Jeff D. Williamson, M.D., M.H.S., from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues randomly assigned adults aged 50 years or older with hypertension to a systolic BP goal of <120 mm Hg (4,678 participants) or <140 mm Hg (4,683 participants). (HealthDay)—Treating systolic blood pressure (BP) to a goal of less...
Category: <span>Neuroscience</span>
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‘Bugs’ in the gut might predict dementia in the brain
DALLAS, Jan. 30, 2019 — The makeup of bacteria and other microbes in the gut may have a direct association with dementia risk, according to preliminary research to be presented in Honolulu at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment...
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BIDMC researchers ID, treat faulty brain circuitry underlying symptoms of schizophrenia
BOSTON – Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling mental illness that affects more than three million Americans. Anti-psychotic medication can control schizophrenia’s psychotic symptoms, including the hallucinations and delusions that are well-known hallmarks of the disease. However, there are no effective treatments for the disease’s ‘negative symptoms’ – so-called because they involve a loss of...
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Your identity is almost entirely based on unconscious brain processes
We often think that our deeply held beliefs, opinions, and emotions are the result of a long time spent thinking. We see ourselves as an executive of sortssomewhere inside our own head, pondering, making plans, and coming to decisions. This is what is known as a top-down model of executive control. It isn’t only laypeople...
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Scientists shed light on processes behind age-related decline in brain structures
Ageing can cause damage to support cells in the white matter, which in turn may lead to damage in the grey matter of the hippocampus, finds a new study by Cardiff University. The discovery gives researchers a new area to focus on in the search for treatments that can protect cognitive function. Claudia Metzler-Baddeley, from...
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Sleep apnea creates gaps in life memories: Study
People with sleep apnoea struggle to remember details of memories from their own lives, potentially making them vulnerable to depression, new research has shown. Estimated to affect more than 936 million people worldwide*, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a serious condition that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with OSA are...
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A new approach to peripheral nerve injury?
In animal models of a totally crushed peripheral nerve, the damaged axons are broken down, allowing healthy ones to regrow. But humans rarely suffer complete axonal damage. Instead, axons tend to be partially damaged, causing neuropathic pain — a difficult-to-treat, chronic pain associated with nerve trauma, chemotherapy and diabetes. A new study in Cell, led...
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Learning new vocabulary during deep sleep
Sleeping time is sometimes considered unproductive time. This raises the question whether the time spent asleep could be used more productively – e.g. for learning a new language? To date sleep research focused on the stabilization and strengthening (consolidation) of memories that had been formed during preceding wakefulness. However, learning during sleep has rarely been...
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Proving Painsomnia is Real: A Case Study
Living with Painsomnia It doesn’t matter if it is 11pm or 2am. Anyone seeking solidarity during a long night awake with pain can find a virtual friend on the Twitter #Painsomnia hashtag or by mentioning it on other tags frequented by people living with a chronic disease. Painsomnia is a patient-generated term for the vicious...
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Study Says Brain Training App Can Help Improve Focus And Concentration
Decoder, a new brain training app, promises to improve user attention and concentration with only one month of use. A science-backed app has improved the focus of participants in a new study by the researchers from the University of Cambridge. Decoder, which has recently been released on the Apple App Store, promises to help users...