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Lockdowns Might Not Have Long-Term Psychological Effect: Study

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While pandemic lockdowns may have initially triggered feelings of isolation and worry, stay-at-home stress dissipated with time as people adjusted to their “new normal,” research suggests. In the study, scientists did a state-by-state analysis of Google search trends between January and June of 2020, covering topics such as COVID regulation policies, mental health concerns and in-home activities. On the “negative feelings” side of the ledger, search terms included “antidepressants” and “suicide.” More positive searches included “cooking” and “exercise tips.” Search trends were then stacked up against the varying timing and nature of each state’s particular lockdown experience. The result: “Google searches for mental health symptoms such as ‘isolation’ and ‘worry’ spiked after the implementation of the mitigation policies,” noted study author Bita Farkhad, an economist and a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But after two to four weeks, those spikes fell. In fact, Farkhad and her colleagues found that Google searches for terms that might indicate serious mental health issues — such as “suicide,” “antidepressant” and/or antidepressant drug names (Xanax, Prozac, Zoloft) — actually tended to drop off following the launch of stay-at-home orders. Why? The team theorized that not everything revolving around stay-at-home orders is by definition negative. For example, lockdowns also afford some with a rare opportunity to spend more time with loved ones, or to develop new,…  read on >  read on >

Is There a ‘Risk-Taking’ Center in the Brain?

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Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where anatomy is altered in people who take risks. Yet there is a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter and risky behavior, researchers concluded. “People have different tendencies to engage in behavior that risks their health or that involve uncertainties about the future,” senior author Gideon Nave said in a University of Pennsylvania news release. He’s an assistant professor of marketing at the university’s Wharton School. The research team gathered brain scans and genetic data from more than 12,600 people of European ancestry and then from another 13,000 people. All were aged 40 to 69 and enrolled in the UK Biobank. Investigators used self-reported risky behaviors — smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity and driving above the speed limit — to create an overall indicator of risk tolerance. They estimated the relationship between total gray matter volume across the brain and the risk-tolerance score. Higher risk tolerance was correlated with overall lower gray matter volume, researchers said, though only an association was seen. Gray matter carries out the basic functions of…  read on >  read on >

Another Deadly Disease for Smokers: Pulmonary Fibrosis

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Current and former smokers are at risk for a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, but many aren’t aware of the threat, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation says. There is no cure for the disease, which affects more than 200,000 Americans. A recent foundation survey found that more than 80% of smokers are unfamiliar with pulmonary fibrosis. This is a concerning statistic among a group disproportionately affected by the disease. Both smokers and nonsmokers have little awareness of the disease, and nearly 9 out of 10 Americans don’t know its symptoms: shortness of breath, a dry, chronic cough and fatigue. “Smokers are often aware that tobacco usage can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, COPD and emphysema, among others. However, as smokers experience chronic symptoms similar to those of PF, such as a dry, persistent cough, it is important they discuss PF with their doctors,” Dr. Amy Hajari Case said in a foundation news release. She’s senior medical adviser of education and awareness. It’s never too late to stop smoking, the foundation emphasized. Quitting smoking can increase overall health and quality of life at any age by reducing loss of core lung function over time and increasing lung capacity, which is crucial to maintaining a healthy blood oxygen level. Giving up the tobacco habit may also reduce inflammation of the airway, which can take months or…  read on >  read on >

Music Could Be a Post-Op Panacea, Study Finds

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Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients’ anxiety and postoperative pain — without any extra side effects. A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. “This is a fascinating question for heart surgeons because we perform the most invasive procedures that require opening the chest, stopping the heart, using a heart-lung machine while we fix the heart, and then allowing the patient to return to life again,” said Dr. Harold Fernandez, a U.S. cardiac surgeon unconnected to the new study. “Undoubtedly, there is a significant amount of both anxiety and pain associated with these procedures,” said Fernandez, who is chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. In the new research, published Jan. 25 in the online journal Open Heart, the Dutch team analyzed data from 16 studies looking at the effect of music on post-op care. The studies included almost 1,000 patients, and about 90% of the procedures involved coronary artery bypass grafts and/or heart valve replacement. A majority of the time the type of music used was relaxing and did not have strong rhythms or percussion, the researchers noted. The choice of music varied; sometimes it was from the…  read on >  read on >

Women’s Menstrual Cycles Tied to Moon’s Phases

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There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of the time for women aged 35 or younger, and just 9% of the time for older women. There was a great deal of variance, though, among individuals. And for a few women, there were hints that excessive exposure to artificial light at night could have thrown off any moon-menstruation synchrony. One expert called the findings “interesting,” and said they might reflect remnants of a lunar influence that benefited humans’ ancient ancestors. Early primates were nocturnal creatures, so a degree of moon-influenced behavior would make sense for them, according to Deena Emera. Emera, who was not involved in the study, is an evolutionary geneticist based at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, in California. Mating is risky business, Emera noted, as it makes animals vulnerable to predators. So mating during the new moon, under cover of more darkness, would be a “reasonable strategy,” she said. That also means there would be an advantage to ovulation being timed to the new moon. “I think any [moon-menstruation] synchronization seen today…  read on >  read on >

Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Linked to Worsening Memory

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Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests. Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with changes in the aging brain, researchers say. “Dilated perivascular spaces, which are a common MRI finding, especially in the elderly, are not just an incidental finding,” said study author Dr. Matt Paradise, a psychiatrist and research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “Instead, they should be taken seriously, and assessing their severity may be able to help clinicians and researchers better diagnose dementia and help predict the trajectory of people with cognitive decline.” Paradise noted, however, that the study does not prove that enlarged perivascular spaces cause thinking and memory problems, only that there is an association. “Dilated perivascular spaces may be a marker of the disease process, but not necessarily drive it,” he explained. ‘The underlying mechanisms for dilated perivascular spaces are complex and need unraveling.” One neurologist agreed that relationship between these enlarged spaces and dementia is complicated. “We all have perivascular spaces. They are natural, but they’re usually very small, so small that when we do pictures of the brain, we don’t usually see them,” explained Dr. Glen…  read on >  read on >

Women’s Menstrual Cycles Tied to Moon’s Phases

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There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of the time for women aged 35 or younger, and just 9% of the time for older women. There was a great deal of variance, though, among individuals. And for a few women, there were hints that excessive exposure to artificial light at night could have thrown off any moon-menstruation synchrony. One expert called the findings “interesting,” and said they might reflect remnants of a lunar influence that benefited humans’ ancient ancestors. Early primates were nocturnal creatures, so a degree of moon-influenced behavior would make sense for them, according to Deena Emera. Emera, who was not involved in the study, is an evolutionary geneticist based at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, in California. Mating is risky business, Emera noted, as it makes animals vulnerable to predators. So mating during the new moon, under cover of more darkness, would be a “reasonable strategy,” she said. That also means there would be an advantage to ovulation being timed to the new moon. “I think any [moon-menstruation] synchronization seen today…  read on >  read on >

Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Linked to Worsening Memory

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Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests. Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with changes in the aging brain, researchers say. “Dilated perivascular spaces, which are a common MRI finding, especially in the elderly, are not just an incidental finding,” said study author Dr. Matt Paradise, a psychiatrist and research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “Instead, they should be taken seriously, and assessing their severity may be able to help clinicians and researchers better diagnose dementia and help predict the trajectory of people with cognitive decline.” Paradise noted, however, that the study does not prove that enlarged perivascular spaces cause thinking and memory problems, only that there is an association. “Dilated perivascular spaces may be a marker of the disease process, but not necessarily drive it,” he explained. ‘The underlying mechanisms for dilated perivascular spaces are complex and need unraveling.” One neurologist agreed that relationship between these enlarged spaces and dementia is complicated. “We all have perivascular spaces. They are natural, but they’re usually very small, so small that when we do pictures of the brain, we don’t usually see them,” explained Dr. Glen…  read on >  read on >

Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Linked to Worsening Memory

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Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests. Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with changes in the aging brain, researchers say. “Dilated perivascular spaces, which are a common MRI finding, especially in the elderly, are not just an incidental finding,” said study author Dr. Matt Paradise, a psychiatrist and research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “Instead, they should be taken seriously, and assessing their severity may be able to help clinicians and researchers better diagnose dementia and help predict the trajectory of people with cognitive decline.” Paradise noted, however, that the study does not prove that enlarged perivascular spaces cause thinking and memory problems, only that there is an association. “Dilated perivascular spaces may be a marker of the disease process, but not necessarily drive it,” he explained. ‘The underlying mechanisms for dilated perivascular spaces are complex and need unraveling.” One neurologist agreed that relationship between these enlarged spaces and dementia is complicated. “We all have perivascular spaces. They are natural, but they’re usually very small, so small that when we do pictures of the brain, we don’t usually see them,” explained Dr. Glen…  read on >  read on >

Fluid-Filled Spaces in the Brain Linked to Worsening Memory

By | | Add a Comment

Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests. Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with changes in the aging brain, researchers say. “Dilated perivascular spaces, which are a common MRI finding, especially in the elderly, are not just an incidental finding,” said study author Dr. Matt Paradise, a psychiatrist and research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “Instead, they should be taken seriously, and assessing their severity may be able to help clinicians and researchers better diagnose dementia and help predict the trajectory of people with cognitive decline.” Paradise noted, however, that the study does not prove that enlarged perivascular spaces cause thinking and memory problems, only that there is an association. “Dilated perivascular spaces may be a marker of the disease process, but not necessarily drive it,” he explained. ‘The underlying mechanisms for dilated perivascular spaces are complex and need unraveling.” One neurologist agreed that relationship between these enlarged spaces and dementia is complicated. “We all have perivascular spaces. They are natural, but they’re usually very small, so small that when we do pictures of the brain, we don’t usually see them,” explained Dr. Glenn…  read on >  read on >