ADHD may be caused by alterations in the serotonin neurotransmission system combined with a tendency to experience psychosocial distress. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions found that ADHD behaviors in children and adolescents were associated with interactions between low and high serotonin activity and self-blame in relation to inter-parental conflict ...

Eradicating smallpox was one of the greatest human accomplishments of the 20th century, but new research shows initiatives of this kind are not as good a use of health dollars as people might think. McGill University Biologist Dr. Jonathan Davies explains that reducing the prevalence of diseases in areas most affected by them is a far more effective and efficient strategy than trying to eradicate them altog ...

A newly identified gene connected to hair growth may inform future treatments for male pattern baldness, says a team of researchers from Rockefeller, Columbia and Stanford Universities. The scientists found that the gene, called APCDD1, causes a type of progressive hair loss known as hereditary hypotrichosis simplex, which miniaturizes hair follicles, replacing thick hair with thinner, finer strands akin to ...

Obesity increases a person’s risk for developing chronic health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke (1). Because most US adults are overweight or obese (2), weight management is essential for chronic disease prevention. Dramatic increases in the prevalence of obesity in the past 25 years are attributed to an environment that promotes excessive calorie intake, coupled ...

The context in which humans meet potential mates has a hidden influence on who they decide to pursue. In particular, when people have a large number of potential dating partners to select among, they respond by paying attention to different types of characteristics – discarding attributes such as education, smoking status, and occupation in favor of physical characteristics such as height and weight. ...

New research reveals why a stimulus that healthy human subjects perceive as a reward might be processed quite differently in the brains of humans suffering from chronic pain. The study, published by Cell Press in the April 15 issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating insight into an apparent switch in neural circuitry that may be an integral part of the pathophysiology of chronic pain. ...

I am pleased to inform you that following your many calls and final action by Congress last night, the President [Obama] has signed legislation postponing the 21.2% Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut retroactive to April 1 through May 31. The Senate voted 59-38 to pass the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851) after amending the bill to delay the cut through May 31 as opposed to April 30 in t ...

A recent 3 part series discussed the pros/cons of the current medical patent system (Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation? Part 1, 2, 3). In Part 1, the practice of patenting natural cellular processes were called into question and whether this meant that the patent holder (i.e., often a company) then owned parts of your body. Seems like a silly and even ridiculous question, but these outcomes r ...

Organisms from yeast to rodents to humans all benefit from cutting calories. In less complex organisms, restricting calories can double or even triple lifespan. It's not yet clear just how much longer calorie restriction might help humans live, but those who practice the strict diet hope to survive past 100 years old. ...

Why do we remember? What allows our brains to retain bits of information (while forgetting others) for years and years? Why can we remember things that happened decades ago, but forget whether we left the lights on when we left home this morning? Researchers at McGill University have made strides toward unraveling one of the most fundamental mysteries in neuroscience - how the brain maintains memories over ...