Study Looks at Brain Activity and Multitasking

Divide and conquer.  New research shows that when people try to do two things at once, each half of the brain devotes itself to a different task.  Researchers used functional MRI brain imaging to monitor the activity in the brains of volunteers who were performing two different tasks and found that when doing one task, both sides of the brain work together.  But, when doing two tasks at once, one half was activated while doing one task while the other half matched that of the other activity.  This may explain why people can generally perform two tasks at once well, but not more.  The report is from the journal Science.  It was done in France.  This research is starting to look at our brain while the brain is functioning.  We're realizing those studies are very important.

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The Most Significant Advances in Health Care

A survey looked at the most significant advances in health care in the past 100 years and there were numerous answers, most of them predictable.  For instance, high tech machinery like CAT scans and MRIs were mentioned.  The development of various antibiotics and medications to treat high blood pressure were also listed.  All good choices, but certain things did not make the list, probably because they were not so obvious.  The first was suggested by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.  When asked about the greatest invention in his long medical life, he said plastic.  Think about it; being in a hospital with glass tubing for your glass IV.  The other suggestion was the increased importance of studies concerning women.  For decades, women's health was virtually ignored.  Even in the situations where we were dealing with problems that affected both sexes, like heart disease, women were not studied.  The research was done on men and then applied to women. 

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