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☆ Daytime sleepiness may be linked with pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-06 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among participants who experienced excessive daytime sleepiness and a lack of enthusiasm, 35.5% developed motoric cognitive risk syndrome compared with 6.7% of people without those problems, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology. “Establishing the relationship between sleep dysfunction and MCR risk is important because early intervention may offer the best hope for preventing dementia,” the authors said. Over a follow-up period of roughly three years on average, 36 participants developed motoric cognitive risk syndrome. But when the authors considered the seven sleep components separately, only daytime dysfunction was associated with 3.3 times higher risk of MCR. Spires-Jones pointed out that for the potential link between daytime dysfunction and MCR, reverse causation is also possible.

Persons: ”, Dr, Victoire Leroy, Leroy, Richard Isaacson, Richardson wasn’t, Tara Spires, Jones, wasn’t, Isaacson, ” Leroy, “, neurotoxins, Lewy, you’re, — Organizations: CNN, Tours University Hospital, New, Central Control, Mobility, Centre, Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh Locations: France, Westchester County, Pittsburgh, Florida, Scotland, MCR

☆ Loss of sense of smell linked to changes in breathing patterns, research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Not having — or losing — your sense of smell may be linked to changes in breathing that could lead to depression, social isolation or other mental and physical health problems, a new study suggests. About 72% of those completely regained their sense of smell, while about a quarter partially got their sense of smell back. Previous research has linked anosmia to a wide variety of negative outcomes, ranging from dulled emotions and depression to a shortened lifespan, the authors noted. It was a game changer.”Currently, health care providers often don’t ask about or test for anosmia, Parma said. “And when there is a pleasant smell, the brain tells the nose to increase the amount of air inhaled.

Persons: Covid, Lior, Gorodisky, ” Gorodisky, anosmia, Valentina Parma, ”, Parma, ” Parma, “ Covid, Dr, Jonathan Overdevest, Overdevest, Alzheimer’s, Benjamin tenOever, ” tenOever Organizations: Nature Communications, National Institutes of Health, Weizmann Institute of Science, Senses Center, anosmia, Columbia University Irving Medical, New York University Langone Medical Locations: Rehovot, Israel, Philadelphia, Parma, New York City

☆ Psilocybin: Searching for the antidepressant of the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The stakes are high for psilocybin clinical trials — there’s a pressing need for a more effective medical solution in the fight against depression, especially treatment-resistant depression. “People begin to feel, understand and appreciate that their brain can change and they can escape from their depression,” Nutt said. “For that reason alone, this research matters.”At six weeks, the study found no significant difference in depression scores between the antidepressant and psilocybin groups. In fact, Madras said, adverse effects are such a concern that researchers in psychedelic clinical trials often actively recruit people who have successfully taken psychedelics in the past. In a study using psilocybin for alcohol substance abuse, for example, some 95% of those involved correctly guessed whether they were taking psilocybin or the placebo.

Persons: ”, Dr, Bertha Madras, “, Charles Raison, ’ “, don’t, David Nutt, ” Nutt, it’s, I’m, Timothy Leary, hasn’t, It’s, Harvard’s, Casey Wolfington, Katie Harmon, escitalopram, Nutt, Tommaso Barba, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Harvard Medical, McLean Hospital, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Public Health, Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, Imperial College London’s, Food, FDA, Imperial College London Locations: United States, Belmont , Massachusetts, ” Madras, Madison, Vail, Colorado, Harvard’s Madras, Madras

☆ How pregnancy changes the brain
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Researchers have created one of the first comprehensive maps of how the brain changes throughout pregnancy, substantially improving upon understanding of an understudied field. What brain changes mean for parentsThe functional implications these brain changes may have for birthing parents have yet to be determined, said Dr. Elseline Hoekzema, head of the Pregnancy and the Brain Lab at Amsterdam University Medical Center, via email. However, some of Hoekzema’s previous work has indicated associations between pregnancy-related brain changes and the ways a birthing parent’s brain and body respond and bond to infants’ cues, Hoekzema added. These findings are also in line with animal studies showing brain changes that were critical for the onset and continuation of maternal care. “Of the 50,000 brain imaging articles published in the last 30 years, less than half of 1% focus on health factors unique to women, like pregnancy.

Persons: Elizabeth R, Chrastil, ”, Emily Jacobs, ” Jacobs, Jacobs, Jodi Pawluski, Pawluski wasn’t, Magdalena Martínez García, wasn’t, Elseline Hoekzema, Hoekzema wasn’t, Hoekzema, ” Pawluski, “, ” Hoekzema, Pawluski, haven’t, Ann S, Bowers, Chan Zuckerberg, we’ve Organizations: CNN —, Neuroscience, University of California, UC Santa Barbara, Jacobs Lab, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Brain Health Initiative Locations: Santa Barbara, France, Spain

☆ Harris and Trump's first debate and Israel strikes Gaza humanitarian zone: Morning Rundown
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Elizabeth Robinson | Elizabeth Robinson Is A Newsletter Editor For Nbc News | Based In Los Angeles. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to debate for the first time. Palestinian officials say at least 19 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza humanitarian zone. What to watch for in Harris and Trump’s first debateAfter 75 days of political upheaval, the stage is set — again — for a presidential debate. But instead of Donald Trump facing off against President Joe Biden for a second time, the former president faces Vice President Kamala Harris. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump’s, —, Joe Biden, Harris, She’ll, ”, Peter Nicholas, Trump, He’ll, he’ll, It’s, “, Tyreek Hill, ‘, Hill, Jaylen Waddle, ” Hill, Mike Johnson’s, lockdowns, Sciences Covid lockdowns, we’re, Elizabeth Robinson, ’ Organizations: Miami Dolphins, ABC News, Democratic, Trump, White House, That’ll, AFP, Getty, NBC News, Sunday's Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, NBC, Miami - Dade Police Department, Dolphins, Miami - Dade Police, United, United States ’, University of Washington's Institute for Learning, Sciences Locations: Gaza, Harris, Philadelphia, California, Hill, Miami, China, United States

Covid lockdowns, such as school closures, canceled sports activities and stay-at-home orders, prematurely aged teen brains by as much as four years, researchers from the University of Washington found. Lead researcher Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS, said that after Covid lockdowns began in 2020, they couldn’t do brain scan follow-ups until 2021. Pandemic lockdowns resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents. The research doesn’t prove the lockdowns caused the brain changes — mental health disorders were rising among children even before Covid. Another brain scan study in 2022 from Stanford University showed similar changes in cortical thickness in teen brains during Covid restrictions.

Persons: Covid, Patricia Kuhl, Covid lockdowns, ” Kuhl, Kuhl, Ellen Rome, they’re, ”, Jonathan Posner, Posner, there’s, It’s, Parkinson, Karin Zaugg Black, Delia Organizations: University of Washington, National Academy of Sciences, university's Institute for Learning, Brain Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, Rome, University of Washington's Institute for Learning, Stanford University, Stanford, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Duke University School of Medicine Locations: Seattle

☆ Study shows how the pandemic may have affected teens’ brains
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Teens need our support now more than ever.”Significant socioemotional development occurs during adolescence, along with substantial changes to brain structure and function. The researchers originally intended to track ordinary adolescent brain development over time, starting with MRIs the authors conducted on participants’ brains in 2018. The study revealed accelerated cortical thinning in the post-pandemic brains of teens — occurring in 30 brain regions across both hemispheres and all lobes for girls, and in only two regions for boys. The prevalence of the thinning amounted to 43% and 6% of the studied brain regions for girls and boys, respectively. The regions affected in boys’ brains are involved in processing objects in the visual field as well as faces.

Persons: ”, Patricia K, Kuhl, Max Wiznitzer, Wiznitzer wasn’t, Wiznitzer, It’s, Ian Gotlib, wasn’t, ” Kuhl, Gotlib Organizations: CNN, National Academy of Sciences, Institute for Learning, Sciences, University of Washington, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Stanford, Stanford University Locations: Seattle, Washington

☆ Crows can count much in the same way as human toddlers, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Can crows count much like toddlers do? The research was inspired by toddlers learning to count, said lead study author Diana Liao, a neurobiologist and senior researcher at the Tübingen lab. “They understand abstract numbers … and then plan ahead as they match their behavior to match that number,” Williams said. The study by Liao and her colleagues isn’t even the first to consider whether crows can count. The crows’ counting abilities “seem to exceed the demands which survival makes for such abilities,” he wrote.

Persons: ”, Heather Williams, ” Williams, Diana Liao, Liao, caws Liao, peck, ” Liao, We’re, B.F, Skinner, Kevin McGowan, McGowan wasn’t, McGowan, they’re, Andreas Nieder, isn’t, Nicholas Thompson, Irene Pepperberg, Pepperberg, Alex, Thompson Organizations: CNN, University of, Williams College, Cornell, of Ornithology, University of Tübingen, Boston University, Tübingen Locations: Germany, Massachusetts, Ithaca , New York

☆ Some birds may use ‘mental time travel,’ study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“It’s often helpful to think about episodic memory as remembering, whereas semantic memory is just knowing,” he said. To find out whether Eurasian jays are capable of "mental time travel," researchers worked with birds trained to find food hidden under cups. “The idea is that with human episodic memory, we remember details of events that, at the time, weren’t necessarily relevant to anything. This aspect of episodic memory is sometimes referred to as “mental time travel.”To find out whether Eurasian jays are capable of mental time travel, the researchers worked with birds that had been trained to find food hidden under cups. “The big disease of memory is Alzheimer’s disease, and of course, the most debilitating aspect of Alzheimer’s disease is a profound loss of episodic memory,” Crystal said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, James Davies, Davies, “, “ There’s, James Davies Corvids, Nicola Clayton, —, advisee, ” Davies, weren’t, didn’t, ‘, I’ll, ’ ” Davies, Jonathon Crystal, ” Crystal, “ It’s, Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Cambridge’s, University of Indiana Bloomington Locations: Chicago

☆ Google and Harvard unveil most detailed ever map of human brain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, after the lab team’s decade of close collaboration with scientists at Google, that data has turned into the most detailed map of a human brain sample ever created. The result is an interactive 3D model of the brain tissue, and the largest dataset ever made at this resolution of a human brain structure. And of course, it would reveal many more problems, things we hadn’t expected.”What about mapping an entire human brain? “Much of what we think we understand about the human brain is extrapolated from animals, but research like this is critical for revealing what truly makes us human. “Each human brain is a vast network of billions of nerve cells,” said Sporns, distinguished professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University.

Persons: Jeff Lichtman —, Harvard University —, ”, Lichtman, Harvard University That’s, Viren Jain, ” Jain, Jain, there’s, we’re, “, ” Lichtman, haven’t, Michael Bienkowski, ” Bienkowski, Andreas Tolias, Berger, Olaf Sporns, Sporns Organizations: CNN, Harvard University, Google, Google Research, Lichtman, Harvard, Cisco, University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, “, Stanford University in, Indiana University Locations: Stanford University in California

☆ Why experts are studying how to improve tablets for parrot use
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

By designing a balloon-popping tablet game and collecting data from 20 pet parrots, the researchers found that birds’ interest in the game indicated mental stimulation could be a potential benefit. Each parrot popped virtual balloons by using its tongue and beak, with eyes often very close to the screen. Rébecca KleinbergerResearchers designed the tablet game to be used by a parrot in collaboration with the bird's caretaker. One bird showed more interest in playing the game after researchers adjusted the tablets to only account for one tap per 300 milliseconds, she added. Mobile games for parrot enrichmentIf a parrot owner is looking to introduce tablets into a pet’s schedule, it’s important to remember that the activity should be collaborative between the owner and the bird, Pepperberg said.

Persons: Rébecca Kleinberger, ”, Kleinberger, Irene Pepperberg, Pepperberg, Rébecca, ” Kleinberger, Gabriel Miller, Kurt Sladky, Sladky Organizations: CNN, ACM, of Computing Machinery, Computing Systems, Northeastern University, Boston University, University of Wisconsin, Madison’s, of Veterinary Medicine, Mobile Locations: Boston

☆ First-degree relatives are 9 times more likely to develop a serious form of depression, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Close relatives of people with treatment-resistant depression are nine times more likely to develop depression that also does not respond to traditional treatment, a new study found. For people with treatment-resistant depression, also known as TRD, standard treatments such as psychiatric therapy and antidepressants may not work well, if at all. Being aware that treatment-resistant depression runs in families can help with early treatment options, experts say. First-degree relatives of people with TRD, which include parents, siblings and children, were nine times as likely to develop treatment-resistant depression and were at high risk of all-cause death and death by suicide compared with relatives of people without TRD, the study found. “So, this is a very welcome study indeed and goes someway to addressing the massive underrepresentation of Asian people in studies.”

Persons: CNN —, ., Ta Li, Yang Ming, ”, Andrew McIntosh, McIntosh, Justin Paget, ” Li, Li, “, ” McIntosh Organizations: Lifeline, CNN, Tung University, Centre, Clinical, Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Digital Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Scotland, Europe, North America

☆ Single dose of LSD provides immediate, lasting anxiety relief, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A clinical trial’s encouraging results won US Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapy status for an LSD formulation to treat generalized anxiety disorder, Mind Medicine Inc. announced Thursday. Generalized anxiety order is characterized by excessive, ongoing thoughts that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in the US, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The MM120 study, however, was accomplished without the use of psychotherapy during the session. So that’s a critical difference.”Most adverse effects in the study were rated as mild to moderate by participants, occurring mostly on the day of the study, Karlin said.

Persons: “, ”, Daniel Karlin, MindMed’s MM120, ” Karlin, buspirone —, Karlin, David Nutt, Nutt, Dr, Gabriella Gobbi, Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Eddie Adams, Leary, Richard Nixon Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Medicine Inc, Tufts University School of Medicine, FDA, Depression Association of America, Unit, Imperial College London’s, McGill University Health Centre, Canada, Therapeutics, Mental Health, Harvard University, Harvard, League for Spiritual, Woodstock Locations: Boston, United States, Montreal, New York, Vietnam

☆ The ‘Mandela Effect’: How a psychological phenomenon took over the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But you might also be experiencing the so-called Mandela Effect. Ken Drinkwater, a fellow researcher at Manchester Metropolitan, added that the effect might be connected to a condition called false memory syndrome. Jon Elswick/AP; Scott Olson/Getty ImagesSome common examples of the Mandela Effect have perhaps logical explanations, such as Mr. “Advocates of the Mandela Effect think it’s a genuine effect. These people had this false memory right after learning about the characters!

Persons: Ash, Fiona Broome, Nelson Mandela, Mandela, Broome, “ Luke, ”, Wilma Bainbridge, hadn’t, Deepasri Prasad, Bainbridge, Prasad, Stan, Jan Berenstain, ” Bainbridge, Neil Dagnall, Dagnall, “, ” Dagnall, Roediger, McDermott, Ken Drinkwater, they’ve, Drinkwater, they’d, you’ve, Jon Elswick, Scott Olson, David Adkins, Sinbad, Dennis Van Tine, Shaquille O’Neal, Clara Nellist, Lionel Flusin, hasn’t, ” Drinkwater, University of Chicago’s Bainbridge Organizations: CNN, “, Bears, University of Chicago’s, Science, UChicago, Dartmouth College, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Metropolitan, Monopoly, Fox Television Network, European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, Collider Locations: South Africa, “, Hanover , New Hampshire, United Kingdom, New York City, Switzerland —, Geneva

☆ Daytime naps may be good for our brains, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Taking daytime naps may help maintain brain health as we age, according to a new study. The results show “a small but significant increase in brain volume in people who have a genetic signature associated with taking daytime naps,” she told the Science Media Centre. “Even with those limitations, this study is interesting because it adds to the data indicating that sleep is important for brain health,” she said. MoMo Productions/Digital Vision/Getty ImagesHowever, such a technique can only show an association between nap and brain health, not cause and effect. Grandner directs the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, and was not involved in the study.

Persons: ”, Victoria Garfield, Tara Spires, Jones, Valentina Paz, they’re, Paz, MoMo, Michael Grandner, Grandner, Raj Dasgupta, “ Organizations: CNN, University College London, UCL, University of, British Neuroscience Association, Centre, Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Science Media, Sleep Health, Alzheimer’s Association, Sleep Medicine, Banner - University Medical Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern Locations: Republic of Uruguay, Tucson , Arizona, University of Southern California

☆ Mental illness may mean higher heart attack, stroke risk for people under 40
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Those people younger than 40 with a mental disorder were 58% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke than those with no disorder, the study found. That could point to a greater need for managing psychological conditions and monitoring heart health in those at risk, Park added. It is important to note that the findings do not show that mental illness causes heart attacks or stroke, she added. Choi recommends that people with mental health conditions receive regular checkups as well. “Many individuals with mental illness suffer from social isolation and loneliness, and for years researchers have been sounding the alarm that loneliness is detrimental for physical health,” Ehrlich said.

☆ Experimental drug appears to slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trial but raises safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It involved 1,795 adults, ages 50 to 90, with mild cognitive impairment due to early Alzheimer’s disease or mild Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Such a score is consistent with early Alzheimer’s disease, with a higher number associated with more cognitive impairment. By 18 months, the CDR-SB score went up 1.21 points in the lecanemab group, compared with 1.66 in the placebo group. Overall, there were serious adverse events in 14% of the lecanemab group and 11.3% of the placebo group. The researchers also wrote that about 0.7% of participants in the lecanemab group and 0.8% of those in the placebo group died, corresponding to six deaths documented in the lecanemab group and seven in the placebo group.

☆ Analysis: Alzheimer's drug trial breakthrough boost for Roche, Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Eli Lilly logo is shown on one of the company's offices in San Diego, California, U.S., September 17, 2020. Nearly all Alzheimer's drugs, including those targeting amyloid, have stumbled in trials. Late-stage data on gantenerumab is expected by the fourth quarter, Roche said in a statement, saying it was encouraged by the lecanemab data. Results of a key late-stage trial testing the drug are anticipated by mid-2023. AMYLOID HYPOTHESISSome researchers, including Frederiksen, are cautiously optimistic about the impact the Biogen, Eisai data has on the likelihood of success for the other two drugs in development.

☆ How psilocybin, the psychedelic in mushrooms, may rewire the brain to ease depression, anxiety and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-11 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Shrooms, Alice, tweezes, mushies, hongos, pizza toppings, magic mushrooms — everyday lingo for psychedelic mushrooms seems to grow with each generation. Yet leading mycologist Paul Stamets believes it’s time for fans of psilocybin mushrooms to leave such childish slang behind. “The SSRI did not increase brain connectivity, and it actually did not improve well-being as much as psilocybin,” Nutt said. A typical microdose is 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms, as compared with the 25-milligram pill of psilocybin that creates the full-blown psychedelic experience. “Our hope is that we can use this information to ultimately make drugs that mimic the benefits of psychedelic drugs without the psychedelic experience,” Roth said.

Persons: CNN — Shrooms, Alice, tweezes, Paul Stamets, “, ” Stamets, ”, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, Pamela Kryskow, pharmacologist Brian Roth, Matthew Johnson, ” Johnson, David Nutt, Nutt, ” Nutt, you’ve, Johnson, they’ve, microdosing, microdosers, “ I’m, Harriet de Wit, Wit, Frederick Barrett, ” Barnes, Roth, ” Roth Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Prevention, Center for Brain Health, Florida Atlantic University, University of North, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, ”, microdosing, University of Chicago, National Institute on Drug, Center, Research, Johns Hopkins Locations: University of North Carolina, “

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