Meditation Reduces the Feeling of Pain | Lens Neurofeedback Training

 Mindfulness meditation can help ease your pain.

The technique can reduce pain intensity by as much as 32 percent, a new study has discovered—and even people who haven’t meditated before can quickly achieve these benefits.

The key is in not associating with the pain, but instead observing it as if it was happening to someone else, say researchers from the University of California at San Diego.

They tested the benefits of mindfulness on a group of 40 volunteers, half of whom were taught the technique and the others were told just to relax.

When a painful heat was applied to the leg, the mindfulness group reported a 32 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 32 percent reduction in unpleasant feelings about the Pain, Compared to the relaxation group.

Brain scans endorsed the findings. Transmissions between different areas of the brain were reduced in the meditators. “For many people struggling with chronic pain, what often affects their quality of life most is not the pain itself but the mental suffering and frustration that comes with it,” said lead researcher Fadel Zeidan.

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Protein linked to brain rejuvenation | Biofeedback Treatments Engelwood

 Mouse studies hint at a way to treat age-related decline

A single molecule may play a central role in rejuvenating aging brains, albeit in multiple ways, new research suggests.

Studies in mice of three different techniques for combating the cognitive decline that accompanies aging found that they all increase levels of a protein called platelet factor four, or PF4. This in turn improved cognitive performance and biological signs of brain health, three research groups report August 16 in Nature Aging, Nature and Nature Communications.

“PF4 may be an effective factor, and this kind of work will help bring it toward a therapeutic agent” for age-related cognitive decline, says bioengineer Michael Conboy of the University of California, Berkeley, who wasn’t involved in the work.

One of the research groups, led by neuroscientist Dena Dubal of the University of California, San Francisco, was studying klotho, a hormone linked to longevity. Injecting the hormone into mice boosts cognition, but since klotho is too large to cross the blood-brain barrier, it must act on the brain indirectly via a messenger.To search for this intermediary, Dubal’s team injected mice with klotho and measured changes in the levels of six proteins in the blood. PF4 increased the most, the team reports in Nature Aging.

Platelets are known for their role in wound healing and clotting, and they release proteins — including PF4-called platelet factors into the blood. “My first reaction was, what do platelets have to do with cognitive enhancement? This is crazy,” Dubal says. Follow-up work in mice found that PF4 enhanced neural connections in the hippocampus, a region crucial for memory.

Another UC San Francisco team, led by neuroscientist Saul Villeda, had previously shown that blood plasma from young mice rejuvenates the brains of elderly mice. A look at how young plasma differs from old revealed that young plasma contains much more PF4, the team reports in Nature. Injecting PF4 into old mice returned the immune system to a more youthful state, lowering levels of inflammatory proteins and reducing inflammation in the brain.

Separately, neuroscientist Tara Walker, of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues found that exercise boosts PF4 in mice. Delivering PF4 directly to mice’s brains spurs new nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, the team reports in Nature Communications.

The new studies all show that PF4, on its own, improves cognition. More and more research is pointing toward a link between the immune system, cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s,” Villeda says.

The main limitation of these studies is that few findings in mice translate into safe and effective therapies in people. But in humans, as in mice, PF4 declines with age.

In July, Dubal and colleagues reported that klotho improves cognition in aging monkeys, whose brains are much more similar to ours. But whether that improvement involves PF4 is not known.

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Brain Parasites Can Stealthily Cause Great Damage

 

Brain Parasites Can Stealthily Cause Great Damage Worms

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s disclosure that a doctor apparently found a dead worm in his brain has prompted questions about what brain parasites are, the damage they can cause, and how, exactly, they get there.

Brain parasites encompass far more than worms. There are “legions” of organisms that can affect the brain, said Scott Gardner, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who specializes in parasites, including single-celled organisms such as Toxoplasma gondii and some amoebas.

The damage varies depending on the type of parasite and where it ends up in the brain. “Some of them actively invade the tissues and destroy tissues,” said Dr. Daniel Pastula, chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at University of Colorado Medicine. Others cause an inflammatory reaction.

TAPEWORMS Humans are typically exposed to tapeworms through raw or undercooked food or through food contaminated with feces.

Doctors consulted by The New York Times speculated that Mr. Kennedy described symptoms of an infection with larvae from the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, one of multiple types of tapeworm that can infect the brain. When a person accidentally swallows pork tapeworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines, and the larvae can travel to other organs, including the brain. There, they form cysts, causing a condition known as neurocysticercosis.

It can take months, or years, for people to show signs of infection. Symptoms vary based on how many cysts develop and where they are (in the eyes, muscles, and spinal cord). Generally, people with neurocysticercosis experience headaches and seizures, and they sometimes feel confused, struggle to pay attention, and have issues with balance. The condition can be fatal.

AMOEBAS Another type of parasite that can affect the brain is a brain-eating amoeba. Infections of this kind are extremely rare but can lead to a potentially fatal swelling of the brain or spinal cord, said Tajie H. Harris, an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia. The organisms enter through the nose when people swim in lakes and rivers, and then travel to the brain. People have also been infected when using neti pots or other sinus rinses with untreated or non-sterile water.

TOXOPLASMA GONDII One of the most common parasitic brain infections is toxoplasmosis. Over 40 million people in the United States may be infected with the parasite that causes that infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can be infected by eating undercooked meat or contaminated shellfish, by drinking contaminated water, or by accidentally swallowing the parasite when they encounter it in cat feces in litter boxes.

The parasite that causes toxoplasmosis can linger in humans for years potentially, for one’s entire life – but most people will not develop symptoms. “For the most part, our immune system does an amazing job at just handling and dealing with this parasite, allowing us to live our lives without ever knowing,” Dr. Harris said.

But it can make some people feel as if they have the flu. People with compromised immune systems are at risk of serious illness and brain damage if infected, and developing fetuses can be severely affected if pregnant women are exposed. (That’s why doctors sometimes advise pregnant women to avoid coming into contact with cat litter.)

How would people determine if they had a parasite?

“You wouldn’t know yourself, unless someone is looking,” Dr. Gardner said. Sometimes a patient’s blood can be tested for antibodies that are produced in response to a parasite. In other cases, doctors call for an M.R.I. or a C.T. scan.

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Your Brain and Your Weight

When it comes to brain health, keeping your weight stable may.be the most important task of all.

Obesity, particularly when there’s lots of visceral fat present, is a risk factor for faster brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease, says Howard Fillet, M.D., cofounder and chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Belly fat has been shown to:

Reduce blood flow to your brain, according to a 2020 study involving brain scans of more than 17,000 people. Researchers found that as weight went up, blood flow in the brain went down, including to areas vulnerable to developing Alzheimer’s.

Shrink your brain, Using MRIs, researchers from UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh found that people who were overweight had 4 percent less brain volume, and their brains looked eight years older, on average, than those of people who were of normal weight. People who were obese had 8 percent less brain volume and brains that appeared 16 years older.

Reduce your cognitive abilities,  An elevated body mass index (BMI) is directly associated with decreased attention, processing speed and fine motor speed, according to a 2013 study. And in a 2016 study of 171 people with severe obesity, more than half met the criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), even though their median age was only 43. At a follow-up 12 months later, the prevalence of MCI was reduced by nearly 49 percent in those who had undergone weight-loss surgery in the previous year.

Protecting your brain means getting your weight under control. The MIND Diet, a mashup of the heart-healthy Mediterranean and DASH diets, features lots of fruits and vegetables, plus lean protein and goed fats like olive oil. You can still eat red meat, fast food and sweets, just limit your intake. People who most closely adhered to this eating pattern had a 53 percent lower rate of Alzheimer’s.

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Safe and Effective Treatment Options for Depression | LENS treatment in Paramus

Do you suffer from pessimism, low energy, low mood, sadness? Are you unmotivated, oversleeping, having feelings of worthlessness, even despair? Or do you have mood swings, agitation, emotional reactivity, and fatigue from anxiety with depression?

In any one year, around 60% of the population is suffering from depression. But the good news is that depression is a treatable disease just like a physical illness.

People suffering from anxiety and depression find it difficult to take the first step towards treatment. So, if your mental health is to keep you away from your normal lifestyle you need to get help from family members or a health professional.

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This Year, Try Spring Cleaning Your Brain | Biofeedback Therapy Piermont

 Five ways to soothe a mind fixated on anxiety, stress, and streams of information.

Coronavirus cases are receding across the United States, and face masks are coming off. Little green shoots are finally poking through the earth, signaling the arrival of warmer weather. The pandemic has not been declared over, but after living in survival mode for the past two years, some would say we are emerging into a new normal. Though that doesn’t mean our minds are at ease.

Many have endured illness, economic upheaval, climate crisis, grief, and racial inequities. Add to that inflation, supply chain issues, and the ripple effects of Russia’s war with Ukraine – three of the biggest sources of stress among people in the United States right now, according to a recent poll for the American Psychological Association.

Perhaps, experts say, the arrival of spring can serve as a natural point to take stock of our mental well-being and reconnect with the things that bring us purpose and joy, offering our brains a respite when possible.

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The Vast Potential of the Vagus Nerve | Lens Neurofeedback Training

Some say a cure for ailments like anxiety is flowing from the brain. But much is unknown.

By Christina Caron

In recent years, the vagus nerve has become an object of fascination, especially on social media. The vagal nerve fibers, which run from the brain to the abdomen, have been anointed by some influencers as the key to reducing anxiety, regulating the nervous system, and helping the body to relax.

TikTok videos with the hashtag “#vagusnerve” have been viewed more than 64 million times, and there are nearly 70,000 posts with the hashtag on Instagram. Some of the most popular ones feature simple hacks to “tone” or “reset” the vagus nerve, in which people plunge their faces into ice water or lie on their backs with ice packs on their chests.

Now, wellness companies have capitalized on the trend, offering products like vagus massage oil, pillow mists, and vibrating bracelets. These products claim to stimulate the nerve, but they have not been endorsed by the scientific community.

Researchers who study the vagus nerve say that stimulating it with electrodes can potentially help improve mood and alleviate symptoms in those who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, among other ailments. But are there other ways to activate the vagus nerve? Who would benefit most from doing so? And what exactly is the vagus nerve, anyway? Here’s a look at what we know so far.

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