COVID-19 School Closures Harmed Children’s Mental Health
There has been much conjecture about possible detrimental long-term consequences of school closures on young children and adolescents, but now a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports provides convincing evidence that the mental health of school children was impaired by school closures during the pandemic. The study surveyed 907 adolescents and their parents in…
Read MoreWhy the Brain and Body are Cross Wired
Someone who suffers a stroke in their left cerebral hemisphere will lose control over the right side of their body. Every doctor relies upon this well-known fact in performing neurological exams, but when I asked my doctor last week why this should be, all I got was a shoulder shrug. So I asked Professor Catherine…
Read MoreSurvivor Guilt
It is a perplexing human response: Survivors are frequently stricken with profound guilt if they were in the company of others who were not so fortunate during a traumatic event. This can happen when there is no rational basis for feelings of failure; indeed, even those who respond heroically and saved others’ lives are frequently…
Read MoreRhythmic Electrical Brain Stimulation Improves Memory in Elderly People
On Monday, Neuroscientists at Boston University published a new approach to improve memory in elderly people. “This is an entirely different approach,” Robert Reinhart, who led the study, said in a press conference announcing the findings. The method uses specific frequencies of weak electrical current applied to the scalp at appropriate spots to target brain circuits…
Read MoreBrainwaves Reveal IQ
What intelligence is and how to measure it are thorny questions. If the brain’s information processing power could be measured directly with medical instruments, then the problematic assumptions, cultural biases, and pitfalls of IQ tests could be avoided. Moreover, direct measurement of the brain’s information processing power could reveal how specific brain circuits boost intelligence…
Read MoreBrain Cartilage–Together with microglia cause pain after nerve injury
Everyone knows about bone cartilage, but fewer people are aware of “brain cartilage.” The cartilage-like substance is composed of long chains of sugar molecules attached to a protein matrix, smeared over the surface of many types of brain cells. When examined under a microscope the substance looks like a wet fishnet clinging to neurons, inspiring…
Read MoreQuitting Time? How you Think of Time Determines If You Will Quit Your Job
A new study finds that conception of time may influence whether someone quits. KEY POINTS New research reveals that how a person thinks about time determines whether or not they will quit their job. The findings provide a new perspective on the Great Resignation. Source: Kmtextor, Creative Commons, Wikimedia The Great Resignation continues at…
Read MoreThe threats and ethics of neuroweapons and mind control
The current issue of the UNESCO Courier examines the subject of neuroweapons and mind control. Many feel new international regulation on the use of neuroscience technology for manipulating and interrogating people’s minds is needed. I agree, but I also think it is prudent to separate fact from fear, and to put this potential threat in…
Read MoreThe Loss of Sense of Smell from COVID Can Affect Intimate Relationships
Many people lose their sense of smell after COVID-19 infection. Some of the consequences are obvious, but less well appreciated and not often talked about are the psychological effects on sexual and interpersonal relations. Alone in her home, while her husband was out of town on business, a young woman was startled by the smell…
Read MoreCellphone Data Reveals Health Benefits of Gratitude
This is a Thanksgiving like no other. It is too easy to overlook the priceless blessings of good health, family, friends, and freedom when they are in abundance. But disease swept the globe and took away with it so much of immeasurable value that we had taken for granted. We have all—here and around the…
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