December 18, 2024
by Elizabeth Pratt
Feeling lonely has a greater impact on sleep for college students than too much screen time.
Research from Oregon State University found that students with high levels of loneliness were more likely to have difficulties sleeping compared with less lonely students, regardless of their level of screen time.
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December 17, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in JAMA Network looked at a nature-based intervention and the mental health of schoolchildren. “We found that a 12-week nature-based intervention in Grades 5 and 6 did not lead to overall reductions in mental health symptoms, according to both per-protocol and intent-to-treat analyses,” study author Marie-Claude Geoffroy told us.
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December 11, 2024
by Elizabeth Pratt
More than 33% of people aged between 50 to 80 feel lonely.
Loneliness and isolation among this group has mostly returned to pre pandemic levels, but remains high.
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December 10, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine looked at increasing trends in alcohol related mortality in the United States. “We sought to explore whether there have been increases in U.S. alcohol related mortality,” study author Alexandra Matarazzo told us. “We were hoping to find out whether there were increases and, if so, whether they are occurring at younger ages.”
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December 3, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in PubMed looked at how cocoa flavanols rescue stress-induced declines in endothelial function after a high-fat meal, but do not affect cerebral oxygenation during stress in young, healthy adults. “We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods,” study author Dr. Catarina Rendeiro told us. “We have previously shown that fatty food can impair the body’s vascular recovery from stress. In this study, we wanted to see if adding a high-flavanol food to the fatty meal would alleviate the negative impact of stress in the body."
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November 30, 2024
by Elizabeth Pratt
One in five parents worry their children don’t have friends or don’t have enough friends.
Results from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found that 90 percent of parents think their children would like to make new friends.
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November 28, 2024
by Elizabeth Pratt
COVID lockdowns caused many families to eat more meals at home, and it may have had an unexpected benefit.
Research published in the journal Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice found that families who ate together more often during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced in increase in quality family time during dinners.
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November 26, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in Cell looked at how stress disrupts engram ensembles in lateral amygdala to generalize threat memory in mice. “We examined how acute stress impacted fearful memories,” study author Sheena Josselyn, Senior Scientist at Hospital for Sick Children told us. “We found that acute stress before a fearful event generalized the memory of this fearful event. That is, the subjects reacted fearfully both to the cues that predicted the fearful event and also safe cues.”
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November 19, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma looked at the effectiveness of residential and intensive outpatient programs for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in active military. “The care and services provided for the treatment of active military personnel and veterans suffering from PTSD encompass a variety of formats, including both residential and outpatient treatment programs,” study author Walter S. Marcantoni told us. “The structural differences between these program types present challenges in making direct comparisons.”
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November 12, 2024
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Nature looked at structural and functional mechanisms of learning and memory. “NMDA receptors are essential for the fundamental processes,” study author Hiro Furukawa told us. “Recent clinical studies have revealed that in autoimmune encephalitis, antibodies targeting NMDA receptors disrupt normal neuronal function, resulting in psychotic symptoms.”
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