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No one’s brain is as sharp at 60 as it was at 20. However, new research supports the notion that folk’s brains can make subtle adjustments with age to compensate for that decline. A team of British researchers has found more evidence that as the mind ages, it sometimes recruits help from certain brain regions to make up for deficits elsewhere. This does not happen for everyone equally, stressed study lead author Dr. Ethan Knights. Still, “now that we’ve seen this compensation happening, we can start to ask questions about why it happens for some older people, but not others, and in some tasks, but not others,” said Knights, who works in the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University. “Is there something special about these people — their education or lifestyle, for example — and if so, is there a way we can intervene to help others see similar benefits?,” Knights said in a university news release. His team published its findings Feb. 6 in the journal eLife. Working with researchers at the University of Sussex, Knights’ group sought to elucidate the brain’s means of coping with age. “Our ability to solve abstract problems is a sign of so-called ‘fluid intelligence,’ but as we get older, this ability begins to show significant decline,” noted senior study author Dr. Kamen Tsvetanov.… read on > read on >

Ohio resident Erica Hutson was in her 20s when she found out she had high cholesterol through a health check required by insurance. Because she was young and fit, Hutson shrugged off the test result. But Hutson changed her mind about it a decade later, when her father died of coronary artery disease in his 60s and she discovered it ran in her family. “His death really made me think about things and put my life into a whole different perspective,” said Hutson, now 37. More Americans need to follow Hutson’s example and discover their heart risk factors earlier in life, according to a new national survey conducted by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. Fewer than half of Americans know their blood pressure or ideal weight, and less than one in five know their cholesterol or blood sugar levels, the survey found. “Recognizing heart disease risk factors early and adequately treating them can potentially prevent heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. As a society, we need to shift from sick care to preventative care so people can live their best and fullest lives possible,” said Dr. Laxmi Mehta, director of preventative cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at Wexner. The survey asked more than 1,000 adults nationwide if they knew their blood pressure level, ideal weight, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The highest number knew… read on > read on >

A company in Ecuador that processed the cinnamon used in flavored applesauce pouches destined for the American market is the likely source of lead contamination in those products, U.S. investigators said. In an update to its investigation into recalled WanaBana, Weis and Schnucks brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a now-defunct Ecuadorian company called Carlos Aguilera is to blame for high amounts of lead in the product. Carlos Aguilera processed raw cinnamon sticks originating in Sri Lanka, the FDA explained. However, Ecuadorian officials analyzed the unprocessed cinnamon sticks, which were “found to have no lead contamination” before being processed. Lead contamination appears to have been introduced during processing at Carlos Aguilera, according to the FDA. Carlos Aguilera then sent the cinnamon to another company, Negasmart, which in turn sold it to Austrofoods, the manufacturer of the recalled applesauce pouches. The investigation reveals the complex international web of food suppliers, processors and manufacturers which makes FDA oversight of imported products sold in American supermarkets very tough, the agency said. Legally, the FDA’s hands are tied. “The FDA has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship product to the U.S.,” the agency explained in its statement. “This is because their food undergoes further manufacturing/processing prior to export. Thus, the FDA cannot take direct action with Negasmart or Carlos Aguilera.”… read on > read on >

Divorce later in life might be harder on women than on men, based on patterns of antidepressant use in a new study of people aged 50 or older. Both sexes tended to increase their antidepressant use when going through a divorce, break-up or the death of a partner, researchers found. But women’s use of these drugs was greater than men’s, results show. Antidepressant use increased by 7% in women prior to a divorce and 6% before a break-up, compared to 5% and 3% for men, researchers found. Within a year, antidepressant use went back to normal levels for men. It was a different story for women, however. Women’s use tailed off only slightly immediately after the end of a relationship, and then increased again a year after and onward, results show. “The greater increases in [antidepressant] use associated with union dissolution among women in our study may indeed relate to the fact that the costs of union dissolution on mental health fall more heavily on women than men,” wrote researchers led by Yaoyue Hu, an associate professor with the Chongqing Medical University School of Public Health in Chongqing, China. This could have widespread repercussions around the world, researchers noted. “Gray divorce” from the age 50 onward is becoming more frequent in high-income countries, researchers said. Later-life depression is also relatively common, affecting an estimated 10%… read on > read on >

Music may be good medicine for older adults, boosting both their mental and physical health, a new survey finds. Virtually all people between the ages of 50 and 80 (98%) say they benefit in at least one health-related way from engaging with music, according to results from the latest University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Three-quarters said music helps them relieve stress or relax, 65% said it helps their mental health and mood, and about 60% said they get energized or motivated by music. Overall, nine of 10 survey participants (89%) said music is very or somewhat important to them. “Music has the power to bring joy and meaning to life. It is woven into the very fabric of existence for all of humankind,” said Dr. Joel Howell, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School who worked on the poll. Music can benefit a variety of ailments related to aging, Howell added. “We know that music is associated with positive effects on measures from blood pressure to depression,” Howell said in a university news release. Most of the older adults surveyed said they listen to music, with 85% listening a few times a week and 80% watching musical performances a few times over the past year. Two in five (41%) attended a live concert. Fewer actually make music… read on > read on >

Depression and a rise in body temperature appear linked, although researchers say it’s not yet clear which causes which. Still, the findings offer a hint that manipulating body temperature might be a new form of therapy against depression. “To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date to examine the association between body temperature — assessed using both self-report methods and wearable sensors — and depressive symptoms in a geographically broad sample,” said study lead Ashley Mason, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). “Given the climbing rates of depression in the United States, we’re excited by the possibilities of a new avenue for treatment,” she added in a UCSF news release. The new study involved more than 20,000 people from 106 countries who wore a device that measured their body temperature. The study ran for seven months, beginning in early 2020. As a person’s level of depression severity rose, so, too, did their body temperatures, Mason’s group reported. The findings were published Feb. 5 in the journal Scientific Reports. There was also a trend suggesting that folks whose body temperatures remained stable over a 24-hour period also had higher risks for depression — but the finding didn’t quite meet statistical significance, the investigators said. It’s also unclear whether higher body temperature can help trigger depression, whether depression… read on > read on >

The Pearl Jam song “Jeremy” tells the story of a boy driven mad by bullies who commits suicide in front of his classroom. The song might reflect a real and ongoing threat to teens’ mental health, new research suggests. Teens being bullied face a greater risk of early-stage psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or paranoia, according to findings published recently in the journal Nature. Bullied teenagers also have lower levels of a key neurotransmitter found in a part of the brain involved in regulating emotions, researchers said. The findings highlight the value of efforts to reduce bullying at schools, said lead researcher Naohiro Okada, a project associate professor with the University of Tokyo’s International Research Center for Neurointelligence. “Anti-bullying programs in schools that focus on promoting positive social interactions and reducing aggressive behaviors are essential for their own sake and to reduce the risk of psychosis and its subclinical precursors,” Okada said in a university news release. “These programs can help create a safe and supportive environment for all students, reducing the likelihood of bullying and its negative consequences,” Okada added. Researchers tracked bullying via questionnaires completed by Japanese teenagers, as well as the effect bullying had on their mental health. They found bullying associated with subclinical psychotic experiences in early adolescence — symptoms that come close to psychosis but do not meet the full… read on > read on >

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resumed a national campaign that uses the stories of former smokers to warn Americans about the many health dangers of tobacco. Known as the “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign, seven new people are featured in ads sharing their stories about how cigarette smoking damaged their health. One tactic is new in this latest round of ads: They take direct aim at the harms of menthol cigarettes, which have become popular among minorities and in marginalized communities. “Many of this year’s new ads include messaging about the harms of menthol cigarettes, which can contribute to tobacco-related health disparities,” the agency noted in a news release. “Menthol in cigarettes can make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit.” Tammy W. is one of the former menthol cigarette smokers featured in the campaign. An avid runner, the 50-year-old ate healthy and avoided drugs and alcohol but had a “side hobby” of smoking menthol cigarettes — like many members of her Little Travers Bay Bands of Odawa Indians tribe. After having chest pains during a daily 10-mile run when she was 44, she went to see her doctor and was told she needed open-heart surgery immediately. During the operation, she flatlined three times and had a stroke. She has since recovered, but she can no longer run as far.… read on > read on >

Scientists say they’ve created the first 3D-printed brain tissue where neurons network and “talk” to each other. The breakthrough could be an advance for studying neurological processes in the lab, say a team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “This could be a hugely powerful model to help us understand how brain cells and parts of the brain communicate in humans,” said study lead author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience and neurology at UW–Madison’s Waisman Center. “It could change the way we look at stem cell biology, neuroscience and the pathogenesis of many neurological and psychiatric disorders,” he added in a university news release. Zhang’s team noted that researchers already have an organic model for brain research, called brain organoids. But organoids grow with much less cellular organization and inter-connective ability than the new 3D-printed tissue. With his lab’s new process, “we printed the cerebral cortex and the striatum, and what we found was quite striking,” Zhang said. “Even when we printed different cells belonging to different parts of the brain, they were still able to talk to each other in a very special and specific way.” Reporting Feb. 1 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the Madison team said their 3-D printing technology has improved on prior attempts to create 3D-printed brain tissue. The Madison lab’s tissues include neurons created from stem cells, and… read on > read on >

Police seizures of “magic” mushrooms have more than tripled within the past five years, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse reports. The total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized by law enforcement increased from 498 pounds in 2017 to 1,861 pounds in 2022, according to a new report published Feb. 6 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. To put those seizures in perspective, a typical dried mushroom dose in clinical trials for psilocybin therapy runs between 2.5 grams (.08 ounces) to 6 grams (.2 ounces), according to a 2022 analysis in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. These seizures come in the midst of a surge in public interest regarding the use of psilocybin for therapy and recreation, researchers said. “While psilocybin is by no means the most dangerous drug, recreational use can come with unforeseen risks such as bad trips,” said lead researcher Joseph Palamar, an associate professor of epidemiology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Research studies suggesting its effectiveness in treating mental health issues and extensive positive media coverage may lead some people to seek ‘shrooms’ outside of medical contexts,” Palamar added. “People who use psilocybin outside of medical supervision need to be educated about risks associated with use.” In 2018 and 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough therapy status to research using psilocybin as a treatment for… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Your Brain Finds Ways to Compensate Against Age-Related Decline

Most Americans Don’t Know Their Lifesaving ‘Heart Numbers’: Survey

Cinnamon Processor in Ecuador Is Culprit Behind Lead-Tainted Applesauce, FDA Says

Late-Life Divorce May Be Mentally Tougher on Women Than Men

Music Hath Charms to Boost Mental Health: Poll

Body Temperature Rises in People Battling Depression

Could Bullying Raise a Teen’s Odds for Psychosis?

CDC Restarts National Anti-Smoking Campaign, With Focus on Menthols

Scientists Produce First 3D-Printed Brain Tissue for Use in Research

Surge in Police Seizures of ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Mirrors Rise in Psilocybin Use