2019-02-03 20:00
In humans, vision is the major channel for receiving information about the world. The same applies to the majority of animals, even those that are nocturnal and have to rely more heavily on… Read More
Blog Directory > Health & Fitness Blogs > Brain Blogger | a brain-themed community health-and-fitness Blog >
2018-08-27 11:55
This particular article is inspired by my perusal of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” and “Shootin… Read More
2018-08-27 11:55
Personality is understood as the consistent features we display in regards to our thinking, feeling, and behavior. It begins to emerge around the age of 3. Prior to that, we refer to the gen… Read More
2018-08-24 11:55
In the age of social media, networking and global never-ending communication, introverts are often viewed as rather inefficient. They are considered as people who would not happily express t… Read More
2018-08-23 11:55
In humans, vision is the major channel for receiving information about the world. The same applies to the majority of animals, even those that are nocturnal and have to rely more heavily on… Read More
2018-08-22 12:00
Addictive behavior is a major global health concern. Addiction is commonly defined as the repetitive use of substances or a repetitive pattern of behaviors that are harmful. It is believed t… Read More
2018-08-15 15:30
Cancer is one of the top leading causes of mortality globally. The growing prevalence of the disease has to do with both our changing environment and longer lifespan. It is said that if all… Read More
2018-08-13 15:30
In 2017, Mental Health America reported that one in five adults with mental illness say that they are not receiving the mental health care that they need. (Mental Health America, 2017) The… Read More
2018-08-09 15:30
Falling Through the Cracks in Pain Management
Pain and Opioids
Chronic pain is debilitating, and it can cause patients to “fall through the cracks”. Health care institutions stru… Read More
2018-07-23 15:30
Color vision is the ability to distinguish different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. Color vision relies on a brain perception mechanism that treats light with different wavelength… Read More
2018-07-20 15:30
We’re living in an age of hyper-connectivity where social media is being widely used by almost every age group in the world. It’s connected people from all corners of the planet… Read More
2018-07-18 15:30
In an ironic turn, the recent controversy surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica eclipsed another controversy brewing months before. As 2017 came to close, the million-dollar question… Read More
2018-07-16 15:00
In an increasingly globalized and mediatized world, in which mental illness is one of society’s most discussed cultural artifacts, Colleen Patrick Goudreau’s words ring out: &ldq&hell…Read More
2018-07-02 14:50
Our world is getting smaller and we are all getting farther apart.
No, this isn’t a prelude to a discussion on how technology has turned us into antisocial zombies. On the contrary, in… Read More
2018-06-28 16:20
Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin—what unites these three exceptional individuals? It is widely accepted that all three were geniuses, but there is something else. These da… Read More
2018-06-25 14:55
The title—The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage—intrigued me.
According to the publisher, Mel Robbins’s self-help book is &ldqu&hell…Read More
2018-06-20 14:30
Dyslexia is rather common: it is estimated that around 5-10% of individuals are dyslexic. Despite an apparent disability, some are famous, like Tom Cruise or Richard Branson. Obviously, they… Read More
2018-06-18 14:00
We all know that the weather can strongly influence our mood and productivity. Many people feel better when the weather is nice and sunny. It is thus not surprising that people more often fe… Read More
2018-06-11 13:00
A clear association between depression, especially the major depressive disorder, oxidative stress, and accelerated aging is supported by research.
Depression, major depressive disorder more… Read More
2018-06-05 14:30
Acupuncture is one of the oldest systems of traditional medicine. With roots in China, this medical system is more than 2000 years old. It differs from various other medical systems as it do… Read More
2018-05-30 15:00
“Be kind to one another.”
You don’t need to be a die-hard Ellen DeGeneres fan to appreciate the value of that motto. And while we’re reminded how kindness goes a long… Read More
2018-05-25 13:00
It’s 9 AM Monday morning. You’ve just pulled into work and are ready to pitch your presentation to the senior management team. Your PowerPoint slides are damn near perfect and yo… Read More
2018-05-23 14:00
Although early experiences are important for personal development and future life, as adults we recall nothing or very little of those early formative events, such as making first steps or l… Read More
2018-05-04 13:00
Chemical weapons keep making headlines these days, be it the use of sarin in Syria or Novichok in the UK. An interesting fact hardly ever covered by the media is that the chemical structure… Read More
2018-05-02 12:30
Every year, thousands of children are born with neurodevelopmental issues. This is not just about lagging intellectual growth or autism: in fact, many of the psychiatric illnesses in later l… Read More
2018-04-26 17:00
Obesity is a global health burden, a serious risk factor for development of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and many other conditions. But some researchers believe that in addit… Read More
2018-04-23 12:00
Recent research suggests that obesity can be controlled by regulating the satiety cascade, including influencing the nerves carrying hunger signals.
Global obesity levels have almost doubled… Read More
2018-04-09 12:00
Inadvertently, in the wake of recent Facebook data harvesting scandals, Elon Musk and Brian Acton spurring on Facebook users to #DeleteFacebook in past weeks and the resulting Facebook break… Read More
2018-04-06 12:00
Many studies have shown ketamine to be a promising treatment for those suffering from severe depression, but figuring out how to safely administer the drug has been a challenge for researche… Read More
2018-03-28 12:00
Blonde women are arguably the most sexually objectified and stereotyped women, but could this equate to more #metoo scenarios for blondes? Women often report experiencing increased attention… Read More
2018-03-26 12:00
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to fall back on maladaptive coping strategies such as rumination and thought suppression, according to new research; even though ada… Read More
2018-03-19 12:00
Often the biggest existential distress that we carry is the idea that no-one will remember us when we are gone—initially we know that our friends and family will hold who we are, but a… Read More
2018-03-16 12:00
“Live life to the fullest.”
“Celebrate life.”
“Carpe diem.”
I’ve heard them all. But what if I don’t feel like it? What if I’m having a… Read More
2018-03-14 12:00
The human brain depends on a constant energy supply, which is needed for proper functioning. Energy supply impairments can jeopardize brain function and even lead to the pathogenesis or prog… Read More
2018-03-12 12:00
Have you ever wondered about how an alien’s brain works? What kind of information-processing system they may have and how it may differ from ours? There is no need to look any further… Read More
Neurobotany: A Drastically Different Approach To Information Processing And Communication In Plants?
2018-03-09 13:00
Can plants think? We would have confidently said “No!” just a few decades back. But now we know that even plants have specific information-processing abilities, and this comes in… Read More
2018-03-05 13:00
Omega fatty acids are well known to be important for the normal functioning of our body. These fatty acids are essential for the formation of the cell membrane. They play a critical role in… Read More
2018-02-28 13:00
Dare I venture into this politically and emotionally charged issue? When researching the questions regarding our evolutionary biology as I do, ignoring the question of race as it relates to… Read More
2018-02-26 13:00
Would you believe me if I said that 95 percent of people are living today just as they did yesterday, a month ago, a year ago, without anything changing? Renewal doesn’t just happen; i… Read More
2018-02-23 13:00
If you were to ask most people if they are in charge of their life, the majority of people would likely respond that they themselves were. Yet what most people don’t understand is the… Read More
2018-02-21 13:00
This is the second article in the series on the influence of medicinal plants on the brain. I am describing plants where we have at least one positive double-blind, placebo-controlled trial… Read More
2018-02-19 13:30
Left-handedness, as a relatively uncommon phenomenon, never fails to fascinate people. There is a common perception that left-handed people are more talented and artistic. To what extent the… Read More
2018-02-16 13:30
Eureka moment often strikes when a person is taking a break, relaxing, lying down, or walking. Nevertheless, the importance of recess or downtime remains unappreciated. But does being busy t… Read More
2018-02-14 13:30
Many researchers believe that learning foreign language before the puberty and even better earlier allows children to speak more fluently, almost like native speakers. In addition, lea… Read More
2018-02-12 13:30
Smoking kills. It increases the risk of lung cancer, it leads to peripheral vascular diseases and peripheral neuropathy, it causes cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and so on.
But can it… Read More
2018-02-07 16:30
Richard Pfau, who holds a doctorate in science education and an undergraduate degree in psychology, wrote Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Do as a reaction… Read More
2018-02-07 13:00
Although the main functions of vitamin D include maintaining phosphorus and calcium homeostasis (and hence providing a positive effect on bone health), vitamin D plays other important roles… Read More
2018-02-06 16:55
Statistically, if you know ten people in the US, at least one of them is expected to enter a near futile battle with addiction—chances of long-term recovery are low. Traditional drug r… Read More
2018-02-05 16:30
A new study from the U.K. suggests mindfulness strategies may help prevent or interrupt cravings for food, cigarettes, and alcohol.
Craving can be defined as an intense, conscious desire, us… Read More
2018-02-02 16:30
Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage today. It permeates our lives in ways obvious to us and in ways not so obvious. Some obvious ways are in our search engines, game playing, Siri… Read More
2018-01-31 16:30
It is not a secret that sleep is important for overall health, especially for the proper brain functioning and successful performance of daily tasks. Lack of sleep during the night forces ma… Read More
2017-12-30 16:30
Amidst the rising tensions in the world around us, people are finding themselves in the unique position of having to make hard decisions about choosing passive observation or active particip… Read More
2017-12-29 16:30
There’s so much out there that beckons—family, friends, ethnic textiles, and, more recently, the writers’ world. I am compelled to answer the call—all the calls! I re… Read More
2017-12-27 16:30
Too much of anything can be dangerous, and social media is no exception. Today many of us spend more time on internet-enabled devices than even sleeping. Due to this overindulgence in social… Read More
2017-12-22 16:25
A fortunate knock of luck is always welcomed by scientists and researchers, yet any treatment modalities should be novel by design rather than by serendipity. Antidepressants were discovered… Read More
2017-12-20 16:20
A person suffering from an anxiety disorder experiences neurology-based changes in mood and bodily functions that are discussed in more detail in this article.
As with anxiety, various perso… Read More
2017-12-18 16:30
A lot of public back-and-forth banter has been going on lately between two giant tech personalities: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Their public debate centers on whether or not artificial i… Read More
2017-12-16 16:30
For years as a hard-nosed neuroscientist, I’ve been baffled by the success of clinical techniques that my wife, Chris Gilbert M.D. Ph.D., has pioneered to diagnose and cure illnesses s… Read More
2017-12-15 16:20
Is gambling an addictive pathology that causes changes in the brain and requires treatment? Or is it merely a compulsive behaviour? This question has long kept the medical world confused.
Tr… Read More
2017-12-13 16:30
A singular cutoff point for school entry results in age differences between children of the same grade. In many school systems, September-born children, begin compulsory education in Septemb… Read More
2017-12-11 16:20
Is the US the world’s most uptight nation regarding sex? Maybe not the most, but certainly among them. For example, the US has more laws regulating sexual behavior than all European co… Read More
2017-12-07 16:30
As a child, did you ever feel better after your mother kissed your bumped knee? How do you think that worked? The power of suggestion—or the placebo effect—is a powerful psycholo… Read More
2017-11-26 16:30
What is marijuana? Marijuana, also called pot, cannabis, weed, reefer, Mary Jane, dope, broccoli, chronic, reefer, and 420, among countless others, consists of a mixture of dried plant leave… Read More
2017-11-20 16:30
Moving along the treadmill of life, many of us succumb to the ever-present pressures to be faster, stronger, more efficient, and smarter. Perspective on what is happening in our lives i… Read More
2017-11-19 16:30
We are the only species on the planet known to practice religion. This feature is universal among humans: there is no nation on Earth that does not practice one or another form of spiritual… Read More
2017-11-17 16:30
Medicinal plants still comprise a nebulous cloud in biomedical science. We know they have been used since the dawn of man, but there are precious few good quality scientific studies that sup… Read More
2017-11-16 16:30
When we are confronted with the acts of excessive and unprovoked violence, we can’t help but wonder what is wrong with individuals committing such crimes. Think of serial killers: what… Read More
2017-11-14 16:30
Dissociative identity disorder (DID, commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder) is well known to the general public through multiple movies and books. However, the disease remain… Read More
2017-11-03 15:00
When you’re an eye doctor, and I’ve spent my entire career as one, you learn a lot about how people use, and misuse, the sense of sight to perceive the world around them. As huma… Read More
2017-11-01 15:00
Overindulgence in anything can be intoxicating, even if it is something as essential as water. Though we all try to rationalize these things, sometimes we simply fail. Gone are the days when… Read More
2017-10-30 15:00
My mother’s first fall, at age ninety-two, seemed like an accident. Her rubber-soled sandals caught on the carpet in the activities room of her senior apartment complex and she plunged… Read More
2017-10-27 15:00
Hello, everyone! I’m Arda Cigin, founder of Stoic-Leaders.com and in this article, I’m about to change your whole mindset towards all “disadvantages” and “less… Read More
2017-10-25 15:00
Depression is sometimes described as a disease of modernity, as sharp changes in lifestyle during the last century or so have given rise to many chronic disorders including or linked to depr… Read More
2017-10-24 15:00
If I would have guessed ten years ago what the best way to train the brain would be, I would probably have thought about crossword puzzles, sudoku, or cognitive apps. But then I would be wro… Read More
2017-10-23 15:00
The secret to finding a single drug treatment for neurodegenerative conditions may lie in unfolding the mystery of misfolded proteins. Most of the non-infectious neurodegenerative diseases (… Read More
2017-10-16 15:30
The early Egyptians and Romans recognized the numbing effect of the electric properties of catfish. In fact, Romans were the first to cultivate electric fishes for pain relieving effect. But… Read More
2017-10-13 15:30
We often complain about people around us constantly being glued to their phone. Mobile technology is everywhere these days. When not on the go, we still tend to stare at computer screens bot… Read More
2017-10-12 15:30
Most people have never heard of the brain parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. We tend to think that creatures of such kind belong to the realm of exotic tropical diseases affecting people som… Read More
2017-10-09 11:16
Not long ago, Zika virus was dominating headlines. A new infection was hardly ever heard about before then, yet is now affecting hundreds of thousands of people in Latin America, causing dis… Read More
2017-10-06 15:25
There’s a growing trend of healthy young men using medications like Viagra and Cialis, drugs intended for older men and those with health-related erectile dysfunction (ED).
Many of the… Read More
2017-10-04 15:25
Once again I was on the phone to my friend, sobbing. She’d put up with my tears every day since I left the hospital. Two or three daily meltdowns were the norm.
Many of my tears were o… Read More
2017-10-02 15:25
Psychotherapy that encourages addressing emotional experiences related to trauma, conflict, and relationship problems has been found helpful for people with the chronic pain condition fibrom… Read More
2017-09-29 15:30
Ketamine is a medication mainly used for starting and maintaining anesthesia although it has also been used to provide rapid relief of treatment resistant depression.
The abi… Read More
2017-09-27 15:30
A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently discovered why the drug ketamine may act as a rapid antidepressant.
Ketamine is best known as… Read More
2017-09-22 15:30
It is common knowledge that sleep patterns change with age. Older people tend to sleep less, their sleep can be shallow and fragmented. Often they sleep very little at night, spending few ho… Read More
2017-09-20 15:25
The idea that forgetting is important for the proper functioning of the brain and memory may sound counterintuitive. However, forgetting is part of the process of memorizing, and it does not… Read More
2017-09-18 15:25
Decision-making, in most cases, is not a straightforward process. Facing contradictory facts and opinions, people often struggle to decide on the best way forward when a complicated problem… Read More
2017-09-15 15:25
Alzheimer’s disease is one of those conditions where genetics is known to play a profound role but is not the sole factor in disease development and progression. The evidence is mounti… Read More
2017-09-13 15:25
Almost 150 years have passed since Jean-Martin Charcot first described amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease, an ailment that leads to the destruction of mo… Read More
2017-09-11 15:25
The moment I was born, the doctor looked at my nether regions, saw a penis, and announced to my parents, “It’s a boy”. Along with that announcement came a long list of expe… Read More
2017-09-09 15:25
You are standing in the middle of King’s Cross with a postcode in your hands, your feet trodden on by the busy crowd. So much has changed since you were last here 20 years ago, and eve… Read More
2017-09-06 15:25
An important study published in Pediatrics1 indicated that over 17.5 million (or 1 in 4) school-aged children in the United States have been exposed to weapon violence in their lifetime, as… Read More
2017-09-04 15:25
Have you ever wondered why you could be crazy attracted to some people but not to others even if they are objectively very attractive?
Attraction is a multifaceted part of life that is both… Read More
2017-09-01 15:25
Those who follow the developments in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are very well aware that the majority of treatments currently under development target, directly or indirectly… Read More
2017-08-28 15:25
Our gut feeling rarely lets us down, although we know very little about how it happens. As science discovers more about the connection between the gut and brain, the role of the little-known… Read More
2017-08-25 15:40
People who consume more than one diet soda a day are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia or stroke. Surprisingly, no such association was found for sugared drinks. These are t… Read More
2017-08-14 15:25
The ability to multitask is usually viewed positively. But does it help in improving productivity? New research indicates that this is highly unlikely.
For years we have been hearing and bei… Read More
2017-08-04 15:30
In my previous article on the subject of nootropics, I was writing about brain enhancing effects of some medicines and natural compounds. There is, however, a large number of nootropics that… Read More
2017-07-28 15:00
Social behavior is important for our survival as a species. But social interaction also gives pathogens a chance to spread, and it thereby increases our exposure to infection. Our immune sys… Read More
2017-07-26 15:00
Magnesium is everywhere – it does not occur free in nature, only in combination with other elements, but it is the eighth most abundant chemical element in the Earth’s crust and… Read More
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