The complex biochemistry of cannabis and how it affects the brain is only beginning to be understood. Lucy Troup, assistant professor of psychology at Colorado State University, has set out to answer specifically how, if at all, cannabis use affects one’s ability to process emotions. A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE suggests…
Why Did Humans Evolve Ability To Feel Shame?
Feelings of shame are universal in all cultures, and new research could explain why. Studies in the US, India, and Israel suggest that shame, like pain, evolved as a defense. Says Daniel Sznycer, lead author of the paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: “The function of pain is to prevent us…
Reaction To Stress More Important Than Its Frequency
How you perceive and react to stressful events is more important to your health than how frequently you encounter stress, according to health researchers from Penn State and Columbia University. It is known that stress and negative emotions can increase the risk of heart disease, but the reasons why are not well understood. One potential…
Does Eating Chocolate Improve Your Brain Function?
Everyone loves a study that turns one of our favorite vices into a health benefit. This week, the news headlines tell us “eating chocolate improves brain function” and that it “could help protect against normal age-related decline”. The study, published this month in the peer-reviewed journal, Appetite, found that memory and abstract thinking improved in…
Mental Abilities Are Shaped By Individual Brain Differences
Everyone has a different mixture of personality traits: some are outgoing, some are tough and some are anxious. A new study suggests that brains also have different traits that affect both anatomical and cognitive factors, such as intelligence and memory. Explains study leader Aron K. Barbey, University of Illinois neuroscience professor and Beckman Institute for…
Sugar Rush Shrinks Neuronal Mitochondria
The spike in blood sugar levels that can come after a meal is controlled by the brain’s neuronal mitochondria, which are considered the “powerhouse of cells,” Yale School of Medicine researchers found in a new study. The findings could provide a better understanding of how type 2 diabetes develops. Blood glucose levels are thought to…
Exercise Increases Neurotransmitters Glutamate And GABA
People who exercise have better mental fitness, and a new imaging study from UC Davis Health System shows why. Intense exercise increases levels of two common neurotransmitters, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, that are responsible for chemical messaging within the brain. The finding offers new insights into brain metabolism and why exercise could become…
Poor Short-term Memory Linked To Inability To Ignore Distraction
Differences in people’s working memory capacity correlate with their brain’s ability to actively ignore distraction, Simon Fraser University researchers have discovered. Psychology professor John McDonald and doctoral student John Gaspar led the research team. They used electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, which detects electrical activity in the brain, to study memory and distraction. They found that individuals…
Attention Bias Modification Treatment For Depressed Teens
A new study reports that adolescents with major depression who performed a computer-based task designed to shift attention from sad to neutral to positive word associations showed reductions in negative attention biases and clinician-rated depressive symptoms. 11% of American adolescents suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Facing a broad range of psychosocial and health problems,…