Is Empathy Born in Mom's First Hugs?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• April 5, 2021
• Full Page

Show your baby your love, and you'll get a kinder, gentler adult child as your reward, a new study suggests.

More than 20 years ago, researchers in Israel began studying the impact on newborns of time spent in physical contact with their mothers.

The investigators...

More Kids With Autism May Be Doing Well Than Thought

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• April 5, 2021
• Full Page

School-age children with autism may be faring better than commonly thought, with most "doing well" in at least some aspects of development, a new study suggests.

The study, of 272 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), found that nearly 80% were doing well in at l...

Many Recovering COVID Patients Show Signs of Long-Term Organ Damage

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• April 1, 2021
• Full Page

Long-term organ damage appears to be common in hospitalized COVID-19 patients after they've recovered and been discharged, British researchers report.

One U.S. expert who read over the report said she's seen the same in her practice.

"This study proves that the dam...

Some Hospitalized COVID Patients Develop Seizures

• Robert Preidt
• April 1, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 can harm multiple organs in the body, including the brain. Now, a new study says some hospitalized COVID-19 patients have non-convulsive seizures that may increase their risk of death.

"Seizures are a very common complication of severe critical illness. Most of ...

How Learning a New Language Changes Your Brain

• Robert Preidt
• March 30, 2021
• Full Page

Brain activity increases when you start to learn a new language, but slows down as you become more proficient, a new, small study finds.

"In the first few months, you can quantitatively measure language-skill improvement by tracking brain activations," study co-author Ku...

Loneliness in Mid-Life Linked to Higher Odds for Alzheimer's

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 29, 2021
• Full Page

Middle-aged folks who feel persistently lonely appear to have a nearly doubled risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a new study reports.

If you take steps to counter your loneliness, however, you might actually reduce your dementia risk, the researchers fo...

'Zombie Genes' Spur Some Brain Cells to Grow Even After Death

• Cara Murez
• March 26, 2021
• Full Page

When people die some cells in their brains go on for hours, even getting more active and growing to gargantuan proportions, new research shows.

Awareness of this activity, spurred on by "zombie genes," could affect research into diseases that affect the brain.

For ...

A Stressed Brain Might Play Role in 'Broken Heart' Syndrome

• Robert Preidt
• March 26, 2021
• Full Page

The brain may play a role in so-called broken heart syndrome, a new study suggests.

Formally known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), it's a temporary -- but potentially deadly -- heart condition brought on by stressful situations and emotions.

In this study, published M...

Exercise Boosts Blood Flow to Brain, Keeping it Sharp

• Robert Preidt
• March 25, 2021
• Full Page

Regular aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which may help slow mental decline in older adults, a new, small study suggests.

Researchers from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center looked at 70 men and women diagnosed with mild cognitive impairme...

'Game of Thrones' Study Reveals the Power of Fiction on the Mind

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 24, 2021
• Full Page

It's not unusual for a fictional character to ring such a chord that their story shapes your life.

Think of educators inspired by Robin Williams' character in "Dead Poets Society," lawyers drawn to the profession by Perry Mason or Atticus Finch, or health professionals m...

Some Folks Do Age Slower Than Others

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 18, 2021
• Full Page

People really do vary in how fast they age, and the divergence starts in young adulthood, a new study suggests.

The researchers found that by the tender age of 45, people with a faster pace of "biological aging" were more likely to feel, function and look far older than ...

Minutes Mean Months: Getting Stroke Care Fast Is Vital, Study Confirms

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• March 15, 2021
• Full Page

For someone suffering a severe stroke, every 10 minutes that goes by before treatment starts in the emergency room may cost eight weeks of a healthy life, Canadian researchers report.

In fact, delays in the hospital may have worse consequences for recovery than delays in...

Could Low-Dose Aspirin Help Shield You From COVID-19?

• Robert Preidt and Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporters
• March 15, 2021
• Full Page

It's already being taken by millions to help ward off heart issues, and now preliminary research hints that daily low-dose aspirin might also cut your odds of contracting COVID-19.

As the Israeli research team noted, aspirin is an anti-inflammatory and previous studies h...

Could a New Drug Help Ease Alzheimer's?

• March 13, 2021
• Full Page

About 7 out of 10 Alzheimer's patients wound up free of the brain plaques that are a hallmark of the disease after treatment with a potentially breakthrough experimental drug, clinical trial results show.

The drug, donanemab, also significantly slowed the patients' brain...

Clocks 'Spring Forward' on Sunday: Be Prepared

• Cara Murez
• March 11, 2021
• Full Page

Many people dread the switch to daylight saving time. When you're losing an hour of sleep, it can be hard to actually feel like springing forward.

Dr. Rachel Ziegler, a sleep medicine physician from the Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minn., offers some tips for e...

Your Eyes May Signal Your Risk for Stroke, Dementia

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 11, 2021
• Full Page

Your eyes may be a window into the health of your brain, a new study indicates.

Researchers found that older adults with the eye disease retinopathy were at increased risk of having a stroke, as well as possible symptoms of dementia. And on average, they died sooner than...

Even 1 Concussion May Raise Your Odds for Dementia Later

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• March 10, 2021
• Full Page

Sustaining just one head injury may up your chances of developing dementia decades later by 25%, and this risk increases with each subsequent head injury, new research suggests.

"Head injury is not the only risk factor for dementia as high blood pressure and diabetes, am...

For Amputees, a New Kind of Surgery May Allow Better Control, Sensation

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• March 9, 2021
• Full Page

A new type of surgery offers amputees better control of muscles that remain after surgery, and of their prosthetic limbs, its inventors say.

The standard surgical approach to amputation has changed little since the American Civil War, according to developers of the new a...

Add Sleep Woes to Long-Term Effects of Concussions

• Robert Preidt
• March 4, 2021
• Full Page

Concussions can increase the long-term risk of a wide range of sleep disorders, a new study indicates.

Researchers looked at more than 98,700 U.S. veterans diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the same number of veterans with no history of TBI. The brain inj...

'Rerouting' Brain Blood Flow: Old Technique Could Be New Advance Against Strokes

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 3, 2021
• Full Page

Doctors are testing a decades-old surgical technique as a new way to treat certain stroke patients. And the preliminary results look promising, they say.

At issue are strokes caused by intracranial atherosclerosis, where blood vessels within the brain become hardened and...

Sports Position Doesn't Affect Risk of Concussion-Linked CTE Illness

• Robert Preidt
• March 2, 2021
• Full Page

The position played in sports like football and hockey isn't associated with risk of a concussion-linked brain disease later in life, a new study suggests.

The number of years played doesn't affect risk of the neurodegenerative disease -- chronic traumatic encephalopathy...

Mediterranean Diet Could Keep Aging Brains Sharp

• Colin Tweedy HealthDay Reporter
• February 25, 2021
• Full Page

Helping your brain stay sharp with age may be as simple as changing up the food on your plate at dinnertime, a new study suggests.

The study focused on the healthy "Mediterranean" diet, a regimen reliant on olive oil, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, wit...

Why Some 'Super Ager' Folks Keep Their Minds Dementia-Free

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

Researchers may have uncovered a key reason some people remain sharp as a tack into their 80s and 90s: Their brains resist the buildup of certain proteins that mark Alzheimer's disease.

The study focused on what scientists have dubbed "super agers" -- a select group of o...

'What's Wrong With Me?' Young COVID Survivors Battle Long-Haul Symptoms

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

It's been nearly a year since David Speal, 38, first fell ill with COVID-19, but a racing heartbeat remains a regular reminder of his brush with the new coronavirus.

Even the littlest thing -- not eating at the right time, not drinking enough water, too much exercise, a ...

Even for Preschoolers, Healthier Hearts May Mean Healthier Brains

• Robert Preidt
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

The link between heart-lung fitness and brain health may begin at an early age, new research shows.

The study revealed that 4- to 6-year-olds who could walk farther during a timed test also scored higher on tests of thinking abilities and other measures of brain function...

A Third of COVID Survivors Have Long-Haul Symptoms, Even After Mild Cases

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

Many patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 could become "long haulers," suffering symptoms months after they clear their non-life-threatening infection, new research shows.

About 33% of COVID-19 patients who were never sick enough to require hospitalization continue to...

Dementia Seen in Younger Adults Shows Even More Brain Damage Than Alzheimer's

• Robert Preidt
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

White matter damage in the brains of adults with frontotemporal dementia is even greater than that seen in Alzheimer's disease patients, a new study shows.

Frontotemporal dementia often affects people younger than 65, mainly causing personality and behavior changes and p...

Folks Can Have Real-Life Conversations While Dreaming, Study Finds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 18, 2021
• Full Page

If you've ever had a "lucid dream" -- one in which you're aware you're dreaming -- new research just might jolt you awake.

Not only is it possible during these vivid dreams to perceive questions, but to answer them, too -- at least sometimes.

That's the tantalizing...

Too Little Sleep Could Raise Your Dementia Risk

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

Older adults who get little sleep each night may be at heightened risk of dementia or earlier death, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 2,600 older Americans, those who were deemed "short sleepers" -- catching no more than five hours of sleep at night -- ...

Autopsy Study May Explain Why Some COVID Survivors Have 'Brain Fog'

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

One of the least understood effects of COVID-19 infection is "brain fog," a kind of mental confusion that can take hold among seriously ill patients, sometimes lingering long after recovery.

Now, a new study has spotted a possible neurological clue in the form of highly ...

'Prediabetes' May Be Harming Your Brain, Study Finds

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

"Prediabetes" -- where blood sugar levels are high but not yet tipped over into full-blown diabetes -- may pose a threat to brain health, new British research suggests.

"As an observational study, it cannot prove higher blood sugar levels cause worsening brain health. Ho...

If Blood Pressure Rises at Night, Alzheimer's Risk Might Rise, Too

• Robert Preidt
• February 9, 2021
• Full Page

Older men whose blood pressure rises at night may be at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

Blood pressure changes over 24 hours. It typically goes up during the day and dips at nighttime. But some people have an opposite pattern, which is calle...

How Your Neighborhood Can Hamper Your Teen's Sleep

• Cara Murez
• February 3, 2021
• Full Page

Living in a noisy neighborhood with less green space negatively affects teens' sleep, which may lead to poorer memory and thinking skills, according to a pair of studies.

In a study on residential environment, researchers found that as noise levels steadily increased, so...

Researchers Use Computers and 'Exoskeletons' to Help Stroke Survivors

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 2, 2021
• Full Page

Stroke survivor Ken Allsford focused intensely on how he wanted to bend his elbow.

And then the robot exoskeleton attached to his left arm obeyed his unspoken command, moving his crippled limb.

"It was a combination of exciting and trepidation, because sometimes no...

AHA News: Hormones Are Key in Brain Health Differences Between Men and Women

• American Heart Association News
• February 1, 2021
• Full Page

Medical science has come a long way since the days of "bikini medicine," when the only time doctors managed a woman's health differently than a man's was when treating the parts of her body found under a bikini.

Over the past few decades, researchers have uncovered count...

Is There a 'Risk-Taking' Center in the Brain?

• Cara Murez
• January 29, 2021
• Full Page

Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution?

Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain.

The study found there is no one risk area in the...

Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Linked to Worsening Memory: Study

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• January 28, 2021
• Full Page

Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests.

Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with...

Very Smart Dogs Learn Words Quickly, Study Shows

• Robert Preidt
• January 28, 2021
• Full Page

Think your dog is smart? New research suggests one way to find out.

Most dogs can't learn words without extensive training, but a few with exceptional abilities learn words without any formal training, researchers report. They learn words simply by playing with their own...

Do Touchscreens Make Your Toddler More Distractible?

• Robert Preidt
• January 28, 2021
• Full Page

Too much screen time can make your toddler more distractible, British researchers warn.

The use of smartphones and tablets by babies and toddlers has soared in recent years.

"The first few years of life are critical for children to learn how to control their attent...

Healthy Eating Could Delay Onset of Parkinson's Disease

• Cara Murez
• January 26, 2021
• Full Page

While researchers continue to try to find the key that unlocks the cause of Parkinson's disease, new research suggests that what a person eats could make a difference.

Researchers in Canada found a strong correlation between eating either a Mediterranean diet or the MIND...

Midday Nap Could Leave You Smarter: Study

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt
• January 26, 2021
• Full Page

TUESDAY, Jan. 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) - - "You snooze, you lose" may not be true when it comes to your brain: A new study finds that napping in the afternoon may actually boost mental agility.

The study couldn't prove cause and effect, but a midday nap was associated w...

Daydreaming? Study Shows Where Your Brain Goes When You Do

• Robert Preidt
• January 25, 2021
• Full Page

Researchers have found a way to track what your mind is doing when thoughts begin to wander.

Using electroencephalograms (EEG) to measure brain activity while more than two dozen study participants did mundane attention tasks, the researchers identified brain signals ass...

A Promising New Therapy Against OCD?

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• January 19, 2021
• Full Page

Noninvasive electrical stimulation of the brain, fine-tuned to specific "circuitry" gone awry, might help ease obsessive-compulsive behaviors, an early study hints.

Researchers found that the brain stimulation, delivered over five days, reduced obsessive-compulsive tende...

Doorway Study Reveals How Anorexia Changes 'Body Awareness'

• Robert Preidt
• January 19, 2021
• Full Page

A study that examined how people walked through doorways provides new insight into anorexia's effect on a person's body image.

It's long been known that people with anorexia overestimate their body size, but this study examined unconscious body awareness -- formally call...

Aphasia Affects Brain Similar to Alzheimer's, But Without Memory Loss

• January 13, 2021
• Full Page

A rare brain disease that causes loss of language skills doesn't lead to memory loss, a new study finds.

The condition is called primary progressive aphasia and about 40% of people who have it have underlying Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers. Their study was...

New Insights Into How COVID-19 Damages the Brain

• Robert Preidt
• January 13, 2021
• Full Page

New research offers a novel explanation for the long-term brain problems many COVID-19 patients experience.

Many coronavirus patients report headaches and "brain fog" for weeks or months after they recover from respiratory symptoms. It's been believed that these lingerin...

Arguing Taxes the Brain Much More Than Agreement, Scans Show

• Robert Preidt
• January 13, 2021
• Full Page

Brain drain: Arguing with others puts a lot more strain on your brain than agreeing with them, a new study finds.

"Our entire brain is a social processing network," said senior author Joy Hirsch, professor of psychiatry, comparative medicine and neuroscience at Yale Uni...

Get Fit in Middle Age to Boost Your Aging Brain

• Steven Reinberg
• January 8, 2021
• Full Page

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in middle age and beyond might help keep your brain healthy, a new study suggests.

"Our study suggests that getting at least an hour and 15 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity a week or more during midlife ma...

Brain May Age Faster After Spinal Cord Injury

• Cara Murez
• January 5, 2021
• Full Page

A new study supports the theory that people who suffer a spinal cord injury may also have accelerated brain aging that affects how fast they process information.

Those "cognitive deficits" are similar to those in older adults, according to research from the nonprofit Kes...

Police Use of Neck Restraint Never Medically Appropriate, Neurologists Say

• Cara Murez
• January 4, 2021
• Full Page

Despite training that teaches police officers to use neck restraints, there is no medical justification for the tactic, three neurologists write in JAMA Neurology.

The killing of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after an arresting police officer pressed a kne...