Blueberry concentrate improves brain function in older people
March 7, 2017
Science Daily/University of Exeter
Drinking concentrated blueberry juice improves brain function in older people, according to new research.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/03/170307100356_1_540x360.jpg
Blueberries. The study gave people a daily drink of blueberry concentrate, providing the equivalent of 230g of blueberries.
Credit: © Tim UR / Fotolia
In the study, healthy people aged 65-77 who drank concentrated blueberry juice every day showed improvements in cognitive function, blood flow to the brain and activation of the brain while carrying out cognitive tests.
There was also evidence suggesting improvement in working memory.
Blueberries are rich in flavonoids, which possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Dr Joanna Bowtell, head of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter, said: "Our cognitive function tends to decline as we get older, but previous research has shown that cognitive function is better preserved in healthy older adults with a diet rich in plant-based foods.
"In this study we have shown that with just 12 weeks of consuming 30ml of concentrated blueberry juice every day, brain blood flow, brain activation and some aspects of working memory were improved in this group of healthy older adults."
Of the 26 healthy adults in the study, 12 were given concentrated blueberry juice -- providing the equivalent of 230g of blueberries -- once a day, while 14 received a placebo.
Before and after the 12-week period, participants took a range of cognitive tests while an MRI scanner monitored their brain function and resting brain blood flow was measured.
Compared to the placebo group, those who took the blueberry supplement showed significant increases in brain activity in brain areas related to the tests.
The study excluded anyone who said they consumed more than five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and all participants were told to stick to their normal diet throughout.
Previous research has shown that risk of dementia is reduced by higher fruit and vegetable intake, and cognitive function is better preserved in healthy older adults with a diet rich in plant-based foods.
Flavonoids, which are abundant in plants, are likely to be an important component in causing these effects.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307100356.htm
Caffeine boosts enzyme that could protect against dementia
New analysis reveals 24 compounds that can help reduce impact of harmful proteins in the brain
March 7, 2017
Science Daily/Indiana University
Researchers have identified 24 compounds -- including caffeine -- with the potential to boost an enzyme in the brain shown to protect against dementia.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/03/170307130903_1_540x360.jpg
Indiana University scientists have identified 24 compounds that increase the brain's production of the enzyme NMNAT2, which helps prevent the formation of these tangles associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
Credit: Image courtesy of the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health
The protective effect of the enzyme, called NMNAT2, was discovered last year through research conducted at IU Bloomington. The new study appears today in the journal Scientific Reports.
"This work could help advance efforts to develop drugs that increase levels of this enzyme in the brain, creating a chemical 'blockade' against the debilitating effects of neurodegenerative disorders," said Hui-Chen Lu, who led the study. Lu is a Gill Professor in the Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Science and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, a part of the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences.
Previously, Lu and colleagues found that NMNAT2 plays two roles in the brain: a protective function to guard neurons from stress and a "chaperone function" to combat misfolded proteins called tau, which accumulate in the brain as "plaques" due to aging. The study was the first to reveal the "chaperone function" in the enzyme.
Misfolded proteins have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of these disorders, affects over 5.4 million Americans, with numbers expected to rise as the population ages.
To identify substances with the potential to affect the production of the NMNAT2 enzyme in the brain, Lu's team screened over 1,280 compounds, including existing drugs, using a method developed in her lab. A total of 24 compounds were identified as having potential to increase the production of NMNAT2 in the brain.
One of the substances shown to increase production of the enzyme was caffeine, which also has been shown to improve memory function in mice genetically modified to produce high levels of misfolded tau proteins.
Lu's earlier research found that mice altered to produce misfolded tau also produced lower levels of NMNAT2.
To confirm the effect of caffeine, IU researchers administered caffeine to mice modified to produce lower levels of NMNAT2. As a result, the mice began to produce the same levels of the enzyme as normal mice.
Another compound found to strongly boost NMNAT2 production in the brain was rolipram, an "orphaned drug" whose development as an antidepressant was discontinued in the mid-1990s. The compound remains of interest to brain researchers due to several other studies also showing evidence it could reduce the impact of tangled proteins in the brain.
Other compounds shown by the study to increase the production of NMNAT2 in the brain -- although not as strongly as caffeine or rolipram -- were ziprasidone, cantharidin, wortmannin and retinoic acid. The effect of retinoic acid could be significant since the compound derives from vitamin A, Lu said.
An additional 13 compounds were identified as having potential to lower the production of NMNAT2. Lu said these compounds are also important because understanding their role in the body could lead to new insights into how they may contribute to dementia.
"Increasing our knowledge about the pathways in the brain that appear to naturally cause the decline of this necessary protein is equally as important as identifying compounds that could play a role in future treatment of these debilitating mental disorders," she said.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307130903.htm
Sound waves boost older adults' memory, deep sleep
Pink noise synced to brain waves deepens sleep and triples memory scores in older adults
March 8, 2017
Science Daily/Northwestern University
Gentle sound stimulation -- such as the rush of a waterfall -- synchronized to the rhythm of brain waves significantly enhanced deep sleep in older adults and tripled their ability to recall words, reports a new study. The goal is to make the new technology available for home use.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/03/170308081024_1_540x360.jpg
Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation. But beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in aging.
Credit: © WavebreakMediaMicro / Fotolia
Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation. But beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in aging.
The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test.
"This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health," said senior author Dr. Phyllis Zee, professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine sleep specialist. "This is a potential tool for enhancing memory in older populations and attenuating normal age-related memory decline."
The study will be published March 8 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
In the study, 13 participants 60 and older received one night of acoustic stimulation and one night of sham stimulation. The sham stimulation procedure was identical to the acoustic one, but participants did not hear any noise during sleep. For both the sham and acoustic stimulation sessions, the individuals took a memory test at night and again the next morning. Recall ability after the sham stimulation generally improved on the morning test by a few percent. However, the average improvement was three times larger after pink-noise stimulation.
The older adults were recruited from the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern.
The degree of slow wave sleep enhancement was related to the degree of memory improvement, suggesting slow wave sleep remains important for memory, even in old age.
Although the Northwestern scientists have not yet studied the effect of repeated nights of stimulation, this method could be a viable intervention for longer-term use in the home, Zee said.
Previous research showed acoustic simulation played during deep sleep could improve memory consolidation in young people. But it has not been tested in older adults.
The new study targeted older individuals -- who have much more to gain memory-wise from enhanced deep sleep -- and used a novel sound system that increased the effectiveness of the sound stimulation in older populations.
The study used a new approach, which reads an individual's brain waves in real time and locks in the gentle sound stimulation during a precise moment of neuron communication during deep sleep, which varies for each person.
During deep sleep, each brain wave or oscillation slows to about one per second compared to 10 oscillations per second during wakefulness.
Giovanni Santostasi, a study coauthor, developed an algorithm that delivers the sound during the rising portion of slow wave oscillations. This stimulation enhances synchronization of the neurons' activity.
After the sound stimulation, the older participants' slow waves increased during sleep.
Larger studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of this method and then "the idea is to be able to offer this for people to use at home," said first author Nelly Papalambros, a Ph.D. student in neuroscience working in Zee's lab. "We want to move this to long-term, at-home studies."
Northwestern scientists, under the direction of Dr. Roneil Malkani, assistant professor of neurology at Feinberg and a Northwestern Medicine sleep specialist, are currently testing the acoustic stimulation in overnight sleep studies in patients with memory complaints. The goal is to determine whether acoustic stimulation can enhance memory in adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Previous studies conducted in individuals with mild cognitive impairment in collaboration with Ken Paller, professor of psychology at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern, have demonstrated a possible link between their sleep and their memory impairments.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170308081024.htm
Rapid blood pressure drops in middle age linked to dementia in old age
Temporary episodes of dizziness or light-headedness when standing could reduce blood flow to the brain with lasting impacts
March 10, 2017
Science Daily/Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Middle-aged people who experience temporary blood pressure drops that often cause dizziness upon standing up may be at an increased risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia 20 years later.
The findings, being presented March 10 at the American Heart Association's EPI|LIFESTYLE 2017 Scientific Sessions in Portland, Ore., suggest that these temporary episodes -- known as orthostatic hypotension -- may cause lasting damage, possibly because they reduce needed blood flow to the brain. Previous research has suggested a connection between orthostatic hypotension and cognitive decline in older people, but this appears to be the first to look at long-term associations.
"Even though these episodes are fleeting, they may have impacts that are long lasting," says study leader Andreea Rawlings, PhD, MS, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School. "We found that those people who suffered from orthostatic hypotension in middle age were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who did not. It's a significant finding and we need to better understand just what is happening."
An estimated four million to five million Americans currently have dementia and, as the population ages, that number is only expected to grow. There currently is no treatment and no cure for the condition.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort, a study of 15,792 residents in four communities in the United States, who were between the ages of 45 and 64 when the study began in 1987. For this study, they focused on the 11,503 participants at visit one who had no history of coronary heart disease or stroke. After 20 minutes lying down, researchers took the participants' blood pressure upon standing. Orthostatic hypotension was defined as a drop of 20 mmHg or more in systolic blood pressure or 10 mmHg or more in diastolic blood pressure. Roughly six percent of participants, or 703 people, met the definition.
These participants, who were on average 54 years old upon enrolling in the study, continued to be followed over the next 20 or more years. People with orthostatic hypotension at the first visit were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who did not have it. They had 15 percent more cognitive decline.
Rawlings says it is not possible to tease out for certain whether the orthostatic hypotension was an indicator of some other underlying disease or whether the drop in blood pressure itself is the cause, though it is likely that the reduction in blood flow to the brain, however temporary, could have lasting consequences.
It also wasn't clear, she says, whether these participants had repeated problems with orthostatic hypotension over many years or whether they had just a brief episode of orthostatic hypotension at the original enrollment visit, as patients were not retested over time.
"Identifying risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia is important for understanding disease progression, and being able to identify those most at risk gives us possible strategies for prevention and intervention," Rawlings says. "This is one of those factors worth more investigation."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170310132631.htm
The way the brain processes speech could serve as a predictor of early dementia
March 15, 2017
Science Daily/Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Early dementia is typically associated with memory and thinking problems, but older adults should also be vigilant about hearing and communication problems, suggest new recent findings.
Within older adults who scored below the normal benchmark on a dementia screening test, but have no noticeable communication problems, scientists have discovered a new potential predictor of early dementia through abnormal functionality in regions of the brain that process speech (the brainstem and auditory cortex).
These brain regions are thought to be more resilient to Alzheimer's. However, this discovery demonstrates changes occur early in the brain's conversion of speech sound into understandable words. This finding could be the first sign of decline in brain function related to communication that presents itself before individuals become aware of these problems.
Their research technique of measuring electrical brain activity using an electroencephalogram (EEG) in these brain regions also predicted mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that is likely to develop into Alzheimer's, with 80 per cent accuracy. This test could be developed into a cost-effective and objective diagnostic assessment for older adults.
The study, published online in the Journal of Neuroscience prior to print publication, looked at older adults with no known history of neurological or psychiatric illnesses with similar hearing acuity.
The brain activity within the brainstem of these older adults demonstrated abnormally large speech sound processing within seven to 10 milliseconds of the signal hitting the ear, which could be a sign of greater communication problems in the future.
"This opens a new door in identifying biological markers for dementia since we might consider using the brain's processing of speech sounds as a new way to detect the disease earlier," says Dr. Claude Alain, the study's senior author and senior scientist at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and professor at the University of Toronto's psychology department.
"Losing the ability to communicate is devastating and this finding could lead to the development of targeted treatments or interventions to maintain this capability and slow progression of the disease."
The study involved 23 older adults between the ages of 52 and 86. Participants were separated into two groups based on their results on a dementia screening test, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Researchers measured brain activity in the brainstem while participants were watching a video. They measured brain activity in the auditory cortex while participants were identifying vowel sounds. Statistical methods were used to combine both sets of brain activity to predict MCI.
"When we hear a sound, the normal aging brain keeps the sound in check during processing, but those with MCI have lost this inhibition and it was as if the flood gates were open since their neural response to the same sounds were over-exaggerated," says Dr. Gavin Bidelman, first author on the study, a former RRI post-doctoral fellow and assistant professor at the University of Memphis. "This functional biomarker could help identify people who should be monitored more closely for their risk of developing dementia."
The next steps involve studying whether those individuals who already have dementia or convert early from MCI to dementia also demonstrate these same changes in brain activity when they hear speech.
Research for this study was conducted with support from the Grammy Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the FedEx Institute of Technology and the Center for Technologies and Research in Alzheimer's Care, which supported the staff and equipment needed to conduct the study.
With additional funds, researchers could explore developing a portable, reliable and easy-to-use alternate diagnostic test for MCI that incorporates the body's different senses.
"MCI is known to cause changes in different senses, such as vision or touch," says Dr. Alain. "If we could incorporate these changes into a wireless EEG test, we could combine all this information and develop a better biomarker. One day, doctors could administer a short, 10-minute assessment and instantly provide results."
"This could offer a new diagnostic assessment that tests a person's cognitive abilities, such as their ability to communicate, and objectively measure physiological changes in the brain that reflect early signs of dementia," says Dr. Bidelman.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170315125552.htm
Daily consumption of tea may protect the elderly from cognitive decline
March 16, 2017
Science Daily/National University of Singapore
Tea drinking reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older persons by 50 per cent and as much as 86 per cent for those who are genetically at risk of Alzheimer's, new research suggests.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/03/170316093412_1_540x360.jpg
NUS researchers found that regular consumption of tea brewed from tea leaves reduces elderly persons' risk of cognitive decline.
Credit: © Serhiy Shullye / Fotolia
A cup of tea a day can keep dementia away, and this is especially so for those who are genetically predisposed to the debilitating disease, according to a recent study led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
The longitudinal study involving 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older has found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50 per cent, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86 per cent.
The research team also discovered that the neuroprotective role of tea consumption on cognitive function is not limited to a particular type of tea -- so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black or oolong tea.
"While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person's risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life," explained Asst Prof Feng.
He added, "Based on current knowledge, this long term benefit of tea consumption is due to the bioactive compounds in tea leaves, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine. These compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and other bioactive properties that may protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."
In this study, tea consumption information were collected from the participants, who are community-living elderly, from 2003 to 2005. At regular intervals of two years, these seniors were assessed on their cognitive function using standardised tools until 2010. Information on lifestyles, medical conditions, physical and social activities were also collected. Those potential confounding factors were carefully controlled in statistical models to ensure the robustness of the findings.
The research team published their findings in scientific journal The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging in December 2016.
Future Research
Asst Prof Feng and his team are planning to embark on further studies to better understand the impact of Asian diet on cognitive health in aging. They are also keen to investigate the effects of the bioactive compounds in tea and test them more rigorously through the assessment of their biological markers and by conducting randomised controlled trials or studies that assign participants into experimental groups or control groups randomly to eliminate biased results.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170316093412.htm
One in four elderly Australian women has dementia
At least a quarter of Australian women over 70 will develop dementia according to study
March 17, 2017
Science Daily/University of Queensland
At least a quarter of Australian women over 70 will develop dementia according to researchers. Australian policymakers previously had to rely on dementia rates from international studies, or extrapolated from clinical assessments made on small groups of people. The researchers used a technique borrowed from ecologists to provide an up-to-date estimate for dementia in the Australian population
The researchers used a new technique to provide an up-to-date estimate for dementia in the Australian population. Dr Michael Waller from the UQ School of Public Health said the nation's population was aging, but there was conflicting information being presented.
"On one hand we expect the number of women living with dementia to increase, but on the other hand there is international research suggesting rates might be decreasing," Dr Waller said.
"Having an up-to-date, local estimate of dementia rates is important so that policy makers and the health care and aged care industries can meet the needs of older Australians.
"There's no national registry for dementia, so Australian policy makers have had to rely on dementia rates from international studies, or extrapolated from clinical assessments made on small groups of people.
"We needed a new approach so we used a method ecologists call 'capture-recapture'.
"Where an ecologist works with animals, we work with data.
"So instead of capturing, tagging, releasing and then recapturing animals to estimate a population size we are applying the same technique to health data to estimate the number of cases.
"The prevalence of dementia is often underestimated and this technique allows us to compare different data sources and estimate the number of cases that may have been missed."
The researchers looked at data from 12,000 Australian women born between 1921 and 1926 who participated in the Women's Health Australia study (also known as the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health).
For the past 20 years participants answered detailed surveys on their lifestyle, activities, and physical and mental health.
Survey data was linked to aged care assessments, the National Death Index, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and hospital admissions data to find any instance where the women participating in the study were diagnosed with dementia by a doctor.
"Previously, an elderly participant with dementia would have just dropped out of the survey, but by linking to additional health records we can find out what happened to them and their contribution isn't lost," Dr Waller said.
"The women in the study have been very loyal over the years and I think that they, and their families, would appreciate that their contribution to women's health research will continue despite their diagnosis."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170317082500.htm
Better learning through zinc?
Zinc regulates the storage and release of neurotransmitters
March 21, 2017
Science Daily/Wiley
Zinc is a vital micronutrient involved in many cellular processes: For example, in learning and memory processes, it plays a role that is not yet understood. By using nanoelectrochemical measurements, researchers have made progress toward understanding by demonstrating that zinc influences the release of messenger molecules. Zinc changes the number of messenger molecules stored in vesicles and the dynamics of their release from the cell.
When signals are transmitted by synapses, messenger molecules (neurotransmitters) are released from storage chambers (synaptic vesicles) into the synaptic cleft, where they are "recognized" by neighboring nerve cells. This release is based on exocytosis: The vesicle docks at the cell membrane, opens at the point of contact, releases part of its contents to the outside, closes, and separates from the plasma membrane so it can be refilled.
A team led by Andrew G. Ewing at Gothenburg University, Sweden, used carbon fiber electrodes with nanotips to study the influence of zinc on these processes. They carried out measurements on PC12 cells that release the neurotransmitter dopamine when stimulated by a high potassium concentration, analogous to nerve cells. "By applying an electrode tip to the surface of the cell, we can follow the opening of an individual vesicle and compute the number of molecules released," says Ewing. In contrast, if the tip of the electrode is inserted into the cell, the vesicles in the cytoplasm stick to the electrode and release their full contents. Says Ewing: "The current transients allow us to determine how many transmitter molecules are contained in individual vesicles directly in the cytoplasm of the living cells."
After treatment with zinc, the total number of neurotransmitters contained in vesicles was reduced, on average by 27%. However, the amount of transmitter released upon stimulation remained constant. Analysis of the current transients provided an explanation of this apparent contradiction. According to Ewing, "Zinc changes the dynamics of the release. Before and after the opening of the vesicle a pore forms at the point of contact with the plasma membrane. After treatment with zinc, the pore closes more slowly than usual. The vesicle thus stays open longer and releases 92 % of its transmitter molecules to the outside -- instead of only 66 % without the zinc."
In order to investigate this phenomenon more closely, the cells were stripped down layer by layer from the outside in and were analyzed by mass spectrometry. The researchers found one zinc species near the cell membrane and a second in the interior of the cell. "The former is capable of binding to protein kinase C, an enzyme that binds to the membrane to regulate the speed of exocytosis. The zinc species inside the cell could slow down the transport protein that loads the dopamine into the vesicles," suggests Ewing. "Our results finally provide a connection between zinc and the regulation of neurotransmitter release. This could be important for the formation and storage of memories."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170321110326.htm
Rosemary aroma can aid children's working memory
Exposure to the aroma of rosemary essential oil can significantly enhance working memory in children
May 2, 2017
Science Daily/British Psychological Society
Exposure to the aroma of rosemary essential oil can significantly enhance working memory in children.
This is one the findings of a study presented today, Thursday 4 May 2017, by Dr Mark Moss and Victoria Earle of Northumbria University at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton.
Dr Mark Moss said: "Our previous study demonstrated the aroma of rosemary essential oil could enhance cognition in healthy adults. Knowing how important working memory is in academic achievement we wanted to see if similar effects could be found in school age children in classroom settings."
A total of 40 children aged 10 to 11 took part in a class based test on different mental tasks. Children were randomly assigned to a room that had either rosemary oil diffused in it for ten minutes or a room with no scent.
The children were tested individually, seated at the table opposite the researcher. After introducing herself to the child the researcher said: "You are here to play some memory games. Please don't be nervous but try the best you can to remember what I ask you to."
Analysis revealed that the children in the aroma room received significantly higher scores than the non-scented room. The test to recall words demonstrated the greatest different in scores.
Dr Moss said: "Why and how rosemary has this effect is still up for debate. It could be that aromas affect electrical activity in the brain or that pharmacologically active compounds can be absorbed when adults are exposed.
"We do know that poor working memory is related to poor academic performance and these findings offers a possible cost effective and simple intervention to improve academic performance in children. The time is ripe for large-scale trials of aroma application in education settings."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170502204545.htm
Exercise study offers hope in fight against Alzheimer's
Walking intervention improved neural connectivity in older adults with MCI
May 3, 2017
Science Daily/University of Maryland
A new study adds more information about how physical activity impacts brain physiology and offers hope that it may be possible to reestablish some protective neuronal connections. Researchers explored how a 12-week walking intervention with older adults affected functionality of a brain region known to show declines in people suffering from mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/05/170503213532_1_540x360.jpg
The brain's posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus region is a hub of neuronal networks which integrates and disperses signals. A loss of connectivity to this hub is associated with memory loss and amyloid accumulation, both signs of MCI and Alzheimer's.
Credit: J. Carson Smith
Could the initiation of a simple walking exercise program help older adults to reverse declines in key brain regions? A new study led by University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers adds more information about how physical activity impacts brain physiology and offers hope that it may be possible to reestablish some protective neuronal connections. Dr. J. Carson Smith, associate professor of kinesiology, and colleagues explored how a 12-week walking intervention with older adults, ages 60-88, affected functionality of a brain region known to show declines in people suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease.
"The brain's posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus region is a hub of neuronal networks which integrates and disperses signals," explains Dr. J. Carson Smith, senior author of the paper published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and director of the Exercise for Brain Health Laboratory. "We know that a loss of connectivity to this hub is associated with memory loss and amyloid accumulation, both signs of MCI and Alzheimer's."
For this reason, reduced connectivity to the PCC/precuneus region is seen as a potential biomarker to detect cognitive impairment even before symptoms of MCI or AD may appear. It is also a potential target to test the effectiveness of interventions such as exercise to improve brain function in those exhibiting symptoms of MCI.
Dr. Smith's research team recruited two groups -- one with 16 healthy elders and another with 16 elders diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment to participate in an exercise intervention that included walking for 30 minutes, four times a week (at 50-60 % of heart rate reserve) for three months.
Before and after the exercise intervention, participants in both groups underwent fMRI brain scans to assess functional connectivity between multiple brain regions and the PCC/precuneus. After completing the intervention, both groups showed improved ability to remember a list of words; however only the MCI group showed increased connectivity to the PCC/precuneus hub, which was evident in 10 regions spanning the frontal, parietal, temporal and insular lobes, and the cerebellum.
"These findings suggest that the protective effects of exercise training on cognition may be realized by the brain re-establishing communication and connections among the brain's so-called default mode network, which may possibly increase the capacity to compensate for the neural pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Smith.
While it is unclear yet whether the effects of exercise training can delay further cognitive decline in patients diagnosed with MCI, the neural network connectivity changes documented in this study provide hope that exercise training may stimulate brain plasticity and restore communication between brain regions that may have been lost through Alzheimer's disease. The specificity of these effects in the MCI group further suggest that exercise may be particularly useful in those who have already experienced mild memory loss. Future studies planned by Dr. Smith's team aim to include exercise control conditions, and to incorporate exercise combined with cognitive engagement, among healthy older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170503213532.htm
Cannabis reverses aging processes in the brain
Researchers restore the memory performance of Methuselah mice to a juvenile stage
May 8, 2017
Science Daily/University of Bonn
Memory performance decreases with increasing age. Cannabis can reverse these ageing processes in the brain. This was shown in mice by scientists at the University of Bonn with their colleagues at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). Old animals were able to regress to the state of two-month-old mice with a prolonged low-dose treatment with a cannabis active ingredient. This opens up new options, for instance, when it comes to treating dementia.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/05/170508112400_1_540x360.jpg
Prof. Dr. Andreas Zimmer (left) and the North Rhine-Westphalia science minister Svenja Schulze (centre) in the lab of the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at University of Bonn.
Credit: © Photo: Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn
Like any other organ, our brain ages. As a result, cognitive ability also decreases with increasing age. This can be noticed, for instance, in that it becomes more difficult to learn new things or devote attention to several things at the same time. This process is normal, but can also promote dementia. Researchers have long been looking for ways to slow down or even reverse this process.
Scientists at the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have now achieved this in mice. These animals have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and display pronounced cognitive deficits even at twelve months of age. The researchers administered a small quantity of THC, the active ingredient in the hemp plant (cannabis), to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months over a period of four weeks.
Afterwards, they tested learning capacity and memory performance in the animals -- including, for instance, orientation skills and the recognition of other mice. Mice who were only given a placebo displayed natural age-dependent learning and memory losses. In contrast, the cognitive functions of the animals treated with cannabis were just as good as the two-month-old control animals. "The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals," reported Prof. Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation.
Years of meticulous research
This treatment success is the result of years of meticulous research. First of all, the scientists discovered that the brain ages much faster when mice do not possess any functional receptors for THC. These cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors are proteins to which the substances dock and thus trigger a signal chain. CB1 is also the reason for the intoxicating effect of THC in cannabis products, such as hashish or marihuana, which accumulate at the receptor. THC imitates the effect of cannabinoids produced naturally in the body, which fulfil important functions in the brain. "With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces," says Prof. Zimmer. "When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid ageing in the brain."
To discover precisely what effect the THC treatment has in old mice, the researchers examined the brain tissue and gene activity of the treated mice. The findings were surprising: the molecular signature no longer corresponded to that of old animals, but was instead very similar to that of young animals. The number of links between the nerve cells in the brain also increased again, which is an important prerequisite for learning ability. "It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock," says Zimmer.
Next step: clinical trial on humans
A low dose of the administered THC was chosen so that there was no intoxicating effect in the mice. Cannabis products are already permitted as medications, for instance as pain relief. As a next step, the researchers want to conduct a clinical trial to investigate whether THC also reverses ageing processes in the brain in humans and can increase cognitive ability.
The North Rhine-Westphalia science minister Svenja Schulze appeared thrilled by the study: "The promotion of knowledge-led research is indispensable, as it is the breeding ground for all matters relating to application. Although there is a long path from mice to humans, I feel extremely positive about the prospect that THC could be used to treat dementia, for instance."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170508112400.htm
Deep sleep maintains the learning efficiency of the brain
May 23, 2017
Science Daily/University of Zurich
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated the causal context of why deep sleep is important to the learning efficiency of the human brain. They have developed a new, noninvasive method for modulating deep sleep in humans in a targeted region of the brain.
Most people know from their own experience that just a single sleepless night can lead to difficulty in mastering mental tasks the next day. Researchers assume that deep sleep is essential for maintaining the learning efficiency of the human brain in the long term. While we are awake, we constantly receive impressions from our environment, whereby numerous connections between the nerve cells -- so-called synapses -- are excited and intensified at times. The excitation of the synapses does not normalize again until we fall asleep. Without a recovery phase, many synapses remain maximally excited, which means that changes in the system are no longer possible: Learning efficiency is blocked.
Causal connection between deep sleep and learning efficiency
The connection between deep sleep and learning efficiency has long been known and proven. Now, researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich have been able to demonstrate a causal connection within the human brain for the first time. Reto Huber, professor at the University Children's Hospital Zurich and of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UZH, and Nicole Wenderoth, professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at the ETH Zurich, have succeeded in manipulating the deep sleep of test subjects in targeted areas. "We have developed a method that lets us reduce the sleep depth in a certain part of the brain and therefore prove the causal connection between deep sleep and learning efficiency," says Reto Huber.
Subjective sleep quality was not impaired
In the two-part experiment with six women and seven men, the test subjects had to master three different motoric tasks. The concrete assignment was to learn various sequences of finger movements throughout the day. At night, the brain activity of the test subjects during sleep was monitored by EEG. While the test subjects were able to sleep without disturbance after the learning phase on the first day, their sleep was manipulated in a targeted manner on the second day of the experiment -- using acoustic stimulation during the deep sleep phase. To do so, the researchers localized precisely that part of the brain responsible for learning the abovementioned finger movements, i.e., for the control of motor skills (motor cortex). The test subjects were not aware of this manipulation; to them, the sleep quality of both experimental phases was comparable on the following day.
Deep sleep disturbances impair learning efficiency
In a second step, researchers tested how the manipulation of deep sleep affected the motoric learning tasks on the following day. Here, they observed how the learning and performance curves of the test subjects changed over the course of the experiment. As expected, the participants were particularly able to learn the motoric task well in the morning. As the day went on, however, the rate of mistakes rose. After sleep, the learning efficiency considerably improved again. This was not the case after the night with the manipulated sleep phase. Here, clear performance losses and difficulties in learning the finger movements were revealed. Learning efficiency was similarly as weak as on the evening of the first day of the experiment. Through the manipulation of the motor cortex, the excitability of the corresponding synapses was not reduced during sleep. "In the strongly excited region of the brain, learning efficiency was saturated and could no longer be changed, which inhibited the learning of motor skills," Nicole Wenderoth explains.
In a controlled experiment with the same task assignment, researchers manipulated another region of the brain during sleep. In this case, however, this manipulation had no effect on the learning efficiency of the test subjects.
Use in clinical studies planned
The newly gained knowledge is an important step in researching human sleep. The objective of the scientists is to use this knowledge in clinical studies. "Many diseases manifest in sleep as well, such as epilepsy," Reto Huber explains. "Using the new method, we hope to be able to manipulate those specific brain regions that are directly connected with the disease." This could help improve the condition of affected patients.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523083345.htm
Short and long sleep, and sleep disturbances associated with increased risk of dementia and lung cancer
May 24, 2017
Science Daily/University of Eastern Finland
Difficulties in initiating or maintaining sleep at middle-age are associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to a new study. The 20-year follow-up study was conducted among 2,682 men participating the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Study. Shorter or longer sleep than 7–7.5 hours related independently with an increased risk of lung cancer after health behavior, such as smoking, was taken account of. Additionally, a relationship between higher serum copper levels and short sleep duration was observed.
uring sleep, the body's energy is allocated to cellular repair, immune functions, neuronal plasticity of the brain, and memory consolidation. The need of sleep is individual and differs during the lifespan. For adults, the recommended sleep duration is 7 to 9 hours. Insufficient sleep, sleep-disordered breathing, insomnia or disruptions in the sleep-wake rhythm can lead to excessive daytime tiredness. Acute effects of poor sleep include difficulties in cognitive tasks, increased need for energy, increased cellular stress, as well as lower heart rate and body temperature. Long-term sleep disturbances both precede and co-occur with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and dementia. Furthermore, an increased mortality risk is observed in individuals with short or long sleep duration.
The underlying factors regarding the association between sleep duration and an increased risk of lung cancer concern low-grade inflammation and disruptions in melatonin secretion. These factors contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer and acceleration of tumour growth. Low-grade inflammation is associated with sleep duration and zinc and copper levels, which contribute to pro-oxidative processes and thereby may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. An association between sleep disturbances and dementia may result from structural changes in the brain, low-grade inflammation, and disruptions of neurogenesis.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170524084505.htm
Higher BMI in adolescence may affect cognitive function in midlife
December 8, 2016
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Higher Body Mass Index (BMI), if it begins in adolescence, can affect cognitive function in midlife, scientists have found. However, the effect appears to be restricted to adults who had lower socioeconomic position as children.
Overweight and obesity in adolescents have increased substantially in recent decades, and today affect a third of the adolescent population in some developed countries. While the dangers posed by high adult BMI on cognitive function in later life have been documented, the association of adolescent BMI with cognitive function in midlife has not yet been reported. (BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a calculation of a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.)
To shed light on this issue, scientists at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine set out to determine the association between cumulative life course burden of high-ranked body mass index (BMI), and cognitive function in midlife. The research, which will appear in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 55(3), was led by Prof. Jeremy Kark from the Braun School, in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine, working with colleagues in Israel and the United States.
The researchers used weight and height data from 507 individuals tracked from over 33 years starting at age 17. The participants completed a computerized cognitive assessment at ages 48-52, and their socioeconomic position was assessed by multiple methods. Using mixed models the researchers calculated the life-course burden of BMI from age 17 to midlife, and used multiple regression to assess associations of BMI and height with global cognition and its five component domains.
"In this population-based study of a Jerusalem cohort, followed longitudinally from adolescence for over 33 years, we found that higher BMI in late adolescence and the long-term cumulative burden of BMI predicted poorer cognitive function later in life. Importantly, this study shows that an impact of obesity on cognitive function in midlife may already begin in adolescence, independently of changes in BMI over the adult life course," said the paper's senior author, Prof. Jeremy Kark of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
"Our results also show that taller stature was associated with better global cognitive function, independent of childhood and adult socioeconomic position, and that height increase in late adolescence, reflecting late growth, conferred a protective effect, but among women only," added Irit Cohen-Manheim, doctoral candidate at the Braun School and lead author.
The researchers point out that while socioeconomic position may have a particularly important role in the trajectory of a person's lifetime cognitive function, it has rarely been adequately taken into account: "To the best of our knowledge, the association between BMI and cognition as a function of childhood and adult socioeconomic position has not been previously reported. Childhood household socioeconomic position appears to strongly modify the association between adolescent BMI and poorer cognition in midlife, the inverse association being restricted to low childhood socioeconomic position," said Prof. Kark.
"Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that childhood living conditions, as reflected also by height, influence cognitive function later in life; however, our study is unique in showing that an adverse association of higher BMI with cognitive function appears to begin in adolescence and that it appears to be restricted to adults with lower childhood socioeconomic position," said Prof. Kark.
"Evidence for the association between impaired cognitive function in midlife and subsequent dementia supports the clinical relevance of our results. Findings of the relation of BMI in adolescence with poorer midlife cognitive status, particularly in light of the ongoing epidemic of childhood obesity, require confirmation," said Irit Cohen-Manheim.
Science Daily/SOURCE : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161208090112.htm
Yoga can have social benefits for children in care
December 13, 2016
Science Daily/University of Nottingham
A certain type of yoga could potentially help to improve the health and psychological wellbeing of children in care, a new study suggests.
The study, 'Kundalini Yoga as Mutual Recovery: A feasibility study including children in care and their carers,' published at The Journal of Children's Services, found that the practice of Kundalini yoga in care homes, when both staff and children are involved, can lead to both individual and social benefits.
Corporate care is far from perfect, with evidence showing that children in care are still among the most vulnerable in society. Research for the Department for Education has also shown that children in care have a higher degree of physical and mental health needs than their not-in-care counterparts, and in comparison to children who are in other forms of care, such as foster care.
'Creative practice as mutual recovery'
This new study was carried out under the belief of 'creative practice as mutual recovery', and looked at the idea that shared creativity, collective experience and mutual benefit can promote resilience in mental health and well-being among communities that have been traditionally divided (e.g. children's home staff and children).
The study was carried out by experts from The University of Nottingham's Institute of Mental Health in conjunction with external collaborators Mark Ball, Edge of Care Hub Manager at Nottingham City Council (Children and Families), Emily Haslam-Jones, Kundalini yoga teacher at Yoganova and David Crepaz-Keay from the Mental Health Foundation.
The experts tested a 20-week Kundalini yoga program in three children's homes situated in the East Midlands. The program was evaluated according to recruitment and retention rates, self-reporting questionnaires from the participants and semi-structured interviews.
The findings show that yoga practice in children's homes, especially when participation is high, has the potential to encourage togetherness and mutuality and improve health and psychological outcomes for children in care, as well as within the workforce.
All the participants reported that the study was personally meaningful and experienced both individual (i.e. feeling more relaxed) and social benefits (e.g. feeling more open and positive).
Far-reaching social benefits
Individuals reported that the yoga sessions helped to show them beneficial exercises that they could use in various contexts, such as before going to bed, or during emotionally challenging times at work as well as at home.
The social benefits were also far-reaching with some participants reporting that they felt more positive, open to others and, as a consequence, had seen an improvement in their social lives and out of work.
Some staff and residents noticed that other people also interacted more positively with them.
Dr Elvira Perez, a Senior Research Fellow at Horizon, member of the Institute of Mental Health, and lead author of the study, says: "The findings are very exciting as they suggest that the practice of Kundalini yoga, involving both staff and children in care, is a plausible intervention that can lead to individual and social benefits. This could have potentially huge, wide-reaching benefits for children in care as well as for all the staff working in residential settings.
"The study has generated a number of valuable guiding principles and recommendations that might underpin the development of any future intervention for children in care and the staff working in these homes."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161213074339.htm
Depressed children respond differently to rewards than other kids
December 15, 2016
Science Daily/Washington University in St. Louis
Adults and teenagers with depression don't respond to rewards in a normal manner. Although depression has been diagnosed in children as young as 3, it hasn't been clear whether their responses to rewards also may be blunted. So researchers studied kids ages 4 to 7 and found that, like adults, when the children were depressed, their brains were less likely to respond to rewards. The researchers say insensitivity to rewards may serve as a "red flag" for depression in young children.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2016/12/161215124756_1_540x360.jpg
A child wearing a device that measures electrical activity in the brain chooses between doors on a computer screen. Choosing one door wins points while the other results in a loss of points. Washington University researchers have found that the brains of children with depression don't react as robustly to success in the game. Their blunted reward response is a marker of clinical depression.
Credit: Robert Boston
Previous research from the same group of scientists found that a reduced ability to experience joy is a key sign of clinical depression in young children. The findings in the new study could help explain the biological underpinnings of the earlier discovery.
"These findings may show us how the brain processes emotions in young children with depression," said senior investigator Joan L. Luby, MD, director of Washington University's Early Emotional Development Program. "The pleasure we derive from rewards -- such as toys and gifts -- motivates us to succeed and seek more rewards. Dampening the process early in development is a serious concern because it may carry over to how a person will approach rewarding tasks later in life."
The new findings are published in the December 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
"A blunted response to reward frequently is seen in the brains of depressed adults and adolescents," said first author Andrew C. Belden, PhD, an assistant professor of child psychiatry. "In this study, we were interested in learning whether preschoolers also had that blunted response to reward, and in fact, the brains of children as young as 4 showed very similar responses. That's consistent with other findings in that many neurobehavioral aspects of depression remain consistent throughout the lifespan."
The research, involving 84 children, was conducted as part of a larger study of clinical depression in children ages 3 to 7. The principal investigators of that larger study, which includes therapy and functional brain scanning, are Luby and Deanna M. Barch, PhD, chair of Washington University's Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine.
The children wore a device that resembles a shower cap but is hooked to wires that measure electrical activity in the brain using an electroencephalogram machine (EEG). Then, the children played a computer game that involved choosing between two doors shown on the screen. Choosing one door won them points, but choosing the other resulted in a loss of points.
Researchers have tested this idea in adults and teens by allowing them to win cash. In this study, however, young children who picked the correct door enough times won a toy that they were able to pick from a basket of figures, balls and plush items they had been shown before the computer session began.
While the brains of clinically depressed children responded similarly to those of nondepressed children when points were lost, the response when the correct door was chosen was blunted.
"The EEG results showed that their brains did not react as robustly from the pleasurable event of choosing the correct door on the screen," Belden said. "It was not that their brains somehow overreacted to making the wrong choice. The brains of both depressed and nondepressed children reacted the same way to making the wrong choice. The differences we observed were specific to the reward response."
Luby and Belden next plan to see whether the blunted response to reward changes after treatment.
"It may or may not normalize," said Luby, the Samuel and Mae S. Ludwig Professor of Child Psychiatry. "But we suspect the reward response will improve."
Luby and Belden said that when a very young child doesn't seem to be excited by rewards, such as toys and gifts, it may be a sign that the child is depressed or prone to depression. If the condition persists, they suggest parents talk to a pediatrician.
"There are clear risk factors," Luby explained. "Decreased ability to enjoy activities and play is a key sign. Kids who feel excessively guilty about wrongdoing and those who experience changes in sleep and appetite also may be at risk. If they're persistently sad, irritable or less motivated, those are markers that may indicate depression, even in kids as young as 3 or 4, and we would recommend that parents get them evaluated."
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161215124756.htm
Early intervention with the very young
Since a lot is happening in the brain during the first years of life, van der Meer says that it is easier to promote learning and prevent problems when children are very young.
The term "early intervention" keeps popping up in discussions of kindergartens and schools, teaching and learning. Early intervention is about helping children as early as possible to ensure that as many children as possible succeed in their education and on into adulthood -- precisely because the brain has the greatest ability to change under the influence of the ambient conditions early in life.
"When I talk about early intervention, I'm not thinking of six-year-olds, but even younger children from newborns to age three. Today, 98 per cent of Norwegian children attend kindergarten, so the quality of the time that children spend there is especially important. I believe that kindergarten should be more than just a holding place -- it should be a learning arena -- and by that I mean that play is learning," says van der Meer.
Babies exposed to stimulation get brain boost
January 2, 2017
Science Daily/The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Many new parents still think that babies should develop at their own pace, and that they shouldn’t be challenged to do things that they’re not yet ready for. Infants should learn to roll around under their own power, without any “helpful” nudges, and they shouldn’t support their weight before they can stand or walk on their own. They mustn’t be potty trained before they are ready for it.
According to neuroscientist Audrey van der Meer, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) this mindset can be traced back to the early 1900s, when professionals were convinced that our genes determine who we are, and that child development occurred independently of the stimulation that a baby is exposed to. They believed it was harmful to hasten development, because development would and should happen naturally.
Early stimulation in the form of baby gym activities and early potty training play a central role in Asia and Africa. The old development theory also contrasts with modern brain research that shows that early stimulation contributes to brain development gains even in the wee ones among us.
Using the body and senses
Van der Meer is a professor of neuropsychology and has used advanced EEG technology for many years to study the brain activity of hundreds of babies.
The results show that the neurons in the brains of young children quickly increase in both number and specialization as the baby learns new skills and becomes more mobile. Neurons in very young children form up to a thousand new connections per second.
Van der Meer's research also shows that the development of our brain, sensory perception and motor skills happen in sync. She believes that even the smallest babies must be challenged and stimulated at their level from birth onward. They need to engage their entire body and senses by exploring their world and different materials, both indoors and out and in all types of weather. She emphasizes that the experiences must be self-produced; it is not enough for children merely to be carried or pushed in a stroller.
Unused brain synapses disappear
"Many people believe that children up to three years old only need cuddles and nappy changes, but studies show that rats raised in cages have less dendritic branching in the brain than rats raised in an environment with climbing and hiding places and tunnels. Research also shows that children born into cultures where early stimulation is considered important, develop earlier than Western children do," van der Meer says.
She adds that the brains of young children are very malleable, and can therefore adapt to what is happening around them. If the new synapses that are formed in the brain are not being used, they disappear as the child grows up and the brain loses some of its plasticity.
Van der Meer mentions the fact that Chinese babies hear a difference between the R and L sounds when they are four months old, but not when they get older. Since Chinese children do not need to distinguish between these sounds to learn their mother tongue, the brain synapses that carry this knowledge disappear when they are not used.
Loses the ability to distinguish between sounds
Babies actually manage to distinguish between the sounds of any language in the world when they are four months old, but by the time they are eight months old they have lost this ability, according to van der Meer.
In the 1970s, it was believed that children could only learn one language properly. Foreign parents were advised not to speak their native language to their children, because it could impede the child's language development. Today we think completely differently, and there are examples of children who speak three, four or five languages fluently without suffering language confusion or delays.
Brain research suggests that in these cases the native language area in the brain is activated when children speak the languages. If we study a foreign language after the age of seven, other areas of the brain are used when we speak the language, explains Van der Meer.
She adds that it is important that children learn languages by interacting with real people.
"Research shows that children don't learn language by watching someone talk on a screen, it has to be real people who expose them to the language," says van der Meer.
Early intervention with the very young
Since a lot is happening in the brain during the first years of life, van der Meer says that it is easier to promote learning and prevent problems when children are very young.
The term "early intervention" keeps popping up in discussions of kindergartens and schools, teaching and learning. Early intervention is about helping children as early as possible to ensure that as many children as possible succeed in their education and on into adulthood -- precisely because the brain has the greatest ability to change under the influence of the ambient conditions early in life.
"When I talk about early intervention, I'm not thinking of six-year-olds, but even younger children from newborns to age three. Today, 98 per cent of Norwegian children attend kindergarten, so the quality of the time that children spend there is especially important. I believe that kindergarten should be more than just a holding place -- it should be a learning arena -- and by that I mean that play is learning," says van der Meer.
Too many untrained staff
She adds that a two-year old can easily learn to read or swim, as long as the child has access to letters or water. However, she does not want kindergarten to be a preschool, but rather a place where children can have varied experiences through play.
"This applies to both healthy children and those with different challenges. When it comes to children with motor challenges or children with impaired vision and hearing, we have to really work to bring the world to them," says van der Meer.
"One-year-olds can't be responsible for their own learning, so it's up to the adults to see to it. Today untrained temporary staff tend to be assigned to the infant and toddler rooms, because it's 'less dangerous' with the youngest ones since they only need cuddles and nappy changes. I believe that all children deserve teachers who understand how the brains of young children work. Today, Norway is the only one of 25 surveyed OECD countries where kindergarten teachers do not constitute 50 per cent of kindergarten staffing," she said.
More children with special needs
Lars Adde is a specialist in paediatric physical therapy at St. Olavs Hospital and a researcher at NTNU's Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health. He works with young children who have special needs, in both his clinical practice and research.
He believes it is important that all children are stimulated and get to explore the world, but this is especially important for children who have special challenges. He points out that a greater proportion of children that are now coming into the world in Norway have special needs.
"This is due to the rapid development in medical technology, which enables us to save many more children -- like extremely premature babies and infants who get cancer. These children would have died 50 years ago, and today they survive -- but often with a number of subsequent difficulties," says Adde.
New knowledge offers better treatment
Adde says that the new understanding of brain development that has been established since the 1970s has given these children far better treatment and care options.
For example, the knowledge that some synapses in the brain are strengthened while others disappear has led to the understanding that we have to work at what we want to be good at -- like walking. According to the old mindset, any general movement would provide good general motor function.
Babies who are born very prematurely at St. Olavs Hospital receive follow-up by an interdisciplinary team at the hospital and a municipal physiotherapist in their early years. Kindergarten staff where the child attends receive training in exactly how this child should be stimulated and challenged at the appropriate level. The follow-up enables a child with developmental delays to catch up quickly, so that measures can be implemented early -- while the child's brain is still very plastic.
A child may, for example, have a small brain injury that causes him to use his arms differently. Now we know that the brain connections that govern this arm become weaker when it is used less, which reinforces the reduced function.
"Parents may then be asked to put a sock on the "good" hand when their child uses his hands to play. Then the child is stimulated and the brain is challenged to start using the other arm," says Adde.
Shouldn't always rush development
Adde stresses that it is not always advisable to speed up the development of children with special needs who initially struggle with their motor skills.
A one-year old learning to walk first has to learn to find her balance. If the child is helped to standing position, she will eventually learn to stand -- but before she has learned how to sit down again. If the child loses her balance, she'll fall like a stiff cane, which can be both scary and counterproductive.
In that situation, "we might then ask the parents to instead help their child up to kneeling position while it holds onto something. Then the child will learn to stand up on its own. If the child falls, it will bend in the legs and tumble on its bum. Healthy children figure this out on their own, but children with special challenges don't necessarily do this," says Adde.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170102143458.htm
One in five young people lose sleep over social media
January 16, 2017
Science Daily/Taylor & Francis
One in five young people regularly wake up in the night to send or check messages on social media, according to new research. This night-time activity is making teenagers three times more likely to feel constantly tired at school than their peers who do not log on at night, and could be affecting their happiness and wellbeing.
https://images.sciencedaily.com/2017/01/170116091419_1_540x360.jpg
The study findings support growing concerns about young people's night-time use of social media.
Credit: © fresnel6 / Fotolia
Over 900 pupils, aged between 12-15 years, were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire about how often they woke up at night to use social media and times of going to bed and waking. They were also asked about how happy they were with various aspects of their life including school life, friendships and appearance.
1 in 5 reported 'almost always' waking up to log on, with girls much more likely to access their social media accounts during the night than boys. Those who woke up to use social media nearly every night, or who didn't wake up at a regular time in the morning, were around three times as likely to say they were constantly tired at school compared to their peers who never log on at night or wake up at the same time every day. Moreover, pupils who said they were always tired at school were, on average, significantly less happy than other young people.
"Our research shows that a small but significant number of children and young people say that they often go to school feeling tired -- and these are the same young people who also have the lowest levels of wellbeing. One in five young people questioned woke up every night and over one third wake-up at least once a week to check for messages. Use of social media appears to be invading the 'sanctuary' of the bedroom." Said author Professor Sally Power, Co-Director (Cardiff) Wales Institute for Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD).
The study findings support growing concerns about young people's night-time use of social media. However, because of the complex range of possible explanations for tiredness at school, further larger studies will be needed before any firm conclusions can be made about the social causes and consequences of sleep deprivation among today's youth.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170116091419.htm
Autism symptoms improve after fecal transplant, small study finds
Parents report fewer behavioral and gastrointestinal problems; gut microbiome changes
January 23, 2017
Science Daily/Ohio State University
Children with autism may benefit from fecal transplants -- a method of introducing donated healthy microbes into people with gastrointestinal disease to rebalance the gut. Behavioral symptoms of autism and gastrointestinal distress often go hand-in-hand, and both improved when a small group of children with the disorder underwent fecal transplant and subsequent treatment.
Behavioral symptoms of autism and gastrointestinal distress often go hand-in-hand, and both improved when a small group of children with the disorder underwent fecal transplant and subsequent treatment.
In the study of 18 children with autism and moderate to severe gastrointestinal problems, parents and doctors said they saw positive changes that lasted at least eight weeks after the treatment. Children without autism were included for comparison of bacterial and viral gut composition prior to the study.
"Transplants are working for people with other gastrointestinal problems. And, with autism, gastrointestinal symptoms are often severe, so we thought this could be potentially valuable," said Ann Gregory, one of the study's lead authors and a microbiology graduate student at The Ohio State University.
"Following treatment, we found a positive change in GI symptoms and neurological symptoms overall," she said.
The study, which appears in the journal Microbiome, was conducted while Gregory and her adviser and co-author, Matthew Sullivan, were at the University of Arizona. Other lead researchers on the project are from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.
A growing body of research is drawing connections between the bacteria and viruses that inhabit the gut and problems in the brain, and it is possible the two are tied together in an important way in autism, she said.
Previous research has established that children with autism typically have fewer types of some important bacteria in their guts and less bacterial diversity overall -- a difference that held true in this study. That could be because many of them are prescribed a lot of antibiotics in the first three years of life, the research team wrote in the study.
Parents of the children not only reported a decrease in gut woes including diarrhea and stomach pain in the eight weeks following the end of treatment: They also said they saw significant changes for the better when it came to behavioral autism symptoms in their sons and daughters, who ranged from 7 to 16 years old.
The researchers collected this information from parents through established, standardized questionnaires to assess social skills, irritability, hyperactivity, communication and other measures. One of those tools showed the average developmental age increased by 1.4 years after treatment.
The average score on a scale for ranking gastrointestinal symptoms dropped 82 percent from the beginning to the end of treatment. And when the researchers asked parents to give feedback on 17 autism-related symptoms, they saw overall improvement that was sustained two months after the final treatment.
The researchers also asked the children's doctors to complete a diagnostic evaluation before the experimental treatment, at the end of treatment and eight weeks after that. Those results pointed to lasting benefits.
Doctor-reported symptoms (from the Childhood Autism Rating Scale) decreased by 22 percent at the end of treatment and 24 percent eight weeks after treatment ended compared with ratings at the start of the study.
Researchers also were able to document a rebalancing of the gut following treatment. At the end of the study, the bacterial diversity in the children with autism was indistinguishable from their healthy peers. The study also included a unique viral analysis by Ohio State scientists, made possible because of previous work in the world's oceans.
Gregory, who is particularly interested in the interplay between viruses and bacteria, used genetic testing to examine the viral diversity in the guts of the treated children. It rebounded quickly, and became more similar to the donor's microbiome.
"Those donor viruses seemed to help," she said.
Fecal transplantation is done by processing donor feces and screening it for disease-causing viruses and bacteria before introducing it into another person's gastrointestinal tract.
In this study, the researchers used a method called microbiota transfer therapy, which started with the children receiving a two-week course of antibiotics to wipe out much of their existing gut flora. Then, doctors gave them an initial high-dose fecal transplant in liquid form. In the seven to eight weeks that followed, the children drank smoothies blended with a lower-dose powder.
There currently exists no approved pharmaceutical treatment for autism.
James Adams, one of the study's lead authors and an Arizona State University professor who specializes in autism, called the results compelling, but cautioned that larger, more rigorous studies confirming benefits must be done before the approach could be used widely.
Limitations of this study include its small size. The children and their parents also knew they were receiving the experimental treatment (neither the researchers nor the subjects were blinded to that) and the researchers relied heavily on parents' observations, both of which open the door for false perceived benefits.
"We have to be mindful of the placebo effect and we have to take it with a grain of salt," said Sullivan, an associate professor of microbiology at Ohio State. "But it does give us hope."
The research team is seeking additional funding for a larger clinical trial.
Scientists are trying to work out the cellular-level details of why patients who undergo fecal transplants for various conditions, such as C. diff infection, see improvement, Gregory said.
"Doctors know it works, just not how," she said.
And they're interested in uncovering the precise types of bacteria and viruses that make a difference -- those types of discoveries could lead to lab-engineered treatments tailored to specific diseases, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the team originally planned to study the use of probiotics in autism, but shifted gears when fecal transplantation began to show benefits for those with other conditions.
The research team cautioned that families should not try to replicate the experimental treatment on their own, as it could harm children if done improperly.
Science Daily/SOURCE :https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170123094638.htm