By scanning the brains of hundreds of convicted murderers, a recent study has zeroed in on significant differences in the gray matter of homicide offenders, compared with that of people who have carried out other violent crimes. In 2016, there were an estima…

Medical research has changed how doctors diagnose conditions for the better. Read this Spotlight feature to find out about the top three “medical conditions” that healthcare professionals no longer recognize as such. Throughout history both recent and distan…

People who experience acute migraine may soon find relief in a new treatment. The results of a clinical trial of a novel drug revealed that it can eliminate head pain and reduce other symptoms of migraine. Many people with acute migraine rely on triptans, a …

For people with insomnia, sleep does not reduce the shame of an embarrassing experience. For them, the distress does not fade; in fact, it can get worse with recall. This was one of the findings of a new study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience …

A survey of thousands of people suggests that mystical experiences positively affect a person’s mental health, regardless of whether they are naturally occurring or a result of psychedelic drugs. Religion may have a wide range of health benefits, research su…

A couple of months ago, while I was getting ready for work one morning, I experienced a sudden, sharp pain in my lower back. It was excruciating, and I could barely move. In the days to follow, I discovered that I was experiencing sciatica, likely caused by …

A new approach to cancer therapy suggests that doctors may be able to keep cancer in check by placing metastatic cells in a state of dormancy, thus blocking them from giving rise to new tumors. A recent study in mice has found that an existing drug could effe…

Using a mouse model, researchers discovered that insulin controls a molecular pathway in the brain that activates during stress and leads to more weight gain. Researchers have long been aware that stress can lead to addiction and increase the risk of disease…

Two teams of researchers analyzing different aspects of exercise in mice found that the time of day might affect the productivity of physical activity. Scientists already know that the circadian rhythm interacts with our metabolism. A person’s circadian rhyt…

Could hypnosis relieve pain? The largest meta-analysis to date concludes that it could be a viable, safe, cost-effective option. Researchers estimate that chronic pain affects more than 1.5 billion individuals globally. Doctors often prescribe opioid medica…