News Fresh Today: November 2016

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Magic mushroom drug helps people with cancer face death

A single dose of the psychedelic drug psilocybin can relieve feelings of depression and anxiety in people with cancer and increase their quality of life via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gIF8h4

Parkinson's disease may start in the gut and travel to the brain

It seems the nerve damage behind Parkinson's starts in the stomach or colon before spreading to brain cells - but we don't know what's causing it via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gGCcBR

UK’s first three-parent babies likely to be conceived in 2017

The approach might not always work but it should be safer than existing methods for preventing harmful and sometimes fatal mitochondrial diseases via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gGznkb

'It is time to make' three-person babies

It is time to start making babies from three people, scientists advising the fertility regulator say. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gGF5CC

UK has 'first sexually transmitted Zika'

The first likely case of sexual transmission of Zika virus in the UK is reported by the authorities. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gGx7tg

Your Brain on Alcohol Blackouts

“Uuuuggh…no, no, no, no, noooo!?”

Like a scene out of Hangover 3, the moment you remember that you don’t remember the night before…is gut-wrenching! It’s perfectly normal to feel riddled with guilt and shame as you wrack your brain for any evidence you may have made a fool of yourself the night before. Memory seemingly wiped clean, the best you can do to piece together the evening’s events is rummage through your pockets for clues, call up your partners in crime and prepare for the worst.

In the past it was thought that a blackout from being on the bevy was strictly an alcoholics problem. However, today research shows that while blackouts are indeed more common in alcoholics, for at least 50% of non-alcoholics that engage in rapid and excessive drinking, blacking out is a real risk.

It was also a premature idea that alcohol disrupts brain function and depression of the central nervous system in general, but now we know blackouts involve the failing of specific networks in the brain.

A comprehensive and critical review of the blackout science research published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, provides the most detailed view yet as to what happens to memories when your brain is blacking out (see diagram below).

Alcohol has been shown thus far to generally interfere with practically all stages of the memory process.

Short term-memory for example, can still be relatively intact when on a blackout. When short-term memory is fully functioning it tells us what is going on around us for the last 15-30 seconds or so, i.e. it tells us where we are and what we are doing essentially right now. It does this by tapping into our sensory memory (see brown labels in diagram below), the super-short term memory that gives us the ability to look/hear/taste/touch something, and remember what it felt like with just a second of observation.

Largely stored in the prefrontal cortex , you can think of short-term memory like RAM in a computer (see yellow labels in diagram below), it temporarily holds the info we are currently needing to get things done. As short-term memory still ‘kind-of’ functions during a blackout, detailed conversations are not impossible, although they may get annoyingly repetitive. And although definitely not recommended, managing complex tasks like driving are still just about feasible.

Yet in order to truly learn and retain information and remember the events of a night out on the town, it must be transferred from short-term memory into more permanent, long-term memory structures for storage as long-term memories (see orange labels in diagram below). It is the failing of this memory storage process — called memory encoding — that is completely kaput in a brain on a blackout.

Basically, when you blackout, memory encoding is where it all goes wrong.

Three brain structures in particular — the hippocampus, the frontal lobe and the medial septal — contribute to the blackout brain’s failed encoding of the night’s events.

Sensory (brown), short-term (yellow) and long-term (orange) memory structure labels are colored accordingly. Red colored labels refer to those failing on blackouts. Grey colored transparent labels refer to structures connecting the hippocampus to the outlined regions of the cortex *adapted from Wetherill et al. (2016)

The Hippocampus – The Head Honcho

The hippocampus, the horse-shoe shape colored green in the diagram, is found deep in the center of the brain. Its the head honcho when it comes to long-term memories, and in the case of blackouts, their non-existence.

In order to successfully create a memory for long-term storage specialized neurons in the hippocampus, called CA1 pyramidal cells, communicate with other essential areas of the brain. This way the hippocampus can receive information associated with sensory and short-term memory, as well as the emotional content of the memory being processed, and relay processed information back out.

Much like human’s when drunk, CA1 cells’ communication skills break down when under the influence. More specifically, it is thought that ethanol (and other drugs) activate a signal protein inside the cell called striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase, or STEP, which is found in high quantities in the hippocampus and striatum.

When activated by alcohol, STEP switches off proteins important for synaptic activity (the receiving and transmission of signals between neurons in the brain). STEP also results in the production of steroids that block synaptic strengthening and plasticity known as long-term potentiation (i.e. the strengthening of connections between neurons due to increases in activity that is the basis of learning and memory).

In summary, when on a blackout, alcohol gets STEP stepping all over the proper functioning of synapses, specifically disrupting the hippocampal CA1 cell communication needed for the process of recording a memory (encoding), and it also inhibits the neuroplastic strengthening of connections needed to make a long-term memory long-term.

The Medial Septal – The Gate Keeper

The medial septal is like the gatekeeper to information entering the hippocampus. It sends a type of brainwave called theta waves to the hippocampus. These theta waves change the excitement level of pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, thereby decreasing or increasing the likelihood of them being able to receive information from other structures in the brain.

When the pyramidal cells are excited new information has a greater chance of being processed than if the cells are suppressed. Alcohol disrupts the theta rhythm largely through suppressing the signal coming from the medial septal to the hippocampus.

The theory goes that without the theta wave excitatory signals coming from the medial septal, the gates to incoming information are closed, and the hippocampus can’t communicate effectively with other parts of the brain that are needed for long-term memory encoding. In fact, simply putting alcohol directly onto the medial septum causes memory loss.

Frontal Lobe – Details, Details, Details!

Key areas of the frontal lobe play important roles in both short–term memory and the formation and retrieval of long–term memories, including the prefrontal cortex well-known for its roles in rational decision making.

In long-term memory the prefrontal cortex has multiple roles, isolated to different regions within the brain structure. For example, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex’s is specifically involved in the controlled selection of goal-relevant information. In other words, when recording a memory this part of the prefrontal cortex is involved in remembering the important parts of an event, like the specific gift you gave at a friend’s party, and not the less relevant info like the color of the pair of pants you were wearing at the time.

While the prefrontal cortex has shown to have reduced activity that is associated with memory impairments when under the influence, those that abuse alcohol have a very real risk of essentially drinking away the neurons in the frontal lobe, including the prefrontal cortex.

In fact, alcohol-induced dementia, a disease caused by alcohol abuse similar to dementia, is characterized by the “shrinkage” of the frontal lobe that is associated with both short-term and long-term memory loss.

However, as of yet, it is poorly understood how even acute alcohol use can leave the prefrontal cortex’s short-term memory functions relatively intact (remember? like RAM), but impair the encoding functions on route to the hippocampus. It may likely be due to the different effects alcohol has on the different types of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that are specifically important to either long-term or short-term memory.

The Big Picture

Understanding how alcohol can lead to memory loss is not only relevant to cases of alcohol and drug-addiction. The malfunctioning mechanisms, brain structures, neurons and molecules involved (like STEP) are the same as those involved in memory loss as a result of anxiety, stress and trauma, as well as in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Understanding alcohol’s impact on memory may lead to the development of therapeutics and interventions that can restore these mechanisms in a variety of diseases and disorders, and give back the previous gift of long-term memories.

References

Wetherill, R. R., & Fromme, K. (2016). Alcohol-induced blackouts: A review of recent clinical research with practical implications and recommendations for future studies. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(5), 922–935. doi:10.1111/acer.13051

White, A. (2003). What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain. Alcohol Research & Health, 27(2), 186–196.

Image via jarmoluk / Pixabay.

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What happens when someone calls 999

BBC Scotland follows a 999 call from the moment it is received by health service call handlers. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fRcw46

Kansas sperm donor to same-sex couple not liable for child support

A man who donated sperm to two women is not liable for child support, a US court rules. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fRdLQR

Education on personalised diabetes risk doesn't motivate behaviour change

Study finds people told personalised risk do not do more exercise than people given general information

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Quitting smoking at any age reduces the risk of death after 70

Smokers aged 70 or older are more than three times more likely to die than never-smokers

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Hospital discharge of children following asthma attack needs improvement

Only 24% are advised to visit their GP within two working days of discharge

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Doctors Should Counsel Even Low-Risk Patients on Heart Health

U.S. government panel says advice on healthy eating and physical activity likely benefits all
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HIV vaccine: Clinical trial begins in South Africa

Large clinical trial for a vaccine to protect against HIV transmission is underway in South Africa. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fD7zxh

Women with PMS should be offered CBT

Update guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) published by RCOG

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Princess Kasune

Princess Kasune is one of Zambia's most outspoken Aids activists and was recently elected to become its first publicly known HIV-positive MP. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gJw5J0

More doctors to be recruited as NHS leaders

Health Secretary outlines measures to boost the number of clinicians in senior NHS leadership roles

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Are trampoline parks safe enough?

A group of organisations, including the governing body of gymnastics, want trampoline parks to adhere to a set of safety guidelines. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gUNrqu

Specialist paramedic: 'It could be anything, anywhere'

A dementia patient with chest pain, a man with prostate cancer, a feverish baby and an alcoholic who has hit his head... all patients attended by one paramedic in one day. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gF22WT

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Philip Morris could stop making conventional cigarettes

Philip Morris is launching a new cigarette in the UK which it says could see it stop selling conventional cigarettes altogether. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fPxdgV

Sleep deprivation 'costs UK £40bn a year'

Sleep-deprived workers are costing the UK economy £40bn a year and face a higher risk of death, says a new study. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fPwpsa

Quitting smoking in your 60s can still boost life expectancy

A new study suggests that it is never too late to stop smoking - and the earlier you give up, the longer you are likely to live via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gU6kdm

Ambulance crews 'struggle to reach 999 calls'

Ambulance services are struggling to reach the seriously ill quickly enough after rising demand has left the system at breaking point, a BBC investigation has found. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gTxPnm

WHO issues new guidance on HIV self-testing ahead of World AIDS Day

In advance of World AIDS Day, WHO has released new guidelines on HIV self-testing to improve access to and uptake of HIV diagnosis. via WHO news Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gGmt3d

6 Simple Gifts You Can Make in 10 Minutes (No Cooking Necessary)

I LOVE this time of year: the food, the decorations, the music, all the parties and celebrations, spending time with family. I especially love giving gifts. Finding the perfect something for all the people in my life is like solving a big warm-fuzzy puzzle.

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6 Healthy Holiday Treats & Snacks to Make with Your Kids

There's no shortage of sweets, treats and cookies during the holiday season. But sometimes, the kids (and if we're honest, grownups too!) just need a little break from the sugar high. I know that my own kids are much more likely to enjoy their food when they get to help make it. All that dipping and snipping and stirring is so tantalizing for little hands. These festive treats and snacks have celebration written all over them—with just enough sweet or no sweet at all. And I especially love them because they're so easy, even the littlest kids can help!

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Mark Austin: Anorexia put my daughter in danger

The ITN newsreader talks about struggling to get the right care. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gFhfn8

Bad memories stick around if you sleep on them

Students shown disturbing images found it hardest to suppress memories of them after a kip, hinting that sleep deprivation could help after traumatic events via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fytZjj

'Teachers worried my self-harm was contagious'

Emma, who has bipolar disorder, describes how her friends and teachers treated her via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gBZcBL

A father and son talk about their experience battling OCD

Richard has suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since he was a teenager. He and his father have been talking about their lives. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gBT6RS

Staff shortages now outweigh funding fears in NHS

Rising concern over the growing NHS ‘workforce gap’ among trust chairs and chief execs

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Scurvy makes surprise return in Australia

Doctors in Australia report a resurgence in the disease historically associated with sea explorers. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gf5czV

Trump names Obamacare critic Tom Price to key role

US President-elect Donald Trump names Obamacare critic Tom Price as his health secretary choice. via BBC News - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2gf3ZIG

Let’s take on untreatable diseases, says gene therapy pioneer

Things went terribly wrong with gene therapy 20 years ago. But now scientists like Alessandra Biffi are wielding it against previously incurable conditions via New Scientist - Health Read More Here.. Lake forest health and fitness http://ift.tt/2fMlcZD

Pharmacists say they should routinely be allowed to prescribe for long-term conditions

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Flu during pregnancy not linked to child’s autism risk

Autism no more likely among children whose mothers had flu jab in 2nd or 3rd trimester

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