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DIET AND MENTAL HEALTH: Some websites to look for if you need help or understand more.

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With people stuck in their homes during the lockdown, the COVID pandemic became an eye-opener for mental health. Some websites to check out if you would like to be informed about how a simple modification of diet can bring to your mental health.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/diet-and-depression-2018022213309

https://www.webmd.com/depression/diet-recovery

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318428

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/nutrition-for-mental-health-depression

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/coping-with-anxiety/faq-20057987

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/10/09/768665411/changing-your-diet-can-help-tamp-down-depression-boost-mood

https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/eating-well-for-mental-health

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood-microbe/202105/the-worst-diet-depression

Are Some Diets Superior to Others? No Role of the Mediterranean Diet in Cognition and Cognitive Decline

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What is the MIND diet?

The MIND diet is the acronym for the Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, along with foods that have been putatively associated with a decreased risk of dementia.

What was done to see the effect of the MIND diet on cognitive decline?

The trial was performed in older adults without cognitive impairment but with a family history of dementia. The adults were divided into two groups. The test group was assigned MIND diet whereas the control groups were assigned a control diet with mild caloric restriction. The diets were provided to the respective groups for 3 years after which various parameters were measured including global cognition score, MRI based measurement of volume of brain regions such as hippocampus and cortex.

Does MIND food prevent cognitive decline in older persons?

The results of the paper are ambiguous in regard to the effect of diet on cognition. According to the paper, cognition was increased in persons consuming both MIND and control diets. Comparing the MIND diet and the control diet, the authors did not find any difference in changes in cognition between the persons consuming the MIND diet and the normal diet.

My opinion: does diet matters?

Diet matters for brain health. There are numerous studies that have shown the benefit of the Mediterranean diet in cognitive function. Not only the Mediterranean diet but also there are ingredients in every culture or region, which could be useful in preventing cognitive decline. People from each culture need to identify those indigenous foods. For example, phytochemicals found in rice, curcumin found in turmeric, etc have been shown to have beneficial effects on cognitive function and brain health. You can see my blog Brain Diet | healthier brain (healthier-brain.com) for further information regarding the brain diet.

This is a Quick peek at a recently published paper.

Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons

doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2302368

Don’t stop writing! it’s important for a healthier brain.

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The digitalization of the world has made our life easier. A lot of things that require the use of our hands can be performed easily with a mouse click. Among things, digitalization is having a big role in writing. These days handwriting has been replaced by typing, which is faster, more efficient, and can be edited whenever you like. Although typing has replaced handwriting, the old way of writing still has an edge over typing, if you consider healthier brain.

There are different benefits associated with writing by hand versus typing on a keyboard. Writing by hand can improve cognitive function, fine motor skills, and memory. The physical act of writing by hand can engage the brain more fully and lead to better retention of information. This is because writing by hand activates a different part of the brain compared to typing, and this process can lead to a stronger neural connection between the brain and the written word.

The hand movements involved in writing are shown to cause increased memorization of new words. Even writing with a digital pen and tablet can enhance the ability to learn compared to typing. Research done in children has shown that handwriting training was superior to typing training in word writing, and, as a tendency, in word reading. All this evidence supports that hand writing could be important for healthier brain.

Additionally, many people find writing by hand to be a meditative and relaxing activity, which can reduce stress and anxiety. It can also help with focus and concentration, as there are fewer distractions compared to typing on a computer.

At the end of the day, it’s personal preferences and needs that determine the choice between writing by hand or typing. However, occasional writing by hand does not do you harm as it maintains the fine motor skills that your finger possesses, which indirectly plays a role in the healthier brain.

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Busy Brain Resists Dementia

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Is it true that the busy brain resists dementia? What is a busy brain? How to keep your brain busy? Today’s blog is going to scratch off these topics.

Research suggests that keeping the brain actively engaged and busy with cognitive activities may provide some protection against the development of dementia and age-related cognitive decline. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities regularly can help build cognitive reserve, which can potentially delay the onset of symptoms and slow down the progression of various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Cognitive activities can include learning new skills, engaging in hobbies that require mental effort, solving puzzles and brainteasers, reading, writing, playing musical instruments, learning new languages, and socializing. These activities stimulate multiple areas of the brain, strengthen neural connections, and promote the growth of new neurons and synapses. By keeping the brain active and challenged, cognitive reserve is built, creating a buffer against cognitive decline.

Additionally, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for brain health and reducing the risk of dementia. This includes regular physical exercise, a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids, adequate sleep, stress management, and maintaining social connections. All these factors contribute to overall brain health and can work synergistically with mental stimulation to protect against cognitive decline.

While staying mentally busy can be beneficial, it is important to note that it does not completely eliminate the risk of developing dementia. Genetic and environmental factors play a role as well. However, engaging in cognitively stimulating activities is a proactive step individuals can take to promote brain health and potentially delay cognitive decline.

It’s always recommended to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice and strategies to maintain cognitive health as they can provide specific guidance based on individual needs and medical history

Busy Brain Resists Dementia_cropped

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Habit formation: From the cellular perspective

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Habits are an essential aspect of our daily lives as they help us to carry out routine activities without requiring conscious effort. Habits are formed when a behavior is repeatedly performed, leading to a process called ‘habituation,’ which involves changes in neural networks in the brain. However, the formation of habits goes beyond the brain and is, in fact, a process that occurs at a cellular level. Habit formation has been shown to involve changes in cell morphology, gene expression, and protein synthesis. In this blog, we’ll explore the cellular processes involved in habit formation.

Created by Biorender

Forming Habits – The Role of NMDA Receptors

To understand how habits are formed at a cellular level, we need to start with the basics of how neurons communicate with one another. At the synapse, where neurons communicate, neurotransmitters are released from one neuron to the other. These neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the receiving neuron and create an electrical signal. One particular receptor type, called the NMDA receptor, is essential for the formation of new habits. The NMDA receptor is activated when the neuron membrane is depolarized, and its activity leads to the promotion of long-term potentiation (LTP), which is the stereotypical cellular process involved in learning.

LTP is a process that involves an increase in the strength of synapses between neurons. This increased synaptic strength occurs because the activation of the NMDA receptor stimulates the release of calcium ions in neurons, which then acts to signal genetic changes in the nucleus. This chain of events eventually leads to an increase in the production of proteins that build and maintain synapses. The resulting growth of new synapses, or strengthening of existing ones, means that the neurons that fire together wire together, resulting in the formation of new habits.

The Role of Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis plays a critical role in the formation of new habits at a cellular level. In response to repeated activation of neurons, long-term changes occur in gene expression, resulting in new proteins being produced in neurons. These new proteins are then used to build and maintain synapses, leading to an increase in their density and function. New proteins also enable neurons to alter their behavior, for example by decreasing or increasing their excitability. Both of these processes lead to the formation of a new neural pathway, which, with repetition, can become habitual behavior.

The Role of Glial Cells

While neurons and synaptic activity are the primary focus of habit formation, glial cells also play a significant role. Glial cells support neurons and provide them with metabolic and structural support. Recent studies have shown that these cells play an active role in synaptic plasticity. Glial cells can undergo changes in gene expression and protein synthesis in response to neural activity, leading to their contribution to the signaling that leads to habit formation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, habits are formed at a cellular level through a process involving NMDA receptors, protein synthesis, and the support of glial cells. These cellular processes occur in response to repetitive stimulation of neurons, leading to the strengthening of existing synapses, the formation of new ones, and changes in gene expression patterns. Understanding these cellular processes that lead to habit formation can provide insight into developing new therapies for habit-forming and addictive behaviors.

Exercise as a therapy for preventing cognitive decline

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Summary: The recent paradigm for the treatment of cognitive impairment has shifted to non pharmacological interventions such as exercise.  Some results published recently have shown a positive role of exercise in preventing cognitive decline. The common message of all these studies involving different population and different cultures is that exercise is beneficial in preventing the cognitive decline. In the future,  evidence based exercise therapy can be introduced  by developing a thorough systematic exercise protocol  and integrating it with molecular profiling of the underlying cellular and molecular changes induced by the exercise protocol.   

Cognitive impairment is one of the major public health problem faced by the modern society affecting primarily the elderly population. It can have many possible causes such as metabolic and endocrine dysfunction, medicinal side effects, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. While there are some medications that are used as cognitive enhancers, no known medication that could prevent or treat the cognitive decline have been developed yet.  Developing a drug that could prevent or treat cognitive decline is a challenging prospect. Therefore, more efforts have been put into conventional or non pharmacological interventions such as diet and exercise. Assessing the current studies, the results are encouraging and in the near future we could be up for some type of exercise therapy for the prevention/treatment of cognitive impairment. Here, I am trying to summarize some of the studies related to exercise and cognition published in 2017. The common message of all these studies involving different population and cultures is that exercise is beneficial in preventing cognitive decline.

A systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that physical exercise improves cognitive function in the elderly. This meta analyses took into the account 39 different studies till November 2016.  The study looked into several different types  of aerobic exercise, such as resistance training , multicomponent training and tai chi (Chinese martial art),  and found that moderate intensity aerobic exercise decreases the cognitive decline in patients older than 50 years irrespective of their cognitive status.

Similar result was obtained in another study published by Piedra et al. in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The study investigated the effects of exercise intervention on cognitive function in the elderly latinos/hispanic population (older than 60 years). The participants were examined for their cognitive function(baseline) before initiating the exercise intervention program.  Then, following the exercise intervention program, the cognitive function was again measured after 1 year and 2 year periods.   The results showed that participants involved in the exercise intervention program had higher cognitive function scores after 1 year and 2 year follow ups as compared to their initial baseline scores.

Not only is exercise beneficial to the elderly people. It is also beneficial to the adults of any age suffering from chronic diseases. The study published by Cai et al. in Clinical Interventions in Aging have found that exercise is beneficial in preventing the cognitive decline in the adults (older than 18 years) with chronic disease. This metaanalyses and systematic review took into account 36 different studies till September 2016. The studied participants were diagnosed with chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, or AIDS. This study found that exercise is beneficial in improving the cognitive function of patient suffering from chronic disease irrespective of  the type of clinical disease, type of exercise, frequency, and intensity of the exercise intervention.

These are some of the recently published studies related to exercise and cognition in 2017. The results of these studies clearly showed that exercise could potentially act as a non pharmacological therapy in preventing cognitive decline.  However, development of a systematic exercise protocol supported by molecular profiling of underlying exercise induced changes could be of immense help in establishing evidence based exercise therapy. 

Particularly,in regards to exercise, the rule of thumb is any amount of physical activity is beneficial and as the above studies suggest, it is beneficial to prevent/slow the cognitive decline as well.

References:

Northey JM, Cherbuin N, Pumpa KL, Smee DJ, Rattray B. Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than 50: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Apr 24. pii: bjsports-2016-096587. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096587. [Epub ahead of print] Review.

Piedra LM, Andrade FC, Hernandez R, Boughton SW, Trejo L, Sarkisian CA. The Influence of Exercise on Cognitive Function in Older Hispanic/Latino Adults: Results From the “¡Caminemos!” Study. Gerontologist. 2017 Mar 15. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnw256. [Epub ahead of print] 

Cai H, Li G, Hua S, Liu Y, Chen L. Effect of exercise on cognitive function in chronic disease patients: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Clin Interv Aging. 2017 May 11;12:773-783. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S135700. eCollection 2017. Review.

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What is ‘attention’ and where is it in the brain?

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A concise information related to attention

This is the third in a series on Understanding Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Today we look closer at the nature of attentiveness and its location in the brain.

english_brainAttention is the ability of the brain to selectively concentrate on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. There are two types of attention in two separate regions of the brain. The prefrontal cortex (directly behind the forehead) is in charge of willful concentration; if you are studying for a test or writing a novel, the impetus and the orders come from there. But if there is a sudden, riveting event – the attack of a tiger or the scream of a child – it is the parietal cortex (behind the ear) that is activated. Scientists have learned that these two brain regions sustain concentration when the neurons emit pulses of electricity at specific rates – faster frequencies for the automatic processing of the parietal…

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Nutrition and Neurodegenerative diseases

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“You are what you eat”. The importance of nutrition for the human health has been known since the ancient times. There is no doubt that nutrition is one of the prime factors that affect the health of any living being, plants or animals alike.

Recently, a lot of research has been focused in the role of nutrition in human health. Epidemiological studies in human and experimental animal studies have been conducted to see if there is any particular association between human diet and diseases.

One of the areas that scientists are prioritizing is Neurodegenerative diseases which include dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It has been estimated that 30% of the total population will be over 65 years of age by 2050. With the increasing population, there will also be an increase in the economic burden to take care and to treat the age related disorders which might call for the measures for preventing or even reversing the age related health disorders. Among the potential option for achieving this is the use of nutritional substances for the prevention of the age related diseases.

The relationship between nutrition and cognitive decline is complex and it might be multifactorial involving several environemental factors such as nutrients, pollutants, chemicals, physical activity, lifestyle, physical and mental stress.

Epidemiological studies have shown that micronutrients such as Vitamin B, C D and E, flavonoids, polyunsaturated omega-3-fatty acids to have protective role in the prevention of cognitive decline, dementia and AD. So, consumption of these foods containing these micronutrients might help in preventing the neurodegeneration and other health related disorders associated with aging.

One of the mechanisms behind the age related disorders is oxidative stress. It is involved in almost all of the diseases associated with old age such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. To decrease the oxidative stress in our cells, we have to have proper nutrition containing antioxidants. In addition meditation, exercise might also help in reducing the stress which might be involved in oxidative stress.

Brain is a plastic organ that can be molded into different ways and nutrition definitely plays a big role in molding the brain by facilitating in creating the good brain environment. However, we should not forget a big picture that a proper nutrition is beneficial not only to our brain, but also to all the organs of our body.

 

Exercise increases academic performance in children

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Throughout the human history, physical activity has been the mainstay for the survival of mankind. But with the emergence of new technologies, there is sudden change in the lifestyle leading human to embrace a sedentary life style and forget the principal component of evolution. Paradoxically, with the increase in research in this area, the relevance of physical activity has become even important today irrespective of the age and moreover for the children as it impacts their academic life.

If the result of research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine is to be believed, exercise helps in improving the academic performance of children, specifically the girls.The more intensive the exercise, the greater was the influence on the test results.

The study test the relationship between physical activity and academic performance in adolescents. Physical activity of 4755 children were analyzed objectively by accelerometer when there were 11 years. Then the academic performance of these children was measured at 11 and was followed up at 13 years and 16 years.

Results showed an increase in performance in English in both sexed and increase in the performance of science in female only. Going by the results, female students benefit more from exercise than their male peers.

In brief, this study showed a long term positive impact of physical activity in the academic performance of children.

There are also a lot of other researches that are focused on exercise and academic performance. Barring a few, most of these researches have shown a positive influence of physical activity in the academic performance of children.
The increase in academic performance as a result of physical activity is also well supported by brain research done in animals. Increase in synaptic plasticity proteins is well documented in animal brain following physical activity or exercise. Increase in these synaptic plasticity proteins specifically in hippocampus is crucial for learning and memory.

To sum up, physical activity should be encouraged in schools and care should be taken that children are familiar not only with modern day gadgets, but also with the importance of physical activity that was the prime driver of human evolution.

Reference:
Booth JN,Leary SD, Joinson C, et al.Br J Sports Med 2014;48:265–270

Picture source: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/graphics/4032/activities_kids.gif

Note: Some of the views expressed here are not related to the reference article.

Good sleep promotes communication between your neurons (by inducing formation of new synapses).

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A good night sleep is essential for refreshing oneself after a hectic day. It’s now known to us that sleep is essential not only for healthy body, but also for healthy mind. The role of sleep in the consolidation of memory has already been established. But the cellular and molecular processes behind this sleep induced memory consolidation are not yet known.

Researches have shown conflicting views regarding the role of sleep in synaptic plasticity. Some research supports the idea of synaptic down-scaling, whereas other supports the idea of synaptic up scaling during sleep.

A study conducted by Yang et al at New York University, School of Medicine, showed that sleep promotes formation of post-synaptic dendritic spines on a subset of branches of individual layer V pyramidal neurons in the mortor cortex of mice.

The study can be divided into two parts. In 1st part, they assessed spine formation following training. For this, they used two groups of mice. The experimental group consisting of mice that were given motor training for 2 days and the control group consisting of untrained mice. Rotarod motor training was given to the experimental group. The results were analyzed based on  time frame of experiment. Firstly, within 6 hours of motor training and then within 24 hours and after 24 hours of motor training. In 2nd part, they gave rotarod training to mice and divided the mice into two categories: non-sleep deprived and sleep deprived mice.  Then, they assessed the formation of new dendritic spines in sleep deprived vs non sleep deprived mice.

The results showed significantly higher formation of dendritic spines in trained mice in first 6 hours of training as compared to untrained controls. This formation of dendritic spines in trained mice was continuous in the 1st day. The spine formation remained confined to about 30% of dendrities after 24 hours of motor learning.  Likewise, there was significant reduction in dendritic spines in  sleep deprived mice as compared to non-sleep deprived mice. The reduction in the dendritic spines after sleep deprivation cannot be compensated either by motor training or by sleeping again.

Sleep consist of two phases: Rapid eye movement(REM) phase and NREM(non rapid eye movement) phase. Sleep deprivation in  REM phase did not disrupt the  formation of dendritic spines. Its in the NREM phase of sleep that dendritic spines are formed. Also, the study showed via calcium imaging that it’s the same neurons that are activated during neuronal activation at wakefulness and NREM phase of sleep. This neuronal reactivation during NREM phase is critical in the formation of new dendritic spines.

Concluding the results, rotarod training is important for the formation of new synapses as shown by increase in dendritic spines in trained mice as compared to untrained controls in the 1st part of the experiment. However, there was significant reduction of dendritic spines in sleep deprived mice undergoing motor training  suggesting that sleep is necessary for  formation of new synapses after learning. Formation of new synapses after learning occurs during NREM phase of sleep and neuronal reactivation is responsible for it.

Reference:

Guang Yang et al, Sleep promotes branch-specific formation of dendritic spines after learning, Science 344,1173 (2014); DOI: 10.1126/science.1249098