WÜRZBERG, Germany — Science may be getting closer to an understanding of the distinctive mechanisms in the brain that lead to obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, thanks to a new study conducted by a team of researchers at Würzberg University in Germany. The research team, led by Kai Schuh of the Würzberg Institute of Physiology, was …
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Is your mojo on the job easily crushed when chatty Carl from down the hall stops to talk your ear off about his weekend plans? Turns out there’s scientific reasoning behind the phenomenon: A new study finds highly trained workers really are worse at their jobs when interrupted or distracted by someone else. …
BONN, Germany — If meeting new people can be a harrowing experience for you, it may be an inherited trait, a new study finds. Research conducted at the University of Bonn suggests that social anxiety might actually be genetic. The researchers found that a single gene called “SLC6A4” could be linked to the condition, which also means there …
FRANKFURT, Germany — Research suggests that young boys may be four to five times more likely to have autism than young girls. But is autism really a “boy’s disease”? Or are girls with the same condition simply not being diagnosed and treated at the same rate? A new study arguing that autism is closely associated …
WARWICK, England — If you’ve ever woken from a good night’s sleep and proclaimed you felt like a million bucks, turns out you’re right. A new study finds that improving the quality of your rest is actually comparable to the effects of hitting the lottery. Researchers at the University of Warwick in England analyzed the sleep …
TROY, N.Y. — A new study conducted by the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has resulted in the first physiological test for autism, paving the way for earlier diagnoses of the illness as well as more effective intervention and treatment. The precise causes of autism, a neuro-developmental disorder …
EVANSTON, Ill. — Could calm, rhythmic audio at night help elderly people strengthen their brains? A new study from Northwestern University finds that gentle sound stimulation synchronized to the rhythm of brain waves greatly improves the deep sleep of older adults, which in turn aids them in remembering words. Previous studies showed similar results in younger …
BERLIN — Many people look to their elders when it comes to making wise decisions, but a surprising new study finds that older adults actually make riskier decisions than younger people do. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development determined that not only are older people approaching risks with a more optimistic outlook, they’re also less …