Spread through contact with cat feces or eating undercooked meat, the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has been linked to increased rates of attempted suicide in women. The study, in the Archives of General Psychiatry, notes that while causality has not been proven, a significant predictive association exists between the infection and suicide attempts later […]
Corporations and entire Western economies displayed the same kind of manic behavior as psychologically disturbed individuals during the 2008 credit crisis, argues a new study in the journalOrganization. “Bankers, economists and politicians shared a ‘manic culture’ of denial, omnipotence and triumphalism as they threw caution to the wind,” says study author Professor Mark Stein, from […]
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Pitzer College say they have found children exposed to open-fire cooking in developing countries experience difficulty with memory, problem-solving and social skills. Past research identified numerous health risks to those exposed to smoke from open cooking fires, but this is the first time it has been associated […]
A 19th century “vibration chair” has been found by Rush University researchers to significantly improve some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The chair was designed by French anatomist Jean-Martin Charcot (pictured), who is often referred to as the father of modern day neurology. At the time, Charcot reported improvements in his patients, but he […]
A new study that indicates smoking has a restorative effect on an individual’s self-control resources has researchers pondering other self-control restoration strategies as a way to reduce smokers’ dependence on tobacco. It is the first research to evaluate the effects of smoking on self-control and suggests that the desire to restore depleted self-control may contribute […]
For people with schizophrenia, UK national treatment guidelines recommend group art therapy to improve mental health and social functioning, but a new study published in theBritish Medical Journal has found art therapy to be ineffectual. Schizophrenia affects as many as one in 100 people at some point in their lives. While antipsychotic medication can reduce […]
Mild dehydration – which occurs when the body has lost just 1.5 percent of its normal water content – can cause fatigue, tension and anxiety in both genders, but the authors of two surprising new studies say the adverse changes in mood for women were particularly dramatic. The studies were conducted at the University of […]
Consuming more than 2,100 calories per day appears to double the risk of cognitive impairment in the elderly, according to a study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in April. “We observed a dose-response pattern which simply means; the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the […]
MRI brain scans of marijuana users under the influence of either tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) show that one chemical increases psychotic symptoms while the other reduces them. THC and CBD are the two main psychoactive components in marijuana. “Different ingredients in marijuana appear to affect regions of the brain differently during brain processing functions […]
People with more Facebook friends have more grey matter in their brain, but University College London (UCL) scientists aren’t sure whether our online social network is driving the changes in the brain, or if people with bigger brains simply have more friends. The new research, appearing inProceedings of the Royal Society B, adds to the […]
