Exam today? Sleep for an extra hour, score more.

SHUT-EYE THE WAY TO SUCCESS?

Exam today? Sleep for an extra hour, score more

March 22 2010 | Times of India Bangalore

London: What’s the key to success in exams? Well, an extra hour in bed in the morning, apart from hard work, say scientists.

    An experiment, designed by three British scientists, which allows students to stay in bed for an extra hour in the same morning has boosted exam results and slashed absenteeism.

    The scientists, led by neuroscience Russell Foster of Oxford University, found that teenagers have a biological predisposition to go to bed late and get up late particularly during exam time, and may not begin to function fully until 10am, two to four hours later than adults.

    The experiment also revealed that the most difficult lessons should take place in the afternoon, when pupils will be at their most alert.

    This adolescent “time shift” persists until the age of 21, after which a person’s body clock starts to shift back again, until by the age of 50 they are likely to get out of bed as early as when they were young children.

    “Teachers will say, ‘I know my kids are at their best first thing in the morning’, but what’s really going on is that the teachers are feeling particularly awake by 9am and the kids are half asleep, making the class easier to control,” Foster said. AGENCIES

Now get insulin from bubblegum.

Now get insulin from bubblegum
November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Diabetics who take regular insulin jabs could soon ditch the needle for a bublegum. Researchers are developing a gum that allows the medicine to be taken orally and then absorbed into the bloodstream.
 

The reason why insulin and many other drugs cannot be swallowed is that they cannot survive the trip through the digestive system. They are destroyed by the acid bath in the stomach and the enzymes in the intestines.
But professor Tejal Desai of the University of California is designing devices that use tiny microscopic capsules to protect the drug and deliver it to the bloodstream, reports the Telegraph. They are so small they can dissolve in the saliva of the mouth and be swallowed without the patient noticing. AGENCIES

Synthetic booze for a high sans health risks.

GOODBYE TO HANGOVER
Synthetic booze for a high sans health risks
November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore.

 
London: A substance is being developed which will give the high of alcohol without the negative effects like a hangover or liver damage.
Controversial former UK government drugs tsar professor David Nutt is the man behind the unique creation. I am working on a prototype of a synthetic alcohol. We can make someone feel pleasantly inebriated then reverse it, the Sun quoted him as saying.
He added: We have a partial alternative tested on volunteers. The first ever synthetic alcohol could be available in three to five years. 

Nutt, who was sacked as chairman of the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs after saying ecstasy is safer than alcohol, believes the drink would cut down the number of alcohol related deaths.
He said: At the moment it is very hard to treat alcohol poisoning medics simply have to wait for booze to clear the system. With the new approach , they would have an antidote available immediately. 

We have worked out how alcohol affects the brain and can target these areas. We gave one volunteer a substance similar to Valium, which is a sedative. The feeling was similar to being drunk. We then reversed this, he added. ANI

Videogame that boosts intelligence.

Videogame that boosts intelligence.

November 9 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

A new videogame developed by an online gaming site along with scientists from University of Michigan has been found to improve intelligence. Developed by Luminosity.com, the Dual N-Back training program improves intelligence and memory capacity by challenging users to simultaneously remember items that they see and hear. The researchers said that training on the Dual N-Back task resulted in gains in working memory and fluid intelligence that were significantly greater than those seen in the control group.

Tea can boost heart, brain.

Tea can boost heart, brain:
November 8 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Drinking eight cups of tea daily might sound a bit too much, but health experts say the intake can help fight heart disease, improve brain power and also boost longevity. Independent dietician Dr Carrie Ruxtons research on caffeine at Kings College saw her review 47 published studies to reach the conclusion that caffeinated drinks have positive effects on mental function, increasing alertness, feelings of well-being and short-term memory.

Yoga can reduce lower back pain.

Yoga can reduce lower back pain
November 7 2009 | Times of India Kolkata

Washington: Yoga may be more effective than standard treatment in reducing chronic low back pain in minority populations, according to a new study.
Individuals from low-income , minority backgrounds with chronic lower back pain (CLBP) may be more affected due to disparities in access to treatment.
Although many CLBP patients seek relief from complementary therapies such as yoga, use of these approaches are less common among minorities and individuals with lower incomes or less education. For the study, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center recruited adults with CLBP from two community health centres that serve racially diverse , low-income neighbourhoods of Boston. 

They were randomly assigned to either a standardized 12-week series of hatha yoga classes or standard treatment including doctors visits and medications.
As part of the trial, the researchers asked participants to report their average pain intensity for the previous week, how their function is limited due to back pain, and how much pain medication they are taking.
The yoga group participated in 12 weekly 75-minute classes that included postures, breathing techniques, and meditation.
Classes were taught by a team of registered yoga teachers and were limited to eight participants. Home practice for 30 minutes daily was strongly encouraged.
Participants were provided with an audio CD of the class, a handbook describing and depicting the exercises, a yoga mat, strap, and block. AGENCIES

Surfing helps the elderly stave off dementia.

BOOSTING GREY MATTER | Surfing helps the elderly stave off dementia
Internet Stimulates The Mind More Strongly Than Reading: Study
Jonathan Leake | October 19 2009 | Times of India Bangalore
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Googling is good for grandparents. Internet use can boost the brain activity of the elderly, potentially slowing or even reversing the age-related declines that can end in dementia, researchers have found.

Using brain scans, they found the internet stimulated the mind more strongly than reading , and the effects continued long after an internet session had ended. We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing internet searches for even a relatively short time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function, said Gary Small, professor of neuroscience at University of California , Los Angeles (UCLA).
Small and his colleagues worked with 24 men and women aged between 55 and 78. They were asked to conduct a series of internet searches while their brains were scanned using a technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This measures changes in blood flow around the brain to work out which parts are the most and least active.
After the initial scan, participants went home and used the internet to carry out specified tasks for an hour a day at least seven times over the next fortnight. Then they had another brain scan. Small and his colleagues found the impacts began immediately, with the first scan showing brain activity in regions controlling language, reading, memory and vision. By the second scan, the activated areas had spread to the frontal gyrus, an area important in working memory and decision-making .
Searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise for older adults, said Teena Moody, a UCLA researcher who co-wrote the report. Moody says internet searching challenges the brain more than reading as people need to perform several tasks at once, like holding information in memory while assessing data on screen and extracting the parts they want from graphics. SUNDAY TIMES, LONDON

Tap on head cures chocolate addiction.

Tap on head cures chocolate addiction

Times of India Bangalore, May 28, 2009

Want to get rid of those uncontrollable urges to eat chocolates? Well, all one needs is a tap on the head. A new therapy, called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), has claimed an 80% success rate for overcoming chocolate addiction. And it involves a therapist tapping on meridian pressure points on the head, neck and arms, like acupuncture but without the needles. Many practitioners have reckoned it can help people overcome phobias and end addictions in just a couple of sessions. Lily Allen recently used it to help her lose weight, and even Madonna is rumoured to be a fan of the technique as well.