What Is Nostalgia? Nostalgia is a feeling that most people experience at some point in their lives. The term is derived from the Greek words nostos ("return" or "homecoming") and algos ("pain"). It was first coined in 1688 by Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer, who described nostalgia as a medical condition affecting individuals who longed for their homeland. Today, nostalgia is understood very differently. Rather than being considered a disease, it is recognized as a com

Concussions are minor brain injuries caused by a movement that makes the brain move back and forth fast, causing the brain to bounce or twist around. This can cause chemical changes in the brain and sometimes make brain cells stretch, which greatly damages them. Concussions are known to cause short-term deficits, and the long-term implications are less defined but still present. This injury can affect how people think, learn, feel, act, and even sleep. It is very important to

Tatsiana Yarash Parents of children with autism often read about new treatments online. One treatment receiving increasing attention is leucovorin. Early research suggests it may improve language and communication in some children with autism, but does the evidence support its use? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects how a person communicates, interacts with others, and experiences the world around them. While speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioural inter

Arav Parakh Figure 1: An MRI scan using different angles of the brain Neuroimaging represents a cornerstone of modern cognitive neuroscience and clinical neurology. Prior to its widespread development, clinicians and scientists relied primarily on post-mortem autopsies to evaluate structural abnormalities, while psychologists were required to deduce the locus of brain injuries entirely from observable behavior. Today, neuroimaging functions as a highly sophisticated, non-inva

Savarimuthu Sherly Alzheimer’s disease is the most predominant type of neurological disorder that causes disability and mortality worldwide, yet has no cure. Alzheimer’s is characterized by beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles in the brain(1) . These changes occur years before the patients begin to show symptoms, which solidifies the importance of early intervention in delaying disease progression. In the past, certain disease-modifying treatments have failed

Photo Credit: Wix What is Down Syndrome Down syndrome is the most common type of chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States with about one in every 640 babies born with it. It occurs due to presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21 (Trisomy of chromosome 21), resulting in multiple complications. With improved medical care, life expectancy of people born with down syndrome has greatly increased between 1960 to 2007 from 10 years of age to 47 years of age. Down Syn

Natalie Orlov Neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and glioblastoma, affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and remain among the most difficult diseases to treat. One of the greatest obstacles in neuroscience is the inability to accurately model the human brain in a laboratory. Traditional two-dimensional cell cultures fail to recreate the complex interactions between neurons, while animal models often do not fully

Helen Otailku Drinking alcohol is linked to three million deaths and approximately one hundred and twenty million lives adjusted to disability; as a result of what alcohol does to the brain. (1) According to WHO, alcohol is a psychoactive and even harmful substance with the properties to make a person addicted. (2) With alcohol generally consumed in many societies for its pleasure purposes it's linked with all types of health risks. These health risks call for the need for t

Imagine a situation where you are a teen driving home from school by yourself, and you see a yellow light a considerable distance away from you. Some would stop and play it safe, but now imagine a situation where 4 of your friends are yelling at you to stop being a wuss and rush through that light. This type of pressure can happen, and motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States for teenagers and the fatal crash rate at night for teen drivers ages

Ataxia is not a single disease, but a term used to describe a group of heterogeneous neurological disorders that affect coordination, balance, speech, and movement control. People with ataxia often have trouble performing voluntary movements smoothly and accurately. Their hand movements become clumsy, their walking unstable, and their speech may become unclear or slow. Ataxia occurs when there is damage to the cerebellum or to its neuronal connections. The cerebellum is the p

Neuroaesthetics is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that investigates how the brain and mind perceive, process, and respond to aesthetic experiences. A combination of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, the philosophy of aesthetics, and the fine arts, the field seeks to explain why humans find certain visual forms, sounds, movements, and environments beautiful or emotionally meaningful.

By Dr. Maulee Anand, BDS, MPH Introduction The placebo effect is often thought of as “all in the mind,” but modern research shows it is rooted in real biological changes. When people expect a treatment to help, their brains can release natural chemicals that reduce pain, improve mood, or change how symptoms feel. This is important for both everyday medical care and clinical trials. In practice, the placebo effect can change how patients feel, especially for symptoms like pain

Is There a Significant Need for Mental Health Medications? Antidepressants and anxiolytics, or anti-anxiety, medications play significant roles in treating mental health conditions. As the prevalence of people with mental health conditions continues to stay high at over 1 in 5 U.S. adults, the need for these medications continues to be crucial. Based on a 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration fou

Wallenberg syndrome, also known as, Lateral Medullary Syndrome is a neurological condition caused by a stroke in the lateral (side) part of the medulla oblongata.

Discover how SSRI can help improve your mental health. Learn about SSRI benefits, side effects, and finding the right fit for you.

Introduction Alzheimer’s disease (AD), along with other forms of dementia, is currently the leading cause of death in the UK. It causes profound, progressive decline in cognitive, physical and emotional health. Its effects are felt not only by the individual, but by their friends and family too. Although current medications given under the NHS can help improve symptoms, these cannot prevent disease progression. However, recent advances in pharmacological therapies could provi

The brain can be damaged in many ways, including falls, sports collisions, car accidents, strokes, or infections. These injuries can disrupt communication between brain cells, affecting memory, movement, focus, and other important functions. In more serious cases, some brain cells may be permanently damaged or die. The effects of injury depend on which part of the brain is affected and how severe the damage is. The Brain's Built-In Repair System After an injury, the brain beg

By: Pawan Krishna Murti The Anatomy of the Trigeminal Nerve: The Main Sensory Nerve of the Face The trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V) is the largest of the twelve cranial nerves and serves as the principal sensory nerve of the face. Its primary function is to transmit sensations such as touch, pain, pressure, and temperature from the face to the brain. In addition, it provides motor innervation to the muscles involved in mastication (chewing). The trigeminal nerve is divided

The name arises from the Latin words “Cauda” meaning “tail” and “Equina” meaning "horse.” It is descriptive of the nerves in the lower most spinal region where the nerve fibers branch out to look like a horse tail. This disorder occurs due to the compression of these nerves at the horse tail region due to various reasons. Compression most commonly occurs in the lower lumbar region, particularly due to a large lumbar disc herniation at the L4–L5 or L5–S1 level. These bundles o

Introduction Migraine affects millions of people worldwide and is one of the leading causes of disability among young adults. Despite major advances in migraine treatment over recent years, many patients still struggle to achieve consistent symptom control. Some individuals respond remarkably well to certain medications, while others continue experiencing debilitating attacks despite trying multiple therapies. This raises an important question: why do migraine treatments work