Feeding the lonely brain
A new UCLA Health study has found that women who perceive themselves to be lonely exhibited activity in regions of the brain associated with cravings and motivation towards eating especially when shown pictures of high calorie foods such as sugary foods. The same group of women also had unhealthy eating behaviors and poor mental health. […]
Men and women have different obesity drivers, pointing to the need for tailored interventions: Sex-specific brain signatures driving obesity
A new study from UCLA researchers finds sex-specific brain signals that appear to confirm that different drivers lead men and women to develop obesity. The study, appearing in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Communications, combined data from several modes of MRI with patients’ clinical features and personal histories to identify sex-specific mechanisms in the brain underlying […]
Surgeons develop new technique to reduce Adam’s apple without neck scar: Gender-affirming procedure could help reduce stigma faced by transgender and nonbinary patients
Doctors at the UCLA Gender Health Program have developed a technique to reduce an Adam’s apple bump without leaving a scar on the patient’s neck. The advance could be an important and welcome one for transgender women and nonbinary people, for whom a neck scar can be a telltale sign of their surgery — often […]
Researchers identify biomarker panel that could help predict gestational diabetes in early pregnancy
UCLA researchers have taken the initial step in identifying what may be an effective way to detect gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) earlier in pregnancy, potentially improving diagnosis and treatment for what is the most common disorder of pregnancy. The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. Gestational diabetes causes blood sugar levels to […]
Researchers discover source of super-fast electron ‘rain’: The downpours, which can affect satellites and space travel, are caused by electromagnetic whistler waves, scientists say
UCLA scientists have discovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on Earth, a phenomenon that contributes to the colorful aurora borealis but also poses hazards to satellites, spacecraft and astronauts. The researchers observed unexpected, rapid “electron precipitation” from low-Earth orbit using the ELFIN mission, a pair of tiny satellites built and operated […]
COVID-19 test offers solution for population-wide testing, scientists say: More than 80,000 tests done in under two months
In an article appearing in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a team of scientists from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA School of Engineering report real-world results on SwabSeq, a high-throughput testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect COVID-19. They were able to perform more than […]