Eating a Mediterranean diet or other healthy dietary pattern, comprising of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and nuts and low in processed meats, is associated with preventing the onset of depression, according to new research from Spain. A large study of 15,093 people suggests depression could be linked with nutrient deficits. Following extensive research into diet and…
Perhaps because we all need sleep, we have an enduring interest in tales of people who sleep continuously or cannot stay awake – popular characters such as Sleeping Beauty and Rip Van Winkle are just two examples. Totally somnolent characters in films, such as Rat Race (2001), Moulin Rouge! (2001) or Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo…
Juries in criminal cases typically decide if someone is guilty, then a judge determines a suitable level of punishment. New research confirms that these two separate assessments of guilt and punishment, though related, are calculated in different parts of the brain. In fact, researchers found that they can disrupt and change one decision without affecting…
Imaging patients soon after traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs can lead to more accurate detection of cerebral microhemorrhages, or microbleeding on the brain, according to a study of military service members. Cerebral microhemorrhages occur as a direct result of TBI and can lead to severe secondary injuries such as brain swelling or stroke. The ability…
Humans are extremely choosy when it comes to mating, only settling down and having kids after a long screening process involving nervous flirtations, set-ups by friends, online matchmaking sites, awkward dates, humiliating rejections, hasty retreats and the occasional lucky strike. In the end, we “fall in love” and “live happily ever after.” But evolution is…
Someone’s asked you a question, and halfway through it, you already know the answer. While you think you’re politely waiting for your chance to respond, new research shows that you’re actually more impatient than you realize. In the vocal equivalent of sitting on the edge of your seat, speakers position their vocal organs (tongues, jaw,…
When you drop a piece of food on the floor, is it really OK to eat if you pick up within five seconds? This urban food myth contends that if food spends just a few seconds on the floor, dirt and germs won’t have much of a chance to contaminate it. Research in my lab…
The neocortex is the part of the mammalian brain involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning and language. Neocortex is Latin for “new bark” or “new rind”. It is further subdivided into the true isocortex and the proisocortex. In the human brain, the neocortex is the…
Plenty of research into the causes of depression focuses on what the brain lacks. However, a new study is one of the first to suggest that having too much of an essential component may trigger depression. When researchers studied the donated brains of depressed people who has been diagnosed with major depression, they found 32…