Monthly Archive for March, 2011
How to Recharge the Batteries in our Brain
In recent years, sleep has been less of an enigma than it was in the 70s and 80s. Memory consolidation is now well known as the prime reason why we actually need sleep, but there is still a lot of controversy regarding the exact mechanism by which sleep alters the learning characteristics of the brain. While the effects of long-term sleep deprivation are much better studied and characterized, the role of napping as opposed to deep slumber has been the subject of a recent study.
Preventing Schizophrenia, Part 1 – Overview
Is it too soon to talk about preventing schizophrenia? Is medicine, social policy, or insurance ready to tackle it? What about individuals and families? According to The Schizophrenia Bulletin, "The stage is now set for the 'implausible' -- the primary prevention of schizophrenia." The journal recently published a volume addressing this question, and Medscape turned the lead article into a continuing education piece.
New Diagnostic Criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common of the anxiety disorders. It has a lifetime prevalence of 5.7% and an annual prevalence of 3.1% in the United States. But, these rates could increase dramatically if new diagnostic criteria for GAD are established.
Brain Starvation and Why It Is Important
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) currently afflicts more than 5 million Americans and healthcare costs for those who will be affected in 2050 are predicted to surpass one trillion dollars! It is a disease that takes away uniquely human traits and for which there is no cure. In addition, there appears to be little that we can do to delay or prevent its occurrence. However, a recent article published in Archives of Neurology may soon change that. Reductions in cerebral glucose metabolic rate (CMRglu) in the parieto-occipital, frontal and cingulate cortices are associated with increased AD risk and can be identified years before onset of dementia.
Popular Posts
- Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
- The Science of Stuttering
- Intelligence - Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- Is Grief a Mental Illness?
- The Brain's Buying Power
- The Cost of a Good Night's Sleep
- Risk Factors for Recurrence of Depression
- Salvia Divinorum - DEA Control over Magic in the Mint
- The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
Future Posts
Latest Posts
- Thinking Fast Equals Risky Business
- A Gateway to Weight Loss?
- Intelligence – Do You Need it to be Successful?
- A Trip for Terminal Patients
- Memory Ain’t What It Used to Be – And That’s Good for Psychotherapy
- The Science of Stuttering
- Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
- Beer – The Smarter Drink
- Macroeconomics and Suicide
- From Nymphomania to Hypersexuality
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- Veronica Pamoukaghlian, MA: Thank you for your insightful
