Why stressed people fall into habits rather than to act purposefully, cognitive psychologists have discovered the Ruhr-University and their colleagues at the University Hospital Bergmannsheil (Prof. Dr. Martin Tegenthoff). The team led by Dr. Lars Schwabe and Professor Oliver Wolf of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience seized drugs with a stressful situation for the body. Then she studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity. In the Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers report that the interaction of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine drove down the activity of brain regions for goal-directed behavior. The brain regions that are responsible for habit-based behavior remained unaffected
Two stress hormones in action
To test the effect of various stress hormones, cognitive psychologists put the three ingredients: a placebo, the stress hormone cortisol and Yohimibin, which ensures that the stress hormone norepinephrine remains active longer. A portion of the subjects received only cortisol or just Yohimibin, other volunteers, both substances. The fourth group received a placebo. Overall, the data were received from 69 subjects in the study. [continue reading…]
For older adults, loneliness is a major risk factor for health problems — such as cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s — and death. Attempts to diminish loneliness with social networking programs like creating community centers to encourage new relationships have not been effective.
However, a new study led by Carnegie Mellon University’s J. David Creswell offers the first evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces loneliness in older adults. Published in “Brain, Behavior & Immunity,” the researchers also found that mindfulness meditation — a 2,500-year-old practice dating back to Buddha that focuses on creating an attentive awareness of the present moment — lowered inflammation levels, which is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases. These findings provide valuable insights into how mindfulness meditation training can be used as a novel approach for reducing loneliness and the risk of disease in older adults.
“We always tell people to quit smoking for health reasons, but rarely do we think about loneliness in the same way,” said Creswell, assistant professor of psychology within CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “We know that loneliness is a major risk factor for health problems and mortality in older adults. This research suggests that mindfulness meditation training is a promising intervention for improving the health of older adults.”
For the study, the research team recruited 40 healthy adults aged 55-85 who indicated an interest in learning mindfulness meditation techniques. Each person was assessed at the beginning and end of the study using an established loneliness scale. Blood samples also were collected.
The participants were randomly assigned to receive either the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or no treatment. The MBSR program consisted of weekly two-hour meetings in which participants learned body awareness techniques — noticing sensations and working on breathing — and worked their way toward understanding how to mindfully attend to their emotions and daily life practices. They also were asked to practice mindfulness meditation exercises for 30 minutes each day at home and attended a daylong retreat. [continue reading…]
Depression and anxiety are found in every society in the world, debunking old theories that only Westerners get depressed.
These new findings come from the world’s most comprehensive study of anxiety and depression research to date, published by researchers at The University of Queensland.
In two separate studies of anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder (that is, clinical depression) study authors found that surveys of clinical anxiety and depression have been conducted across 91 countries, involving more than 480,000 people.
They show that clinical anxiety and depression are serious health issues all around the world. [continue reading…]
Tired? Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful and uninterrupted sleep.
According to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health fragmented or interrupted sleep could predict future placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility. The study is featured in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and outlines the association between objectively measured sleep and subsequent institutionalization among older women.
“Sleep disturbances are common in older people,” said Adam Spira, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. “Our results show that in community-dwelling older women, more fragmented sleep is associated with a greater risk of being placed in a nursing home or in a personal care home. We found that, compared to women with the least fragmented sleep, those who spent the most time awake after first falling asleep had about 3 times the odds of placement in a nursing home. Individuals with the lowest sleep efficiency—those who spent the smallest proportion of their time in bed actually sleeping—also had about 3 times the odds of nursing home placement.” The authors found similar patterns of associations between disturbed sleep and placement in personal care homes, such as assisted-living facilities. Sleep duration per se did not predict placement in either of these settings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. In addition, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of many diseases and is responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes. Previous studies have also linked disturbed sleep with disability in older adults and impairment in activities of daily living and mobility. [continue reading…]
Tired? Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful and uninterrupted sleep.