Category: Brain and Nervous System
Meditation Is Big Business. The Science Isn’t So Clear.
For more than two decades, various studies have suggested that meditation and mindfulness — that is, being aware of the present moment — can help reduce and improve pain management, lending some credence to the notion that the brain can affect the body. Such results have helped the field grow into a multibillion-dollar industry, populated by meditation apps, guided workshops, and upscale retreats.
Yet the field has also faced sharp criticism from psychologists and researchers who say the health benefits are overstated and some of the research methodologically flawed.
Most people with chronic back pain naturally think their pain is caused by injuries or other problems in the body such as arthritis or bulging disks. But our research team has found that thinking about the root cause of pain as a process that’s occurring in the brain can help promote recovery.
How do stimulants actually work to reduce ADHD symptoms?
Stimulant drugs are thought to alter the activity of key neuotransmitters, dopamine and noradrenaline, in the brain. These neurotransmitters help with attention and focus, among other things.
Early indicators of dementia: 5 behaviour changes to look for after age 50
Five signs to look for: Apathy, affective dysregulation, lack of impulse control, social inappropriateness, and abnormal perceptions or thought.
Monitoring brainwaves to track how patients with depression respond the treatment
Depression recovery can be hard to measure − new research on deep brain stimulation shows how objective biomarkers could help make treatment more precise Christopher Rozell, Georgia Institute of Technology and Sankaraleengam Alagapan, Georgia Institute of Technology It can be challenging…
Our vagus nerves help us rest, digest and restore. Can you really reset them to feel better?
On social media and in wellbeing circles, people have been talking about the vagus nerve a lot. In fact, we have two vagus nerves – a left and a right – and their optimal functioning is essential for good physical and mental health.
Many social media posts describe ways to reset the vagus nerves to reduce stress and increase calm. These mostly focus on yoga, meditation, deep breathing and cold plunges.
But the vagus nerves also play a part in why socialising, sex and sports are good for our health and wellbeing.
Aging with a healthy brain: How lifestyle changes could help prevent up to 40% of dementia cases
By adopting positive lifestyle habits, we could theoretically prevent about 40 per cent of dementias. While there is no guarantee of warding off cognitive decline, people can greatly reduce their risk of dementia by increasing their physical activity levels, ensuring they are mentally active and increasing social contact, while avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.
Women get far more migraines than men – a neurologist explains why, and what brings relief
More than three times as many women as compared to men get migraines, and women’s migraines are more frequent, more disabling and longer-lasting than men’s.
More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend
The average person has a couple of symptoms of ADHD, so it can be hard to draw the line between ADHD-like tendencies – such as a tendency to lose keys, having a messy desk or often finding your mind wandering during a dull task – and a diagnosable medical disorder.
Migraine: A common headache disorder that is underdiagnosed and undertreated
Melina Albanese, University of Toronto Migraine is a common chronic health condition and a leading cause of disability globally. However, even in Canada, with a universal health-care system, migraine is underdiagnosed and undertreated. This is an important public health issue…
Dementia linked to repetitive brain trauma diagnosed in a female athlete for first time
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a devastating form of dementia which causes a decline in brain functioning and increased risk of mental illness. It is increasingly associated with athletes who play contact sports, such as football, boxing and martial arts.
Brain signatures for chronic pain identified in a small group of individuals
Chronic pain is one of the largest contributors to disability worldwide. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to the nervous system itself. It most commonly occurs due to injury to the nerves in our bodies, but for the individuals in this study, their pain is thought to originate from the brain itself. This kind of pain does not respond well to current treatments and can be debilitating for people living with it.
What causes motion sickness?
A UW physician explains how to reconcile the mismatch in what your senses are telling your brain
What is delirium?
Up to one-third of older people admitted to hospital are diagnosed with delirium. This increases the risk of unnecessary functional decline, a longer hospital stay, falls, needing to be admitted to a residential aged care facility, and death. However, identifying the condition early reduces these risks. Delirium can also be prevented by identifying who is vulnerable to the condition and finding ways of reducing the person’s risk.
What is Tourette syndrome, the condition Lewis Capaldi lives with?
You might have seen the news fans of singer Lewis Capaldi helped him finish a song at a concert this week, after symptoms of his Tourette syndrome suddenly flared up and temporarily prevented him from performing. — So, what is Tourette syndrome and how is it managed?