A brain imaging study suggests that men with a history of violent behavior may have greater gray matter volume in certain brain areas, whereas men with a history of substance use disorders may have reduced gray matter volume in other brain areas, according to a report published online today by the Archives of General Psychiatry, […]
My previous post used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive” as a timely illustration of a larger point: humans evolved to be fearful – since that helped keep our ancestors alive – so we are very vulnerable to being frightened and even intimidated by threats, both real ones and “paper […]
Mayo Clinic researchers found that dopamine agonists used in treating Parkinson’s disease result in impulse control disorders in as many as 22 percent of patients. Mayo Clinic first reported on this topic in 2005. The follow-up study was published online in the February 2011 issue of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. Included in this report is […]
At least 60 percent of individuals treated for an alcohol use disorder will relapse, typically within six months of treatment Given that the brain reward system (BRS) is implicated in the development and maintenance of all forms of addictive disorders, this study compared thickness, surface area, and volume of neocortical components of the BRS among […]
Tinnitus appears to be produced by an unfortunate confluence of structural and functional changes in the brain, say neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). The phantom ringing sounds heard by about 40 million people in the U.S. today are caused by brains that try, but fail to protect their human hosts against overwhelming auditory […]
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical system in the brain that reacts differently in cocaine addicts, findings that could result in new treatment options for individuals addicted to the drug. The findings were published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
About 40 million people in the United States today suffer from tinnitus, an irritating and sometimes debilitating auditory disorder in which a person “hears” sounds, such as ringing, that do not actually exist. There is no cure for what has long been a mysterious ailment, but new research suggests there may, someday, be a way […]
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