mind | MY SPECIAL DOCTOR

Alzheimer’s, a protein in the blood detects nerve cell degeneration

17 February 20246 January 2024 by Renato Torlaschi

A new study, recently published in JAMA Neurology, indicates that a simple blood test can reveal whether nerve cells in the brain are deteriorating at an abnormal rate. Researchers analyzed the presence of a protein, the so-called Neurofilament light Chain (NfL), in blood in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, finding a particularly high concentration of the protein.

Blood samples were collected over several years, and on several occasions, from 1,182 patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and 401 healthy subjects who made up the control group.

When nerve cells in the brain are damaged or die, the NfL protein enters the cerebrospinal fluid and then the blood: there were already suspicions about this, but long-term studies were lacking.

“We found that, in patients who develop Alzheimer’s disease, the concentration of NfL increases over time and that elevated levels correlate with the extent of accumulated brain damage,” said study coordinator Niklas Mattsson.

As is well known, Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that develops gradually and is difficult to analyze in its early, asymptomatic stages; the disease involves deterioration of cognitive and physical functions along with atrophy and death of brain cells. At present, there is no treatment that can reduce the loss of nerve cells in the brain, and available drugs are able to mitigate cognitive impairment but not slow the course of the disease. Measurements of NfL concentration in blood could be used to assess the effectiveness of a drug in influencing nerve cell loss and determine its optimal dosage.

Mattsson believes the method may soon translate into a standard clinical procedure: “at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, we are doing the preparatory work to make this method available as a clinical procedure in the near future. Through a simple blood test, doctors will be able to measure nerve cell damage, produced by Alzheimer’s disease or other brain disorders.”.

Mattsson N, Cullen NC, Andreasson U, Zetterberg H, Blennow K. Association Between Longitudinal Plasma Neurofilament Light and Neurodegeneration in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Apr 22.

Alzheimer’s disease: how to help those who help

14 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Caring for a loved one with health problems always has an ambivalent nature. On the one hand it makes you feel good because you have the awareness of helping in a time of need and offering support practical and psychological. On the other hand, however, it can “exhaust” physical energy and “inner resources,” especially when dealing with pathologies severe, associated with severe physical and/or mental suffering and of long duration. For its nature, Alzheimer’s disease demands a commitment from caregivers. particularly intense in the face of very little gratification, as the decline cognitive it entails is progressive and non-reversible, gradually subtracting also the ability to communicate. In order to be able to ensure valid support and prolonged, it is important that caregivers take care, in addition to the sick person, even of himself. Some advice .

Closed head trauma

11 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

In the case of closed head injury, loss of consciousness may not be immediate; in fact, several minutes may elapse between the time of injury and the appearance of neurological signs.

To determine the state of consciousness, the Glasgow Coma Scale, through which a score of 8 or below determines severe trauma.

It is necessary to provide the patient with controlled ventilation and transfer him to intensive care unit.

Source: Mediserve‘s Medical Emergencies in Pediatrics.

Are you familiar with Alzheimer’s disease?

11 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

It is becoming increasingly common, especially because of of the aging population, and much feared, because its effects on intellectual function are burdensome, and the available therapies do not still able to counter them effectively. For these reasons, of Alzheimer’s disease is much talked about, although, in reality, little is known about it. What this associated form of dementia really consists of. to aging? There are behaviors or substances that can help prevent it? How can it be recognized? And what should be expected from the treatments current? Try to test your knowledge with this quiz. , remembering that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the active mind from a young age is the best insurance for aging in health.

Objects held in the hand, for the brain, are body parts

10 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

We often say that the pen or even the smartphone are like extensions of our hand, and in fact the brain sees them just like that: it perceives each tool we hold in our hands as if it were an extension of the body to which tactile perception can be applied. The discovery, which may help the development of more precise and less invasive prostheses, is published in the journal Current Biology by an international research team in which the University of Milano-Bicocca, Ircss Istituto Auxologico Italiano and the University of Trento also participated.

The study involved 16 people who were asked to hold a stick in their hands that was subjected to external impacts. All participants were able to localize the impact with near-perfect accuracy, as if the touch occurred on the arm. At the same time, the researchers, using electroencephalography (Eeg), found that the position of the impact on the instrument was decoded by the same brain regions that are activated when contact occurs directly on the body, as if the brain applied the body’s tactile perception to the object.

“These results,” comments Nadia Bolognini, professor of psychobiology and physiological psychology at the University of Milan-Bicocca. suggest that it will be possible, in the not-too-distant future, to design increasingly less invasive, high-performance neuroprostheses by generating tactile signals in them that provide optimal responses in contact with objects. This could be accomplished by taking advantage of the mechanism identified in our study, which will allow the patient to locate tactile stimuli on a prosthesis in a natural way, thus facilitating the use of the prosthesis as if it were a true extended sensory organ.”.

Stress and well-being

10 February 20246 January 2024 by Alessia Giannino

Life is full of setbacks and difficulties; it would be nice to live in an ideal world, but it is not. Every man is constantly confronted with problems, injustices, hardships and conflicts.

How is it possible to preserve one’s identity in a world That keeps changing? How to deal with the problems of life? How to manage the uncertainties of daily life?

Let’s imagine that we enter a maze and have to make some choices, to act under new events, and to have to give answers to the important issues of life. In this labyrinth we have to overcome the difficulties and find the way out. We succeed, but after a short time the problems are repropose. How do we react to this point?

From a psychological point of view, we know that the mind has infinite resources for figuring out what to do and what not to do, how to distribute resources, and how to deal with life’s inconveniences. The aspects of the mind, however, are man’s true asset; in fact, knowing one’s own mind and inner world is every man’s strength.

Source: I don’t have time for… How it wears out care: health workers under stress by Ferdinando Pellegrino

The functions of the mind compared with reality

7 February 20246 January 2024 by Alessia Giannino

Safety and situational control can be sources of error; in fact, in the reality of work, it is not always easy to make correct assessments and appropriate choices. The physician must be careful in interpreting clinical data, as it is often the case that he or she tends to apply the notions he or she possesses in a standard way. This induces errors of judgment as one focuses on seeking confirmation of one’s patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to be alert at all times and maintain a high level of critical capacity while working. Sometimes it happens that things do not go the right way, mistakes and accidents can occur, without anyone having specific responsibility. Unforeseen events are inevitable so it is important within a hospital setting to follow guidelines, procedures and organizational functional concatenations.

The complexity of a health care enterprise presents several uncertainties, and the unforeseen event is always lurking. For these reasons, it is important for the physician to be trained to react to events, rather than relying on the ability to predict them. It should be appropriate to introduce simulations of events that require specific skills and abilities into training courses.

Source: I don’t have time for… How it wears out care: health workers under stress by Ferdinando Pellegrino

How exercise supports your mental fitness: current recommendations

4 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Sports activities can lead to long-term improvement in cognitive performance in all age groups. However, the effects differ between men and women, and not all sports sports result in the same impact. The researchers provided recommendations based on a comprehensive analysis of previous studies.A healthy body houses a healthy mind: sports activity can improve cognitive performance. However, there are many different types of sports and a wide range of exercises and workouts. What kind of exercise and how often will it keep the mind in top shape? This is the question that was explored by researchers at the University of Basel and their colleagues at the University of Tsukuba in Japan through a large-scale analysis of the scientific literature. They used this analysis to derive recommendations that they recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Coordinated sports are particularly effective the research team with the participation of Dr. Sebastian Ludyga and Professor Uwe Pühse evaluated 80 individual studies to identify some key characteristics. Resistance training, strength training, or a mix of these components appear to improve cognitive performance. However, coordinated and challenging sports that require complex movement patterns and interaction with other practitioners are significantly more effective. “Coordinating during a sport seems to be even more important than the total volume of sport activity,” Ludyga explains.

A higher total extent of activity does not necessarily lead to a correspondingly higher level of effectiveness for mental fitness. Longer duration per training unit promises greater improvement in cognitive performance only over a longer period of time. All age groups benefit.Just like our physical condition, cognitive performance changes over a lifetime. There is great potential for improvement during childhood (cognitive development stage) and during old age (cognitive degradation stage). However, the research group of the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health (DSBG) at the University of Basel could not find an indicator of the different levels of effectiveness of sports activities within different age groups.

In addition, sports activities from elementary school age to later school age need not be substantially different to improve cognitive performance. Different age groups can therefore be combined for a common goal during sports. “This has already been selectively implemented with joint exercise programs for children and their grandparents.”, says Pühse. Such programs could then be further expanded.

Intense sports sessions can be conducted for teens and adults.The same volume of sports activity has a different effect on physical fitness for men and women, as we already know. However, the research team has now been able to verify this for mental fitness. As a result, men benefit more from sporting activity.The differences between the sexes are particularly evident in the intensity of movement, but not in the type of sport. Hard training seems to be especially useful for boys and adult men. Coupled with a gradual increase in intensity, this leads to significantly greater improvement in cognitive performance over a longer period of time.In contrast, the positive effect on women and girls disappears if the intensity is increased too quickly. The research results suggest that they should choose low to medium intensity sports activities if they want to increase their cognitive ability.

Mens sana in corpore sano!

4 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Even the Ancient Romans were aware of the positive correlation between exercise and mental activity. But not all sports are the same.

Which sports promote mental activity and what is the optimal amount of physical activity?

These questions were attempted to be answered by a group of researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland and the University of Tsukuba in Japan in a study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

A sport that includes training based on the development of strength and endurance seems to be more effective in terms of its effects on cognitive performance. Even more positive effects come from those sports activities that require complex coordination patterns and interaction with other players.

However, cognitive improvement does not seem to correlate with higher training intensity, but rather with longer training duration.

The benefits affect all age groups, potentially especially childhood, then the stage of greatest cognitive development, and old age, which is the stage of degradation. Based on the research results, however, it was not possible to define an indicator of the effectiveness of different sports activities according to different age groups. Instead, it has been seen that different ages can be brought together in the same sporting activity, such as through existing experiences of grandparents and grandchildren exercising together or men and boys engaging in more intense sporting activities.

We already know that the volume of sports activity is more important for men’s physical fitness than for women’s. This also applies to mental fitness. Especially in reference to the intensity of movement. While men and boys enjoy significant improvement, and over a longer period, in cognitive performance following hard training and increased, albeit gradual, intensity, for women the improvement in cognitive ability appears to be linked with low to medium intensity sports activities.

Syncope: causes and treatment

6 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Syncope, or fainting, is defined as a sudden failure of blood flow to the brain that directly results in loss of consciousness. Syncope is often associated with tachycardia, neurological disorders, and diabetic neuropathy.

Origin

Syncope has causes of different origins, which sometimes may not even be identified with certainty. The sudden decrease in the amount of blood going to the brain may be due to: physical exertion, sudden changes in blood pressure, strong emotions, previous heart disease, and even taking certain medications. It can also affect from a neurological point of view, and thus result in syncope, diabetes.

Restless leg syndrome

1 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Patients who suffer from it report a sensation of discomfort in one or both legs (with involvement of the arms as well in severe cases) with an unavoidable need to move them, for example, if sitting too long. A feeling of restlessness that improves if the patient moves or massages the legs.

The disorder often occurs in the evening, when the patient is trying to fall asleep, and may also occur at night.