We all know the benefits of getting adequate sleep. Two recent studies points out the effects of sleep patterns on body weight. In one trial, children who slept less than 9 hours per night were three times as likely to be overweight, independent of their level of physical activity. Children with shorter... Read more →

Back in September, Sudip Ghosh offered a review at Brain Blogger of a new book on anorexia, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. One of the many aspects of the complex problem of eating disorders is body image. It was informative, then to come across an article summarizing a wide variety of research findings... Read more →

I’m going out on a limb here but in many respects, a patient is not a consumer. Most of the changes in the medical system are based on the consumer model of healthcare. The problem with the consumer model is that medical service is not like buying a product from Wal-Mart. You can’t return... Read more →

A researcher at the University of Buffalo’s Institute of Addictions won a five year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the role of “endocannabinoids” (the brain’s own marijuana) in combating stress and anxiety, an integral part of modern... Read more →

We could be a crucial step closer to our understanding of the basics of obesity with discovery of a molecule that makes mice lazier, and reduces all spontaneous physical activity, even looking for food. It’s a molecule called Bsx, which has been isolated from the hypothalamus of mice, and is found... Read more →

Greek physician Hippocrates once said, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” According to the National Institutes of Health, at least one out of five kids in the U.S. is... Read more →

Schizophrenia treatment has significantly evolved since Nobel Laureate John Nash was initially treated with electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) and insulin coma “therapies” in the 50-60’s — as portrayed in the movie, A Beautiful Mind. Now, the ultimate goals of schizophrenia clinical... Read more →