Mentally stimulating down time activities linked to better brain health: study

Canberra, (IANS) Engaging in mentally stimulating activities during down time, such as reading, can be beneficial for brain health, according to an Australian research.In a new study, researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) found that some sedentary, or sitting, activities are better for cognitive function than others.The researchers assessed the 24-hour activity patterns of 397 adults aged 60 and above, and found that socially or mentally stimulating activities such as reading, playing musical instruments, crafting or talking to others are beneficial for memory and thinking abilities.Watching television or playing video games was found to be detrimental.The researchers said the findings could help reduce the risks of cognitive impairment, including from dementia."We already know that physical activity is a strong protector against dementia risk, and this should certainly be prioritised if you are trying to improve your brain health. But until now, we hadn't directly explored whether we can benefit our brain health by swapping one sedentary behavior for another," Xinhua news agency quoted Maddison Mellow, a co-author of the study from UniSA, as saying in the report.She recommended breaking up time spent watching TV or gaming with five-minute bursts of physical activity or more cognitively-engaged seated activity.The...

Read More........→December 26, 2024

Neuralink’s Blindsight implant to restore vision to people who lost both eyes: Musk

New Delhi, (IANS): In yet another groundbreaking invention, brain-computer interface company Neuralink has developed a Blindsight implant that can restore vision to people who lost both eyes, said founder Elon Musk on Wednesday.The experimental implant received the US Food and Drug Administration's "breakthrough device" designation on Tuesday.“Much appreciated, US FDA!” Musk said in a post on X, adding that the device “will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see”.Musk noted that the device can also help people blind since birth to see for the first time, if “the visual cortex is intact”.He explained that “the vision will at first be a low resolution”, like in video game graphics. But advancements to the technology can make it “better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths”, Musk pointed out.Miracles for many unfolding,” said X CEO Linda Yaccarino, in a post on the social media platform.The pioneering device has not yet begun human trials and neither the company nor the US FDA has indicated a timeline.Separately, Neuralink is testing an implant designed to give quadriplegia patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone. The advanced technology may help people with spinal cord injuries.The device comes with a chip that processes and...

Read More........→September 18, 2024

Five scientists honoured for advancing mental health disorder prevention, diagnosis and treatment

New Delhi, (IANS) The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, recognising outstanding clinical and basic research in mental illness. These prestigious awards honour the work of scientists supported by the Foundation's Young Investigator Grants Program.The 2024 Klerman and Freedman prize winners are being recognised for their significant findings related to suicide prevention, PTSD, substance-use disorders, autism, brain biology, and therapeutic drug development,” said Dr Jeffrey Borenstein, President and CEO of the BBRF. He highlighted that their work advances diagnostic tools, identifies effective treatments, and aids in the prevention of mental illness.The prize winners were selected by the BBRF Scientific Council, comprising 192 leading mental health researchers. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded over $450 million to more than 5,400 scientists globally. The awards are named after Gerald Klerman, MD, and Daniel Freedman, MD -- legendary figures in neuropsychiatry.Juliet Beni Edgcomb, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, has been selected for the 2024 Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research.Dr Edgcomb is developing methodologies to identify children and adolescents with suicide-related symptoms from electronic health record (EHR)...

Read More........→August 22, 2024

Scientists discover gut protein that helps protect brain cells from Parkinson’s

New Delhi, (IANS) Scientists have identified a gut protein that can prevent the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) by protecting against brain damage. This disease affects nearly 10 million people globally.Parkinson's is characterised by rigidity of muscle and tremors due to loss of dopamine in the brain, and one of the reasons for that is toxin exposure.In the study published in the journal npj Parkinson's Disease, the team found that gut receptor protein GUCY2C could prevent PD by protecting the brain from damage.Dr Scott A. Waldman and his team at Thomas Jefferson University have been studying GUCY2C, known for its role in gut water and salt secretion, and found that it also present in the brain.They observed that removing GUCY2C from gut cells in mice increased the expression of PD-related genes, prompting them to investigate its role in the brain.Collaborating with Dr. Richard Smeyne, they discovered that mice without GUCY2C had more brain-cell damage and were more toxin-susceptible than normal mice. When normal mice were exposed to toxins, GUCY2C levels naturally increased, indicating a protective role in neurons.In human samples, PD patients showed elevated GUCY2C levels compared to non-PD patients, puzzling researchers. Current PD therapies manage symptoms by mimicking dopamine.However, targeting GUCY2C could potentially...

Read More........→August 13, 2024

Healthy lifestyle, awareness key to combat rising brain stroke, diseases: Experts

New Delhi, (IANS) A healthy lifestyle, with proper diet and exercise along with increased awareness, is crucial to tackle the rising cases of brain strokes and other related diseases in the country, said experts on World Brain Day on Monday.World Brain Day is observed every year on July 22 to amplify awareness and shed light on crucial aspects of brain health. The theme this year is ‘Brain Health and Prevention’.Neurological disorders include stroke, headache disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, brain and central nervous system cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron diseases, and other neurological disorders."There’s a concerning rise in brain strokes among the young population in India, with a 25 per cent increase in cases over the past five years. This surge is predominantly seen in people aged 25-40. The factors that contribute to the rise are majorly sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, smoking, and high-stress levels associated with urban living,” Dr Vikram Huded, HOD and Director & Clinical Lead, Interventional Neurology, Narayana Health told IANS.The doctor also pointed at the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in increasing the risks. In addition, genetic predispositions, even sleep disorders, or undiagnosed heart conditions, high stress levels,...

Read More........→August 06, 2024

Lack of proper sleep could lead to brain-related problems, warn doctors

Hyderabad, (IANS) People must never ignore sleep to meet deadlines, and it's never appropriate to waste time on the Internet over a proper good night's sleep, advise healthcare professionals on World Brain Day.Recommending a seven-hour sleep to help the brain function better, they warned that lack of proper sleep could lead to brain-related problems.Commenting on the importance of sleep and the adverse effect on the brain due to lack of it, Dr. S Ramesh, Consulting Neurosurgery, Kamineni Hospitals said, "Sleep is one of the most important components in the daily routine of an individual. Sleep is important for a number of brain-related functions, like the communication between neurons/nerve cells.“People must be made aware that without proper sleep, the required pathways in the brain to create new memories and new response systems, will get adversely affected.""It is a known fact that the brain controls the human body and functions and emotions. It is important to know that sleep affects every aspect and every organ in the human body, especially the brain.“While a good sleep will have a positive impact, irregular sleeping habits could affect almost every type of tissue and system like the brain, the heart, and even the lungs. Many people complain about mood swings, and this has a direct connection with the quality of sleep and its...

Read More........→August 03, 2024

Study shows how obesity affects brain and leads to low sperm count

New Delhi, (IANS) Obesity causes chronic changes in the brain, leading to lower sperm count, according to a study in mice.The study led by University of California-Riverside researchers used mice fed a high-fat diet to imitate human obesity.Their findings showed that the mice's brains had fewer connections between neurons and fewer receptors, which ordinarily alert the brain that enough energy is available and to stop eating."This could explain why we don't cut back on our calorie intake," said Djurdjica Coss, a biomedical sciences professor at the School of Medicine and lead author of the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.Coss added that reproductive function is regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, which is disrupted by obesity, primarily affecting the brain rather than the testes or pituitary.In obesity, lower hormone levels from the pituitary result in reduced testosterone and sperm production.The research found fewer synaptic connections in neurons regulating reproduction in high-fat diet-fed mice, which parallels human mechanisms.Obesity impacts millions worldwide and is linked to health issues like cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Study shows how obesity affects brain and leads to low sperm count | MorungExpress | morungexpress....

Read More........→July 31, 2024

Dads show gender biases, in both brain responses and behaviors, toward toddlers

“Our study provides one of the richest datasets for fathers now available,” says Emory neuroscientist Jennifer Mascaro. (Stock image)By Carol Clark: A toddler’s gender influences the brain responses as well as the behavior of fathers — from how attentive they are to their child, to the types of language that they use and the play that they engage in, a new study by Emory University finds.The journal Behavioral Neuroscience published the study, the first to combine brain scans of fathers with behavioral data collected as fathers interacted with their children in a real-world setting.One of the more striking behavioral differences was the level of attention given a child.“When a child cried out or asked for Dad, fathers of daughters responded to that more than did fathers of sons,” says Jennifer Mascaro, who led the research as a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Emory anthropologist James Rilling, senior author of the study. “We should be aware of how unconscious notions of gender can play into the way we treat even very young children.”Mascaro is now an assistant professor in Family and Preventive Medicine at the Emory School of Medicine.In addition to being more attentive, fathers of daughters sang more often to their child and were more likely to use words associated with sad emotions, such as “cry,” “tears” and “lonely.” Fathers...

Read More........→July 16, 2024

Researchers use VR technology to measure brain activity, stress

Researchers use VR technology to measure brain activity, stress (Credit: University of Texas at Austin ) IANSNew York, (IANS) US researchers have modified a commercial virtual reality headset, giving it the ability to measure brain activity in order to examine how we react to hints, stressors and other outside forces.The team at The University of Texas at Austin created a noninvasive electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor that they installed in a Meta VR headset that can be worn comfortably for long periods. The EEG measures the brain's electrical activity during the immersive VR interactions.The device, detailed in the journal Soft Science, could be used in many ways, from helping people with anxiety, to measuring the attention or mental stress of aviators using a flight simulator, to giving a human the chance to see through the eyes of a robot."Virtual reality is so much more immersive than just doing something on a big screen," said lead researcher Nanshu Lu, Professor at the varsity’s Cockrell School of Engineering."It gives the user a more realistic experience, and our technology enables us to get better measurements of how the brain is reacting to that environment," Lu added.The pairing of VR and EEG sensors has made its way into the commercial sphere already. However, the devices that exist today are costly, and the researchers...

Read More........→July 10, 2024

Avoiding long exposure to severe temperatures vital to save kids' developing brain: Experts

New Delhi, As exposure to extreme temperatures during early developmental stages can significantly impact neurodevelopment, specifically the integrity of white matter, experts on Sunday suggested that proper insulation, avoiding prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures, and educating parents and caregivers on recognising signs of heat and cold stress are essential measures to protect the developing brain of children.According to Sreenivas U.M., Consultant -- Neurology, MGM Hospital Chennai, heat exposure can lead to hyperthermia, disrupting normal cellular processes and causing neuronal injury, particularly in the developing brain, which has a high metabolic rate and is susceptible to heat-induced oxidative stress."Exposure to extreme temperatures during early developmental stages can significantly impact neurodevelopment, specifically the integrity of white matter. In the critical early years of life, the brain undergoes rapid growth, making it vulnerable to environmental stressors like extreme heat or cold, which can impair cognitive functions by damaging myelin," Sreenivas U.M. told IANS.As per experts, young children are especially at risk due to their underdeveloped thermoregulatory mechanisms, which can lead to white matter injury."Temperature extremes can disrupt myelination, trigger inflammatory responses damaging myelin,...

Read More........→July 02, 2024

Light Therapy Can Help People Recover From Major Brain Injuries, Shows Study

Fotolia licensed imageLights of different wavelengths have been studied for years for their wound-healing properties.Now, low-level light therapy appears to positively affect healing in the brains of people who suffered significant brain injuries, according to a study published last month in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted low-level light therapy on 38 patients who had suffered moderate traumatic brain injury—an injury to the head serious enough to alter cognition or be visible on a brain scan. They all received light therapy within 72 hours of their injuries through a helmet that emits near-infrared light.“The skull is quite transparent to near-infrared light,” said study co-lead author Rajiv Gupta, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Mass General. “Once you put the helmet on, your whole brain is bathing in this light.”The researchers used an imaging technique called functional MRI to gauge the effects of the light therapy. They focused on the brain’s resting-state functional connectivity, the communication between brain regions that occurs when a person is at rest and not engaged in a specific task.The researchers compared MRI results during three recovery phases: the acute phase of within one week after injury, the subacute...

Read More........→June 28, 2024

What are nootropics and do they really boost your brain?

LuckyStep/Shutterstock Nenad Naumovski, University of Canberra; Amanda Bulman, University of Canberra, and Andrew McKune, University of Canberra Humans have long been searching for a “magic elixir” to make us smarter, and improve our focus and memory. This includes traditional Chinese medicine used thousands of years ago to improve cognitive function. Now we have nootropics, also known as smart drugs, brain boosters or cognitive enhancers. You can buy these gummies, chewing gums, pills and skin patches online, or from supermarkets, pharmacies or petrol stations. You don’t need a prescription or to consult a health professional. But do nootropics actually boost your brain? Here’s what the science says. What are nootropics and how do they work? Romanian psychologist and chemist Cornelius E. Giurgea coined the term nootropics in the early 1970s to describe compounds that may boost memory and learning. The term comes from the Greek words nӧos (thinking) and tropein (guide). Nootropics may work in the brain by improving transmission of signals between nerve cells, maintaining the health of nerve cells, and helping in energy production. Some nootropics have antioxidant properties and may reduce damage to nerve cells in the brain caused by the accumulation of free radicals. But how safe and effective are they? Let’s...

Read More........→June 15, 2024

Chennai docs ace world-1st keyhole surgery for insular brain tumour via eyebrow

Chennai,  (IANS) In a significant medical feat, a team of neurosurgeons here removed a deeply seated insular brain tumour of a 44-year-old woman through a transformative and novel eyebrow keyhole approach."This unprecedented technique, being the world's first, marks an important advancement in the field of neuro-oncology," according to a statement from Apollo Cancer Centres (ACCs), Chennai, on Tuesday.During a check-up, following her bike accident, doctors at ACC found an incidental tumour within the delicate folds of the woman's dominant-side insular lobe of her brain.The insula, which is deeply embedded within the cerebral cortex, poses significant challenges for surgical intervention. It is surrounded by vital areas controlling functions such as speech and movement and is layered by a dense network of blood vessels.Traditional surgical approaches require navigating through critical brain tissue and blood vessels, risking paralysis, stroke, and language impairment.Often, patients must remain awake during surgery, adding to their distress and increasing the risk of complications such as seizures and brain bulges. Despite these risks, surgery remains the primary option.The team opted for the new keyhole approach via a minuscule incision in the eyebrow to the insula by leveraging their prior experience with keyhole surgeries...

Read More........→May 29, 2024

Unlocking the invisible world of the brain: Rezon’s wearable neuroimaging tech

Interview: At this year’s Connected North conference, the inaugural Start-up Competition saw ten shortlisted start-ups take to the stage to present their business to a panel of expert judges. We caught up with Judith McMinn, founder of winning start-up Rezon, to learn more about the company’s concussion-reducing headband and how they are integrating wearable brain electroencephalogram (EEG) technology.Judith McMinn, founder of Rezon, celebrates winning the Connected North startup competitionFirstly, congratulations on winning the startup competition at this year’s Connected North! Tell us a little about your background and how you came up with the idea for Rezon? Thank you! My professional background is in management consulting, so I’m a problem solver by trade, and the core idea behind Rezon is actually to do with a problem I first encountered in childhood. Like many people, I played hockey as a child, and I often wondered why we protected our shins and our teeth, but not our brain. Protective gear in sport is typically designed to protect the scalp, like scrum caps, or the head more generally, like helmets, but very little is done to protect the brain itself. In the last few years there’s been a growing awareness around brain injury in sport, particularly in American football with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and,...

Read More........→May 24, 2024

Our brains take rhythmic snapshots of the world as we walk – and we never knew

Blazej Lyjak/Shutterstock Matthew Davidson, University of SydneyFor decades, psychology departments around the world have studied human behaviour in darkened laboratories that restrict natural movement. Our new study, published today in Nature Communications, challenges the wisdom of this approach. With the help of virtual reality (VR), we have revealed previously hidden aspects of perception that happen during a simple everyday action – walking. We found the rhythmic movement of walking changes how sensitive we are to the surrounding environment. With every step we take, our perception cycles through “good” and “bad” phases. This means your smooth, continuous experience of an afternoon stroll is deceptive. Instead, it’s as if your brain takes rhythmic snapshots of the world – and they are synchronised with the rhythm of your footfall. The next step in studies of human perception In psychology, the study of visual perception refers to how our brains use information from our eyes to create our experience of the world. Typical psychology experiments that investigate visual perception involve darkened laboratory rooms where participants are asked to sit motionless in front of a computer screen. Often, their heads will be fixed in position with a chin rest, and they will be asked to respond to any changes they might see...

Read More........→March 19, 2024

How exercise increases brain volume — and may slow memory decline

Exercising for 25 minutes a week, or less than four minutes a day, could help to bulk up our brains and improve our ability to think as we grow older. A new study, which involved scanning the brains of more than 10,000 healthy men and women from ages 18 to 97, found that those who walked, swam, cycled or otherwise worked out moderately for 25 minutes a week had bigger brains than those who didn’t, whatever their ages.Bigger brains typically mean healthier brains.The differences were most pronounced in parts of the brain involved with thinking and memory, which often shrink as we age, contributing to risks for cognitive decline and dementia.“This is an exciting finding and gives us more fuel for the idea that being physically active can help maintain brain volume across the life span,” said David Raichlen, a professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the University of Southern California. He studies brain health but was not involved with the new study.The results have practical implications, too, about which types of exercise seem best for our brain health and how little of that exercise we may really need.– – –Little exercise, big brain“We wondered, if we chose a very low threshold of exercise what would we see?” said Cyrus A. Raji, an associate professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University in St. Louis,...

Read More........→March 14, 2024

Think you’re good at multi-tasking? Here’s how your brain compensates – and how this changes with age

Arlington Research/Unsplash Peter Wilson, Australian Catholic UniversityWe’re all time-poor, so multi-tasking is seen as a necessity of modern living. We answer work emails while watching TV, make shopping lists in meetings and listen to podcasts when doing the dishes. We attempt to split our attention countless times a day when juggling both mundane and important tasks. But doing two things at the same time isn’t always as productive or safe as focusing on one thing at a time. The dilemma with multi-tasking is that when tasks become complex or energy-demanding, like driving a car while talking on the phone, our performance often drops on one or both. Here’s why – and how our ability to multi-task changes as we age. Doing more things, but less effectively The issue with multi-tasking at a brain level, is that two tasks performed at the same time often compete for common neural pathways – like two intersecting streams of traffic on a road. In particular, the brain’s planning centres in the frontal cortex (and connections to parieto-cerebellar system, among others) are needed for both motor and cognitive tasks. The more tasks rely on the same sensory system, like vision, the greater the interference. The brain’s action planning centres are in the frontal cortex (blue), with reciprocal connections to parietal cortex...

Read More........→January 02, 2024