They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but new research shows you can teach an old rat new sounds, even if the lesson doesn’t stick very long. Continue reading “New insight into aging”
Breastfeeding changes gene activity that may make babies less reactive to stress
It has long been known that there are many physical and mental health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies. But can these benefits be due to genetic changes induced by breastfeeding? New research suggests that connection. Continue reading “Breastfeeding changes gene activity that may make babies less reactive to stress”
Does our environment affect the genes in our brains?
Is there a link between differences in IQ test performance and the activity of certain genes? Researchers from Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin have shown that modifications in the structure of a specific gene have a negative impact on individual test performance. This suggests that environmentally-induced epigenetic changes to our genetic material have a greater impact on intelligence than previously thought. Results from this study have been published in Translational Psychiatry. Continue reading “Does our environment affect the genes in our brains?”
Prenatal stress changes brain connectivity in-utero
The time babies spend in the womb is far from idle. The brain is changing more rapidly during this time than at any other time in development. It is an active time for the fetus to grow and explore, and of course connect to its mother. And new evidence from in-utero fetal brain scans shows, for the first time, that this connection directly affects brain development: A mother’s stress during pregnancy changes neural connectivity in the brain of her unborn child. Continue reading “Prenatal stress changes brain connectivity in-utero”
Increase in lifestyle-related cancers over past decade spotlights need for prevention
Lifestyle-related cancers, such as lung, colorectal, and skin cancers, have increased globally over the past decade, according to the most comprehensive analysis of cancer-related health outcomes and patterns ever conducted. Continue reading “Increase in lifestyle-related cancers over past decade spotlights need for prevention”
The Influence of Exercise on Cognitive Abilities
Here we present the ‘Abstract‘ of the corresponding paper by Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, and Charles Hillman. Continue reading “The Influence of Exercise on Cognitive Abilities”
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