Mind, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2017

How Stress in Your Brain Could Lead to Stress in Your Body

The patterns in your brain may predict how your body physically reacts to stressful situations, a new study finds. That's important, because some people have stronger physical reactions to stress than others: Their hearts beat faster, and their blood pressure rises more, than you'd see in less reactive individuals, according...

Jun 30, 2017

'Brain Training' Games May Be No Better Than Video Games, Study Finds

Brain-training games such as those from Lumosity may not boost people's overall thinking abilities or help them make smarter decisions, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 128 young adults who were randomly assigned to play either Lumosity games or computer video games for 10 weeks. The makers of...

Jun 30, 2017

How Brain's 'Helper Cells' Could Contribute to Schizophrenia

Problems with the brain's helper cells may contribute to schizophrenia, a new study in mice suggests. The study focused on glial cells, which provide support for the neurons that do the signaling within the brain. For instance, glial cells help organize the connections among neurons and produce myelin, which acts...

Jun 30, 2017

Images: Brains with CTE

What CTE Looks Like in the Brain (Image credit: Dr. Ann McKee, Copyright: BU Photography)The vast majority of brains donated to science by former football players show signs of the debilitating brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a new report says. [Read our full story on the report.] CTE...

May 31, 2017

Lonely? Take the Focus Off Yourself, Study Suggests

When people feel lonely, they may become more self-centered, which, in turn, can make them even lonelier, thus fueling a vicious cycle, according to a new study. The results suggest that self-centeredness may prolong loneliness. If you get more self-centered, you run the risk of staying locked in to feeling...

May 31, 2017

Demi Moore's Missing Teeth: Can Stress Really Make Teeth Fall Out?

Actress Demi Moore's smile looked a little different recently — she lost her two front teeth, a problem she says was the result of stress. But how does stress cause teeth to fall out? Moore, who is 54, revealed her dental issues on Monday (June 12) when she appeared on...

Feb 28, 2017

3 Women in Florida Left Blind by Unproven Eye Treatment

Three women went blind after receiving an unproven stem cell treatment on their eyes at a Florida clinic, according to a new report of the cases. The women, in their 70s and 80s, all had macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that leads to damage of the retina, and can...

Feb 28, 2017

'Alternative facts': A Psychiatrist's Guide to Distorted Reality

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The phrase alternative facts has recently made the news in a political context, but psychiatrists like me are already intimately acquainted with the concept – indeed, we hear various...

Feb 28, 2017

Why Breathing Deeply Helps You Calm Down

Deep breaths can settle your nerves, and now scientists have discovered the neural pathway in the brain that controls this process. In an experiment on mice, scientists identified a circuit of neurons — a tiny cluster of a mere 350 nerve cells, among millions in the mouse brain — that...

Jan 31, 2017

How Good Posture May Help with Depression Symptoms

People with symptoms of depression may see temporary improvements to their mood by following the age-old advice to sit up straight, a new study from New Zealand suggests. However, the researchers cautioned that the findings are preliminary; it's not yet known whether an upright posture could actually aid in treating...

May 31, 2018

Here's What Could Happen If You Don't Properly Remove Mascara

A woman in Australia who had a habit of not washing off her mascara developed serious eye problems that could have taken her vision, according to a new report. The 50-year-old woman went to the eye doctor after experiencing the uncomfortable feeling that something was in her eyes, according to...

Mar 31, 2018

Brain-Uploading Company Has No Immediate Plans to Upload Brains

Nectome wants to back up your consciousness when you die. But now, after MIT cut ties with the company, its founders have emphasized to Live Science that they don't plan to actually attempt the feat anytime soon. The startup came under criticism from a number of prominent neuroscientists, including two...

Mar 31, 2018

A Man Ate the 'World's Hottest' Pepper. Then the 'Thunderclap' Headaches Started

Biting into the hottest pepper in the world sounds painful enough. But for one man, the daring feat resulted in excruciating headaches, known as thunderclap headaches, according to a new report of his case. The 34-year-old man ate the pepper, a Carolina Reaper, as a part of a hot-pepper-eating contest....

Mar 31, 2018

Famed Doctor Hans Asperger Helped with Nazi Child Euthanasia, Notes Reveal

Hans Asperger, a pioneer in autism research whose name is used to describe high-functioning people with the disorder, had a previously unknown dark past that included sending children with disabilities to a euthanasia program run by the Nazi regime, according to new investigations into his long-lost files. The new findings...

Feb 28, 2018

New Stem Cell Treatment Reverses Vision Loss in 2 Patients

Two people who were going blind can now see the world in much greater detail than before thanks to an experimental stem cell treatment for age-related macular degeneration, according to a new study. One patient in the study, Douglas Waters, had severe macular degeneration and couldn't see out of his...