fear, fun and filoz: Fwd: Update: The placebo effect works even when people know they are taking a placebo

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Fwd: Update: The placebo effect works even when people know they are taking a placebo

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: SharpBrains <afernandez@sharpbrains.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 1:35 PM
Subject: Update: The placebo effect works even when people know they are taking a placebo
To: <olderkirby@gmail.com>

Dear Bill,

Welcome to a new edition of SharpBrains' e‑newsletter, featuring 14 research findings, resources and tips for brain health … and starting with this fascinating study:

#1. Wow. The placebo effect works even when people know they are taking a placebo

#2. Beating Alzheimer's Disease will require a combined physical/ mental approach. From the ten factors found to increase AD risk in the most comprehensive evidence review to date,

Five are "neck up:" Lower education level, Lower cognitive activity, Head trauma, Repeated episodes of depression, High-levels of long-term stress.
Five are "neck down:" Hypertension in mid-life, Orthostatic hypotension, Diabetes, High BMI, High levels of homocysteine. Systematic review finds ten lifestyle factors that clearly impact the probability of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD)

#3. "The healthiest people are the ones who grow with age and experience; even in times of trouble like these." — Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, President of the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation. On Stress, Yoga Meditation, and The Evolution Revolution

#4. "Acceptance that Alzheimer's disease is a lifestyle disease, little different from other age-related diseases, that is the sum of a lifetime is the most important breakthrough of the decade." — George Perry, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Higher body mass index (BMI) linked to lower blood supply to the brain in large neuroimaging study

#5. "Attention is a scarce resource. Think about your attentional focus as the beam of a light. If the light is on an object it cannot be on other objects at the same time with the same intensity … Although we typically have the feeling that multitasking saves us time, it is often not the case." Simple, quick brain teaser to test the limits of multitasking

#6. If it appears to rotate, RT Fun optical illusion to tease your mind

#7. Every cloud has a silver lining: How and when will the telemedicine surge reach mental healthcare?

#8. Not a minute too soon: Magellan Health is testing biofeedback videogame Mightier to help children better self-regulate stress

#9. "In a time when emotions like stress, anxiety, boredom, and anger are hard to avoid, a new study suggests that a particular meditation practice can help us face them." Study: Meditation practice, both formal and informal, helps develop equanimity over time

#10. Ever since discovering Barbara Arrowsmith-Young's life trajectory via Normain Doidge's fantastic book The Brain That Changes Itself, we have been impressed by her creativity, stamina and courage. Coming soon: Virtual World Tour at the frontier of applied neuroplasticity, education and learning difficulties

#11. "Neural signals will be used to develop algorithms that will help researchers determine the optimal brain state under which individuals can receive information. From there, the team will determine the most effective means of enhancing the subjects' ability to intake and process information. This could range from non-invasive neuromodulation—or brain stimulation—techniques to the use of augmented reality to alter perceived environmental conditions." Air Force announces research platform to harness closed-loop neurotechnology and accelerate learning "on the fly"

#12. Good to hear that "ensuring the privacy and security of study participants' data is a high priority for both UCLA and Apple. UCLA will process and maintain study data in a secure environment … UCLA and Apple will analyze the data only after they are coded and stripped of names and other contact information." UCLA launches major mental health study collecting & analyzing data from Apple wearables to better understand depression and anxiety

#13. Flexibility is good except when it isn't: Study finds how scientists can reach different conclusions analyzing the same brain scans

#14. "I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one" — Gandhi, as quoted in Seven evidence-based reasons to start meditating yesterday

Wishing you a safe and healthy September,

Alvaro Fernandez and the SharpBrains Team