Summary: New research shows that both aerobic exercise and yoga can lessen the desire to drink alcohol. In an acute test, one session of aerobic exercise lowered alcohol cravings, reduced stress, and improved mood. Source: Karolinska Institute Researchers at Karolinska Institutet report new findings on reducing alcohol consumption through physical activity. Three related papers from … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a link between loss of ovarian hormones and altered activity in the nucleus accumbens after menopause. Source: University of Missouri. Potential treatments may restore motivation for physical activity. Women commonly experience a decline in physical activity as they enter menopause, but the biological reasons for this change have been unclear. Researchers … Read more

Association observed in nonsmokers who drank more than two cups daily A long-term study published online December 9, 2015, in the journal Neurology reports an association between midlife milk consumption and signs of Parkinson’s disease-related neuron loss in the brain. Researchers examined whether milk intake in midlife relates to neuron density in the substantia nigra, … Read more

Summary: A new Concordia University study shows that the pleasurable urge to move to music—commonly called “groove”—is a distinct physiological reaction that can occur independently of general musical enjoyment. Researchers tested people with musical anhedonia, who experience little or no pleasure from music, and found they still felt a strong impulse to move when hearing … Read more

Eye movement study reveals impaired reading fluency in people with schizophrenia New research from McGill University in Montreal provides robust evidence that individuals with schizophrenia experience disruptions in reading fluency. By tracking eye movements while participants read simple sentences, the study reveals patterns that explain why some people with the disorder read more slowly and … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that a weight-loss medication reduces the brain’s response to food cues in regions tied to emotion and attention, and that these changes are associated with reductions in calorie intake, weight and BMI. Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Findings indicate the drug may be especially helpful for people who eat in response … Read more

Summary: Researchers at RIKEN identify the posterior inferior parietal lobe (pIPL) as a key hub that combines confidence signals from different sources during decision-making and wagering tasks in macaques. Source: RIKEN Three neuroscientists at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science have identified a specific region in the macaque brain—the posterior inferior parietal lobe (pIPL)—that integrates … Read more

Summary: Researchers at Karolinska Institutet examined whether infections in pregnant women directly cause autism or intellectual disability in their children. Their large Swedish cohort study suggests the link between maternal infection and autism is unlikely to be causal; instead, shared familial factors such as genetics or aspects of the shared environment probably explain the association. … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified genetic links between a range of health conditions and sleep disturbances. Source: Mass General. Researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom have, for the first time, mapped genetic links connecting sleep disturbances—such as insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness—with multiple medical conditions, including obesity, restless legs syndrome and schizophrenia. The … Read more

Researchers have mapped the distinct genetic changes that childhood medulloblastoma follows at relapse, new findings published in Cancer Cell reveal. Funded in part by Cancer Research UK and Action Medical Research, the study shows that taking an additional tumour sample when medulloblastoma returns can reveal newly acquired genetic alterations. Those changes can drive a more … Read more