Brain

Feeling sluggish? The solution may require getting outside the box – that big brick-and-mortar box called a building.

WASHINGTON – Moving to a new town or even a new neighborhood is stressful at any age, but a new study shows that frequent relocations in childhood are related to poorer well-being in adulthood, especially among people who are more introverted or neurotic.

The researchers tested the relation between the number of childhood moves and well-being in a sample of 7,108 American adults who were followed for 10 years. The findings are reported in the June issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

There are biological motivations behind the stereotypically poor decisions and risky behavior associated with adolescence, new research from a University of Texas at Austin psychologist reveals.

Previous studies have found that teenagers tend to be more sensitive to rewards than either children or adults. Now, Russell Poldrack and fellow researchers have taken the first major step in identifying which brain systems cause adolescents to have these urges and what implications these biological differences may hold for rash adolescent behavior.

ITHACA, N.Y. – A nutrient found in egg yolks, liver and cauliflower taken by mothers during pregnancy and nursing may offer lifelong "dramatic" health benefits to people with Down syndrome .

For the passing on of traditions, it appears that an especially big brain isn't required. A new report published online on June 3rd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shows that even mongooses in the wild carry out traditions that are passed down from one generation to the next.

In a major study, investigators have compared how individuals with Parkinson's disease respond to deep brain stimulation (DBS) at two different sites in the brain. Contrary to current belief, patients who received DBS at either site in the brain experienced comparable benefits for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's.

MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Studies have shown that a "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease.

But there's been debate over what region of the brain to stimulate -- the globus pallidus interna or the subthalamic nucleus. Now, a major study published in the June 3, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine is showing that stimulating either region resulted in similar improvements in motor function. There were small differences in non-motor effects such as mood and cognitive function.

Here's another reason to breast feed your baby: Canadian researchers have discovered how a probiotic found in breastmilk reduces or eliminates painful cramping in the gut. In a new research report published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), these scientists use mice to show that a specific strain of Lactobacillus reuteri decreases the force of muscle contractions in the gut within minutes of exposure. This bacterium naturally occurs in the gut of many mammals and can be found in human breast milk.

People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found.

Scientists from The University of Manchester recruited individuals into the study who had a diverse range of experience with meditation, spanning anything from months to decades. It was only the more advanced meditators whose anticipation and experience of pain differed from non-meditators.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Why do some diseases affect only specific organs, leaving others invulnerable? Researchers from the University of Michigan have found neural tissue contains imbalanced levels of proteins, which may explain the brain's susceptibility to a debilitating childhood movement disorder.

CHICAGO -- Cancer-related fatigue is often a major problem for cancer patients, beginning at diagnosis, during treatment and after completing therapy.

DURHAM, N.C. – Just because your mother has turned 85, you shouldn't assume you'll have to take over her financial matters. She may be just as good or better than you at making quick, sound, money-making decisions, according to researchers at Duke University.

"It's not age, it's cognition that makes the difference in decision-making," said Scott Huettel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Duke Center for Neuroeconomic Studies. He recently led a laboratory study in which participants could gain or lose money based on their decisions.