by American Psychological Association Credit: CC0 Public Domain People generally think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, but while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable—and that they often play a helpful, not harmful, role in our daily lives, according to a presentation at the annual...
Tag: <span>Stress</span>
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What stress does to the brain
by ETH Zurich Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that selective release of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline reconfigures communication between large-scale networks in the brain. Their findings provide insights into rapid neural processes that occur in the brain during stressful situations. In moments of acute stress—for example, a life-threatening situation in road traffic—our brain has just...
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Early life stress plus over expressed FKBP5 protein increases anxiety behavior
by University of South Florida Researchers continue to dig for molecular clues to better understand how gene-environment interactions influence neuropsychiatric disease risk and resilience. An increasing number of studies point to a strong association between the FKBP5 gene and increased susceptibility to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders. Adding to the growing evidence, a new preclinical study...
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Beta blockers reduce stress-induced irregular heart rhythm
YALE UNIVERSITY New Haven, Conn. — Taking beta blockers — medications that reduce blood pressure and treat many heart conditions — can blunt the negative effects of stress and anger on people with a history of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythm, said Yale researchers. This strategy could potentially improve quality of life for many...
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To treat an eating disorder, we need to know what emotion fuels it
by Julianna Photopoulos, From Horizon Magazine, Horizon: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine Pinpointing how different emotional states and neural pathways influence our eating behaviours could pave the way for better ways to tackle eating disorders and obesity. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia can have life-threatening consequences. They affect around 20 million people in the European Union, with an estimated cost...
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Stressed at work and trouble sleeping? It’s more serious than you think
by European Society of Cardiology Work stress and impaired sleep are linked to a threefold higher risk of cardiovascular death in employees with hypertension. That’s the finding of research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Study author Professor Karl-Heinz Ladwig, of the German Research Centre for...
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Being too harsh on yourself could lead to OCD and anxiety
A correlation was found between strong feelings of responsibility and likelihood of developing OCD or GAD in American university students HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY A new study has found that people who reported intense feelings of responsibility were susceptible to developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) was published in the International Journal of Cognitive Therapy. “People with OCD [are]...
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Studies highlight lasting effects of early life stress on the genome, gut, and brain
Excessive stress during fetal development or early childhood can have long-term consequences for the brain, from increasing the likelihood of brain disorders and affecting an individual’s response to stress as an adult to changing the nutrients a mother may pass on to her babies in the womb. The new research suggests novel approaches to combat...
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Singing may reduce stress, improve motor function for people with Parkinson’s disease
Elizabeth Stegemöller leads a singing group for people with Parkinson’s disease. Her latest research shows singing can lower stress and improve motor symptoms. Credit: Iowa State University Singing may provide benefits beyond improving respiratory and swallow control in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to new data from Iowa State University researchers. The results from the...
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High fiber diets may make you less stressed because your gut affects your brain, study finds
Stress can weaken the walls of the gut, leading to leaks These leaks release bacteria and undigested food into the body cavity and can cause chronic inflammation But a high-fiber diet helps the gut produce cellular food that can fix these leaks New University College Cork research suggests that the same treatment may reduce the...