Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Q and A: What is degenerative disk disease?

I've been struggling with back stiffness and pain for a long time, but it has gotten worse in the last few years. My doctor told me that I have degenerative disk disease. What exactly does that mean? Is it common and what ...

Genetics

Trigger for world's most common liver disease identified

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a key trigger for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a mysterious condition that causes fat to build up in the liver for no clear reason. The new insights ...

Neuroscience

Neuroscientists get at the roots of pessimism

Many patients with neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression experience negative moods that lead them to focus on the possible downside of a given situation more than the potential benefit.

Neuroscience

The (neuro)science of getting and staying motivated

There is no question that motivation is one of the hardest and yet important factors in life. It's the difference between success and failure, goal-setting and aimlessness, well-being and unhappiness. And yet, why is it so ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Oxytocin turns up the volume of your social environment

Before you shop for the "cuddle" hormone oxytocin to relieve stress and enhance your social life, read this: a new study from the University of California, Davis, suggests that sometimes, blocking the action of oxytocin in ...

Addiction

Protein links alcohol abuse and changes in brain's reward center

When given access to alcohol, over time mice develop a pattern similar to what we would call "problem drinking" in people, but the brain mechanisms that drive this shift have been unclear. Now a team of UC San Francisco researchers ...

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