Medicine articles

Hallucinations in schizophrenia linked to brain area that processes voices
For the first time, researchers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have found both structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions of schizophrenic patients who experience chronic auditory hallucinations, according to a study published in the August issue of Radiology.

Why guilt doesn't keep some of us from making the same mistakes twice
Many of us experience a tinge of guilt as we delight in feelings of pleasure from our favorite indulgences, like splurging on an expensive handbag or having another drink. We make resolutions: this will be the last time, positively. Yet, in spite of documented ambivalence towards temptation and well-meaning vows not to succumb again, consumers often end up repeating the same or similar choices.

New study shows that infants have 'mind-reading' capability
One of the unique characteristics of humans that distinguish us from the animal kingdom is the ability to represent others' beliefs in our own minds. This sort of intuitive mind-reading, according to experts, lays the cognitive foundations of interpersonal understanding and communication.

Clinical depression linked to abnormal emotional brain circuits
In what may be the first study to use brain imaging to look at the neural circuits involved in emotional control in patients with depression, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that brains of people with clinical depression react very differently than those of healthy people when trying to cope with negative situations.

Older climbers face uphill battle on mount everest
In this era of not surrendering to age, some claim that 60 is the new 40. But new research shows that 60 year olds cannot keep up with 40 year olds on Mount Everest and suffer a sharply higher chance of dying if they do reach the summit.

Waist-to-hip ratio may better predict cardiovascular risk than body mass index
A tape measure, not just a bathroom scale, may help you better assess your heart disease risk.

The memories you want to forget are the hardest ones to lose
Painful, emotional memories that people would most like to forget may be the toughest to leave behind, especially when memories are created through visual cues, according to a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Why we are unable to distinguish faces of other races (and sometimes our own)
There's a troubling psychological phenomenon that just about everyone has experienced but few will admit to; having difficulty distinguishing between people of different racial groups.

Area responsible for self-control
The area of the brain responsible for self-control is separate from the area associated with taking action, scientists say scientists say in the today's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Girls prefer pink - or at least a redder shade of blue
A new study by scientists from Newcastle University gives substance to the old adage 'Pink for a girl, blue for a boy'.

Nanoparticle could help detect many diseases early
Most people think of hydrogen peroxide as a topical germ killer, but the medicine cabinet staple is gaining steam in the medical community as an early indicator of disease in the body.

You don't have to hate other groups to love your own
Shiite vs. Sunni. Red state vs. Blue state. Immigrant vs. native. While it may appear that conflict is an inevitable part of interaction between groups, research actually suggests that fighting, hating and contempt between groups is not a necessary part of human nature, according to an Ohio State University professor of psychology.

The building blocks of memory
Learning new things, remembering past experiences and adapting to a changing environment - these abilities carried out by the brain are essential for day-to-day survival. This unique flexibility is in part accomplished through the continuous remodeling of the brain's nerve cells. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology were able to demonstrate that neuronal activity causes the formation of new cell connections, and to determine how quickly these new synapses become functional: while nerve cells create new contacts with neighboring cells within a few minutes after stimulation, it takes several hours before these connections are mature enough to transmit information.

Genetic phonetics could be the trick to sounding out DNAs meaning
Most modern attempts to decipher how portions of genetic code are translated into physical characteristics are akin to a first-grader trying to sound out a word letter by letter — or, in this case, base pair by base pair.

First out-of-body experience induced in laboratory setting
A neuroscientist working at UCL (University College London) has devised the first experimental method to induce an out-of-body experience in healthy participants. In a paper published in Science, Dr Henrik Ehrsson, UCL Institute of Neurology, outlines the unique method by which the illusion is created and the implications of its discovery.

Baby talk is universal
A major function of speech is the communication of intentions. In everyday conversation between adults, intentions are conveyed through multiple channels, including the syntax and semantics of the language, but also through nonverbal vocal cues such as pitch, loudness, and rate of speech.

Loneliness is bad for your health
Two University of Chicago psychologists, Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo, have been trying to disentangle social isolation, loneliness, and the physical deterioration and diseases of aging, right down to the cellular level.

Antioxidant to retard wrinkles discovered by hebrew university researcher
A new method for fighting skin wrinkles has been developed at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences.

God thoughts influence your generosity
Thoughts related to God cultivate cooperative behaviour and generosity, according to University of British Columbia psychology researchers.

Soccer burns more fat than jogging
Sports scientist Peter Krustrup and his colleagues from the University of Copenhagen, the Copenhagen University Hospital and Bispebjerg Hospital have followed a soccer team consisting of 14 untrained men aged 20 to 40 years.