Full-Day Preschool Increases Readiness for Kindergarten. Children who attend preschool full-time score better in areas such as language, math, socio-emotional development, physical health, literacy, and cognitive development when compared with kids who attend preschool for half the day. Lead author Dr. Arthur J. Reynolds writes, “Full-day preschool appears to be a promising strategy for school…

People Want Leaders to Look Healthy. Dutch researchers say that it is more important for potential business or political leaders to look healthy than to appear intelligent. Their statement is based on the response of 148 adults who were asked to choose a new CEO by looking at photos of individuals made to look more…

Shift Work Can Impair Brain Functioning. Working shifts, rather than fixed hours, may impair brain function over time. Investigators found that long-term shift work for ten or more years has a negative impact on brain health. The researchers believe that disruption of circadian rhythms is the most likely cause of psychological stressors that lead to…

A Purpose in Life is Important for Longevity. Having a sense of meaning and purpose in your life may do more than just give you focus, it may help you live longer. Researchers interviewed more than 9,000 older adults and found that those who professed having a sense of purpose in life were less likely…

Binge Drinking During Teens Linked to Long-Term Brain Changes. According to a new animal study, binge drinking during the adolescent years has lasting effects on brain function. In rat subjects, researchers found that binge drinking reduced myelin in the region of the brain crucial for decision-making and regulating emotions. The findings suggest that alcohol may…

Is Telomere Length a Risk Factor for Depression in Young Girls? Researchers found that 12-year-old girls with a family history of depression have shorter telomere lengths than girls with no family history of depression. Telomeres are found on the ends of chromosomes and help keep them from fraying or sticking together. They have been observed…

Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults Associated with Dementia Risk. After reviewing the available data on nearly 52,000 individuals in California who had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), researchers believe the data indicate that such persons may have a 1.45 times greater risk for a dementia diagnosis later in life. In particular, the risk…

Mental Stress Affects Male and Female Hearts in Different Ways. Past studies have suggested that mental stress can influence heart health. Now, researchers have found that women under mental stress are more likely than men to experience reduced blood flow to the heart and are also more prone to clots due to platelet aggregation. On…

Dementia is a Significant Problem for Those Under Age 65. Younger onset dementia (YOD) is defined as the onset of dementia symptoms before age 65. Researchers in Sydney, Australia contacted local health professionals and hospitals to determine how many patients were classified as having YOD. Then, they compared that information with recent census data. The…

Anxiety, Jealousy, & Moodiness May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk in Women. A woman’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease may be higher if she is anxious, jealous, or moody during middle-age. Over a 38-year period, researchers followed nearly 800 women who completed on-going personality tests regarding neuroticism, extraversion, and introversion. The study’s results show that women with the…