Better coaching to promote a person's growth

New research suggests more effective approach -- for managers, therapists, teachers and parents

August 3, 2023

Science Daily/Case Western Reserve University

What if there was a more effective way to coach and inspire your employees? Athletes? Students? Even your kids? A new study suggests there is. Their newly published work used neuroimaging to peer into the brains of participants as they responded to two different styles of coaching. The researchers wanted to see what happens in the brain that either helps people grow or causes them to resist change.

What if there was a more effective way to coach and inspire your employees? Athletes? Students? Even your kids?

A new study by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University suggests there is.

Their newly published work used neuroimaging to peer into the brains of participants as they responded to two different styles of coaching. The researchers wanted to see what happens in the brain that either helps people grow or causes them to resist change.

"You could say it's about how we get around the problem that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," said Anthony "Tony" Jack, the Elmer G. Beamer -- Hubert H. Schneider Chair in Ethics and an associate professor in philosophy at Case Western Reserve and the study's lead researcher.

Jack was joined by Richard Boyatzis, Distinguished University Professor and professor in the departments of organizational behavior, psychology and cognitive science at Case Western Reserve; and Case Western Reserve PhD graduate Angela Passarelli, now an associate professor of management at the College of Charleston.

All three are members of the Coaching Research Lab at Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead School of Management.

"This work applies to all helping roles and professionals," Boyatzis said, "from therapists, physicians, nurses, clerics, managers, teachers, faculty, social workers, dental professionals, and, yes, even parents."

"Many who seek to help, conflate helping with fixing problems," Passarelli said. "This research demonstrates that when we begin helping interactions by doubling down on someone's immediate problems, we inadvertently constrain their ability to see future possibilities -- and this undermines the very intention of helping."

The study

The study involved 47 full-time Case Western Reserve undergraduates. Each had a series of 30-minute coaching sessions before entering a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The researchers examined brain function to compare what is described in psychology as a person's "ideal self" -- the person you'd like to be -- with their "real self" -- the person you actually are.

An example of ideal self would be, "I am excited about the possibilities my future holds;" and real self: "I am afraid I will not achieve what is expected of me."

The researchers used fMRI to reveal neural activity while subjects engaged in coaching and visual attention tasks. Face-to-face coaching sessions were conducted before the fMRI scan. All subjects had one coaching session focused on the real self and were randomly assigned to a varying number of ideal-self coaching sessions.

The coaching task simulated ideal and real self-based coaching interactions in a video-conference-style interaction between the participant and the coaches.

Each of the subjects was presented 96 pre-recorded videos of the coaches making statements about the participant's educational experience or outlook on the future. The statements were developed around the themes of hope, compassion, mindfulness and playfulness in the ideal-self condition and lack thereof in the real-self condition. Subjects indicated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with each statement.

The study built on neuroimaging research by the same team 10 years ago. Both studies used neuroscience to test aspects of Boyatzis' Intentional Change Theory, a multi-level theory of how to achieve sustained, desired change for individuals to teams, organizations, communities and countries.

Their findings…and how to make them work for you

The researchers found something surprising that most typical coaching approaches fail to appreciate. They saw evidence of conflict between these two different ways of thinking about ourselves. This insight matters because it shows how easily "shoulds" and other self-critical thoughts can get in the way of developing a strong vision of our ideal self.

To set ourselves on a path to personal development, we need to recognize these kinds of negative thoughts create defensiveness and resistance to change, the researchers concluded.

Individuals whose ideal self is salient are better able to scan the broad environment and perceive emerging themes, the researchers asserted. They experience more positive emotion, are more open to new ideas and possess more sustained intrinsic motivation.

"Many think the best way to get others -- and themselves -- to change is to use some combination of carrot and stick, for instance by sandwiching a criticism with compliments," Jack said. "These findings show why it works better to get the individual to focus first and foremost on their dreams and aspirations for the future."

Once someone has developed a clear vision of their ideal self, he said, they become willing and eager to grow instead of willful, resistant and prone to denial.

"Many managers overestimate the importance of telling their employees about their strengths and weaknesses. The real trick is to help someone get to a place where they are actively seeking feedback for themselves," Jack said. "Companies, coaches and managers who want people to change must hold their tongue about what they think needs fixing. Instead, they must put their faith in the individual's intrinsic desire to grow and allow them to direct their own development process. Otherwise, they are likely to hit a wall of psychological resistance."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230803112946.htm

How immunity contributes to aging and neurodegeneration

August 2, 2023

Science Daily/Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Researchers have found that a specific immune signaling pathway drives ageing-related inflammation and neurodegeneration. The work can help us understand the mechanisms behind ageing-associated impairment and disease.

As we age, our bodies undergo various changes that can impact our overall health and make us more susceptible to diseases. One common factor in the ageing process is low-grade inflammation, which contributes to age-related decline and impairment. However, the precise pathways responsible for this inflammation and their impact on natural ageing have remained elusive until now.

A new study led by Andrea Ablasser at EPFL now shows that a molecular signaling pathway called cGAS/STING, plays a critical role in driving chronic inflammation and functional decline during aging. By blocking the STING protein, the researchers were able to suppress inflammatory responses in senescent cells and tissues, leading to improvements in tissue function.

cGAS/STING is a molecular signaling pathway that detects the presence of DNA in cells. It involves two proteins, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING). When activated, cGAS/STING triggers an immune response to defend against viral and bacterial infections.

Previous work by Ablasser and her colleagues has linked cGAS/STING to a number of biological processes, including cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging. Based on this, the researchers investigated whether it might underlie maladapted immune responses during ageing.

The research found that activating the STING protein triggers specific patterns of gene activity in microglia, the brain's first-line-of-defense immune cells. These gene-activation patterns matched those arising in microglia in distinct neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer`s disease and ageing.

"In search for a mechanism that would engage the cGAS-STING pathway in ageing, we considered aberrant mitochondrial DNA species," says Ablasser. "Mitochondria, the organelles that are responsible for energy production are well-known for disturbed functioning in ageing and disease. Indeed, in microglia from old, but not young mice, DNA from mitochondria accumulated in the cell cytoplasm, suggesting a possible mechanism by which the cGAS-STING pathway contributes to inflammation in the ageing brain."

The researchers studied the effects of blocking the STING protein in aged mice. As expected by its central role in driving inflammation, inhibiting STING alleviated markers of inflammation both in the periphery and in the brain. More importantly, animals receiving STING inhibitors displayed significant enhancements in spatial and associative memory. STING blockade also affected physical function with improved muscle strength and endurance.

The study advances our understanding of ageing-related inflammation and also offers potential strategies for slowing cognitive deterioration in age-associated neurodegenerative conditions. The precise elucidation of the neuroimmune crosstalk governing microglial-dependent neurotoxicity also holds promise for the future study of neurodegenerative diseases.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230802132023.htm

Irregular sleep patterns associated with harmful gut bacteria

August 2, 2023

Science Daily/King's College London

New research has found irregular sleep patterns are associated with harmful bacteria in your gut.

The study, published today in The European Journal of Nutrition,by researchers from King's College London and ZOE, the personalised nutrition company, is the first to find multiple associations between social jet lag -- the shift in your internal body clock when your sleeping patterns change between workdays and free days -- and diet quality, diet habits, inflammation and gut microbiome composition in a single cohort.

Previous research has shown that working shifts disrupts the body clock and can increase risk of weight gain, heart problems and diabetes. However, there is less awareness that our biological rhythms can be affected by smaller inconsistencies in sleeping patterns due to waking early with an alarm clock on workdays, for example, compared to waking naturally on non-workdays for people working regular hours.

Senior author Dr Wendy Hall from King's College London said: "We know that major disruptions in sleep, such as shift work, can have a profound impact on your health. This is the first study to show that even small differences in sleep timings across the week seems to be linked to differences in gut bacterial species. Some of these associations were linked to dietary differences but our data also indicates that other, as yet unknown, factors may be involved. We need intervention trials to find out whether improving sleep time consistency can lead to beneficial changes in the gut microbiome and related health outcomes."

The composition of the microbes in your gut (microbiome) may negatively or positively affect your health by producing toxins or beneficial metabolites. Specific species of microbes can correspond to an individual's risk of long-term health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The microbiome is influenced by the food you consume which makes the diversity of your gut adjustable.

In a cohort of 934 people from the ZOE PREDICT study, the largest ongoing nutritional study of its kind, researchers assessed blood, stool and gut microbiome samples as well as glucose measurements in those whose sleep was irregular compared to those who had a routine sleep schedule. While previous studies into the association between social jet lag and metabolic risk factors have been done in populations with obesity or diabetes, this cohort consisted of mainly lean and healthy individuals with most getting more than seven hours sleep per night throughout the week.

Researchers found that just a 90-minute difference in the timing of the midpoint of sleep -- the halfway point between sleep time and wake-up time -- is associated with differences in gut microbiome composition.

Having social jet lag was associated with lower overall diet quality, higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, and lower intakes of fruits and nuts, which may directly influence the abundance of specific microbiota in your gut.

Three out of the six microbiota species more abundant in the social jet lag group have 'unfavourable' associations with health. These microbes are associated with poor diet quality, indicators of obesity and cardiometabolic health, and markers in your blood related to higher levels of inflammation and cardiovascular risk.

First author Kate Bermingham, PhD, from King's College London and senior nutrition scientist at ZOE, said: "Sleep is a key pillar of health, and this research is particularly timely given the growing interest in circadian rhythms and the gut microbiome. Even a 90-minute difference in the mid-point of sleep can encourage microbiota species which have unfavourable associations with your health."

Previous research has found social jetlag is associated with weight gain, chronic illness and mental fatigue.

Dr Sarah Berry from King's College London and chief scientist at ZOE added: "Maintaining regular sleep patterns , so when we go to bed and when we wake each day, is an easily adjustable lifestyle behaviour we can all do, that may impact your health via your gut microbiome for the better."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230802003415.htm

Minds & eyes: Study shows dementia more common in older adults with vision issues

Even when wearing their glasses or contacts, those who scored worse on vision tests were also more likely to have concerning scores on cognitive tests

August 1, 2023

Science Daily/Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Losing the ability to see clearly, and losing the ability to think or remember clearly, are two of the most dreaded, and preventable, health issues associated with getting older.

Now, a new study lends further weight to the idea that vision problems and dementia are linked.

In a sample of nearly 3,000 older adults who took vision tests and cognitive tests during home visits, the risk of dementia was much higher among those with eyesight problems -- including those who weren't able to see well even when they were wearing their usual eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The research was published recently in JAMA Ophthalmology by a team from the Kellogg Eye Center at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan's academic medical center.

Based on data from a nationally representative study of older adults conducted in 2021 through the U-M Institute for Social Research, it adds to a growing pile of studies that have suggested a link between vision and dementia.

All of the older adults in the study were over the age of 71, with an average age of 77. They had their up-close and distance vision, and their ability to see letters that didn't contrast strongly with their background, tested by a visiting team member using a digital tablet. They also took tests of memory and thinking ability, and provided health information including any existing diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia.

Just over 12% of the whole group had dementia. But that percentage was higher -- nearly 22% -- among those who had impaired vision for seeing up close.

In addition, one-third (33%) of those with moderate or severe distance vision impairment, including those who were blind, had signs of dementia. So did 26% of those who had trouble seeing letters that didn't contrast strongly against a background.

Even among those with a mild distance vision issue, 19% had dementia.

After the researchers adjusted for other differences in health status and personal characteristics, people with moderate to severe distance vision issues were 72% more likely than those with no vision issues to have dementia.

The gaps were smaller, but still large, for other types of vision impairment -- except mild problems with distance vision, where there was no statistical difference.

Those who had more than one kind of vision impairment were also 35% more likely to have dementia than those with normal vision.

The new study builds on previous studies that had similar findings but relied on self-reported vision abilities rather than objective testing, or that were not representative of the U.S. population.

It also builds on previous work about cataract surgery that showed lower rates of dementia over time in adults who had had their distance vision restored by having surgery.

The authors, led by ophthalmologists Olivia Killeen, M.D., M.S. and Joshua Ehrlich, M.D., M.P.H., write, "Prioritizing vision health may be key to optimizing both sight and overall health and well-being. Randomized trials are warranted to determine whether optimizing vision is a viable strategy to slow cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk."

But in the meantime, in an accompanying editorial, Sheila West, Ph.D., of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine, wrote that the new study adds to accumulating evidence about the link between vision and cognitive issues.

"Equitable access to vision care services that prevent, reverse, or at least stave off progression of loss of sight is a worthy goal regardless of the potential impact on dementia and may be especially critical for those experiencing cognitive decline," she wrote.

The study is based on data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, which is based at the U-M Institute for Social Research and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Last year, Ehrlich and colleagues published a paper in JAMA Neurology that used another ISR-based survey of older adults -- the Health and Retirement Study -- to estimate the percentage of Americans with dementia whose condition is likely related to their vision loss. They calculated that 1.8 percent of all cases are vision-related, equating to more than 100,000 of the 6 million Americans with dementia. This study suggested that vision impairment should be considered alongside other more commonly recognized modifiable dementia risk factors. That study was funded by the U-M Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer's (CAPRA) through funding from the National Institute on Aging.

Killeen recently completed the National Clinician Scholars Program at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and is now at Duke University. Ehrlich is an assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Michigan Medicine and a research assistant professor at ISR, where he is a co-investigator of NHATS, as well as a member of IHPI.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230801172009.htm

Early-life lead exposure linked to higher risk of criminal behavior in adulthood

Still, multi-study review highlights need for more individual-level data to strengthen understanding

August 1, 2023

Science Daily/PLOS

An evaluation of 17 previously published studies suggests that exposure to lead in the womb or in childhood is associated with an increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior in adulthood -- but more evidence is needed to strengthen understanding. Maria Jose Talayero Schettino of the George Washington University, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health.

Lead exposure can cause a variety of health challenges, such as cardiac issues, kidney damage, immune system dysfunction, reproductive problems, and impaired neurodevelopmental function in children. Research has also uncovered statistical associations between lead exposure and criminal behavior, both at the level of the entire population and at the level of individual people. However, the findings of individual-level studies have been inconsistent.

To help clarify the existing evidence, Talayero Schettino and colleagues conducted a systematic review of studies that address links between individual lead exposure and crime or other antisocial behaviors. Their analysis included 17 studies, which employed a variety of methods for measuring lead exposure -- using blood, bones, or teeth -- and addressed the effects of exposure at different ages, including in the womb or early childhood, later childhood, and adolescence or adulthood.

The review highlighted a wide range of findings among the studies. For instance, in some cases, no statistical links were found between early childhood lead exposure and later delinquent behavior. One study showed a link between exposure and antisocial behavior, but not arrests. Still, several studies found links between early childhood exposure to lead and later arrests, including drug-related arrests. The authors also used a tool called ROBINS-E to evaluate each study for statistical bias, finding some studies to be more statistically robust than others.

Overall, in light of the known biological effects of lead, this review suggests that an individual exposed to lead in the womb or in early childhood may have a higher risk of engaging in criminal behavior as an adult.

On the basis of their findings, the researchers note a need for more individual-level evidence to be collected in order to deepen understanding of the associations seen in the 17 studies they reviewed. However, policy action to prevent lead exposure is of paramount importance to safeguard public health.

The authors add: "Policy action to prevent lead exposure is of utmost importance as our research shows an excess risk for criminal behavior in adulthood exists when an individual is exposed to lead in utero or during childhood. Preventing lead exposure is crucial to safeguard public health and promote a safer society for all."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230801152856.htm

New study links brain waves directly to memory

July 31, 2023

Science Daily/University of Arizona

Simply remembering events can trigger brain rhythms, even more so than when people are experiencing the actual event, says a new study. The findings could lay foundations for cognitive impairment therapy and help improve memory.

Neurons produce rhythmic patterns of electrical activity in the brain. One of the unsettled questions in the field of neuroscience is what primarily drives these rhythmic signals, called oscillations. University of Arizona researchers have found that simply remembering events can trigger them, even more so than when people are experiencing the actual event.

The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal Neuron, specifically focused on what are known as theta oscillations, which emerge in the brain's hippocampus region during activities like exploration, navigation and sleep. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in the brain's ability to remember the past.

Prior to this study, it was believed that the external environment played a more important role in driving theta oscillations, said Arne Ekstrom, professor of cognition and neural systems in the UArizona Department of Psychology and senior author of the study. But Ekstrom and his collaborators found that memory generated in the brain is the main driver of theta activity.

"Surprisingly, we found that theta oscillations in humans are more prevalent when someone is just remembering things, compared to experiencing events directly," said lead study author Sarah Seger, a graduate student in the Department of Neuroscience.

The results of the study could have implications for treating patients with brain damage and cognitive impairments, including patients who have experienced seizures, stroke and Parkinson's disease, Ekstrom said. Memory could be used to create stimulations from within the brain and drive theta oscillations, which could potentially lead to improvements in memory over time, he said.

UArizona researchers collaborated on the study with researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, including neurosurgeon Dr. Brad Lega and research technician Jennifer Kriegel. The researchers recruited 13 patients who were being monitored at the center in preparation for epilepsy surgery. As part of the monitoring, electrodes were implanted in the patients' brains for detecting occasional seizures. The researchers recorded the theta oscillations in the hippocampus of the brain.

The patients participated in a virtual reality experiment, in which they were given a joystick to navigate to shops in a virtual city on a computer. When they arrived at the correct destination, the virtual reality experiment was paused. The researchers asked the participants to imagine the location at which they started their navigation and instructed them to mentally navigate the route they just passed through. The researchers then compared theta oscillations during initial navigation to participants' subsequent recollection of the route.

During the actual navigation process using the joystick, the oscillations were less frequent and shorter in duration compared to oscillations that occurred when participants were just imagining the route. So, the researchers conclude that memory is a strong driver of theta oscillations in humans.

One way to compensate for impaired cognitive function is by using cognitive training and rehabilitation, Ekstrom said.

"Basically, you take a patient who has memory impairments, and you try to teach them to be better at memory," he said.

In the future, Ekstrom is planning to conduct this research in freely walking patients as opposed to patients in beds and find how freely navigating compares to memory with regard to brain oscillations.

"Being able to directly compare the oscillations that were present during the original experience, and during a later retrieval of that is a huge step forward in the field in terms of designing new experiments and understanding the neural basis of memory," Seger said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731170151.htm

Women and men react differently to strain and stress

July 31, 2023

Science Daily/University of Würzburg

Does anyone still remember the initial phase of the Corona pandemic in 2020? When shops, restaurants, cinemas, and theatres remained closed. When meetings with friends and relatives were prohibited. When school lessons had to take place at home in the children's rooms. When there was no question of traveling.

Presently, most people seem to have long forgotten these times. Yet, the various corona measures taken by politicians are likely to have caused enormous stress for many. The fear for the job, the worry about sick relatives, the nervous strain when parents and children sit together in a small apartment and have to reconcile home office and homeschooling: All this has not remained without effects, as numerous studies show.

The crucial factor is anxiety

How and to what extent have these experiences affected the mental health and quality of life of women and men in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic? This has been investigated by a research team of the University and the University Hospital Würzburg. In detail, the scientists were interested in the relationship between worries about the workplace and about other people with a person's own mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and with their quality of life in general, how these are influenced by the support from friends or at work -- and whether the results show differences between men and women.

The findings are unambiguous: in this complex of different variables and influencing factors, anxiety plays a central part. There are, however, distinct gender-specific differences: "In men, anxiety increases along with concerns about the job, an effect which does not show in women. On the other hand, we were able to register an increase in anxiety levels in women parallel to an increase in their worries about family and friends," says Grit Hein. In addition, the study shows that women in such times respond positively to support from friends and family by experiencing enhanced quality of life. In men, this phenomenon did not manifest itself.

Data on the influence of gender were lacking

Grit Hein is Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital. She and her postdoc Martin Weiß led the study, the results of which have now been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"In the past, numerous studies have investigated the influence of psychosocial factors such as support from friends and colleagues and financial, professional or personal worries on mental health and the quality of life. Yet, data on whether these correlations are the same for men and women were lacking," says Grit Hein, explaining the background to the study. Broadening earlier studies, the Würzburg research team has therefore now examined the influence of these factors in relation to gender.

A study with around 2,900 participants

The team obtained the relevant information from a large group of test subjects: the participants of the so-called STAAB study. This study comprises a cohort of around 5,000 randomly selected volunteers from the general population of Würzburg and originally focused on the development of cardiovascular diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was spontaneously expanded to include the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic, the lockdown, and other side effects.

A total of 2,890 people (1,520 women and 1,370 men) took part in the survey. Their ages ranged from 34 to 85 years, with a median of 60 years. Between June and October 2020, they had to fill out an extensive questionnaire about their mental health. Among other things, they were asked to provide information about how strongly they felt supported by their social environment, their colleagues and superiors, and whether they had someone with whom they could discuss their problems. They were also asked to what extent bans on the contact with parents and grandparents burdened them and how much stress they felt at work or at school. Financial problems or worries about them were the subject of further questions.

To evaluate the data, Hein and her team used a special method: the so-called network analysis. "Analyses based on a network approach enable a graphical representation of all variables as individual nodes," Hein explains. Thus, it is possible to identify variables that are particularly related to other variables. The network can, for example, show complex relationships between symptoms of different mental disorders and thus explain possible comorbidities.

Results fit traditional gender norms

Grit Hein and Martin Weiß were hardly surprised by the results. "The observation that men are more strongly associated with work and women more strongly with family and friends can be traced back to traditional gender norms and roles," Hein explains. Hence, men usually feel more affected by job insecurity and unemployment, which leads to higher psychological stress. Women, on the other hand, experience more strain when they feel that they are neglecting their family.

It is also plausible that women cope better psychologically when they receive support from friends and family: "This is in line with the traditional female family role, which includes a stronger tendency to maintain close social contacts and to seek social support in order to reduce stress and increase well-being," says Hein.

Even though these findings are unambiguous, the study leaders point to a number of limitations. The most important: "Since the COVID-19 pandemic presented a very specific context, it remains to be clarified whether our results are transferable to general pandemic-independent situations." One finding, however, is indisputable: "Our results underline the need to consider social aspects in therapeutic interventions in order to improve the mental health of women and men."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110718.htm

Routinely drinking alcohol may raise blood pressure even in adults without hypertension

Every additional alcoholic beverage may increase blood pressure over the years, finds new analysis

July 31, 2023

Science Daily/American Heart Association

Even in adults without hypertension, blood pressure readings may climb more steeply over the years as the number of daily alcoholic drinks rise, according to an analysis of seven international research studies published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

With the statistical power of seven international research studies, this analysis confirms for the first time there was a continuous increase in blood pressure measures in both participants with low and high alcohol intake. Even low levels of alcohol consumption were associated with detectable increases in blood pressure levels that may lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular events.

"We found no beneficial effects in adults who drank a low level of alcohol compared to those who did not drink alcohol," said senior study author Marco Vinceti, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and public health in the Medical School of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia University in Italy and an adjunct professor in the department of epidemiology at Boston University's School of Public Health. "We were somewhat surprised to see that consuming an already-low level of alcohol was also linked to higher blood pressure changes over time compared to no consumption -- although far less than the blood pressure increase seen in heavy drinkers."

"Our analysis was based on grams of alcohol consumed and not just on the number of drinks to avoid the bias that might arise from the different amount of alcohol contained in 'standard drinks' across countries and/or types of beverages," said study co-author Tommaso Filippini, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of epidemiology and public health in the Medical School of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, and affiliate researcher at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health.

Researchers reviewed the health data for all participants across the seven studies for more than five years. They compared adults who drank alcohol regularly with non-drinkers and found:

• Systolic (top number) blood pressure rose 1.25 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) in people who consumed an average of 12 grams of alcohol per day, rising to 4.9 mm Hg in people consuming an average of 48 grams of alcohol per day. (In the U.S., 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine or a 1.5 ounce shot of distilled spirits contains about 14 grams of alcohol. Usual alcohol content differs in alcohol available in other countries.)

• Diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure rose 1.14 mm Hg in people consuming an average of 12 grams of alcohol per day, rising to 3.1 mm Hg in people consuming an average of 48 grams of alcohol per day. These associations were seen in males but not in females. Diastolic blood pressure measures the force against artery walls between heartbeats and is not as strong a predictor of heart disease risk in comparison to systolic.

"Alcohol is certainly not the sole driver of increases in blood pressure; however, our findings confirm it contributes in a meaningful way. Limiting alcohol intake is advised, and avoiding it is even better," Vinceti said.

Although none of the participants had high blood pressure when they enrolled in the studies, their blood pressure measurements at the beginning did have an impact on the alcohol findings.

"We found participants with higher starting blood pressure readings, had a stronger link between alcohol intake and blood pressure changes over time. This suggests that people with a trend towards increased (although still not "high") blood pressure may benefit the most from low to no alcohol consumption," said study co-author Paul K. Whelton, M.D., M.Sc., the Show Chwan Chair in Global Public Health in the department of epidemiology at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans and president of the World Hypertension League. Whelton is also the chair of the American Heart Association's 2017 Hypertension Practice Guidelines and a member of the writing committee for the Association's 2021 Scientific Statement on Management of Stage 1 Hypertension in Adults.

According to American Heart Association recommendations, if you don't drink already, don't start. If you do drink, talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation. The Association also does not recommend drinking any form of alcohol to gain potential health benefits. Instead, follow the Association's lifestyle and health metrics for optimal cardiovascular health called Life's Essential 8: eat healthy food, be physically active, don't smoke, get enough sleep, maintain a healthy weight, and control cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

Study details and background:

• Researchers analyzed data from seven, large, observational studies involving 19,548 adults (65% men), ranging in age from 20 to their early 70s at the start of the studies.

• The studies were conducted in the United States, Korea and Japan, and published between 1997 and 2021. None of the participants had previously been diagnosed with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, liver disease, alcoholism or binge drinking.

• Usual alcoholic beverage intake was recorded at the beginning of each study and the researchers translated this information into a usual number of grams of alcohol consumed daily. The researchers used a new statistical technique that allowed them to combine results from several studies and plot a curve showing the impact of any amount of alcohol typically consumed on changes in blood pressure over time.

• Systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, measures the force against the artery walls when the heart contracts. It rises steadily with age and is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Effective blood pressure management is vital to reduce, prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110716.htm

Half the population to have a mental health disorder by 75

July 31, 2023

Science Daily/University of Queensland

Scientists analyzed data from more than 150,000 adults across 29 countries between 2001 and 2022 with results demonstrating the high prevalence of mental health disorders, with 50 per cent of the population developing at least one disorder by the age of 75.

A global study co-led by researchers from The University of Queensland and Harvard Medical School has found one in two people will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

Professor John McGrath from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, Professor Ronald Kessler from Harvard Medical School, and their colleagues from 27 other countries, analysed data from more than 150,000 adults across 29 countries between 2001 and 2022, taken from the largest ever coordinated series of face-to-face interviews -- the World Health Organisation's World Mental Health Survey initiative.

Lead author Professor McGrath said the results demonstrate the high prevalence of mental health disorders, with 50 per cent of the population developing at least one disorder by the age of 75.

"The most common were mood disorders such as major depression or anxiety," Professor McGrath said.

"We also found the risk of certain mental disorders differed by sex."

The 3 most common mental health disorders among women:

• Depression

• Specific phobia (a disabling anxiety that interferes with daily life)

• Post-traumatic stress (PTSD)

The 3 most common mental health disorders among men:

• Alcohol abuse

• Depression

• Specific phobia

The research also found mental health disorders typically first emerge in childhood, adolescence or young adulthood.

"The peak age of first onset was at 15 years old, with a median age of onset of 19 for men and 20 for women," Professor McGrath said.

"This lends weight to the need to invest in basic neuroscience to understand why these disorders develop."

Professor Kessler said investment was also needed in mental health services with a particular focus on young people.

"Services need to be able to detect and treat common mental disorders promptly, and be optimised to suit patients in these critical parts of their lives," Professor Kessler said.

"By understanding the age at which these disorders commonly arise, we can tailor public health interventions and allocate resources to ensure that appropriate and timely support is available to individuals at risk."

The researchers said the outcomes provide valuable insights into the frequency and timing of mental disorder onset based on many different populations.

The study is published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110734.htm

What nap times reveal about your child's brain development

July 28, 2023

Science Daily/University of East Anglia

Infants who nap a lot have smaller vocabularies and poorer cognitive skills -- according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Parents the world over are prone to worry about their children getting either too little or too much sleep.

But a new study published today reveals that some children are more efficient at consolidating information during sleep, so they nap less frequently.

Meanwhile others, usually those with fewer words and poorer cognitive skills, need to nap more frequently.

The research team say that reducing naps for these children will not improve brain development, and that they should be allowed to nap as frequently and for as long as they need.

Lead researcher Dr Teodora Gliga said: "There is a lot of parental anxiety around sleep. Parents worry that their kids don't nap as much as expected for their age -- or nap too frequently and for too long.

"But our research shows that how frequently a child naps reflects their individual cognitive need. Some are more efficient at consolidating information during sleep, so they nap less frequently.

"Children with smaller vocabularies or a lower score in a measure of executive function, nap more frequently.

"Young children will naturally nap for as long as they need and they should be allowed to do just that," she added.

The research team studied 463 infants aged between eight months and three years during lockdown in 2020.

Parents were surveyed about their children's sleep patterns, their ability to focus on a task, keep information in their memory, and the number of words that they understood and could say.

They also asked parents about their socio-economic status -- including their postcode, income, and education -- and about the amount of screen time and outdoors activities their child engaged in.

Dr Gliga said: "Lockdown gave us an opportunity to study children's intrinsic sleep needs because when children are in childcare, they rarely nap as much as they need to.

"Because nurseries were closed, it meant less disturbance to the children's natural sleep patterns. None of the children taking part were attending day care.

"What we found is that the structure of daytime sleep is an indicator of cognitive development.

"Infants with more frequent but shorter naps than expected for their age had smaller vocabularies, and worse cognitive function.

"We also found that this negative association between vocabulary and frequency of naps was stronger in older children," she added.

"While the majority of parents told us that their child's sleep was unaffected by lockdown, parents from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to report a worsening in sleep.

"Screen time increased during lockdown and outdoor activities decreased but these did not explain differences in children's sleep.

"Previous work suggested that caregivers should encourage frequent naps, in pre-school children.

"Our findings suggest that children have different sleep needs -- some children may drop naps earlier because they don't need them anymore. Others may still need to nap past three years of age.

"In the UK, preschools enrolling three to five-year-olds have no provisions for napping. Caregivers should use a child's mental age and not chronological age to ascertain a child's sleep needs," she added.

The study was led by UEA in collaboration with researchers at the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, the University of Leeds and the University of Warwick. It was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230728113321.htm

Increased step count linked to better health for people with heart failure

The results may inform interpretation of wearable device data in clinical and research settings, investigators say

July 26, 2023

Science Daily/Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Taking more daily steps is associated improved health, including fewer symptoms and physical limitations, for people with heart failure, a new study finds. Researchers say it's one of the first studies to provide context to wearable device data from heart failure patients and sheds light on what physical activity data from a wearable device means at a population level as well as at the individual level.

More often, people are turning to consumer wearable devices, such as smartwatches, to monitor their health and physical activity.

Using these wearable devices, a study led by Michigan Medicine and the University of Missouri with Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute finds that taking more daily steps is associated improved health, including fewer symptoms and physical limitations, for people with heart failure. The results are published in JACC: Heart Failure.

Clinicians are increasingly presented with their patients' wearable device data, though interpretation has been challenging given a lack of normative data in different populations, says first author Jessica R. Golbus, M.D., clinical instructor of internal medicine-cardiology at University of Michigan Medical School.

"This is one of the first studies to provide context to wearable device data from heart failure patients and helps us to understand what physical activity data from a wearable device means at a population level as well as at the individual level," Golbus said.

As part of a national, randomized clinical trial for heart failure, over 400 patients were given activity monitors to evaluate the relationship between daily step count, floors climbed, and their symptoms and physical limitations over 12 weeks. The CHIEF-HF trial used the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaires (KCCQ) to gauge total symptoms and physical limitations.

Baseline step counts between 1,000 and 5,000 steps were associated with significantly improved symptoms and fewer physical limitations reflected by KCCQ scores, with little association seen beyond 5,000 steps.

People who walked 2,000 steps per day had total symptoms scores 3.11 points higher, and physical limitation scores 5.36 points higher, than those who walked 1,000 steps a day.

Participants who increased their step counts by 2,000 steps per-day during the 12 weeks experienced a clinically important greater than 5-point increase in physical limitation scores compared to those who did not change their step counts. While increases in step counts over time showed better symptom control and physical function, declines showed no relationship with these outcomes.

This study design provides unique insights for both researchers and clinicians, says co-senior author Brahmajee Nallamothu, M.D., professor of internal medicine-cardiology at U-M Medical School.

"Up until this point, it has been tough to collect data from patients outside of office visits," Nallamothu said. "By collecting data from wearable devices, we can now examine folks in their home environments and over time. That's something special about this work. We will have much more to learn as we consider things that can affect step counts like travel, weather and holidays."

Consumer wearable devices are consistently mentioned in clinical care as possible tools to interpret functional performance and activity, and mobile health technology is increasingly used for recruitment, data collection and outcomes assessments in clinical trials.

For heart failure, the United States Food and Drug Administration has endorsed the use of patient-reported measures to support regulatory approval but not data from wearable devices.

The latest findings, researchers say, highlight the importance of understanding whether and how data from consumer wearables is clinically meaningful.

Given the growing interest in using measures of patients' 'real-world' activity, the clinical and research community need to understand how to interpret the data shared by patients, says co-senior author John Spertus, M.D., Professor and Lauer/Missouri Endowed Chair at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.

"These data provide the first insight into how changes in activity relate to changes in patients' health status, suggesting that we should interpret improvements in activity as indicating better health status but that we need not necessarily be as concerned about reductions in activity," Spertus said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230726171257.htm

People with increased genetic risk of Alzheimer's may lose sense of smell first

July 26, 2023

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

People who carry the gene variant associated with the strongest risk for Alzheimer's disease may lose their ability to detect odors earlier than people who do not carry the gene variant, which may be an early sign of future memory and thinking problems, according to a study published in the July 26, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The gene variant associated with this increased risk of Alzheimer's is called APOE e4.

"Testing a person's ability to detect odors may be a useful way to predict future problems with cognition," said study author Matthew S. GoodSmith, MD, of the University of Chicago. "While more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine what level of smell loss would predict future risk, these results could be promising, especially in studies aiming to identify people at risk for dementia early in the disease."

The study involved an at-home survey that included testing the sense of smell of over 865 people -- both their ability to detect an odor at all and their ability to identify what odor they were smelling. Tests were given at five-year intervals. People's thinking and memory skills were also tested twice, five years apart. DNA samples gave researchers information about who carried the gene associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's.

For the test to see if people could detect odors, scores ranged from zero to six based on how many of the different concentrations of odors they could smell.

People who carried the gene variant were 37% less likely to have good odor detection than people without the gene at a single timepoint. Researchers accounted for other factors that could affect the results, such as age, sex, and educational level. The gene carriers started experiencing reduced smell detection at age 65 to 69. At that age, the gene carriers could detect an average of about 3.2 of the smells, compared to about 3.9 smells for the people who did not carry the gene.

The people carrying the gene variant did not show a difference in their ability to identify what odor they were smelling until they reached age 75 to 79. Once they started to lose their ability to identify odors, the gene carriers' ability declined more quickly than those who did not carry the gene.

Thinking and memory skills were similar among the two groups at the start of the study. But as expected, those carrying the gene variant experienced more rapid declines in their thinking skills over time than those without the gene.

"Identifying the mechanisms underlying these relationships will help us understand the role of smell in neurodegeneration," GoodSmith said.

A limitation of the study is that people with severe dementia were not included.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230726171240.htm

Pupil size during very light exercise predicts benefits to prefrontal function

July 26, 2023

Science Daily/University of Tsukuba

Researchers have investigated the impact of 10-min very light exercise on pupil size and prefrontal function. Their findings provide the first evidence that changes in pupil size during exercise can serve as an indicator for the enhancement of cognitive function associated with the prefrontal cortex resulting from very light exercise.

Recent studies have revealed that mild forms of exercise, such as yoga or walking, can improve mood and enhance executive function, which involves the brain's prefrontal cortex and refers to the ability to control one's behavior to achieve a goal. However, the specific neural activity in the human brain that leads to the improvement of executive function during exercise has remained poorly understood due to tecFhnical limitations.

It is often said that the eyes are a part of the brain and can effectively reflect a person's mental state. In recent years, there has been growing interest in investigating pupil size variations as these are closely linked to the neural activity associated with the brain's noradrenergic arousal system. Pupillometry, a noninvasive and contactless measurement technique, allows for the assessment of neural activity during aerobic exercise and could serve as an indicator of arousal neural activity. Based on this premise, a research team led by KUWAMIZU Ryuta and SOYA Hideaki hypothesized that changes in pupil size during very light exercise could predict improvement in prefrontal executive function after a single exercise session.

To test this theory, the research team asked a group of healthy young adults to participate in 10-min very light exercise followed by an executive function task. The findings revealed that pupils dilated during the exercise, and the extent of the dilation was an indicator of a subsequent improvement in executive function. Prefrontal cortex activity during the executive function task was examined using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, demonstrating an increase in the activity of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region associated with executive function.

These results strongly suggest that the enhancement of prefrontal executive function resulting from very light exercise can be attributed to pupil-linked neural activity, specifically the activation of the brain's noradrenergic arousal system. Looking ahead, pupil diameter holds promising potential as a novel biomarker that can be used to predict the effects of exercise on the brain.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230726113027.htm

Scientists may have discovered mechanism behind cognitive decline in aging

July 25, 2023

Science Daily/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered what they believe to be the central mechanism behind cognitive decline associated with normal aging.

"The mechanism involves the mis-regulation of a brain protein known as CaMKII which is crucial for memory and learning," said the study's co-senior author Ulli Bayer, PhD, professor of pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "This study directly suggests specific pharmacological treatment strategies."

The study was published today in the journal Science Signaling.

Researchers using mouse models found that altering the CaMKII brain protein caused similar cognitive effects as those that happen through normal aging.

Bayer said that aging in mice and humans both decrease a process known as S-nitrosylation, the modification of a specific brain proteins including CaMKII.

"The current study now shows a decrease in this modification of CaMKII is sufficient to cause impairments in synaptic plasticity and in memory that are similar in aging," Bayer said.

Normal aging reduces the amount of nitric oxide in the body. That in turn reduces nitrosylation which reduces memory and learning ability, the study said.

Bayer said the new research opens the way toward developing drugs and other therapeutic interventions that could normalize the nitrosylation of the protein. He said that holds out the possibility of treating or staving off normal cognitive decline for an unknown period of time.

He pointed out that this would only work in normal age-related cognitive decline, not the decline seen in Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

"We know this protein can be targeted," Bayer said. "And we think it could be done pharmacologically. That is the next logical step."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230725171914.htm

New study reveals why defense against brain corrosion declines in people with Alzheimer's disease

Findings offer hope for development of new medications

July 24, 2023

Science Daily/Case Western Reserve University

A new study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University revealed that the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be slowed by suppressing a specific protein in the brain that causes corrosion.

A main pathogenic initiator of AD and related dementias is oxidative stress, which corrodes the brain, called oxidative damage.

David E. Kang, the Howard T. Karsner Professor in Pathology at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and the study's lead researcher, said they've identified for the first time a cause for the loss of so-called "oxidative damage defense" in AD.

A protein called Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is regularly activated in response to oxidative stress to protect the brain from oxidative damage. But in the brain of someone with AD, Nrf2 defense against oxidative stress declines. How that occurs in AD was unknown.

The study, recently published in the peer-reviewed journalPNAS, found that a protein called Slingshot Homolog-1, or SSH1, stops Nrf2 from carrying out its protective biological activity.

Genetically eliminating SSH1 increases Nrf2 activation and slows the development of oxidative damage and buildup of toxic plaques and tangles in the brain -- both risk factors for AD. As a result, the regular connections between brain cells are maintained and degeneration of brain nerve cells is avoided, they found.

The finding is significant because most clinical trials have been conducted with people with advanced dementia. The tests focused mainly on managing and reducing symptoms to enhance daily functioning and quality of life.

"Focusing on clinical trials in the early stages of AD increases the likelihood of success," Kang said. "In the upcoming five years, I also think we'll see modest improvements in treatments for Alzheimer's disease, which will help slow AD's course."

For example, clinical trials for Leqembi -- medication for early AD recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- have shown somewhat promising results to slow progression of the disease.

Case Western Reserve is among those working on SSH1 inhibitor compounds as potential neuroprotective medicines.

"Many promising drug candidates are certainly in the pipeline," Kang said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230724122745.htm

Exercise, metabolism: Cellular mechanisms by which lactate helps our brains develop

July 24, 2023

Science Daily/Tohoku University

Lactate is a byproduct of exercise and metabolism, fueling our brain when oxygen is limited. More recently, scientists have become aware of the many roles it plays in developing our nervous system. Now, researchers have unearthed the cellular mechanisms by which lactate helps our brains develop.

Scientists at Tohoku University have discovered the critical role that lactate plays in helping neural stem cells develop into specialized neurons, a process dubbed neuronal differentiation. They also unearthed a means by which lactate sends signals to the cells, helping modify and strengthen neuronal functions.

Details of their study were reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry on June 10, 2023.

Lactate is a byproduct of exercise and metabolism. Glucose gets converted into lactate when oxygen supplies to cells are limited, giving the brain a source of energy. Lactate levels in fetal brains increase from the middle state of gestation, highlighting the significant role it has in brain development and neuronal differentiation.

Recent studies and reports have demonstrated that lactate is a vital component of our nervous system. They have shown that lactate functions as an important cellular signaling molecule in the nervous system, and that lactate metabolism is involved in neuronal functions, including neuroplasticity and memory consolidation. However, the role of lactate signaling in neuronal cells has, until now, remained unknown.

"Given the growing evidence that shows lactate providing signal-regulatory functions in various cell types under physiological and pathological conditions, we hypothesized that lactate affects neuronal function through changing comprehensive gene expression," says Professor Ryoichi Nagatomi from Tohoku University's Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering and leader of the research team along with PhD student Yidan Xu and Associate Professor Joji Kusuyama from Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

The researchers tested their hypothesis by examining the gene regulation of cells treated with lactate when NDRG3, a protein previously identified to mediate gene regulation when lactate is present, was removed from neuroblastoma cell SH-SY5Y. They found that lactate helps with neural differentiation through ways that depend on NDRG3 and ways that don't. Additionally, they identified that two specific transcription factors, TEAD1 and ELF4, are controlled by both lactate and NDRG3 during neuronal differentiation.

Nagatomi and his team believe their findings not only further basic knowledge of lactate, but could serve as a basis for harnessing lactate signaling for encouraging exercise or designing drugs as a way to prevent or control cognitive diseases. "Our findings provide a novel insight into the mechanisms by which exercise-induced high serum lactate levels may beneficially affect the nervous system. Furthermore, since the changes in lactate levels caused by human exercise can be measured, the adaptational changes in the brain function such as cognition and memory function can be better understood when changes in the lactate level is considered."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230724122207.htm

How mother and infant sleep patterns interact during the first two years of life

July 22, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

New mothers can expect sleep deprivation in the first few years of baby's life. But too little sleep can take a toll on the health of both mother and child. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at maternal and infant sleep patterns, identifying predictors and providing recommendations for instilling healthy habits.

"The first two years is a really critical period where a lot of development is going on, and sleep is important for health. We wanted to look at the association of mother and infant sleep and whether it changes over time," said Tianying Cai, now a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University. She worked on the research as a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the U. of I.

"We identified two distinct groups, a low maternal sleep group where the mothers get 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night, and an average maternal sleep group, which meets the national recommended sleep guidelines with 7 to 8 hours per night. Children in the low maternal sleep group also slept less, although the difference wasn't as large as for the mothers," Cai stated.

The research team followed parents of 464 infants in the first two years of life. Mothers completed surveys about bedtime routines, their child's sleep duration, nighttime waking, and sleep problems at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months of age.

The families were part of STRONG Kids 2, a program at the U. of I. that promotes nutrition and healthy habits in families with young children. STRONG Kids 2 co-directors Barbara Fiese, professor emerita of HDFS, and Sharon Donovan, professor of food science and human nutrition, also contributed to the study.

Mothers who fit the low maternal sleep profile got an average of 5.74 hours of sleep per night at 3 months and 5.9 hours at 12 to 24 months, while their children got 9.6 and 10.52 hours, respectively. In the average sleep profile, mothers got 7.31 hours at 3 months and 7.28 hours at 12 to 24 months, while child sleep averaged 9.99 hours at 3 months and 11 hours at 12 to 24 months.

The research team also identified factors that influence the amount of sleep a mother gets. Not surprisingly, one of the strongest predictors is infant-signaled nighttime waking, which means the infant is more likely to alert the parent at night. This could be either because these infants woke more frequently, or because the mothers were more likely to wake up when infants stirred, Cai noted.

Mothers who had longer employment hours were more likely to be in the low sleep group at 3 months, although that was no longer a factor by 12 months. Furthermore, those who breastfed their infant at 12 months were more likely to be in the average sleep group.

Over time, many families transitioned from the low to the average sleep group as infant sleep patterns consolidated. At 3 months, 60% were in the low maternal sleep group and 40% were in the average group, while at 12 months the numbers were reversed. Most of those who were in the average sleep group at 3 months continued to be so throughout the study period.

The researchers found that an earlier bedtime and consistent routines were associated with better sleep patterns, corroborating a previous study from Fiese and Cai.

"If parents can establish early bedtime routines at three months, it improves sleep duration and reduces sleep problems," Fiese said. "Parents may feel overwhelmed and don't realize that they have this in their toolkit. Something as simple as setting a regular bedtime early on and having routines, like reading a story to your child before they go to bed. You may not think they're understanding, but the rhythm of your voice establishes predictability, and you can expand this bedtime routine over the first few years of life."

The researchers noted they did not observe any significant differences due to demographic characteristics in the sample.

"Maternal education, income, or ethnicity did not predict sleep group memberships across 3 to 24 months; all parents were facing similar challenges. I think having a baby is a great equalizer for a lot of things, although moms who have to go back to work or work longer hours may have more pressures," Donovan said.

Even so, there are steps everyone can take to improve bedtime habits and sleep patterns.

"Getting kids to bed earlier and trying to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines is really important because studies have shown that sleep is associated with a lot of neurocognitive outcomes and health in kids. The parents can be quite proactive even early in life to get their kids off on the right foot," she concluded.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230722004656.htm

Bodybuilding supplement may help stave off Alzheimer's

July 22, 2023

Science Daily/Rush University Medical Center

The secret to protecting your memory may be a staple of a bodybuilder's diet. RUSH researchers recently discovered that a muscle-building supplement called beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, also called HMB, may help protect memory, reduce plaques and ultimately help prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

HMB is not a prescription drug or a steroid, but an over-the-counter supplement that is available in sports and fitness stores. Bodybuilders regularly use HMB to increase exercise-induced gains in muscle size and strength while improving exercise performance. HMB is considered safe even after long-term use, with no known side effects.

"This may be one of the safest and the easiest approaches to halt disease progression and protect memory in Alzheimer's disease patients," said Kalipada Pahan, PhD, the Floyd A. Davis, MD, Professor of Neurology and professor of neurological sciences, biochemistry and pharmacology at RUSH Medical College.

Studies in mice with Alzheimer's disease have shown that HMB successfully reduces plaques and increases factors for neuronal growth to protect learning and memory, according to neurological researchers at RUSH.

"Understanding how the disease works is important to developing effective drugs to protect the brain and stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease," Pahan said.

Previous studies indicate that a family of proteins known as neurotrophic factors are drastically decreased in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and have been found to help in survival and function of neurons, which are cells that receive and send messages from the body to the brain and vice versa.

"Our study found that after oral consumption, HMB enters into the brain to increase these beneficial proteins, restore neuronal connections and improve memory and learning in mice with Alzheimer's-like pathology, such as plaques and tangles," Pahan said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230722004622.htm

Some people's brain function still affected by Long COVID years after infection

July 21, 2023

Science Daily/King's College London

UK researchers have found that people with longer-term COVID-19 symptoms including brain fog showed reduced performance in tasks testing different mental processes up to two years after infection with the virus.

Researchers from King's College London looked at whether infection with COVID-19 affected performance in two rounds of online cognitive testing that took place in 2021 and 2022. Data was collected for over 3,000 participants of the COVID Symptom Study Biobank study, across 12 tasks that tested memory, attention, reasoning, processing speed and motor control.

The participants whose test scores were most affected by COVID-19 were those who had experienced symptoms related to the virus for 12 weeks or more. In these people, the effect of COVID-19 on test accuracy was comparable in size to the effect of a 10-year increase in age.

There was no significant improvement in these test scores between the two rounds of testing, which took place nine months apart. By the second round of testing, the average time since participants' initial COVID-19 infection was almost two years.

Digging deeper into the analysis, the researchers separated participants by whether they felt fully recovered following COVID-19 infection. People who felt fully recovered after COVID-19 infection performed similarly to those who had not had the virus at all. In contrast, participants who did not feel fully recovered after infection had lower task accuracy scores on average.

Lead author Dr Nathan Cheetham, a Senior Postdoctoral Data Scientist at King's College London said:

"Our findings suggest that, for people who were living with long-term symptoms after having COVID-19, the effects of the coronavirus on mental processes such as the ability to recall words and shapes are still detectable at an average of almost two years since their initial infection.

"However, the result that COVID had no effect on performance in our tests for people who felt fully recovered, even if they'd had symptoms for several months and could be considered as experiencing 'long COVID', was good news. This study shows the need to monitor those people whose brain function is most affected by COVID-19, to see how their cognitive symptoms continue to develop and provide support towards recovery."

Professor Claire Steves, a Professor of Ageing and Health at King's College London, added:

"We used sensitive tests to measure speed and accuracy across a range of brain challenges. This study shows that some individuals have measurable changes in these tests after COVID-19 going on for nearly two years. The fact remains that two years on from their first infection, some people don't feel fully recovered and their lives continue to be impacted by the long-term effects of the coronavirus. We need more work to understand why this is the case and what can be done to help."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230721113224.htm

Hardship affects the gut microbiome across generations

Adversity experienced by mothers during their childhood or pregnancy is reflected in their children's gut microbiomes

July 21, 2023

Science Daily/University of California - Los Angeles

A new study has shown that hardship experienced by mothers during their own childhood or during pregnancy is reflected in the composition of their 2-year-old children's gut microbiome. It was previously understood that in rodents, prenatal stress affects microbiomes into adulthood, but how long after birth the effects lasted in humans was unknown. The changes to this community of microorganisms are likely among the ways that hardship affects a child's socioemotional development.

Hardship experienced by mothers during their own childhood or during pregnancy is reflected in the composition of their 2-year-old children's gut microbiomes, reports an international team of scientists led by UCLA psychologists.

The researchers found small to medium changes in the children's microbiomes. The research is the first to document the transgenerational effects of adversity on the human gut microbiome.

A growing body of evidence links the gut microbiome to brain and immune functioning, and according to the researchers, changes to that community of microorganisms is likely among the ways that hardship affects children's socioemotional development.

The study, which is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, builds on previous research in rodents, which has shown that that prenatal stress disrupts maternal vaginal and gut microbiomes. Because babies acquire their first gut microbes passing through their mother's birth canal, mothers' microbiomes form the basis of their offspring's.

Previous research in humans has shown that shortly after birth, stress experienced by the infant while in the womb and the mother's own psychological distress influence the infant microbiome. And while it was known that the effects of prenatal stress on rodent microbiomes persist into adulthood, scientists did not yet know how long after birth the disturbances remain in humans, or whether they affected the next generation.

The study investigated the consequences of maltreatment to mothers during their childhoods, anxiety while pregnant and their children's exposure to stressful life events in 450 mother-child pairs in Singapore when the children were 2 years old. The researchers asked mothers to recall abuse, neglect or other maltreatment they experienced during childhood, and mothers were screened for anxiety during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Researchers also interviewed the children's primary caregivers to learn about stressful events that the children had experienced, and their general behavior and health, during their first two years of life, and researchers collected stool samples from the children. The researchers controlled for family income, which often serves as a proxy for childhood adversity.

Children whose mothers reported more anxiety in pregnancy had microbiomes in which the species of microorganisms had populations of similar sizes, a metric biologists call "evenness," which had not been found before. Typically, the populations of the various species that make up the gut's microflora are "lumpier," with some species being abundant and others less common. In the study sample, however, those differences were less prominent, and populations were of similar sizes.

The gut microbes of children who experienced stressful life events after birth also had less genetic diversity, meaning that the microbes living in each child's gut were more closely related to each other than such microbes usually are.

However, while more experiences of adversity were correlated with less microbial genetic diversity in each child, the amount of adversity did not seem to affect how similar children's gut microbiomes were to each other. There was still variation among the children.

"There are lot of questions around whether more diversity or evenness is better or worse when the gut microbiome is developing during childhood, so we don't know if more is better at 2 years old," said Francesca Querdasi, a UCLA doctoral student and the paper's lead author.

"But many of the species we found to be related to adversity are known to interact with the immune system in some way, suggesting that maybe the way the gut microbiome interacts with the immune system is different after adversity. There's a lot that we need to explore in the future."

The researchers also found some kinds of behavior and mental health problems associated with an abundance of certain species in the gut microbiome. Although none of those species were the same ones related to adversity in this study, the authors noted that some have been associated with adversity in past studies and may perform similar functions as the species that are related to adversity.

The brain-gut microbiome connection develops rapidly during the first two to three years of life, and it is likely that the changes due to adversity demonstrated in the new study have some influence on children's socioemotional development.

A nascent area of study called nutritional psychiatry, which researches how changes to diet could affect mental health, is developing as scientists learn more about the brain-gut microbiome connection.

"The microbiome gets a lot of attention and is very exciting, but it really is just one piece of the large and complicated puzzle of human health," said Bridget Callaghan, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology and the paper's senior author.

"Our study is part of a growing body of research showing the effects of early exposure and transgenerational experience on the microbiome. When we understand how experiences of hardship can influence the gut microbiome, we can then try to manipulate diet, supplements and lifestyle to make positive impacts on an individual's gut microbiome and broader developmental trajectory."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230721113127.htm