It’s long been believed that women suffer more of the stresses of life, and research has shown that repeated stress can translate into depression. So it might be logical to conclude that women who experience such stresses would suffer more depressive symptoms than men later in life, right? Wrong. New research from the University of…
Cancer Stem Cells: How They Thrive When Oxygen Is Scarce
Working with human breast cancer cells and mice, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University say new experiments explain how certain cancer stem cells thrive in low oxygen conditions. Proliferation of such cells, which tend to resist chemotherapy and help tumors spread, are considered a major roadblock to successful cancer treatment. The new research, suggesting that…
Inherent Personality Traits Can Be Disclosed By Movement
A person’s movement can give a novel insight into their inherent personality traits, an innovative new study has shown. The finding could open up new avenues for health professionals to diagnose and treat mental health conditions in the future. A team of experts, including from the University of Exeter, has shown that people who display…
Epigenetics: Can Stress Really Change Your Genes?
The Dutch famine of 1944 was a terrible time for many in the Netherlands – with around 4.5m people affected and reliant on soup kitchens after food supplies were stopped from getting into the area by German blockades. As many as 22,000 people were thought to have died, and those who survived would find it…
Neuropathologic Comorbidity and Cognitive Impairment
A new analysis based on two long-term aging studies, one of Roman Catholic nuns, the other of Japanese American men, provides what may be the most compelling evidence yet that dementia commonly results from a blend of brain ailments, rather than from a single condition. This is often the case even when an Alzheimer’s diagnosis…
Oxytocin May Predict Postpartum Depression Risk
For pregnant women who have previously suffered from depression, higher levels of oxytocin in the third trimester may predict the severity of postpartum depression symptoms. Says lead investigator Suena Massey, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: “It’s not ready to become a new blood test yet. But…
Gene Mutations Behind Autism More Diverse Than Previously Thought
The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To conduct their study, researchers enrolled hundreds of volunteers…
Women More Severely Affected By Alzheimer's Than Men
Women with Alzheimer’s have poorer cognitive abilities than men at the same stage of the disease, reveal academics from the University of Hertfordshire in a paper published in World Journal of Psychiatry. An in-depth review of evidence found that women’s cognitive functions are more severely and widely impaired, with men consistently outperforming women, even in…
Does Toxoplasma Gondii Play A Role In Rage Disorder?
Individuals with a psychiatric disorder involving recurrent bouts of extreme, impulsive anger— road rage, for example— are more than twice as likely to have been exposed to a common parasite than healthy individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis. In a study involving 358 adult subjects, a team led by researchers from the University of Chicago found…