Hello friends and followers of NFBSupport!
It's snowing! Snow in the Owens valley has been rare for the past several years, so this last week has been fun! The Thanksgiving holiday was busy as ever, visiting family and making too much food.
Enough about us, on to the news!
MS, Sleep Deprivation, and Parkinson's
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute have announced the identification of which type of the herpes virus (HHV-6) appears to be responsible for MS, specifically HHV-6A (https://neurosciencenews.com/ms-herpes-15266/). Previously scientists were unable to identify between the 6A and 6B variants of HHV-6, but a new method of identifying the proteins has allowed them to do so. With this knowledge, researchers can now track the progress of HHV-6A and map out how the viruses could affect onset of MS.
A study from Michigan State University has found that sleep deprivation affects far more than attention (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191121183923.htm). Their study found that the odds of making placekeeping errors doubles and lapses in attention triple. A common focus for us at NFBSupport is helping clients get back to a healthy sleep schedule, because once they have that, sometimes everything else falls into place.
University of Helsinki researchers just released a study finding broad-spectrum antibiotics linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (https://neurosciencenews.com/parkinsons-antibiotics-15249/). They believe that it may be due to the effects of antibiotics on the gut microbiome. The study covered antibiotic exposure during the years 1998-2014 and over 13,000 Parkinson's patients.
Improved Attention and Olive Oil
Many of us in the field have dealt with peak performance and alpha training, but a new study from MIT turns part of it on its head! MIT researchers have found that using neurofeedback to reduce alpha brainwaves in one hemisphere of the parietal cortex will increase visual attention on the opposite side (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-12-attention-brain.html). They also found that the improvements were retained for a short while after the initial test.
A new study from Temple University Health System has found that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) can hold off multiple forms of dementia in mice (https://neurosciencenews.com/extra-virgin-olive-oil-dementia-15256/). While they don't understand the exact action of its neuroprotective effects, they did find increased levels of a protein called complexin-1, which is known to be critical in maintaining healthy synapses. The study showed that increasing intake of EVOO at the equivalent age of 30 helped reduce tau protein buildup in genetically predisposed mice by 60% at the equivalent age of 60. We recommend California Olive Ranch as California has 100% purity laws while Italian olive oil is usually less than 40% pure.
Duh article of the week
A study published by the Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group has found that pupillary response indicates changes in brain function in asymptomatic TBIs (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191126121145.htm). Researchers performed check ups throughout the sports season on players that received head impacts but showed no symptoms at the time of injury (including normal pupil response). They found that despite being asymptomatic at the time of injury, later pupillary response tests revealed changes in brain function. With any head impact, we recommend caution and care, as even when our client is asymptomatic, they may still have a brain injury.
Till Next Time!
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