Summary: Up to 90% of patients report experiencing a diminished sense of smell, even prior to the onset of other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A new study reveals the mechanism…
Category: Neuroscience
Reality or Illusion? The Human Battle with Distinguishing Imagination from Reality
Summary: The more vividly we imagine something, the more likely we are to believe it’s real, a new study reports. Researchers found the brain encodes the vividness of perceived and…
Turning Gray: Stuck Stem Cells Turn Hair Gray
Summary: A new study sheds light on why we tend to go gray as we age. Researchers found melanocyte stem cells get stuck as we grow older, losing the ability…
Mapping the Psyche of Extreme Altruists
Summary: While more altruistic people can be distinguished from typical adults by their unselfish traits and actions, they are generally not different in other ways. Altruistic people are no more…
How High Blood Pressure Affects Mental Health
Summary: Researchers have discovered high blood pressure, depression, and emotion-related brain activity are linked to the development of hypertension. Source: Max Planck Institute Our mental health and that of our…
To What Extent Are We Ruled by Unconscious Forces?
Summary: Unconscious mechanisms that occur as a result of neural activity set us up for actions we are going to take. This happens before we are consciously aware of the…
Probiotic Supplementation Reduces Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Caused by Chronic Sleep Loss
Summary: Probiotics have recently attracted increasing interest for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers tested the ability of probiotics to contrast oxidative stress and inflammation induced by sleep loss. Findings…
Disrupted Rhythms of Rest and Wakefulness Contribute to Worse Symptoms in Schizophrenia Patients
Summary: Those with schizophrenia who had more erratic sleep patterns, excessively rigid daily routines, and dysregulated patterns between sleep and wake transition had worse symptoms associated with schizophrenia and poorer…
Study Casts Doubt on Causal Link Between Cognitive Ability and Obesity
Summary: The associations between cognitive ability and body mass index (BMI) may largely reflect confounding by other factors related to family background. The study suggests that previous findings on the…
