Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of brain conditions that affect memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily life. About 50 million people worldwide have dementia, according to the World Health Organization, and there are almost 10 million new cases each year. There are many different conditions under the u...

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers have now identified three sub-types of depression, including one type that does not respond to commonly prescribed anti-depressants. Depression is common in the United States and all over the world. About 8.1 percent of American adults over the age of 20 experience depression, according to the res...

Advances in imaging technology are helping scientists and doctors see how diseases affect the human body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) produces detailed pictures of a patient's organs, soft tissues, bones and other structures, for example. The ability to see what is going on inside of a patient without performing surgery allows researchers to g...

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and Longest Day, an event held by the Alzheimer's Association. The purpose of the event is to increase public awareness of Alzheimer's disease, available resources, and information on how people can get involved. The Longest Day takes place from sunrise to sunset on June 21, 2018. Participants engage in...

Mental health issues, such as dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can significantly decrease the quality of life in the patients who suffer them. In many cases, the signs and symptoms of these mental health issues are quite similar; this can lead to incomplete or even inaccurate diagnoses. There is an association between dementia an...

Is it possible to know as early as infancy when a child is on the autism spectrum? This is a topic debated for years in the medical community. In 2011, researchers at Stanford University discovered a distinct difference in the brain chemistry of children with autism. Specifically, they found that the gray matter had a unique organization. It is bel...

Using a new kind of MRI measurement, neuroscientists recently discovered that excessive oxidation in the brain may contribute to schizophrenia. In other words, the same chemical reaction that causes metal to corrode and rust could be damaging brain cells in schizophrenic patients, too. To analyze this, Dr. Fei Du and his colleagues at McLean Hospit...

Minor headaches can occur for any number of reasons and usually subside after a little bit of rest. The majority of headaches are rarely caused by serious medical problems, but a particularly bad one might make you wonder about tumors, aneurysms, mental illness, or blood clots. If you experience any of the following symptoms, your doctor may w...