MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'impulses'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:34 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361141&cid=t_161991_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FZ-URJT5BSII%2F The media regularly reports on findings based on neuroimaging studies, but rarely do they explain exactly what these techniques are, their benefits or what it’s like to actually participate in these types of studies. Today I’ll describe what a participant goes through when they volunteer for a cognitive neuroscience experiment using a neuroimaging technique called electroencephalography (EEG). Unfortunately, it is exceedingly common for participants to not understand how these techniques benefit previous behavioral findings. Simply stated, if I were a participant, I’d like to know why I needed to wear a weird swim cap and how it benefits the research being done. EEG is a tool regularly used to view and record the changes in brain activity involved in the various types of cognitive fu... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361141 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:08:40 +0100 4361141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225668&cid=t_161991_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fcompulsive-gambling%2F Image via Wikipedia Compulsive gambling is being unable to resist impulses to gamble, which can lead to severe personal or social consequences. Symptoms: People with Compulsive gambling often feel ashamed and try to avoid letting others know of their problem. Compulsive gambling is assed as having five or more of the following symptoms: Committing crimes to get money to gamble Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut back or quit gambling Gambling to escape problems or feelings of sadness or anxiety Gambling larger amounts of money to try to make back previous losses Having had many unsuccessful attempts to cut back or quit gambling Losing a job, relationship, or educational or career opportunity due to gambling Lying about the amount of time or money spent gambling Need... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225668 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:29:00 +0100 4225668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077319&cid=t_161991_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F18%2Fwhy-dreaming-is-believing%2F We all live two mental lives. When we are awake it is mostly ordered, rational, linear and bounded by rules, both behavioral and physical. When we are asleep it is chaotic, nonlinear, without rules, often without sense. According to some, dreams are nothing more than the byproduct of a brain disconnected from its normal sensory inputs, freewheeling its way through the night. To others, dreams denote night-time learning or problem-solving, even automatic sifting of the mind’s detritus – useless information to be skimmed off the surface and dumped like so much mental junk. Amongst the general public, though, there are much stronger beliefs about the power of dreams. So strong that, according to recent research, people seem to believe that dreams can predict the future. Freudians... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077319 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:51 +0100 4077319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3359049&cid=t_161991_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F12%2Fmaintain-your-memory-as-you-age%2F You can’t stop it — the natural aging process that ages not only our bodies, but our brains too. Normal aging doesn’t significantly impact our thinking, however. Most people do not suffer from significant memory problems, deficits in problem-solving, or issues with thinking through activities that require analysis and reasoning. Still, things that may have come to us quickly when we were younger may take a little bit more time as we get older. And these slow-downs come not only in memory, but in something that psychologists call executive function, too. According to information provided by The Harvard Health Letter, “Executive function is an umbrella term for the complex thinking required to make choices, plan, initiate action, and inhibit impulses. Executive funct... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3359049 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:55:15 +0100 3359049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079384&cid=t_161991_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F12%2F11%2Ffda-wants-your-comments-on-ect%2F The good folks over at the Committee for Truth in Psychiatry (a national organization for people who’ve had electroconvulsive therapy - ECT) wanted me to remind you that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking comments on the safety and efficacy of electroconvulsive devices. You may not be aware, but these devices — which deliver electrical impulses to your brain! — have never been tested by the FDA for either safety of efficacy. Let me repeat that – the FDA has never approved ECT devices for safety or efficacy. Doctors today can apply electrical impulses to your brain without having any government agency approve such treatment, despite the fact that ECT in most people results in sometimes-significant memory loss. We wrote about FDA’s desire to... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079384 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:35:05 +0100 3079384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1551318&cid=t_161991_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F06%2F27%2Fzap-your-migraine-away-with-magnets%2F In this study,  researchers worked with 201 people who suffer from “migraine with aura” migraines. Half of them were given a genuine magnetic stimulation device and the other half a ‘pseudo’ magnetic stimulation device that was unable to provide a magnet current. Both groups were told to place the device to the back of their heads as soon as the aura feeling began. The test results showed that 39% of those using the genuine magnetic device remained pain-free two hours after using the device, whereas only 22% of those with the ‘pseudo’ device remained pain-free. The results, researchers say, are promising. As migraine sufferers know, there is no definitive treatment for migraines. Currently there are three main treatment options… Migraine avoid... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1551318 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:33:02 +0100 1551318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1114003&cid=t_161991_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F205333136%2F We have fairly exciting news to report surrounding the very lethal cardiac rhythm disturbance V-Fib (ventricular fibrillation). This very sudden and deadly “electric explosion” that occurs inside the hearts of both old and young alike has long eluded scientists and researchers. The new research suggest that the tornado like activity of V-Fib and its electrical waves is organized into spiral vortices, no matter what species of mammal is experiencing the VF. These vortices or rotors as they are sometimes called, keep the heart’s pumping chambers from pumping in sync, thus disorganized impulses and ultimately death. The paper also shows that across animal species — from mice and guinea pigs to sheep and humans — the frequency of the VF activity can be scaled usin... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1114003 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:08:11 +0100 1114003