Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #BRAIN
Most recents (24)
1/ "Fits at Chess" might seem like a punchline, but it's a real health concern 🧠. I've been exploring research papers on the negative effects of #Chess on well-being, societies, and ecosystems, and found the first report of chess triggering #epilepsy from 1965. #NorwayChess 
2/ These cases fall into a category of reflex #epilepsy - seizures are activated by specific, identifiable triggers. Such triggers can be external (flashing lights, hot water 🚿), internal (emotions, thought 💭), or a mix of both.
#chess #NorwayChess #neuroscience #brain
#chess #NorwayChess #neuroscience #brain
3/ Among reflex #epilepsies, the most common are those triggered by visual stimuli or light changes (1 in 4,000). Much rarer triggers include eating 🍎, music 🎵(1:10 M), writing ✍️, orgasm 💋 and even lying. #Chess, other #boardgames, and #cards can also trigger seizures.
1/4 Here we go! Chess eats your 🧠 gray matter!
"Grey matter volume and cortical thickness were reduced in chess players compared with those of control men in the occipitotemporal junction and precunei." #Chess #chesspunks #NorwayChess
"Grey matter volume and cortical thickness were reduced in chess players compared with those of control men in the occipitotemporal junction and precunei." #Chess #chesspunks #NorwayChess
2/4 Chess is a silent "killer" of 🧠 cortex locally.
💡Who holds the record for the thinnest 🧠 cortex among chess players in history? Will collective chess 🧠 solve this mystery despite the thinning? Retweet! 🔁
#Chess #chesspunks #brain #neuroscience #NorwayChess
💡Who holds the record for the thinnest 🧠 cortex among chess players in history? Will collective chess 🧠 solve this mystery despite the thinning? Retweet! 🔁
#Chess #chesspunks #brain #neuroscience #NorwayChess
3/4 🧩 Stay tuned for more revelations from a treasure trove of almost 1000 scientific papers exploring the mental and other challenges of chess players. As a chess player myself, I hope for 1 or 2 papers highlighting the benefits of the game. #Chess #chesspunks #NorwayChess 🔁
Central to Alzheimer's pathology is a phenomenon known as brain hypometabolism. Let me explain better what that term means. 🧵 (1/25) #alzheimers #AD #neurotwitter
Brain hypometabolism refers to a state of reduced metabolic activity in the brain, characterized by a decreased uptake and utilization of glucose - the primary #energy source for brain cells. (2/25)
This disastrous metabolic slowdown is not just a mere lack of energy, although that would be devastating enough. It triggers a cascade of effects that impair neuronal function and disrupts communication between #brain cells. (3/25)
Have you ever heard of glutamate excitotoxicity? No? Well, settle in for a thread. You're going to need to know about this fascinating (and slightly scary) topic that's essential to understanding brain health. 🧵 (1/30)
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter. You need some constantly being released and taken up by neurons to keep the brain functioning. It is critical to properly function several brain pathways essential for mood and cognitive function. (2/30)
In the prefrontal cortex, glutamate signaling is necessary for executive functions like decision-making, working memory, and attention. When glutamate signaling is functioning properly, it's a very good thing! (3/30)
So excited to announce our preprint describing tau in extracellular vesicles from Alzheimer's disease brain tissue! A thread... ➡️ @Duff_Lab @bwfalcon
doi.org/10.1101/2023.0…
#neuroscience #brain #science #extracellularvesicles #CryoEM #teamtomo
doi.org/10.1101/2023.0…
#neuroscience #brain #science #extracellularvesicles #CryoEM #teamtomo
We used quantitative mass spectrometry to profile 8 density fractions of human brain EVs: check out github to explore the data: github.com/duff-lab-team/…
Extra special thanks to @darraghpobrien and @EmirTurkes1!!
Extra special thanks to @darraghpobrien and @EmirTurkes1!!
Tau in EVs is pathological and can seed prion-like tau propagation in the brain🧠
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a super important part of our diet, and it comes in two common forms: nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. 🧵(1/27)
Did you know that niacin has a big role to play in turning the food we eat into energy for our cells? Did you know that insufficient or deficient amounts of niacin can impair your #mitochondria? (2/27)
Niacin, or vitamin B3, is essential for producing two important coenzymes: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). They play a crucial role to help produce #energy. (3/27)
Research suggests that these changes in cognitive function (#brain fog, poor memory, mood, and focus) may be accompanied by dysfunction in #brain energy metabolism that can be treated with #metabolic therapies. (1/17)
Cognitive dysfunction can arise when the brain's energy supply is disrupted. It's called brain hypometabolism. (2/17)
Head traumas and concussions in sports or accidents are associated with such changes and can cause behavioral changes and memory loss in adults. But you don't need a history of head injury for cognitive decline to occur. (3/17)
Covid is not a “single issue” 1
Every 4 Covid deaths = 1 US child loses a parent/caregiver
Healthcare staff shortages risk ALL patient lives
MILLIONS of newly disabled folks are entering a system that was already failing to meet needs
Life expectancy ⬇️
Domestic violence ⬆️
Every 4 Covid deaths = 1 US child loses a parent/caregiver
Healthcare staff shortages risk ALL patient lives
MILLIONS of newly disabled folks are entering a system that was already failing to meet needs
Life expectancy ⬇️
Domestic violence ⬆️
Covid is not a “single issue” 2
4 million workers are out of workforce from #LongCovid
#Hospitals are unsafe for EVERYONE who needs them
Opportunistic infections ⬆️ due to #immune damage
Many #vulnerable folks are into year 4 of isolation
#Schools are even more unsafe
4 million workers are out of workforce from #LongCovid
#Hospitals are unsafe for EVERYONE who needs them
Opportunistic infections ⬆️ due to #immune damage
Many #vulnerable folks are into year 4 of isolation
#Schools are even more unsafe
Covid is not a “single issue” 3
#Covid causes #brain damage, leading to ⬆️ dementia, attention issues, human errors - there has been a record increase in traffic fatalities
#SuddenDeaths ⬆️
#Bullying #harassment #assault of vulnerable people ⬆️
Accessibility in #healthcare ⬇️
#Covid causes #brain damage, leading to ⬆️ dementia, attention issues, human errors - there has been a record increase in traffic fatalities
#SuddenDeaths ⬆️
#Bullying #harassment #assault of vulnerable people ⬆️
Accessibility in #healthcare ⬇️
We need to talk about the role of GABA in mental illness and neurological disorders. And then I am going to explain to you why ketones can help regulate this neurotransmitter. 🧵 (1/21)
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and it plays a critical role in regulating neuronal excitability and maintaining the balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. (2/21)
GABAergic dysfunction has been implicated in a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including #anxiety disorders, #depression, #epilepsy, #schizophrenia, and #autism spectrum disorders. (3/21)
We are discovering exciting things about how therapeutic nutritional ketosis could benefit those living with serious mental illnesses. It's time for a short thread about two main ways this could be happening. 🧵 (1/13)
First is the direct effect of ketones. Scientific studies have shown that people with serious mental illnesses often have trouble using glucose efficiently for fuel. Ketones supply fuel that doesn't depend on insulin or the cell's ability to metabolize glucose. (2/13)
By providing the brain with this alternative fuel source, ketones can help enhance energy production and improve cognitive function in people with serious mental illnesses. (3/13) #lifechanging
3 studies on #covid19 survivors showing persistence of cognitive impairement 12 months after infection.
1/D
1/D
Of 946 severe COVID patients age 50 and older with no previous dementia or memory complaints, ... 10.7% had long-term impairment that persisted at 1 year, according to Claudia Kimie Suemoto, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paulo Medical School in Brazil, and co-authors.
2/D
2/D
The Brasilian team defined severe COVID, including the presence of dyspnea, .. a blood oxygen saturation of 93% or less...
The study had several limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Participants came from early waves of the pandemic, before vaccines were available.
3/D
The study had several limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Participants came from early waves of the pandemic, before vaccines were available.
3/D
Microcytic anemias, which affect all cell lines, can have adverse effects on brain and nervous system health. Iron deficiency #anemia, the most common type of microcytic anemia, can cause #cognitive impairment. 🧵(1/18)
Iron is crucial for #brain function, and its #deficiency can reduce #oxygen delivery to the brain, affecting #cognitive processes like #attention, #memory, and learning. (2/18)
#B12 deficiency, another common cause of microcytic anemia, can also damage the nervous system. (3/18)
Can a ketogenic diet help the symptoms of a hard-core neurodegenerative disorder like Huntington's disease? Let's see what a published case study found. 🧵 (1/16)
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which produces a toxic protein that damages nerve cells in the brain. (2/16)
HD is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, meaning that a person only needs one copy of the mutated gene from either parent to develop the disease. (3/16)
Mitochondria are essential to our overall health and well-being. In addition to producing energy, they regulate many critical processes in the body. (1/11) #mitochondria #energy #health
Mitochondria play a key role in the production and regulation of neurotransmitters. They also help produce key hormones like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. (2/11) #mitochondria #hormones #neurotransmitters #neurotwitter
Mitochondria are involved in epigenetics, which is the expression of #genes from the nucleus. They send signals to the nucleus that turn genes on or off. (3/11) #epigenetics #genes #mitochondria
Insulin receptors and IGF-1 receptors, along with their signaling partners, are found throughout the brain. I think this needs a thread. 🧵(1/13)
IGF-1 receptors are involved in important #brain processes, including neuronal growth and survival, regulation of synaptic plasticity, and modulation of #neurotransmitter release. They are implicated in neuroprotection and #cognitive function. (2/13) #science #neuroscience
Many of you are familiar with insulin, but maybe you don't know well enough what its important roles are in the brain. Insulin affects neurotransmitter channel activity, brain cholesterol synthesis, and mitochondrial function. (3/13) #mitochondria
Both neighborhood and family #socioeconomic status (SES) influence children’s gray matter structure & function, but what about #whitematter (WM)? What could be some mediating mechanisms? We studied these questions in 8842 children from the #ABCD Study: medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
RSI assessed microstructure in 31 WM tracts. We looked at RND, which measured *directional* intracellular water & could reflect organized #myelin, and RNI, which measured *isotropic* intercellular water & could reflect #glia/neuron cell bodies. (fig adapted Burnor et al 2021)
Higher neighborhood disadvantage and lower parental education had independent links to lower RND (organized myelin) in forceps maj, corticospinal tract, and sup long fasciculus. These agree with previous findings of lower DTI-FA and lower WM integrity in low SES.
Long-term #depression is associated with #brain aging & poor cognitive function
1. 649 adults aged 23-36 years were followed up for 25 years in USA.
Participants with elevated depressive symptoms had on average a 3-year greater brain age.
#MedTwitter #Alzheimers #NeuroTwitter
1. 649 adults aged 23-36 years were followed up for 25 years in USA.
Participants with elevated depressive symptoms had on average a 3-year greater brain age.
#MedTwitter #Alzheimers #NeuroTwitter
2. People with elevated depressive symptoms were associated with 3-times higher odds of poor cognitive function in midlife.
doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.…
doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.…
3. Take home message
*Adults should be screened for the presence of depressive symptoms and those with depression should be treated, in order to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and accelerated brain aging in later life.
*Adults should be screened for the presence of depressive symptoms and those with depression should be treated, in order to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and accelerated brain aging in later life.
There are positive effects of the #ketone body beta hydroxy-butyrate (BHB) on vascular function. Why? Very likely, the following things that we already know BHB does. And quite frankly, there are likely additional mechanisms that haven't even been discovered yet. 🧵(1/10)
BHB lowers high blood sugar, and that reduces the production of reactive oxygen species #ROS and #inflammation mediators. In other words, BHB reduces Oxidative Stress (2/10)
BHB increases endogenous #antioxidant production by upregulating gene expression in those pathways. So yes, #BHB reduces Oxidative Stress from that mechanism as well. (3/10)
So this has been making the rounds. I realize it’s probably meant to be a thought experiment & deliberately provocative, but still, philosophical arguments should be rooted in at least some amount of reality.
I will now rage tweet about everything wrong w/ this concept. Enjoy🧵
I will now rage tweet about everything wrong w/ this concept. Enjoy🧵
Let’s start w/ the author’s premise: if we’re ok w/ #organdonation after brain death, then we should be ok w/ “whole body gestational donation” (WBGD).
Even putting aside the part about this sounding like a horrifying, dystopian baby farm, they’re not even remotely comparable.
Even putting aside the part about this sounding like a horrifying, dystopian baby farm, they’re not even remotely comparable.
Here’s why:
#Organdonation after brain death typically happens very quickly (a few days or less). This is not simply because we’re uncomfortable keeping someone’s organs alive longer; it’s because it’s incredibly challenging & often not possible, despite the authors assertions
#Organdonation after brain death typically happens very quickly (a few days or less). This is not simply because we’re uncomfortable keeping someone’s organs alive longer; it’s because it’s incredibly challenging & often not possible, despite the authors assertions
Most brain-imaging studies make 3 questionable assumptions: mental events are localizable, map uniquely to dedicated #brain circuitry, & are independent of larger context. These 19th-century views need an update. New #OpenAccess paper in @TrendsCognSci. 1/ cell.com/trends/cogniti…
Better assumptions: (1) Mental events comprise distributed activity across the whole brain; (2) Brain & behavior are linked by degenerate, many-to-one mappings; (3) Mental events emerge as a complex ensemble of non-linear, interacting signals from brain, body, & outside world. 2/
Kudos to @ChristiWestlin and collaborators @J_Theriault @YutaKatsumi @NeuroPerson @Sebastian_Ruf @BrownSarahM + Alfonso Nieto-Castanon, Misha Pavel, Deniz Erdogmus, Dana H. Brooks, Karen S. Quigley, & Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli. @AffectiveSciLab 3/3
Thread alert! Advice from @bschermd at @Metabolic_Mind about the #ketogenic diet as a treatment for #mentalillness 🧵⬇️ #depression #ADHD #Bipolar #Schizophrenia #OCD #Anxiety #PTSD (1/8)
@bschermd @Metabolic_Mind "Remember our caution. Therapeutic
nutritional #ketosis or simply starting
a ketogenic diet is a powerful #health
and medical intervention that can change
your body's #metabolism and could
dramatically alter (2/8)
nutritional #ketosis or simply starting
a ketogenic diet is a powerful #health
and medical intervention that can change
your body's #metabolism and could
dramatically alter (2/8)
@bschermd @Metabolic_Mind #brain function, medications, #sleep patterns, #energy levels, and other physiologic functions. You should not start a keto diet on your own. (3/8)
This is a threaded version of Chapter 4, titled,
“The Doors of Perception:
“Each of Us Is Potentially Mind At Large... When Perception Is Cleansed, All Kinds of Nonordinary Things Happen”
READ BOOK> sillymickel.blogspot.com/2022/11/experi… #psychology #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge
ED 4/1
“The Doors of Perception:
“Each of Us Is Potentially Mind At Large... When Perception Is Cleansed, All Kinds of Nonordinary Things Happen”
READ BOOK> sillymickel.blogspot.com/2022/11/experi… #psychology #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge
ED 4/1
of the book, *Experience Is Divinity: Matter As Metaphor*
by Michael Adzema
READ CH THREAD or CLICK a link for free BOOK... wp.me/p2cSxz-aR #psyche #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge #perinatal #shamanic #consciousness #prenatal #metaphysics #pantheism #paradigm
ED 4/2
by Michael Adzema
READ CH THREAD or CLICK a link for free BOOK... wp.me/p2cSxz-aR #psyche #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge #perinatal #shamanic #consciousness #prenatal #metaphysics #pantheism #paradigm
ED 4/2
Chapter 4 is the beginning of “SECTION TWO: TRANSCENDING WORLDS”
& it explains: “Why Everything Appears Infinite when the Doors of Perception Are Cleansed: “Mind at Large” & The Awakening”
READ/DWL BOOK drive.google.com/file/d/1kLQ7jT… #psyche #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge
ED 4/3
& it explains: “Why Everything Appears Infinite when the Doors of Perception Are Cleansed: “Mind at Large” & The Awakening”
READ/DWL BOOK drive.google.com/file/d/1kLQ7jT… #psyche #psychedelic #science #MindAtLarge
ED 4/3
The darker side of dark chocolates
1. Dark chocolates are popular due to their potential health benefits (they are rich in anti-oxidants and are good for heart) and moreover, they are low in sugar content. >50% consider them as safer and healthier option (as compared to candies)
1. Dark chocolates are popular due to their potential health benefits (they are rich in anti-oxidants and are good for heart) and moreover, they are low in sugar content. >50% consider them as safer and healthier option (as compared to candies)
2. But there’s a dark side to this “healthier” #chocolate. Research has found that some dark chocolate bars contain cadmium and lead—two heavy metals linked to a host of health problems.
Consumer report scientists detected cadmium & lead in many dark chocolate samples tested.
Consumer report scientists detected cadmium & lead in many dark chocolate samples tested.
3. Consistent, long-term exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can lead to a variety of #Health problems. The danger is greatest for #pregnantwomen and young #Children because the metals can cause developmental problems, affect #brain development, and lead to lower IQ.
#PhysicalActivity and #brain health in patients with atrial fibrillation
1. Vascular brain lesions, such as ischemic infarcts, are common among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and are associated with impaired cognitive function.
#MedTwitter #neurotwitter #dementia
1. Vascular brain lesions, such as ischemic infarcts, are common among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and are associated with impaired cognitive function.
#MedTwitter #neurotwitter #dementia
2. In a recent study, effects of physical activity and regular exercise on brain infarcts, brain volume and cognition were looked at.
Reference: doi.org/10.1111/ene.15…
Reference: doi.org/10.1111/ene.15…
3. In AF patients, regular exercise was associated with a lower prevalence of ischemic infarcts and of moderate to severe white matter disease, with larger brain volume, and with better cognitive performance.
