A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
A growing body of research on conditions from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia to depression is starting to suggest a tighter link than was previously realized between ailments of the mind and body. Activation of the immune system seems to play a crucial role in both."We just didn't understand how much of a role the immune [...]
“Why do we sleep? To clean our brains, say US scientists,” The Guardian reports. A US research team, studying mice, has suggested sleep helps clear the brain of 'waste products’. Although sleep is an intrinsic part of our lives, scientists are still uncertain why a good night’s sleep makes us feel better or why lack [...]
With subjective experience new cells are incorporated into the brain and new circuits are created, altered, strengthened or weakened. The static view of the brain has been disproven and it is now known that the brain is very active—constantly changing connections and growing circuits, thought-by-thought, minute-by-minute and day-by-day. Many different brain mechanisms alter neuronal connections—in [...]
Recently, my 5 year-old son has started proclaiming, “I’m booooorrrrred.” My reaction? Good. When I was a kid I distinctly remember my gran telling me that, “Only boring people get bored.” She never really elaborated, and I’m still not too sure what she meant, but I like it. And I’ve started saying [...]
It's about this time of year when Yr 6 students start thinking about high school next year. By now, many parents will have decided which secondary school their son or daughter will attend, and the kids themselves are already feeling 'done' with primary school. Attitudes and behaviours are changing....and "Boring!" becomes the key word of [...]
Richard Lowe, professor of psychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, says neuroimaging studies have shown that in the presence of high-fat, high-sugar or high salt food, areas of the brain related to pleasure ‘‘light up’’, in a similar way to the brain changes seen in drug or alcohol addicts. The release of dopamine, a chemical [...]
Most adult smokers begin smoking during adolescence. They quickly become addicted and most struggle to quit for decades afterwards. Prevention in the early years can prevent this battle from even starting. Here are 5 strategies that can help: 1. Avoid that first cigarette Young people vastly underestimate the addictive potential of smoking and think [...]
Alcohol intoxication reduces communication between two areas of the brain that work together to properly interpret and respond to social signals, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. via Alcohol breaks brain connections needed to process social cues.
Is brain size related to eating disorders? University of Colorado researchers discovered that girls with anorexia nervosa had a larger insula, a part of the brain that is active when tasting food, in comparison to girls without the disorder. They also found evidence of a larger orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain that signals [...]
Between ages three and 10, children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit distinct brain chemical changes that differ from children with developmental delays and those with typical development, according to a new study led by University of Washington researchers. via Brain chemistry changes in children with autism offer clues to earlier detection and intervention.
