THEPSYCHOLOGYTURKEY

Researchers describe biological mechanism that allows sleep to build relational memories -- associations between unrelated items. http://dlvr.it/SRNwZZ

Breathing difficulties are the main cause of death following opioid use. In the UK, the number of adults entering treatment for opioid use was 140,863 in 2020/211 and opioid use remains a significant cause of premature death, contributing to 3,726 drug-related deaths last year. Opioid misuse causes death by supressing respiratory activity. New research points to a novel treatment for respiratory depression associated with opioid use that administers electrical pulses to the back of the neck, helping patients regain respiratory control following high dosage opioid use. This could offer an alternative to pharmacological treatments, which can cause withdrawal symptoms, heart problems and can negatively affect the central nervous system. http://dlvr.it/SRNwWf

In recent years Alzheimer's disease has been on the rise throughout the world and is rarely diagnosed at an early stage when it can still be effectively controlled. Using artificial intelligence, researchers conducted a study to identify whether human-computer interfaces could be adapted for people with memory impairments to recognize a visible object in front of them. http://dlvr.it/SRNTgp

Researchers have designed a targeted therapeutic treatment that restricts brain inflammation. The effectiveness of this approach in improving outcomes was demonstrated following brain injury, stroke or multiple sclerosis in mice. The system increases the number of regulatory T cells, mediators of the immune system's anti-inflammatory response, in the brain. By boosting the number of T regulatory cells in the brain, the researchers were able to prevent the death of brain tissue in mice following injury and the mice performed better in cognitive tests. The treatment has a high potential for use in patients with traumatic brain injury, with few alternatives currently available to prevent harmful neuroinflammation. http://dlvr.it/SR6Tft

Scientists have demonstrated that normal brain aging is accelerated by approximately 26% in people with progressive type 2 diabetes compared with individuals without the disease, reports a new study. http://dlvr.it/SR3BkN

Researchers have developed an imaging technique to capture information about the structure and function of brain tissue at subcellular level -- a few billionth of a meter, while also capturing information about the surrounding environment. The unique approach, overcomes the challenges of imaging tissues at different scales, allowing scientists to see the surrounding cells and how they function, so they can build a complete picture of neural networks in the brain. http://dlvr.it/SR3Bgl

Emotion-recognition among people with disorders such as Parkinson's disease or schizophrenia may be affected by changes in the levels dopamine in the brain, say researchers. http://dlvr.it/SR03fG

Modern anesthesia is one of the most important medical achievements. Whereas before, patients had to suffer hellish agonies during every operation, today anesthesia enables completely painless procedures. One feels nothing and can remember nothing afterwards. It is already known from electroencephalography (EEG) studies on patients that during anesthesia the brain is put into a deep sleep-like state in which periods of rhythmic electrical activity alternate with periods of complete inactivity. This state is called burst-suppression. Until now, it was unclear where exactly this state happens in the brain and which brain areas are involved. http://dlvr.it/SR03bc

The drug gabapentin, currently prescribed to control seizures and reduce nerve pain, may enhance recovery of movement after a stroke by helping neurons on the undamaged side of the brain take up the signaling work of lost cells, new research in mice suggests. http://dlvr.it/SQwpMQ

Children who spend more time playing adventurously have lower symptoms of anxiety and depression, and were happier over the first Covid-19 lockdown, according to new research. http://dlvr.it/SQvxX2

A groundbreaking study has found the underlying cause and a potential treatment for infantile spasms -- intractable epilepsy common in babies and with limited treatment options. http://dlvr.it/SQmWqZ

Researchers have reported new evidence that cognitive abnormalities seen in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia may be traceable to altered activity in the thalamus during adolescence, a time window of heightened vulnerability for schizophrenia. http://dlvr.it/SQm7nM

Scientists have described a novel preclinical drug that could have the potential to combat depression, brain injury and diseases that impair cognition. The drug, which notably is brain-permeable, acts to inhibit the kinase enzyme Cdk5. http://dlvr.it/SQm7h4

A research team has mapped out the development and genetic trajectory of previously understudied macrophages associated with the central nervous system. Among other things, the team found that meningeal macrophages are formed during gestation and develop in the same way as microglia, while perivascular macrophages develop after birth. Their new insights could pave the way for better understanding the origins and mechanisms behind leading brain-related pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease. http://dlvr.it/SQlfqv

People with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) develop tumors on nerves throughout their bodies. Researchers have discovered that nerve cells with the mutation that causes NF1 are hyperexcitable and that suppressing this hyperactivity with the epilepsy drug lamotrigine stops tumor growth in mice. http://dlvr.it/SQhynJ

In studies with mouse and human tissue, as well as live mice, researchers report that a snag in the normal process of cleaning up broken DNA in brain cells may hasten the progression of Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the researchers found that a protein dubbed 'STING' responds to clean-up signals in brain cells damaged by Parkinson's disease by creating a cycle of inflammation that may accelerate the disease's progression. http://dlvr.it/SQhyk5

Women instructed to embrace their romantic partner prior to undergoing a stressful experience had a lower biological stress response -- as indicated by levels of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva -- compared to women who did not embrace their partner. This effect was not seen for men. http://dlvr.it/SQh4c1

Within many societies and cultures around the world, older adults are too often undervalued and underappreciated, according to a new article. This exacerbates many key challenges that older adults may face. It also undermines the many positive aspects of late life that are of value at both an individual and societal level. In the article, 'Investing in Late-Life Brain Capital,' a global team of experts propose a new approach to elevate health and well-being by optimizing late-life brain capital. http://dlvr.it/SQdjGG

Researchers found that a person's genetics and the environment in which they live contribute to how socioeconomic status shapes the architecture of the brain. http://dlvr.it/SQd0mQ

Different types of brain damage caused by a concussion may lead to similar symptoms in children, according to new research. A new way of studying concussions could help develop future treatments. http://dlvr.it/SQYRXz