Late Night Smartphone Use Affects Productivity

Research suggests that you should put away your smartphone at the end of the work day in order to be more productive the following day. Michigan State University business scholar, Russell Johnson and colleagues discovered that workers that tried to continue working on their smartphone past 9:00 p.m. were more worn out and less engaged during the following work day. “Smartphones are almost perfectly designed to disrupt sleep,” said Johnson, MSU assistant professor of management who acknowledges keeping his smartphone at his bedside at night. “Because they keep us mentally engaged late into the evening, they make it hard to detach from work so we can relax and fall asleep.”According to research, at least 50{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} of U.S. adults own a smartphone. Many of them

Dad’s Absence Affects Neurobiology of Offspring

Scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) have discovered that an absent father during critical growth periods can lead to social and behavioral impairments in adults. This is the first study of its kind to correlate paternal deprivation and social attributes with physical changes in the brain.”Although we used mice, the findings are extremely relevant to humans,” says senior author Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a researcher of the Mental Illness and Addiction Axis at the RI-MUHC and an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. “We used Californiamice which, like in some human populations, are monogamous and raise their offspring together.”Researchers were able to control the environment in which the mice were raised, including the

Sleep Quality Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

According to a new study published by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, sleep quality may influence the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Lead author, Adam Spira, PhD, and his team of researchers discovered a link between shorter and/or poor sleep quality and higher levels of Amyloid beta build-up in the brain.“Amyloid beta is a peptide of 36–43 amino acids that is processed from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). While best known as a component of amyloid plaques in association with Alzheimer’s disease, as Aβ is the main component of certain deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, evidence has been found that Aβ is a highly multifunctional peptide with significant non-pathological activity.” Researchers observed self-reported

Soda As Harmful To Tooth Enamel As Crack Or Meth

According to a case study published in the March/April 2013 issue of General Dentistry Addicted, drinking large quantities of carbonated soda may damage your teeth as significantly as methamphetamine and crack cocaine use. “Tooth erosion occurs when acid wears away tooth enamel, which is the glossy, protective outside layer of the tooth. Without the protection of enamel, teeth are more susceptible to developing cavities, as well as becoming sensitive, cracked, and discolored.”In the case study, the damage of three individuals’ mouths was compared. The first subject admitted to being a methamphetamine user; the second a previously longtime cocaine user; and the third an excessive diet soda drinker (i.e. 2 liters of diet soda daily for three to five years). All subjects admitted to poor oral hygiene,

Childhood Disability Rates Rising For The Past 10 Years

A recent study shows a rise among children with disabilities over the past 10 years. The same study also revealed that disabilities relating to physical health conditions have decreased, while disabilities relating to neurodevelopment and mental health have increased dramatically. In addition, the most significant increase has occurred among children from higher-income families.Lead author Amy J. Houtrow, MD, PhD, MPH, chief, Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatrics at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine admits that previous studies have already demonstrated that the prevalence of childhood disability is on the rise. “Nearly 6 million kids had a disability in 2009-2010 — almost 1 million more than in 2001-2002” says Houtrow.

Cyberbullying Continues To Rise

Research shows that about 5 out of every 30 high school students report being victims of cyberbullying within the past year. In addition, roughly 10 of those 30 students spend about three or more hours per day playing video games or using a computer for other purposes than school work. These numbers arise from the analysis of data gathered from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where 81{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} of schools and 87{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} of students from the 15,425 public and private high schools responded. The survey represents a national sample of high school students and takes place every two years “to monitor six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disability and social problems among U.S. youths”.”Electronic

Facebook Assures Our Self-Worth

A Cornell University communication expert claims that Facebook can be used to reinforce our self-worth. Particularly, users that receive negative feedback in every day life, tend to be instinctively drawn toward their own profiles to enhance their self-esteem and reinforce their sense of self. According to co-author Jeff Hancock, “the extraordinary amount of time people spend on Facebook may be a reflection of its ability to satisfy ego needs that are fundamental to the human condition.” As opposed to the typical view that Facebook is merely an activity that wastes time and often leads to negative consequences. To test the hypothesis, 88 undergraduate students were asked to deliver a short speech. Students were then offered to look over their own Facebook profiles or someone

Body Language May Predict Relapse in Recovering Alcoholics

Vancouver researchers claim that body language, as simple as slumped shoulders and narrowing of the chest, may offer more insight into possible relapse than words.The study’s co-author, Professor Jessica Tracy, and Daniel Randles of the University of British Columbia have found that recovering alcoholics are more likely to relapse if they show physical signs of shame. Scientists interviewed forty-six participants from Alcoholics Anonymous. The participants were asked to describe the last time they had drank alcohol where the experience made them feel bad about drinking, whether it be prior to sobriety or during a relapse. Researchers noticed that their words did not match their body language and concluded that perhaps this was due to repressed feelings of failure or hesitation to discuss feelings of

Choline Supplements During Pregnancy May Prevent Schizophrenia

Research shows that the use of choline supplements during pregnancy may prevent schizophrenia. Specifically, lower rates of physiological schizophrenic risk factors in infants 33 days old has been noted when the dietary supplement is given during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and early infancy.Robert Freedman, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine and one of the study’s authors states: “Basic research indicates that choline supplementation during pregnancy facilitates cognitive functioning in offspring. Our finding that it ameliorates some of the pathophysiology associated with risk for schizophrenia now requires longer-term follow-up to assess whether it decreases risk for the later development of illness as well.”Choline is a water-soluble essential nutrient, typically grouped within the

Diabetic Medication Helps Improve Memory

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston revealed that an FDA-approved medication called rosiglitazone that is used to treat insulin resistance in diabetics also enhances learning and memory. This discovery could improve cognitive performance for those with Alzheimer’s disease. By studying genetically engineered mice designed to serve as models for Alzheimer’s, “the scientists believe that the drug produced the response by reducing the negative influence of Alzheimer’s on the behavior of a key brain-signaling molecule.” The molecule in question is called extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In the brains of Alzheimer’s patients as well as the mice in the study, this molecule becomes hyperactive, which leads to improper synaptic transmission between neurons thereby interfering with learning and memory. “Rosiglitazone brings ERK

Loss of Chewing Ability May Be Linked to Dementia

Researchers from the Department of Dental Medicine and the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet and from Karlstad University in Sweden suggest that the loss of chewing ability may be linked to cognitive decline and a higher risk of dementia.Dementia is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It is not considered a single disease, but rather a set of signs and symptoms, in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving.The study randomly selected a nationwide sample of 577 participants aged 77 or older to investigate tooth loss, chewing ability and cognitive function. Results showed that individuals that experienced more difficulty chewing hard foods were more at