ScienCentral » Health

Thin Brains and Depression

ScienCentral — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:26:15 +0000

It's well known that depression in your family puts you at high risk of depression. Now researchers have found a structural difference in the brain that could explain why. Animation: 3-D brain scan, the cortex layer peels away, courtesy Bradley Peterson

Muscular Dystrophy Drug

ScienCentral — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:02:07 +0000

Researchers have discovered a potential drug for the most common kind of muscular dystrophy. As this ScienCentral News video explains, they're using a protein already found in the human body to combat muscle damage.

Melanoma Detector

ScienCentral — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:02:43 +0000

"Is that skin cancer?" Even experts can be confused by skin moles that might or might not be melanomas. But now diagnosing the aggressive skin cancer is about to become easier. As this ScienCentral News video explains, researchers have developed a new test for melanoma that could prevent it from being misdiagnosed. Image courtesy: Mohammed Kashani-Sabet, UCSF

Night Shift Health

ScienCentral — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:58:34 +0000

Should working or playing odd hours come with a warning label? Maybe it should now that a new study is showing how living outside “normal” hours is hard on your body.

Diabetes Drug Linked To Alzheimer’s

ScienCentral — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:24:17 +0000

Research published today is suggesting that a commonly prescribed drug to control blood sugar might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. But, as this ScienCentral News video explains, it also suggests that using the drug in combination with insulin might reduce the risk.

Heart Attack Test

ScienCentral — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:59:19 +0000

Researchers say they have a test that can tell if you're having a heart attack in just minutes rather than the current test that takes hours. And as this ScienCentral News video explains, they discovered it by studying patients who need heart attacks.

Insulin For Alzheimer’s Disease

ScienCentral — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:00:24 +0000

Image courtesy: Marcelo Vieira, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro New research published today says that insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes, might some day be useful for treating or preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

Undoing Depression

ScienCentral — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:38:20 +0000

You can train dogs to bark or sit. But what about training mice to grow new brain cells? A Nobel Prize winning scientist has done that, and he says it could lead to new ways to treat depression in people.

Red Wine & Aging Update

ScienCentral — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:50:04 +0000

Researchers have a new understanding of why a compound in red wine appears to retard aging in the same way as a very low-calorie diet. An increase in the levels of genes called sirtuin genes protects against aging by similar mechanisms in both very simple organisms like yeast, and in mammals.

Hand Bacteria

ScienCentral — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:38:45 +0000

You may have heard a study about a study saying girls’ hands have more bacteria than guys. But, as you’ll see in this ScienCentral News video, that study shows other fascinating things, like the bacteria on your right hand is different from your left and, while hand-washing is effective in combating bacteria, bacteria levels come back quickly.