Movement is a part of daily life that most people rarely spend time contemplating, but changes in such movements can portend disease and decline. Watch-like devices known as actimetry sensors, which can be worn on the wrist or ankle, allow researchers to collect information about a subject’s motor activity. In a study led by investigators […]
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Study suggests acetaminophen in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism
Exposure to acetaminophen in the womb may increase a child’s risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The study was conducted by Xiaobing Wang, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public […]
Coordinated brain activation supports spatial learning and decision-making
Specialized brain activation “replays” the possible routes that rats can take as they navigate a space, helping them keep track of the paths they’ve already taken and choose among the routes that they can take next, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study published in the journal Neuron. “These findings reveal an internal ‘replay’ […]
Whether a fashion model or not, some body image concerns are universal
When researchers from UCLA and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma, wanted to test an app they created to measure body image perception, they went to the body image experts—fashion models. Sixty-five female models signed to professional modeling agencies in London were asked to step off the runway and into a laboratory […]
Banned trans fats linked to higher dementia risk
A diet high in trans fats could put you at increased risk for dementia, a new study suggests. Most trans fats were banned in the United States last year. But foods with less than a half-gram of trans fats can be labeled as containing zero, so some foods still contain them. The new study included […]
Poor evidence cannabis improves mental health: study
People with psychiatric disorders may want to pass on the joint—at least until further research is done, a new Australian study suggests. The paper, published Monday in The Lancet Psychiatry, looked at 83 previous studies conducted over almost four decades on medical cannabinoids, including products from the cannabis plant, such as leaves, buds and oils. […]
Which came first: Brain size or drinking propensity?
For years, researchers have observed that alcohol consumption is associated with reduced brain volume and concluded that drinking can literally shrink the brain. But new research turns that theory on its head, suggesting that reduced brain volume may represent a genetically-conferred predispositional risk factor for heavier alcohol consumption. “Our results suggest that associations between alcohol […]
Teen marijuana use may have next-generation effects
Substance use at any age has consequences. Studies frequently cite the negative impacts—and occasionally tout some benefits of limited consumption—of alcohol and marijuana. What is less known is how patterns of alcohol or marijuana use in one phase of life can affect the next generation, even long after an individual has stopped using. A new […]
Kidney replacement therapy rates have remained higher in men vs. women for decades
Fewer women than men receive kidney replacement therapy, such as dialysis or kidney transplantation, and a recent analysis from Europe reveals that this difference has remained consistent over the last 5 decades and across countries. Additional studies are needed to determine whether these findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN, are related to […]
Babies understand counting years earlier than believed
Babies who are years away from being able to say “one,” “two,” and “three” actually already have a sense of what counting means, Johns Hopkins University researchers have discovered. The findings reveal that very early on, years earlier than previously believed, babies who hear counting realize that it’s about quantity. “Although they are years away […]