In the News

Research by Mark Benden, PhD, with the Texas A&M School of Public Health, found standing desks in elementary school classrooms lead to lower body mass indexes in children.

Medical students attending the Texas A&M College of Medicine, which tops the list of least expensive pubic medical schools for in-state students, received the biggest financial break. The cost of attending is nearly half the in-state average among all public medical schools.

Alcohol prompts the release of dopamine in our brains, the “feel-good” chemical that is responsible for eliciting sensations of pleasure. But dopamine has a darker side: Drugs that flood our brain with the chemical can make our brain dependent on that outsize reward, leading to addiction. And it’s more than just the amount of dopamine that leads to addiction.

People crossing time zones may assume jet lag is something they have to endure — like airport delays and lost luggage. But there are several ways travelers can prepare for and minimize jet lag’s troubling effects, a sleep specialist says.