ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Community gardens may produce more than vegetables
• Risk factor for depression can be 'contagious'
• Child's counting comprehension may depend on objects counted, study shows
• Smoking from hookah not a harmless alternative to cigarettes
• Bursts of brain activity may protect against Alzheimer's disease
• More efforts needed to regulate dietary supplements, experts urge
• 'Big data’ algorithm used to customize video game difficulty
• From mice to humans, comfort is being carried by mom
• Teens' brains are more sensitive to rewarding feedback from peers
• Mindfulness therapy might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

Community gardens may produce more than vegetables Posted: 18 Apr 2013 01:21 PM PDT People who participate in community gardening have a significantly lower BMIs —- as well as lower odds of being overweight or obese -— than do their non-gardening neighbors, according to a new study.

Risk factor for depression can be 'contagious' Posted: 18 Apr 2013 12:44 PM PDT A new study with college roommates shows that a particular style of thinking that makes people vulnerable to depression can actually "rub off" on others, increasing their symptoms of depression six months later.

Child's counting comprehension may depend on objects counted, study shows Posted: 18 Apr 2013 12:44 PM PDT Psychologists have found that use of certain objects for counting have mixed results with preschoolers, particularly if those objects are rich in perceptual detail (bright and shiny).

Smoking from hookah not a harmless alternative to cigarettes Posted: 18 Apr 2013 12:43 PM PDT Smoking tobacco through a hookah is a pastime gaining popularity among the college crowd, but many of them mistakenly believe that using the fragrant water pipe is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

Bursts of brain activity may protect against Alzheimer's disease Posted: 18 Apr 2013 09:57 AM PDT Scientists have found that bursts of electrical pulses applied to the brain can manipulate the balance of two proteins crucial to the development of Alzheimer's disease. It represents a major advance in understanding how not only genetic mutations but also physiological mechanisms affect the development of the disease.

More efforts needed to regulate dietary supplements, experts urge Posted: 18 Apr 2013 09:49 AM PDT Dietary supplements accounted for more than half the Class 1 drugs recalled by the US Food and Drug Administration from 2004-12, meaning they contained substances that could cause serious health problems or even death, a new study has found.

'Big data’ algorithm used to customize video game difficulty Posted: 18 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT Researchers have developed a computational model that can predict video game players' in-game performance and provide a corresponding challenge they can beat, leading to quicker mastery of new skills. The advance not only could help improve user experiences with video games but also applications beyond the gaming world.

From mice to humans, comfort is being carried by mom Posted: 18 Apr 2013 06:59 AM PDT There is a very good reason mothers often carry their crying babies, pacing the floor, to help them calm down. New research shows that infants experience an automatic calming reaction upon being carried, whether they are mouse or human babies.

Teens' brains are more sensitive to rewarding feedback from peers Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT Teenagers are risk-takers -- they're more likely than children or adults to experiment with illicit substances, have unprotected sex, and drive recklessly. But research shows that teenagers have the knowledge and ability to make competent decisions about risk. So what explains their risky behavior? Scientists argue that this risky behavior may reflect the unique effect of peer influence on the still-developing teenage brain.

Mindfulness therapy might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT A new study shows that veterans with PTSD who completed a mindfulness-based group treatment plan showed a significant reduction in symptoms as compared to patients who underwent treatment as normal.

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