Latest Neuroscience News
These are the most recent science articles posted on Neuroscience News.
Neuroscience Research Articles
Poor verbal memory may increase the risk of psychiatric hospitalization for patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder or depression. According to the research, the severity of the illness was previously thought to have an impact on poor memory, but the study shows that poor memory may also have an impact on the risk of being hospitalized. The study concludes that there is an approximately 84% increased risk of being admitted to a psychiatric ward if a patient has previously had clinically significant impairments in verbal memory.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly used to treat depression and anxiety can improve the quality of aging females' egg cells in roundworms and fruit flies. The study found that the exposure to SSRIs decreased embryonic death and chromosomal abnormalities in surviving offspring. The researchers said that these findings could lead to new opportunities to explore pharmacological interventions that could combat infertility issues in humans by improving egg quality and delaying the onset of reproductive aging.
A new study from Aarhus University indicates that certain types of epilepsy medication taken during pregnancy may increase the risk of severe psychiatric disorders in children. The research found a worrying link between the antiseizure medication valproate and the child's risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as autism, ADHD and intellectual disability. The study underscores the need for more research to help pregnant women with epilepsy and their doctors make informed decisions about the use of medicine during pregnancy.
Deep sleep, also known as non-REM slow-wave sleep, may help reduce memory loss in older adults facing a heightened burden of Alzheimer’s disease. The research indicates that superior amounts of deep sleep can act as a protective factor against memory decline in those with existing high amounts of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, potentially helping to alleviate some of dementia’s most devastating outcomes.
Remote aerobic walking exercise training can improve cognitive processing speed impairment in fully ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results are promising for individuals with MS who experience cognitive processing speed impairment and provide a more inclusive solution for remote exercise programs.
Science research articles covering neurology, brain cancer, traumatic brain injuries, neurosurgery, neuroanatomy, brain research and neurological disorders.
Findings from a Phase 3 study show donanemab significantly slowed cognitive and functional decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Donanemab met the primary endpoint of change, which measured measures cognition and activities of daily living such as managing finances, driving, engaging in hobbies, and conversing about current events, from baseline until 18 months on the integrated Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (iADRS). All secondary endpoints of cognitive and functional decline were also met and showed highly statistically significant clinical benefits with similar magnitude. Results suggest that people in the early pathological stage of Alzheimer's could be the most responsive to therapeutics targeting amyloid.
Music has been suggested as a complementary alternative to chronic pain medication. A new study examines the experience of a woman with chronic pain who used music for pain management. The study delves into the contextual aspects of music listening, as well as the physiological and cognitive benefits of music listening. The study suggests that music-induced analgesia involves complex cognitive and emotional mechanisms, which may modulate the descending pain modulatory pathway.
Stress may be a factor in why women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid beta rose sharply in the brains of female mice but not males during stressful situations. A molecular pathway that is active in brain cells from female mice but not males accounted for the divergent responses to stress. Reducing stress may be more beneficial for women than men, in terms of lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Octopamine, the major neurotransmitter responsible for the "fight-or-flight" response in invertebrates, can communicate with mammalian brain cells to prevent cell death. By introducing octopamine to cultures of astrocytes, the scientists found that it prompts the production of lactate, which promotes cell survival, and this discovery could lead to future therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. The study also raises questions about the role of octopamine in healthy brains and its impact on learning, memory, and aging.
A new study found that dogs with dementia suffer similar sleep disruptions as humans with dementia. Using EEGs, the researchers found that dogs with advanced dementia had more sleep disruptions and slept less overall than dogs with normal cognitive function. The findings could help with early diagnosis and intervention for dogs with cognitive decline and could establish them as models for Alzheimer's disease.
Science research articles cover psychology, depression, mental health, schizophrenia, mental disorders, happiness, stress, PTSD, autism, psychiatry and therapy.
Brief bursts of brain activity during sleep known as sleep spindles could potentially help regulate anxiety in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers believe that the study's findings may be useful for people with anxiety disorders and are looking at non-invasive ways to harness the benefits of this sleep stage to relieve symptoms. The study also suggests that sleep hygiene, electrical brain stimulation, or prescription sleep medications could promote the sleep spindles associated with non-rapid eye movement 2 (NREM2) sleep and potentially benefit patients with stress and anxiety disorders.
A new study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in certain mushroom species, could potentially revolutionize the treatment of depression and substance addiction. Researchers focused on the molecular interactions of psilocybin in the brain. The findings may help with designing new drugs that can treat a range of mental health disorders.
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can restore fear extinction and help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study found that psilocybin promotes the growth of new neurons and synapses in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory formation, and was found to reverse the decline in proteins associated with neuroplasticity and fear extinction. The findings provide a promising potential for using psilocybin in the treatment of PTSD.
A new study aimed to determine which children are at elevated risk for self-harm events. The study identified four distinct profiles of psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with varying levels of risk for a serious self-harm event. The four profiles can be used to better inform clinical decision-making by providing a better assessment of the overall risk of self-harm, according to the study. Further investigation is needed to validate these risk profiles in larger populations and develop prognostic and clinical decision support applications that provide real-time risk assessments for providers.
Studies show that advertisements showing people eating junk food can actually prompt those on a diet to eat less. The research found that the mere sight of someone eating junk food is enough to put dieters off it. This is because mental imagery, including that of food consumption, can activate similar neural networks to those linked with actual performance or experience. The findings suggest that healthy eating campaigns should include and portray the consumption of unhealthy food, as dieters consciously associate it with a failure to reach their weight loss goals.
