Adolescent Diet May Influence Brain and Behavior in Adulthood
Summary: A new study reports adolescent male mice fed with a diet lacking Omega-3 fatty acids performed worse on memory tests and showed increased anxiety during adulthood. Source: SfN. Adolescent male mice fed a diet lacking omega-3 fatty acids show increased anxiety-like behavior and worse performance on a memory task in adulthood, according to newContinue reading “Poor Adolescent Diet May Influence Brain and Behavior in Adulthood”