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mental health

How evolution explains autism rates in humans

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that the relatively high rate of Autism-spectrum disorders in humans is likely due to how humans evolved in the past. About one in 31 (3.2%) children in the... Continue Reading →

Gene therapy appears to slow Huntington’s disease progression

The researchers found that patients receiving the treatment experienced 75% less progression of the disease overall, compared to a matched cohort of people with Huntington’s who were not receiving the treatment. This is the first time a drug trial has... Continue Reading →

You’re here now!

We are given this strange and fleeting gift: to live in a world where everything breathes and breaks at once. We walk through seasons of laughter and shadow, through the rise and fall of days that do not ask for... Continue Reading →

Smells deceive the brain – are interpreted as taste

Flavoured drinks without sugar can be perceived as sweet – and now researchers know why. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that the brain interprets certain aromas as taste. When we eat... Continue Reading →

Autism symptoms vanish in mice after Stanford brain breakthrough

Stanford Medicine scientists investigating the neurological basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have found that hyperactivity in a specific brain region could drive behaviors commonly associated with the disorder. Using the Cntnap2 knockout mouse model, the researchers, led by John Huguenard, PhD,... Continue Reading →

Breathing and vision may be linked

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a fundamental mechanism that affects the size of the pupil, namely our breathing. The study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that the pupil is smallest during inhalation and largest during... Continue Reading →

Psychoactive drug ibogaine effectively treats traumatic brain injury in special ops military vets

Stanford Medicine researchers find that ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive compound, safely led to improvements in depression, anxiety and functioning among veterans with traumatic brain injuries. For military veterans, many of the deepest wounds of war are invisible: Traumatic brain injuries... Continue Reading →

Loneliness linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke and susceptibility to infection

Interactions with friends and family may keep us healthy because they boost our immune system and reduce our risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. More and more people of all ages... Continue Reading →

Brain structure differences are associated with early use of substances among adolescents

A study of nearly 10,000 adolescents funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has identified distinct differences in the brain structures of those who used substances before age 15 compared to those who did not. Many of these structural brain... Continue Reading →

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