Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), found in large quantities in cities, are toxic particulates in the air caused by smoke, vehicle emissions, fossil fuels and other pollutants. Previous studies have linked exposure to PAHs to increased risk of suicide, and now a new study's findings may link prenatal exposure to PAHs to slower cognitive processing and [...]
Have you ever driven an unfamiliar, winding highway as a tourist? Spotting locals is easy--they're the ones passing and speeding on the treacherous roads! People tend to get reckless as they grow increasingly familiar with their surroundings. Similarly, humans tend to ignore online security warnings once they've habituated to them, a new MRI study reports. [...]
Many people have done a Meyers Briggs personality test (or something similar) to confirm whether they're one of two extremes: introvert or extrovert. The difference is basic: introverts need alone time to recharge their energies, while extroverts thrive and feel energized being around others. But of course there's more to these simplistic categories; there are [...]
"Let food be thy medicine..." said Hippocrates. "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," added Mary Poppins, centuries later. Flash forward to the present day, when a team of researchers discover the flavanols found in chocolate help turn back the clock on memory loss. Specifically, flavanols found in chocolate increase blood flow [...]
Vitamin D is a dual nutrient: it is both a vitamin and a hormone the human body can create from sun exposure. It is also vital for bone health and immunity and--according to new research--brain health. (Vancouverites especially should pay attention to these findings, considering the past few weeks' rainfall!) The findings of the study [...]
In this unusual study, researchers used MRI to measure how certain triggers (associations with dental pain vs. contemplating one's own mortality) could affect the human brain's affinity for understanding surrealistic artworks. The study, called Ceci n'est pas la mort: Evidence for the recruitment of self-reference from surrealistic art under mortality salience, was published in the [...]
MRI studies have previously been done on how expensive wine tastes better, because knowing you're consuming something that's got a higher price tag activates more pleasure centres in the brain. But could the same principle work for distributing placebo medication? According to a new MRI study, it can. The study, entitled Placebo effect of medication [...]
A new study published in the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) journal Radiology has reviewed and analyzed the contrasting abilities of MRI and CT scanning of the liver for cancer. The verdict is in: MRI is superior to CT for cancer diagnosis of the liver. And a victory for MRI is, as always, a positive [...]
Are you looking forward to holiday treats and libations but dreading sluggish energy levels and extra weight come January? Turns out those feelings of dread might be the right approach to keeping off the pounds, according to a new MRI study. Why are some people better at resisting food cravings than others? The answer [...]
Every year as the holidays approach, pages are published about the havoc overindulgence will wreak upon your waistline. But perhaps taking a more holistic approach--body and mind--would be more apt, according to a new research. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels have a direct impact on the brain, a new MRI study has learned. Certain areas [...]