If you have allergies, you’ve heard me tell you that you need a tapeworm to give your immune system something to do, but a new study in rats shows tapeworm infestation may actually improve brain function. In this crazy antibacterial world we live in the immune system can evolve without infection exposure and produce abnormal responses. […]
It’s possible that mammary glands ‘remember’ pregnancy. New research suggests that pregnancy causes epigenetic changes that can help increase milk production in future pregnancies. When comparing mice that had been pregnant before with first-time moms, researchers found that mammary glands showed signs of milk production more quickly in the mice that had already had litters. […]
Yet more evidence continues to support the use of probiotics connected to learning, memory, and now anxiety. Researchers at the University of Cork in Ireland have compared two different types of Bifidobacterium and how they affect mouse behavior. In skill tests of object recognition, and spatial learning and memory, the mice that were given Bifidobacterium […]
Forgetting is something that many of us worry about as we get older. Then we start to wonder if we are getting Alzheimer’s disease or something else. Relax. It probably isn’t Alzheimer’s, but the natural way our brain ages. The brain cells called neurons lose their connections between each other that can cause long term […]
Researchers at Johns Hopkins, for the first time, have been able to look at changes in the brain as memories are formed with a receptor called AMPA. AMPA, like many other receptors, lives with proteins on the cell surface. Their job is to talk to each other and act as receivers and senders of information […]
Genetic diseases are passed from parent to child; diseases like cancer, mental illness, Huntington’s disease and others. But what if there was a way to lessen the impact to your children? Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute are studying the possibility!! It’s all about epigenetics.  Epigenetics is studying the effect of how outside forces like […]
What do humans and snails have in common? No, it’s not the start of a bad joke. You may be surprised to know that snails are providing researchers with a better understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease! And thanks to snails, new research suggests that it might be possible for Alzheimer’s patients to retrieve lost memories. So […]
Octopuses are pretty awesome. Not only can they camouflage themselves by changing colors and imitating other animals to blend into their surroundings, but they can teach researchers about the brain’s ability to store and recall memories. Studying the octopus has led to new understanding of linguistics (ever wonder what an octopus and your tongue have […]