Mindfully Healing

Researchers tested how the mere presence of a smartphone affected cognitive capacity. The mere presence of your smartphone makes you more dumb, even when it is on silent, new research finds. It doesn’t even matter if it is turned off! So, leaving your smartphone in another room actually makes you smarter. The study found that when people had their smartphones with them, their cognitive capacity was reduced. Cognitive capacity is the ability to hold and process information in the mind. Dr Adrian Ward, the study’s first author, said: “We see

The most well-known effect of this drink confirmed by research. Alcohol produces the neural and molecular changes of a rapid antidepressant, new research concludes. The drug lifts depression for up to 24 hours due to its effect on the brain’s chemistry. Naturally, the study’s authors were quick to warn against self-medication. Dr Kimberly Raab-Graham, the study’s first author, said: “Because of the high comorbidity between major depressive disorder and alcoholism there is the widely recognized self-medication hypothesis, suggesting that depressed individuals may turn to drinking as a means to treat

Sleep pattern lowered levels of an antioxidant that helps fight cellular damage, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s. Sleep disruptions similar to jet lag could cause memory problems linked to Alzheimer’s disease, new research finds. It’s well-known by scientists that there’s a link between Alzheimer’s and sleep, but not what causes what. Professor Gregory Brewer, who led the research, said: “The issue is whether poor sleep accelerates the development of Alzheimer’s disease or vice versa. It’s a chicken-or-egg dilemma, but our research points to disruption of sleep as the accelerator

Brain scans of four different types of depression could aid in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Four types of depression have been newly identified by researchers using brain scans. The brain scans revealed distinctly different types of brain activity in each sub-type. The finding may eventually lead to treatments targeted to the particular sub-type of depression. Dr. Conor Liston, who led the research, said: “The four subtypes of depression that we discovered vary in terms of their clinical symptoms but, more importantly, they differ in their responses to