Science and Brain Health Exploring New Pathways

Feb 5

CUTTING EDGE SCIENCE ARTICLES:

ALCOHOL AND BRAIN HEALTH -The conclusions of this study are clear and unambiguous: alcohol is a colossal global health issue and small reductions in health-related harms at low levels of alcohol intake are outweighed by the increased risk of other health-related harms, including cancer. Transcriptome analysis of alcohol-treated microglia reveals downregulation of beta-amyloid phagocytosis.

DIET AND BRAIN HEALTH - What if we can tell what diet works best for you by looking at your biomarkers? This is the idea behind precision medicine, the shift in paradigm that is changing the healthcare field so that we prevent illness rather than keep giving you medicine to 'stabilize' disease. Instead of a guessing game of what diet is best for you, the choice is based on science. In this study fasting blood sugar and fasting insulin were identified as biomarkers that improved your chances of weight loss. If you are prediabetic i.e. a Mediterranean diet rich in veges and whole grains was successful. If you were already diabetic increasing your fats was better. The changes were irrespective of caloric restriction.

ELECTRICITY AND THE BRAIN - In psychiatry, for years, we've been using electrical current in the form of Electro-Convulsant Therapy (ECT) for depression. Electrical current is being used to treat Parkinsonian movements in the form of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Here are a few studies using DBS that are showing promise. Direct current (DC) has also been used to maximize cognitive resources in the defense department studies and home devices for the treatment of depression.

Electrostimulation can improve working memory in people. April 12, 2019-In a groundbreaking study, researchers demonstrate that electrostimulation can improve the working memory of people in their 70s so that their performance on memory tasks is indistinguishable from that of 20-year-olds.

High-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting hippocampal-cortical brain networks can improve age-related decline in long-term memory, as new research shows. Neurology News April 2019

EYE HEALTH AND BRAIN HEALTH - Nowhere in the body can you see a nerve, artery, or vein without conducting surgery. The importance of ophthalmological examinations is born out in this study that shows AMD(Age-related Macular Degeneration), Glaucoma, and Diabetic Retinopathy all pose a greater risk of dementia.

GUT AND BRAIN HEALTH- IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) - Genes now discovered that predispose to IBS. Treatment using FODMAP- a diet that reduces the consumption of fermented saccharides shows improvement in symptoms.

MICROBIOME - This research points to the discovery that antipsychotics and other medicines have an antimicrobial effect which suppresses at least one of the 40 bacteria species in the gut.

PHOTOBIOMODULATION (LASERS) AND BRAIN HEALTH - Research into light-emitting lasers used for diverse conditions from chronic pain to neurological disorders.

Photomodulation improves cognitive function in older adults.

PSYCHIATRY AND BRAIN HEALTH - The connection between the immune system and brain disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia is strengthened along with a case for taking probiotics and attending to microbiome health.

PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY AND BRAIN HEALTH - Recent studies at academic centers (UCLA, NYU, Johns Hopkins) have begun to probe various states of consciousness created by psychedelic substances that result in profound shifts in our default prone brain from negative and fearful thinking loops to expanded states that alter these patterns.

Reluctant psychonaut Michael Pollan embraces the new science of psychedelics.

SLEEP AND BRAIN HEALTH - Ever wonder why some of us have greater cognitive impairment with sleep disruption? It is our micro Rna that portends greater difficulty. In the future, we may be able to test for this individual susceptibility.

A sleep scientist warns against walking through life in an underslept state.

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