You might not turn into a pumpkin, but at midnight, your brain could be undergoing a dramatic transformation. Some researchers call it “Mind After Midnight.” They believe that not getting to bed has effects long before you’re drowsy at work the next day. In the dark of night, your brain changes to become more impulsive, … Read more
People obsess over looking younger — but what about staying sharp? For many, the brain isn’t a priority until something goes wrong. But by then, you may have missed the chance to get ahead of the problem. “Basically every single thing that we’re doing now is shaping our brain health down the road,” Dr. Randy … Read more
Do the crossword every day. Exercise 150 minutes per week. Follow the Mediterranean diet. While for most people these commandments of healthy living lower the risk of developing dementia with advancing age, in some individuals cognitive decline is unrelated to what they do, or fail to do. It is coded in their DNA, tied to … Read more
Last week, nearly 6,000 superfans packed Radio City Music Hall — but not to see their favorite pop star. Instead, wellness obsessives were there to worship at the altar of their hunkiest high priest — tattooed skateboarder, rock-music obsessive, Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman. They stood in the aisle of the esteemed venue, posing and taking … Read more
The best time to start caring for your brain is right now, at any age. That said, middle age or younger is the perfect time, says Dr. Douglas Scharre, a neurologist at at the Ohio State College of Medicine. “Once you start working on your brain health, it could provide a more robust brain reserve which … Read more
Of more than 100 types of headaches, migraine is the most likely to send people to the doctor. Far more than just a bad headache, migraine is a complex neurologic disease that causes intense, throbbing pain along with severe nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. About 12% to 15% of Americans experience … Read more
A cutting-edge immunotherapy could help kids fight — and even banish — brain tumors, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. The new treatment falls under a category called T-cell therapy, which trains the immune system to identify and attack cancer on its own. T-cell therapy has already proven effective against blood cancers like … Read more
It’s easy to get caught up in tending to your weight or the look of your biceps — but don’t forget about gains for your brain. “The brain is a part of our body. The same things that create wellness within our body create wellness within our brain,” Dr. Randy D’Amico, director of the Brain … Read more
You’ve probably seen it — a paragraph that looks totally mangled, yet somehow you’re able to read it correctly. “cna yuo raed tihs?” Those scrambled letters that shouldn’t make sense, but your brain doesn’t notice. This oddly satisfying phenomenon is called typoglycemia, a viral sensation online where jumbled letters are still coherent. And according to … Read more
New research reveals that common visions arise in the days before death. Researchers from Azienda USL–IRCCS di Reggio Emilia surveyed 239 Italian palliative care professionals, hospice volunteers, nurses, and psychologists about the end–of–life dreams and visions (ELDVs) their terminally ill patients had shared with them. Results published in the journal Death Studies show that certain … Read more
Is she “crazy,” or is her gray matter just being compressed? Neuroscientists in Spain have found a connection between pregnancy hormones and fluctuating gray matter in the brain — which could help illuminate more about the postpartum period and attachments between mothers and newborns. A study done in association with the BeMother project found that … Read more
Talk about prenatal gains. A new study out of Japan shows that women who prioritize one common activity during pregnancy might be giving their babies a developmental advantage. After assessing nearly 40,000 mothers and children, the researchers found that babies raised by moms who were physically active before and during pregnancy were more likely to … Read more
Anthony Hopkins is calling bull on his wife’s armchair diagnosis. The acclaimed actor, 87, balked when his wife, Stella Arroyave, suggested he has Asperger’s Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder on the autism spectrum. “I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. I don’t even believe it,” he told The Sunday Times, sharing the signs … Read more
It’s one of humanity’s most enduring mysteries: What happens when we die? Now, a new scientific investigation has taken us a step closer to understanding what may lie beyond the grave, the Daily Mail reported. Researchers interviewed 48 people who had survived near-death experiences (NDEs), asking them to describe — and even sketch — what … Read more
He gave Mr. Carson a tremor — but behind the scenes, Julian Fellowes was the one shaking. The “Downton Abbey” creator recently opened up about how he’s overcoming a supposedly “incurable” condition that made everyday tasks nearly impossible, thanks to a “terrifying” yet “revolutionary” procedure. “You’re kept awake the whole time,” Fellowes, 76, said in … Read more
Even when she was a full-time cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Steffie Tomson always had fashion on the brain — but not in the way you might think. This isn’t a story of a biology nerd who dreams of working at Vogue. Tomson had her mind on her scientific research, but somehow, her shoes always ended up … Read more
A small New Jersey college has launched the world’s first Ph.D. in Happiness Studies — a fully virtual, four-year program designed to train experts in the science of wellbeing. “The need has never been greater,” said Tal Ben-Shahar, director of Happiness Studies at Centenary University in Hackettstown. “Around the world, we’re seeing a surge in … Read more
Feeling flush? Harlequin sign might sound like a fun card game or Halloween outfit — but it’s actually a rare nervous system condition characterized by asymmetrical sweating. Sydney Patrice, 26, a physical therapist from Baltimore, shared a video on TikTok in which she explained that only half her face turns red and sweaty during exercise … Read more
Heads up, bottles up. Worldwide, more than 1 billion people suffer from migraines — and because the cause isn’t fully understood, treating them can be tricky, with suffers often curling up in a dark, quiet room, waiting for the pain to pass. But one young woman has revealed the bizarre, unlikely hack that works for … Read more
Do you take your coffee with cream, sugar — or a side of brain damage? “Caffeine in the neuroscience literature is genuinely terrible when combined with other drugs,” warned Dr. Natashia Swalve, a behavioral neuroscience professor at Grand Valley State University, in a recent TikTok. One drug in particular has her especially alarmed, with early … Read more