ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• How chronic stress predisposes brain to mental disorders
• No clowning around: Juggling sheds light on how we run
• Child abuse rises with income inequality
• Nanoparticles treat muscular dystrophy in mice
• Excess weight linked to brain changes that may relate to memory, emotions, and appetite
• First 3-D movies of living sperm help doctors select best for IVF
• After committing a crime, guilt and shame predict re-offense
• Males and females differ in specific brain structures
• Better RNA interference, inspired by nature: New nanoparticles offer best-ever gene silencing
• Lactate and brain function: How the body regulates fundamental neuro-hormone
• Scientists identify gene linking brain structure to intelligence
• How our brain networks: White matter 'scaffold' of human brain revealed
• 'Smelling' with our eyes: Descriptions affect odor perception
• Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop faster
• Why white dots appear larger than equal size black dots: How Galileo's visual illusion works in the mind's eye
• Cars, computers, TVs spark obesity in developing countries

How chronic stress predisposes brain to mental disorders Posted: 11 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST Biologists have shown in rats that chronic stress makes stem cells in the brain produce more myelin-producing cells and fewer neurons, possibly affecting the speed of connections between cells as well as memory and learning. This could explain why stress leads to mental illness, such as PTSD, anxiety and mood disorders, later in life.

No clowning around: Juggling sheds light on how we run Posted: 11 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Juggling may seem like mere entertainment, but a study led by engineers used this circus skill to gather critical clues about how vision and the sense of touch help control the way humans and animals move their limbs in a repetitive way, such as in running. The findings eventually may aid in the treatment of people with neurological diseases and could lead to prosthetic limbs and robots that move more efficiently.

Child abuse rises with income inequality Posted: 11 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST As the Great Recession deepened and income inequality became more pronounced, county-by-county rates of child maltreatment -- from sexual, physical and emotional abuse to traumatic brain injuries and death -- worsened, according to a nationwide study.

Nanoparticles treat muscular dystrophy in mice Posted: 11 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated a new approach to treating muscular dystrophy. Mice with a form of this muscle-weakening disease showed improved strength and heart function when treated with nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug recently found to improve recycling of cellular waste.

Excess weight linked to brain changes that may relate to memory, emotions, and appetite Posted: 11 Feb 2014 09:18 AM PST Being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control, according to a new study.

First 3-D movies of living sperm help doctors select best for IVF Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:33 AM PST Doctors may soon have a new technique to help them sort the good sperm cells from the less viable ones: a tracking system that takes 3-D movies of living sperm. In addition to showing the sperm's movement and behavior in real time, the novel method simultaneously provides detailed 3-D imaging of the sperm's form and structure to detect potential infertility-causing anomalies.

After committing a crime, guilt and shame predict re-offense Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:33 AM PST Within three years of being released from jail, two out of every three inmates in the US wind up behind bars again -- a problem that contributes to the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. New research suggests that the degree to which inmates' express guilt or shame may provide an indicator of how likely they are to re-offend.

Males and females differ in specific brain structures Posted: 11 Feb 2014 06:42 AM PST Reviewing over 20 years of neuroscience research into sex differences in brain structure, researchers have conducted the first meta-analysis of the evidence. The team performed a quantitative review of the brain imaging literature testing overall sex differences in total and regional brain volumes. They found that males on average have larger total brain volumes than women (by 8 to 13 percent). Looking more closely, the researchers found differences in volume between the sexes were located in several regions. These included parts of the limbic system, and the language system.

Better RNA interference, inspired by nature: New nanoparticles offer best-ever gene silencing Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Inspired by tiny particles that carry cholesterol through the body, chemical engineers have designed nanoparticles that can deliver snippets of genetic material that turn off disease-causing genes. This approach, known as RNA interference (RNAi), holds great promise for treating cancer and other diseases. However, delivering enough RNA to treat the diseased tissue, while avoiding side effects in the rest of the body, has proven difficult. The new particles, which encase short strands of RNA within a sphere of fatty molecules and proteins, silence target genes in the liver more efficiently than any previous delivery system.

Lactate and brain function: How the body regulates fundamental neuro-hormone Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST New research has revealed a previously unknown mechanism in the body which regulates a hormone that is crucial for motivation, stress responses and control of blood pressure, pain and appetite. The breakthrough could be used to design drugs to help fight health problems connected with these functions in the future.

Scientists identify gene linking brain structure to intelligence Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST For the first time, scientists have identified a gene linking the thickness of the grey matter in the brain to intelligence. Teenagers carrying a particular gene variant had a thinner cortex in the left cerebral hemisphere, particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes, and performed less well on tests for intellectual ability.

How our brain networks: White matter 'scaffold' of human brain revealed Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST For the first time, neuroscientists have systematically mapped the white matter "scaffold" of the human brain, the critical communications network that supports brain function.

'Smelling' with our eyes: Descriptions affect odor perception Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST An odor is judged differently depending on whether it is accompanied by a positive or negative description when it is smelled. When associated with a pleasant label, we enjoy the odor more than when it is presented with a negative label. To put it another way, we also 'smell' with our eyes!

Eat spinach or eggs for faster reflexes: Tyrosine helps you stop faster Posted: 11 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST A child suddenly runs out into the road. Brake!! A driver who has recently eaten spinach or eggs will stop faster, thanks to the amino acid tyrosine found in these and other food products.

Why white dots appear larger than equal size black dots: How Galileo's visual illusion works in the mind's eye Posted: 10 Feb 2014 01:13 PM PST Scientists have studied a visual illusion first discovered by Galileo Galilei, and found that it occurs because of the surprising way our eyes see lightness and darkness in the world. Their results advance our understanding of how our brains are wired for seeing white versus black objects.

Cars, computers, TVs spark obesity in developing countries Posted: 10 Feb 2014 11:19 AM PST The spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes could become epidemic in low-income countries, as more individuals are able to own higher priced items such as TVs, computers and cars.

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