Credit: iStock From the calming sound of birds chirruping to a warning honk of a car, your sense of hearing is integral to your understanding of the world around us. Certain sounds can help you sleep, calm your mind, cause feelings of panic or stress, or even evoke nostalgic memories. You might wonder why this … Continue reading Spotlight On: Hearing
Brain Physiology
Touching a Nerve: Piezo Receptors
Credit: iStock “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. … Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. … If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” —David, … Continue reading Touching a Nerve: Piezo Receptors
How Your Brain Reacts to the Sounds of the Season
Credit: iStock With Thanksgiving now behind us, the sounds of Christmas seem to flood the airwaves. Some songs are lively and joyful, while others are slow and contemplative. But whatever the tune, there’s an undeniable familiarity that comes with hearing those omnipresent songs associated with “the most wonderful time of the year.” For some, these … Continue reading How Your Brain Reacts to the Sounds of the Season
Halloween, Physiology Style
Credit: iStock As soon as the calendar turns over to October (and sometimes even before!) retail and media outlets remind us Halloween is coming. Wherever we look, it seems to be costumes, candy and scary movies abound. But did you know that many of the things that come to mind when we think of Halloween … Continue reading Halloween, Physiology Style
Cutting Back On Added Sugar: Your Brain Will Thank You
Credit: iStock I spy too much sugar in the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. Unlike naturally occurring sugars in foods such as fruit, added sugars and syrups are included during the preparation or processing of our food and drink. While sugar does provide our body with energy, the problem is that too … Continue reading Cutting Back On Added Sugar: Your Brain Will Thank You
How Drugs Change the Way Your Brain Works
Credit: iStock Drug addiction, also known as substance abuse disorder, is a very serious disease that affects people of all ages around the world. When a person is addicted to a drug, they have an uncontrollable craving for the drug because it becomes the only thing that makes them feel good. Without it, they feel … Continue reading How Drugs Change the Way Your Brain Works
Spotlight On: Alzheimer’s Disease
Credit: iStock As we age, the risk of developing dementia increases. Dementia is basically losing the ability to think and remember clearly, though it is a general term, not a specific disease. There are many diseases that fall under the umbrella term of “dementia.” One of the most common is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease was … Continue reading Spotlight On: Alzheimer’s Disease
Could Anti-Inflammatory Medications Reduce Heart Disease Risk in People With Depression?
Credit: iStock Major depressive disorder, which occurs in about 15% of adults worldwide at some point in their life, is a staggering public health challenge. It’s projected to be the leading cause of global disease and disability burden by 2030, with an associated annual economic burden of more than $210 billion. Alarmingly, the number of … Continue reading Could Anti-Inflammatory Medications Reduce Heart Disease Risk in People With Depression?
Brain-Lung Crosstalk: How the Brain and Lungs Communicate with Each Other
Credit: iStock As the body’s “command center,” the brain’s job is to communicate with other organs to make sure all our body systems are in proper working order. But you may not know that people who have brain injuries are also more likely to develop respiratory disorders. This is due to the brain-lung axis—how the … Continue reading Brain-Lung Crosstalk: How the Brain and Lungs Communicate with Each Other
Making Sense of Salt Sensing
Credit: iStock Sodium, or salt, content varies greatly in different foods. Last month in Philadelphia, many Experimental Biology conference attendees may have noticed something unique on restaurant menus: sodium warnings. These warnings caution diners about meals that have more than the recommended daily amount of sodium of 2,300 milligrams (mg). Wonder how the body regulates … Continue reading Making Sense of Salt Sensing