First Breath of Newborn Triggers Amazing Things in Brain
Razi Berry There are few moments in life as precious, as critical and as celebrated as baby’s first breath. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine sheds light on the lifelong changes in breathing systems that occur precisely with that first breath — and may offer important insights into Sudden Infant Death […]
New Tests for Revealing Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms Begin
Razi Berry Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, together with their colleagues at the Barcelona Beta Research Centre in Spain, the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the University of Paris, have found new forms of tau protein that become abnormal in th very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease before cognitive problems […]
What Does Social Isolation do to the Brain?
Razi Berry Since the coronavirus pandemic began in the spring, many people have only seen their close friends and loved ones during video calls, if at all. A new study from MIT finds that the longings we feel during this kind of social isolation share a neural basis with the food cravings we feel when […]
Yes, Chocolate CAN be Good for the Brain – – – But NOT the Additives
Razi Berry The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa flavanols beforehand, researchers report in the journal Scientific Reports. In the study, 14 of 18 participants saw these improvements after ingesting the flavanols. Previous studies have shown that eating foods […]
Emotions May Leave a Lasting Smell
Razi Berry Unhealthy behaviors trigger moral judgments that are similar to the basic emotions that contribute to our ability to survive. Two different hypotheses are to be found in the current scientific literature as to the identity of these emotions. Some researchers single out disgust, while others opt for pain. After developing a new approach […]
Stress Management: 6 Strategies Just for Kids
Sarah Cimperman, ND Students, teachers, and parents have had an unprecedented start to the new school year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Everyone is facing new challenges and new sources of stress. Some kids are struggling with distance learning and separation from friends while others are adjusting to social distancing inside schools, wearing masks all […]
How do Psychedelics Work?
Razi Berry Perhaps no region of the brain is more fittingly named than the claustrum, taken from the Latin word for “hidden or shut away.” The claustrum is an extremely thin sheet of neurons deep within the cortex, yet it reaches out to every other region of the brain. Its true purpose remains “hidden away” […]
What Happens in the Brain to ‘Disconnect’ During Sleep?
Razi Berry During sleep and under anesthesia, we rarely respond to such external stimuli as sounds even though our brains remain highly active. Now, a series of new studies by researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience find, among other important discoveries, that noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter secreted in […]
Exercise as Treatment for Dementia and Other Memory ‘Issues’
Razi Berry Scientists have collected plenty of evidence linking exercise to brain health, with some research suggesting fitness may even improve memory. What happens during exercise to trigger these brain health benefits? New UT Southwestern research that mapped brain changes after one year of aerobic workouts has uncovered a potentially critical process: Exercise boosts blood […]
Brain May Create False Memories When it ‘Updates’
Razi Berry Senior author Professor Bryce Vissel, from the UTS Centre for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, said his team used novel behavioral, molecular and computational techniques to investigate memories that have not been well-formed, and how the brain deals with them. Study shows the same mechanism that updates poor memories can also severely distort them […]