Busy Brain May Mean Big Belly

And why it's hard to treat

(NEWSER) - Electrical signals carry pain impulses to the brain—that much scientists know. But how to treat pain remains a question, LiveScience reports. Here's the scoop:

1. It "is a complex mixture of emotions, culture, experience, spirit, and sensation," one expert said. In other words, it's hard to even define.

2. People suffering from chronic pain like backaches have smaller brains. Maybe their neurons just get stressed out.

15% reduction in your diet at age 25 could add 4½ years to your life, researchers think

(NEWSER) - Call it the Refrigerator of Youth: Eating less could add nearly 5 years to your lifespan, LiveScience reports. Even scholars dismissive of anti-aging hype concede that a more moderate eating approach could bear fruit. "There is plenty of evidence that calorie restriction can reduce your risks for many common diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease," one researcher says. More»

Risk is greater to home gardeners than via exposure at work

(NEWSER) - People exposed to pesticides ran a 1.6 times higher risk of developing the neurological disease Parkinson’s, reports a new study of 600 participants. "Recreational pesticide use in the home and garden was more of a source of exposure than occupational use,” says one researcher. Experts now say the link is highly likely, though in combination with other, largely genetic factors, reports the BBC. More»

'Try not to think about it' is good advice, research reveals

(NEWSER) - Suppressing memories may be as simple as deciding not to think about them, scientists say, offering hope to survivors of traumatic events. Researchers say the findings in a report out today could lead to new treatments for PTSD by offering patients a measure of control over their recollection of disturbing experiences, the LA Times reports. More»

New study suggests disease-related memory loss may be reversible

(NEWSER) - Alzheimer's patients may be able to recover some memory by using a combo of drugs and mental stimulation, a new study in the journal Nature concludes. Mice with an Alzheimer's-like condition were more likely to remember an electric shock if they had taken a drug stimulating brain-cell growth or lived in playground-like cages. More»