Investigators have found that children with sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, perform worse on language arts, math, and science tests than kids without such conditions. The findings come from a review of sixteen studies dealing with sleep apnea or related disorders in children and academic achievement. Lead author Dr. Barbara Galland writes, “Given the…

A survey shows that most Americans believe mental health care is important, but they often think it is expensive and hard to obtain. Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention writes, “Progress is being made in how Americans view mental health and the important role it plays in our…

Using MRI scans to investigate how the brains of nearly 80 individuals responded to pictures of food, researchers from the University of Granada in Spain and Monash University in Australia claim at least some people become obese because of the way food cravings are processed in the brain. The researchers found that a food craving…

People with poor thinking skills related to planning, problem-solving, and reasoning may be at a greater risk for either a heart attack or stroke. Researchers analyzed data concerning 3,926 individuals with an average age of 75 who had no history of heart attack, stroke, or dementia. They found that individuals with low scores on tests…

Childhood Trauma Can Worsen Bipolar Disorder Symptoms. Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City report the presence of childhood trauma – including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect – has been associated with a more severe clinical presentation among patients with bipolar disease. Psychiatry…

Peers and Parents Influence Teen Alcohol and Tobacco Use. Among a sample of 2,490 German students, researchers found that peer smoking, peer drinking, and parental drinking were all associated with a 200% greater risk that a teen would experiment with and or regularly use cigarettes and alcohol. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, July 2015

Deep-Voiced Politicians May Have an Advantage at the Polls. If they want to get more votes, both male and female politicians may want to practice speaking with a deeper voice. Researchers surveyed 800 adults regarding hypothetical candidates and found that deeper-voiced candidates garnered 60% to 76% of the votes. Study co-author Dr. Casey Klofstad writes,…

Hormones May Lead Financial Traders to Take Bigger Risks. The stressful and competitive environment of the financial world may boost levels of the hormones cortisol and testosterone in financial traders, leading them to invest in riskier assets. In a simulation, male participants who were given doses of cortisol shifted investments towards riskier assets and those…

Atrial Fibrillation May Increase Dementia Risk. After analyzing data regarding 332,665 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, researchers report that a diagnosis of AF may increase an individual’s risk for dementia by up to 42%, even after adjusting for age, gender, and medication use. International Journal of Cardiology, July 2015

Major Depression Associated with a Smaller Hippocampus. A large international study has found that individuals with major depression have a significantly smaller hippocampus (an area of the brain associated with regulating emotions) than those without depression. Dr. Jim Lagopoulos, an associate professor at Brain and Mind Research Institute, says these findings reveal new information about…