Researchers have shown that the link between physical and mental illness is closer than previously thought. Certain changes in physical health, which are detectable in childhood, are linked with the development of mental illness in adulthood. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, used a sample of over 10,000 people to study how insulin…
New Antidepressants Can Lift Depression and Suicidal Thoughts Fast, but Don’t Expect Magic Cures
Depression is the most common cause of disability in the world. Chances are high that you or someone you know will experience a period when depression gets in the way of work, social life or family life. Nearly two in three people with depression will experience severe effects. As a psychiatrist specializing in behavioral neuroscience, I help patients who suffer…
Exposure to Metals Can Impact Pregnancy
Exposure to metals such as nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead may disrupt a woman’s hormones during pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study. The study appears in the journal Environment International. Exposure to metals has been associated with problems at birth such as preterm birth and low birth weight in babies, and preeclampsia in women. However, little…
Brains Work Harder While Processing Descriptions of Motion in Other Languages
We all run from a burning building the same way–fast!–but how we describe it depends on the language we speak. In some languages, we might flee, race, or bolt, while in others we might just exit or leave the building quickly.. Different languages describe motion differently, according to distinct lexical rules. And though we may…
Spotting Liars Is Hard, but Our New Method Is Effective and Ethical
Most people lie occasionally. The lies are often trivial and essentially inconsequential – such as pretending to like a tasteless gift. But in other contexts, deception is more serious and can have harmful effects on criminal justice. From a societal perspective, such lying is better detected than ignored and tolerated. Unfortunately, it is difficult to…
Mothers’ Stress May Lead to Preterm Births, Faster Aging in Children
Why do some people age faster than others? One potential answer, a new UCLA-led study indicates, is that a mother’s stress prior to giving birth may accelerate her child’s biological aging. The researchers found evidence that maternal stress adversely affects the length of a baby’s telomeres — the small pieces of DNA at the ends…
A Modified Game of ‘Chicken’ Reveals What Happens in the Brain During Decision-Making
Better understanding what happens in the brain when people cooperate and make social decisions has the potential to help boost such behaviors. It’s been a research focus for the University of Pennsylvania’s Platt Labs for some time. “The social brain network contains a number of different areas critical to managing interactions and connecting with others,” says Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Michael…
Drug Reverses Age-Related Cognitive Decline Within Days
Just a few doses of an experimental drug can reverse age-related declines in memory and mental flexibility in mice, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists. The drug, called ISRIB, has already been shown in laboratory studies to restore memory function months after traumatic brain injury (TBI), reverse cognitive impairments in Down Syndrome, prevent noise-related hearing loss, fight certain types…
Children With Dyslexia Show Stronger Emotional Responses
Children diagnosed with dyslexia show greater emotional reactivity than children without dyslexia, according to a new collaborative study by UC San Francisco neuroscientists with the UCSF Dyslexia Center and UCSF Memory and Aging Center. In the study, published online in an early form November 20, 2020 in Cortex, children with dyslexia who watched emotionally evocative videos…
Amblyopia screening with the dynamic random-dot stereo test
A new amblyopia screening system that can be used on Android devices has performed better than some of the ‘gold standard’ stereotests in recent Hungarian studies. Submit your abstract at Pediatric #Ophthalmology 2021. Scientific Committee will be honoured to welcome you to the 6th Global Pediatric Ophthalmology Congress to be held during March 08-09, 2021 Webinar. https://lnkd.in/gdcAJKw Amblyopia…