New Neurons Take Baby Steps in the Adult Brain
In experiments with mice, scientists from Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Cell Engineering have discovered the steps required to integrate new neurons into the brain’s existing operations.
For more than a century, scientists thought the adult brain could only lose nerve cells, not gain them, but in fact, new neurons do form during adulthood in all mammals, including humans, and become a working part of the adult brain in mice at the very least.
Want to stop snoring? Try the didgeridoo
Kept awake at night by a snoring partner? The answer to your woes could lie—believe it or not—with the Australian didgeridoo.
Researchers in Switzerland examined 25 patients who suffered from snoring and moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, both common sleep disorders.
Potter magic helps accident-prone children
Boy wizard Harry Potter has already cast his spell on millions worldwide, but new research shows his magic has a hitherto unimagined effect.
He has been shown to protect accident-prone children.
Trend of earlier puberty continues among US girls
The age at which girls in the U.S.A. reach puberty is continuing to dip, with heavier weights and changing national demographics playing important roles, according to a new study.
Research over the years has documented a gradual decline in the average age at which U.S. girls have their first menstrual period - from the age of 12.75 in the 1960s to about 12.5 in the early 1990s.
College students not alone in dangerous drinking
Though getting drunk is often seen as a traditional college pastime, other young adults, particularly men, have similarly high rates of potentially hazardous drinking, new research shows.
In a study of nearly 2,000 young adults who’d been followed since high school, researchers found that by the age of 24, both college graduates and those with no more than a high school diploma had comparably high rates of heavy drinking.
Successful aging may be partly in the genes
If you make it to a ripe old age with all your marbles, credit might go to the gene you inherited.
Researchers have identified genes related to reaching age 90 with preserved brain function. Their study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and reported at a medical conference in Hawaii, is among the first to identify genetic links to long-lived mental powers.
College students not alone in dangerous drinking
Though getting drunk is often seen as a traditional college pastime, other young adults, particularly men, have similarly high rates of potentially hazardous drinking, new research shows.
In a study of nearly 2,000 young adults who’d been followed since high school, researchers found that by the age of 24, both college graduates and those with no more than a high school diploma had comparably high rates of heavy drinking.
Fish oil curbs heart trouble linked to pollution
Daily supplementation with omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) prevents a potentially-deadly decline in heart rate variability (HRV) associated with exposure to indoor air pollution, researchers from the US and Canada report.
HRV measures the variability in the intervals between heartbeats, with lower variability being associated with higher risks of heart disease and death.
