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| Dissolving implantable device relieves pain without drugs Posted: 30 Jun 2022 11:21 AM PDT Researchers have developed a small, soft, flexible implant that relieves pain on demand and without the use of drugs. The first-of-its-kind device could provide a much-needed alternative to opioids and other highly addictive medications. It works by softly wrapping around nerves to deliver precise, targeted cooling, which numbs nerves and blocks pain signals to the brain. After the device is no longer needed, it naturally absorbs into the body -- bypassing the need for surgical extraction. |
| Cosmological thinking meets neuroscience in new theory about brain connections Posted: 30 Jun 2022 10:48 AM PDT A collaboration between a former cosmologist and a computational neuroscientist generates a new way to identify essential connections between brain cells. |
| Optical fiber imaging method advances studies of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 30 Jun 2022 10:48 AM PDT An optical fiber as thin as a strand of hair holds promise for use in minimally invasive deep-tissue studies of patients' brains that show the effects Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders. The challenge is efficiently increasing image resolution at the subcellular level, because loss of information is inevitable from light scrambling. |
| The mere sight of a meal triggers an inflammatory response in the brain Posted: 30 Jun 2022 05:32 AM PDT Even before carbohydrates reach the bloodstream, the very sight and smell of a meal trigger the release of insulin. For the first time, researchers have shown that this insulin release depends on a short-term inflammatory response that takes place in these circumstances. In overweight individuals, however, this inflammatory response is so excessive that it can impair insulin secretion. |
| Study finds women have more brain changes after menopause Posted: 29 Jun 2022 01:09 PM PDT Women who have gone through menopause may have more of a brain biomarker called white matter hyperintensities than premenopausal women or men of the same age, according to a new study. |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2022 12:03 PM PDT Researchers have trained new mothers in skills that help newborns sleep more during the night. New research shows that second children in these families also slept longer. |
| 'Quake brain' effects suffered by resilient Cantabrians fade over time Posted: 29 Jun 2022 12:03 PM PDT New research suggests the brain function of otherwise-healthy individuals exposed to event trauma has the ability to 'bounce back' over time once the threat resolves. Researchers conducted a follow-up study on a group of Cantabrians, who had been exposed to trauma during the region's earthquakes over a decade ago. |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2022 12:03 PM PDT A new study is helping researchers understand how women in their early college years can use friends-based strategies to help avoid unwanted sexual experiences. |
| Study reveals the job problems contributing to physician suicide Posted: 29 Jun 2022 12:03 PM PDT Physical and mental health, substance use, relationships, legal matters and finances all contribute to physician suicide, a new study shows. |
| An engaging leadership style may boost employee engagement Posted: 29 Jun 2022 12:02 PM PDT A new analysis suggests that a particular leadership style dubbed 'engaging leadership' can boost employees' engagement and enhance team effectiveness within the workplace. |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2022 09:12 AM PDT Companies selling ethical and sustainable products should use up-tempo major mode music in their marketing to help well-meaning consumers convert their good intentions into actual purchases, new research shows. |
| Being mindful can improve your interactions with co-workers, new study finds Posted: 29 Jun 2022 09:11 AM PDT Although mindfulness originates within an individual, a new study has found the benefits do not end with this person. The real payoffs emerge when an individual's mindfulness is translated into mindful interactions and relationships. Such interactions -- infused with intentionality, compassion and presence -- can bring about more harmonious and healthy organizations. |
| Combining genetics and brain MRI can aid in predicting chances of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 29 Jun 2022 05:40 AM PDT Researchers are studying how a combination of genetics and brain MRIs may be used to predict the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease in the future. |
| Only 1 in 5 people in the U.S. has optimal heart health Posted: 29 Jun 2022 05:40 AM PDT Researchers found the U.S. population is well below optimal levels of cardiovascular health after applying the Life's Essential 8™ cardiovascular health scoring, the American Heart Association's updated metrics to measure heart and brain health. Life's Essential 8™ scoring was calculated using data from more than 23,400 adults and children from national health surveys from 2013-2018. Results show 80% of people in the U.S. have below-optimal cardiovascular health, and scores differed significantly according to age, gender, race/ethnicity, family income and depression status. |
| No more binge eating: Signal pathway in the brain that controls food intake discovered Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:01 PM PDT Researchers have developed a novel approach to treating eating disorders. The scientists showed that a group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus (so-called AgRP, agouti-related peptide neurons) control the release of endogenous lysophospholipids, which in turn control the excitability of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, which stimulates food intake. |
| Double duty: Early research reveals how a single drug delivers twice the impact in fragile X Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:01 PM PDT A new study shows how two major pathways -- AKT and NMD (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay) -- interact in the context of fragile X syndrome. Researchers also found that Afuresertib, a drug currently being tested in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for several types of cancer, inhibits both pathways in neural stem cells that mimic the disease, leading the cells to act more like typical, non-disease cells. |
| Dynamic cells linked to brain tumor growth and recurrence Posted: 28 Jun 2022 02:01 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that aggressive tumors contain highly active cells that move throughout tissue in complicated patterns. What's more, the accumulations of these elongated, spindle-like cells found throughout the tumor, coined 'oncostreams,' serve as the basis for cancerous cells' behavior, determining how tumors grow and invade normal tissue. |
| Many pain medications can be used for spine-related pain in older adults Posted: 28 Jun 2022 11:46 AM PDT Now a new review study has found acetaminophen is safe in older adults, but non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen) may be more effective for spine-related pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories should be used short-term in lower dose courses with gastrointestinal precaution while corticosteroids show the least evidence for treating nonspecific back pain. |
| Role identified for key gene in developmental disability syndrome Posted: 28 Jun 2022 10:39 AM PDT A single gene that was previously found to be the driving force in a rare syndrome linked to epilepsy, autism and developmental disability has been identified as a linchpin in the formation of healthy neurons. Researchers say the gene, DDX3X, forms a cellular machine called a helicase, whose job it is to split open the hairpins and cul-de-sacs of RNA so that its code can be read by the protein-making machinery of the cell. |
| Scientists identify new brain mechanism involved in impulsive cocaine-seeking in rats Posted: 28 Jun 2022 10:39 AM PDT Researchers have found that blocking certain acetylcholine receptors in the lateral habenula (LHb), an area of the brain that balances reward and aversion, made it harder to resist seeking cocaine in a rat model of impulsive behavior. These findings identify a new role for these receptors that may represent a future target for the development of treatments for cocaine use disorder. There are currently no approved medications to treat cocaine use disorder. |
| Seat assignments drive friendships among elementary school children Posted: 28 Jun 2022 08:33 AM PDT Most teachers focus on academic considerations when assigning seats. A new study is the first to show that these classroom seat assignments also have important implications for children's friendships and the enormous influence that teachers wield over the interpersonal lives of children. Friendships reflect classroom seat assignments. Students sitting next to or nearby one another were more likely to be friends with one another than students seated elsewhere in the classroom. Moreover, longitudinal analyses showed that classroom seating proximity was associated with the formation of new friendships. After seat assignments changed, students were more likely to become friends with newly near-seated classmates than with those who remained or became seated farther away. |
| Researchers develop word-score model capable of estimating hidden hearing loss Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:33 AM PDT Researchers have developed a word-score model capable of estimating the amount of hidden hearing loss in human ears using ordinary speech scores from hearing tests. Currently hidden hearing loss, or cochlear nerve degeneration, cannot be measured by an audiogram. |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:33 AM PDT Children conceived through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) fare better at school but are more likely to have mental health problems by their late teens, according to a new study. |
| Emergency care and hospitalizations higher among cannabis users, study finds Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:32 AM PDT A new study found visits to the emergency department and hospitalizations are 22 per cent higher among individuals who use cannabis compared with those who do not. The findings also show serious physical injury and respiratory-reasons were the two leading causes of ED visits and hospitalizations among cannabis users. |
| Common antiretroviral drug improves cognition in mouse model of Down syndrome Posted: 28 Jun 2022 05:32 AM PDT Lamivudine, a commonly-used antiretroviral drug for treating HIV, improves cognition in a mouse model of Down syndrome, according to the findings of a new study. Though clinical studies are necessary to confirm that the drug elicits a similar effect in humans, the findings pave the way for pharmacological treatments that rescue the relatively rapid cognitive decline in people with Down syndrome that is more commonly seen in much older adults in the general population. |
| Doctors prescribe fewer painkillers during nightshifts than during the day, study finds Posted: 27 Jun 2022 01:59 PM PDT Physicians were 20 to 30 percent less likely to prescribe an analgesic during nightshifts (compared to daytime shifts) and prescribed fewer painkillers than were generally recommended by the World Health Organization, according to a new study. |
| Posted: 27 Jun 2022 11:30 AM PDT Medicare could waste up to $605 million per year on the controversial Alzheimer's drug aducanumab if it is eventually approved for widespread use because it is supplied in vials containing fixed doses that may not be appropriate for all patients -- resulting in the trashing of large volumes of unused drug. |
| Scent of a friend: Similarities in body odor may contribute to social bonding Posted: 27 Jun 2022 09:50 AM PDT Researchers have found that people may have a tendency to form friendships with individuals who have a similar body odor. The researchers were even able to predict the quality of social interactions between complete strangers by first 'smelling' them with a device known as an electronic nose, or eNose. These findings suggest that the sense of smell may play a larger role in human social interactions than previously thought. |
| Study shows link between cyberbullying and suicidality in early adolescence Posted: 27 Jun 2022 09:49 AM PDT Researchers found that targets of cyberbullying were more likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts, above and beyond offline bullying. |
| Posted: 27 Jun 2022 09:49 AM PDT During three months of treatment for smoking cessation following hospital discharge, a healthcare system-based model using proven medications and counseling calls achieved better quit rates for adults who smoked than referral to a state telephone quitline. |
| Heat waves could lead to avian population decline Posted: 27 Jun 2022 09:47 AM PDT Researchers examined how heat impacts the behavior and physiology of Zebra finches. They discovered that heat altered the activity of hundreds of genes in the testis, but fewer in the brain, suggesting that the brain may be less responsive to extreme temperatures. The study also provided some hopeful insights for birds and their ability to handle the threat of climate change. |
| Posted: 27 Jun 2022 09:46 AM PDT A new study reveals that a genetic variant plays a major role in determining CTE severity and that having that variant makes an individual 2.34 times more likely to develop a more severe form of CTE. |
| Researchers uncover brain waves related to social behavior Posted: 27 Jun 2022 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have discovered electrical brain-wave patterns given off during social interactions in mice. They also observed that mice showing signs of stress, depression, or autism lacked these brain waves. The results reveal more about the mechanics underlying brain activity when socializing. |
| Supernumerary virtual robotic arms can feel like part of our body Posted: 27 Jun 2022 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a virtual robotic limb system which can be operated by users' feet in a virtual environment as extra, or supernumerary, limbs. After training, users reported feeling like the virtual robotic arms had become part of their own body. This study focused on the perceptual changes of the participants, understanding of which can contribute to designing real physical robotic supernumerary limb systems that people can use naturally and freely just like our own bodies. |
| Message received: Scientists identify the molecular mechanisms behind learning and memory Posted: 27 Jun 2022 07:01 AM PDT Researchers identify how acetylcholine sets off a signal cascade in brain cells that directly influence aversive learning and memory formation. |
| People less outraged by gender discrimination caused by algorithms Posted: 27 Jun 2022 07:01 AM PDT People are less morally outraged when gender discrimination occurs because of an algorithm rather than direct human involvement, according to new research. |
| Women achieving childbearing desires drives contraception use Posted: 24 Jun 2022 05:15 PM PDT The increased use of contraception in many countries is not because more women at any moment want to delay pregnancy or have no further children. Instead, it is because contraception is helping more women achieve their childbearing goals, according to a new study. |
| Scientists discover new genetic disease that delays brain development in children Posted: 24 Jun 2022 07:51 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new genetic disease, which causes some children's brains to develop abnormally, resulting in delayed intellectual development. The majority of patients with the condition, that is so new it doesn't have a name yet, have severe learning difficulties which affect their quality of life. |
| Improved protein function opens way for new drug development concept Posted: 23 Jun 2022 11:05 AM PDT Researchers describe how they have improved the ability of a protein to repair oxidative DNA damage and created a new protein function. Their innovative technique can lead to improved drugs for diseases involving oxidative stress, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease and lung diseases, but the researchers believe it has even greater potential. |
| Light during sleep in older adults linked to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure Posted: 22 Jun 2022 10:07 AM PDT In a sample of older men and women ages 63 to 84, those who were exposed to any amount of light while sleeping at night were significantly more likely to be obese, and have high blood pressure and diabetes compared to adults who were not exposed to any light during the night, a new study finds. |
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