Researchers Have Found New Brain Region Responsible For Suppressing Fear!

"A study conducted at Texas A&M University has identified a new area in the brain involved in inhibiting fear, a discovery that holds potential for clinical interventions in patients with psychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The article was published in Nature Communications on Oct. 30. " Read more...

Team identifies new brain region that suppresses fear . October 30, 2018 by Elena Watts, Texas A&M University

Anxiety More Common in Women and Young Adults!

A new review of research into anxiety disorders has reported that women and adults under the age of 35 are more likely to experience anxiety than other groups.

Anxiety disorders 'most common among women and young adults'. James McIntosh. Medical News Today. June 6, 2016. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/310736.php

Probiotics May Offer New Ways to Shape Mood and Well- being!



As knowledge of the gut and brain relationship develops, the use of probiotics and prebiotics could open up new ways to shape mood and well-being, according to a prominent nutrition coach. 

Bridging the brain-body gap: How the ‘thinking’ gut influences mental well-being

By Will ChuWill Chu, 22-Apr-2016

Feel Depressed? Get Up and Move!

 

Research has shown that the benefits of exercise go beyond just physical wellbeing. Exercise helps support emotional and mental health. So next time you’re feeling down, anxious, or stressed, try to get up and start moving!

 Feel Down? Get Up—Emotional Benefits of Exercise. Go4Life.com. National Institute of Health. https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/tip-sheets/feel-down-get-emotional-benefits-exercise

Probiotics May Prove To Be A Mental Health Treatment!

The relationship between commensal bacteria and the human intestine has developed over millions of years. Recent studies have shown that these same gut bacteria also impact brain function through a nerve network. Wang et al maintains that antibiotics disturb the gut biome while probiotics protect it. In his research, he has shown that there are both physical and emotional changes that occur in mice that have consumed antibiotics and probiotics. He demonstrated that in the mice that consumed antibiotics and were treated with probiotics, there was a resolution of inflammation in the colon. In addition, the researchers confirmed physical changes in the brain and a reduction in anxiety-like behaviors and memory retention in treated mice. It is concluded that gut microbes regulate brain both physically and emotionally and probiotics may prove to be an effective treatment for mental disorders.

Lactobacillus fermentum NS9 restores the antibiotic induced physiological and psychological abnormalities in rats. Beneficial microbes (13 April 2015), pp. 1-11 by T. Wang, X. Hu, S. Liang, et al. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/13582801

Mediterranean Diet May Improve Symptoms of Depression!

 

      Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein that is found in the "brain and the periphery neural system". It has many functions which include stimulating the new neural growth of neurons and synapses, important for long-term memory, controls neurogenesis,  and coordinates responses to enriched environments etc. The upregulation or downregulation of BDNF has also been linked to numerous diseases such as depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Alzheimer's. (Wikipedia 1) Just to name a few!
     A recent study has shown for the first time that diet affects the levels of BDNF in the brain.  In the study, 243 participants were divided into 3 groups according to intervention diet. The three diets included the control low-fat diet, the Mediterranean diet supplemented with virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts. The goal of the study was to find out if the different diets produced an association of low levels of BDNF.  The results showed a significant lower risk of low BDNF levels from the Mediterranean diet with nuts compared to the control group. In addition, in individuals with depression significantly higher levels of BDNF were found in the Mediterranean with the nuts group. From the results, the researchers concluded that a Mediterranean diet with nuts is associated with improved levels of BDNF in individuals with depression. (Sanchez-Villegas 2)


1. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Wipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-derived_neurotrophic_factor

2. The effect of the Mediterranean diet on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomized trial. Nutritional neuroscience, Vol. 14, No. 5. (September 2011), pp. 195-201 by Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, Cecilia Galbete, Miguel Angel A. Martinez-González, et al. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/13581162

Could Air Pollution Affect Mental Health? Maybe!

"Could air pollution also affect mental health? The answer, it found, is "possibly." Among over 70,000 U.S. women in the study, those who lived in relatively polluted areas were more likely to report multiple anxiety symptoms."

Could Smoggy Air Raise Your Anxiety Level? Amy Norton, HealthDay News. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/could-smoggy-air-raise-your-anxiety-level/?xid=aol_rss