Risk of Parkinson Disease Among Service Members at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

By Samuel M. Goldman. et al.: Complete Post through this link…

Key Points

Question  Is Parkinson disease risk increased in military service members who were stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, during 1975-1985 when the water supply was contaminated with trichloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds?

Findings  This cohort study of 340 489 service members found that the risk of Parkinson disease was 70% higher in Camp Lejeune veterans compared with veterans stationed at a Marine Corps base where water was not contaminated. In veterans without Parkinson disease, risk was also significantly higher for several prodromal features of Parkinson disease.

Meaning  The study’s findings suggest that exposure to trichloroethylene in water may increase the risk of Parkinson disease; millions worldwide have been and continue to be exposed to this ubiquitous environmental contaminant.

Why Lyme disease symptoms go away quickly for some and last years for others

By Caroline Hopkins: Complete Post through this link…

Why some people recover from Lyme disease, while others experience months, years or even decades of chronic symptoms has long puzzled doctors. New research offers some clues to an immune system marker in the blood that is elevated among people with lingering Lyme disease symptoms, even after they’d received antibiotics. 

In the new study, published on May 9 in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, researchers found an immune system marker in the blood called interferon-alpha was elevated among people who had been treated for Lyme disease but had lingering symptoms.

Interferon-alpha is one of a handful of key signaling proteins the body makes to tell immune cells to fight off bacteria or viruses. If the blood levels are too high, the immune system can overact, causing pain, swelling and fatigue — symptoms often seen with Lyme disease.

In patients with high levels of interferon-alpha, the immune response to the Lyme bacteria may cause chronic inflammation, even once the infection is gone, said Klemen Strle, an assistant research professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University and an author of the new study. 

AI Voice Assistant Proves Effective in Mental Health Treatment

Neuroscience News: Complete Post through this link…

ngd-Things that make you go Hmmm???

Summary: Researchers conducted a pioneering pilot study, utilizing an AI voice-based virtual coach, Lumen, for behavioral therapy. The study showed promising results, with improved depression and anxiety symptoms in patients alongside notable changes in brain activity.

The study brings hope for the use of virtual therapy to mitigate issues related to mental health care access. While not intended to replace traditional therapy, the technology could serve as an essential interim solution for patients awaiting treatment.

Key Facts:

  1. Lumen, an AI voice assistant, was used to deliver a form of psychotherapy in a pilot study, which led to improved depression and anxiety symptoms in patients.
  2. The UIC study reported changes in the brain activity of patients, particularly increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area associated with cognitive control.
  3. The researchers emphasize that while Lumen and similar technology can’t replace human therapists, they can help bridge the gap between supply and demand in mental health care.

Non-Invasive Brain Imaging Deciphers Hand Gestures

From Neuroscience News: Complete Post through this link…

Summary: Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to identify hand gestures through brain imaging.

The technique utilizes magnetoencephalography (MEG) and could contribute to the evolution of brain-computer interfaces. Such interfaces could help individuals with physical challenges, like paralysis or amputated limbs, to control supportive devices using their minds.

This work represents the most successful non-invasive single-hand gesture differentiation achieved to date.

Key Facts:

  1. The researchers successfully used non-invasive MEG to distinguish different hand gestures with over 85% accuracy.
  2. The technique, which is as safe as taking a patient’s temperature, has potential applications for those with physical challenges.
  3. MEG measurements from only half of the brain regions sampled yielded nearly comparable results, suggesting future MEG helmets might require fewer sensors.

The FDA just approved rub-on gene therapy that helps “butterfly” children

By Antonio Regalado: Complete Post through this link…

Biotech companies are getting creative with how they deliver DNA fixes into people’s bodies.

Antonio Vento is 13 years old. He’s a tiny figure in bandages who doesn’t walk and, until recently, couldn’t see more than shadows. He has dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, an inherited disease that makes his skin so fragile that kids with the illness are called “butterfly children.”

But now, thanks to a novel gene therapy squirted onto his skin and dripped into his eyes, things are better. His wounds have gotten smaller, and a visit to the eye doctor this week confirmed that his vision had dramatically improved.

“They said my right eye is 20/25,” he chirped in Spanish during a phone call. “Now I can see small things.” That includes the blocks and items in the video game Minecraft, which he has started to play.

And call him Anthony, he said. He prefers it.

Brain Activity Reveals Chronic Pain Signatures

From Neuroscience News: Complete Post through this link…

Summary: Researchers successfully recorded data directly from the brains of individuals suffering from chronic pain caused by stroke or amputation. This milestone, accomplished using machine learning tools, identified specific brain regions and biomarkers associated with chronic pain.

The findings mark a significant stride towards devising novel methods for monitoring and treating chronic pain. This research is expected to inform future deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies and guide the search for non-addictive chronic pain treatments.

Key Facts:

  1. This is the first study to record chronic pain-related data directly from the brain, identifying an area of the brain associated with chronic pain.
  2. The researchers utilized machine learning tools to analyze the recorded data, offering new insights into the brain’s representation of pain.
  3. The findings are expected to guide future therapies, particularly deep brain stimulation (DBS), and contribute to the development of non-addictive treatments for chronic pain.

Psychiatric Detentions Rise 120% in First Year of 988

By Rob Wipond: Complete Post through this link…

As contacts to the new 988 hotline number have risen, so have call tracing and police interventions.

The rapid growth of the new 988 mental health hotline has been greeted with positive media coverage. As many people expected, calls, texts, and chats to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, now renamed “988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline,” started climbing immediately with the launch of the 988 number in July of 2022. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the nonprofit that was given centralized control over the 988 system, Vibrant Emotional Health (VEH), have been releasing monthly updates on key metrics.

In April 2023, compared to April 2022, calls answered increased by 52%, chats by 90%, and texts by 1022%. The trend was heralded by federal Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to CNN: “Our nation’s transition to 988 moves us closer to better serving the crisis care needs of people across America. 988 is more than a number, it’s a message: we’re there for you.”

However, as previously reported by Mad in America, a percentage of people who contacted the former National Suicide Prevention Lifeline were subjected to geolocation tracing of their phone, computer, or mobile device. The Lifeline advertised itself as a place for confidential discussions about suicidal feelings but, according to its own policy, if a call-attendant believed a person might be at “imminent risk” of taking their own life in the next few hours, days, or week, the call-attendant was required to contact 911 or a Public Safety Answering Point to send out police and/or an ambulance to forcibly take the person to a psychiatric hospital.

Many Lifeline users described the experiences of betrayal, public exposure, police interactions, loss of freedoms, and forced psychiatric treatment as dangerous, harmful and traumatizing.

So, since the transition to 988, has anything changed? As contacts to 988 rise, how many people are getting forcibly subjected to these types of unexpected, unwanted interventions?

It appears detention numbers are climbing dramatically, too—even as VEH, SAMHSA, and many news outlets continue to obfuscate the facts publicly.

Contacts and Detentions Rising Together

For the ten-month period from July 2022 to April 2023, the new 988 Lifeline received more than 4 million total contacts—on pace to double the average 2.4 million calls annually to the Lifeline from 2017 to 2021.

The 988 metrics that are publicly shared, though, do not include any information about call tracing and involuntary interventions.

Harmony in the Brain: Unraveling the Neuroscience of Music

From Neuroscience News (Video): Complete Post through this link…

Unlock the power of music and its profound influence on the human brain in this Neuroscience News video! We delve into how music engages multiple areas of the brain, its role in evoking emotions through the release of dopamine, and its therapeutic applications, particularly in memory-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Join us as we explore the fascinating field of the neuroscience of music, revealing why tunes have such a universal appeal and power.

0:00 How is music related to neuroscience?

0:34 Why is music important in neuroscience?

0:47 What do neuroscientists say happens when we listen to music?

2:05 What’s the neuroscience behind music therapy?

Hearing Aids Are Changing. Their Users Are, Too.

By Neelam Bohra: Complete Post through this link…

As more young people risk hearing loss, over-the-counter hearing aids are providing new options, but also confusing choices.

Ayla Wing’s middle school students don’t always know what to make of their 26-year-old teacher’s hearing aids. The most common response she hears: “Oh, my grandma has them, too.”

But grandma’s hearing aids were never like this: Bluetooth-enabled and connected to her phone, they allow Ms. Wing to toggle with one touch between custom settings. She can shut out the world during a screeching subway ride, hear her friends in noisy bars during a night out and even understand her students better by switching to “mumbly kids.”

A raft of new hearing aids have hit the market in recent years, offering greater appeal to a generation of young adults that some experts say is both developing hearing problems earlier in life and — perhaps paradoxically — becoming more comfortable with an expensive piece of technology pumping sound into their ears.

Some of the new models, including Ms. Wing’s, are made by traditional prescription brands, which usually require a visit to a specialist. But the Food and Drug Administration opened up the market last year when it allowed the sale of hearing aids over the counter. In response, brand names like Sony and Jabra began releasing their own products, adding to the new wave of designs and features that appeal to young consumers.

Michigan is short on Adderall, penicillin, cancer drugs amid supply woes

By Robin Erb: Complete Post through this link…

  • The FDA lists 136 drugs currently in short supply, including cancer-fighting drugs, antibiotics and medications to treat ADHD.
  • Regular refills on maintenance drugs now may be limited to a few days supply.
  • It’s not just prescription drugs; ‘personal stockpiling’ meant over-the-counter meds were in short supply during last year’s tripledemic of COVID, RSV and flu.

Drug shortages continue to dog doctors, patients and parents in Michigan and throughout the country, with deepening shortages in drugs that range from antibiotics for ear infections and strep throats, to penicillin to treat syphilis and two critical cancer drugs.

In Ann Arbor, the latest challenge for Dr. Stephanie Goodson, a pediatrician, has been finding medicines to treat her young patients’ attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).