The Mind Brain Medicine Forum: June 2007

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Practice and perfect: length of training and structural brain changes in experienced typists.

Neuroreport. 2007 Jul 2;18(10):1063-6.

Practice and perfect: length of training and structural brain changes in experienced typists.

Cannonieri GC, Bonilha L, Fernandes PT, Cendes F, Li LM.

aLaboratory of Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil bDepartments of Neuropsychiatry and Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA.

Motor training results in performance improvement. It is not yet fully understood the extent to which functional improvement is reflected in changes in brain structure. To investigate the presence and degree of structural brain plasticity induced by long-term bimanual motor activity, we studied 17 right-handed professional typists with average duration of typing practice of 11 years. Using optimized voxel-based morphometry, we correlated the duration of practice and grey matter volume. Regions of interest were applied using 116 previously segmented predefined brain sites. We found a significant positive regression between grey matter volume and duration of practice in brain regions related to the programming of motor tasks. Long-term bimanual training may increase grey matter volume in the brains of professional typists.

PMID: 17558297 [PubMed - in process]

Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun 7; [Epub ahead of print]

Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

Li XM.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases in Westernized countries is a significant health problem. Curative therapies for these diseases are not available. There are also significant concerns regarding the potential side effects from the chronic use of conventional drugs such as corticosteroids, especially in children. Many patients with chronic allergic conditions seek complementary and alternative medicine therapies including traditional Chinese medicines. This trend has begun to attract interest from mainstream health care providers and scientific investigators and has stimulated government agencies in the United States to provide support and guidance for the scientific investigation of complementary and alternative medicine. This effort may lead to improved therapies and better health care/patient outcomes. This review presents an update on the most promising Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.

PMID: 17560638 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Well-being of institutionalized elders after Yang-style Tai Chi practice

Kuei-Min Chen PhD, RN,
Ya-Chuan Hsu MS, RN,
Wen-Ting Chen MS, RN and
Hung-Fu Tseng PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Instructor, Department of Nursing, Meiho Institute of Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
Instructor, Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Associate Professor, Institute of Medical Research, Chang-Jung Christian University, Taiwan, Taiwan

Kuei-Min Chen
Department of Nursing
Fooyin University
151 Chin-Hsueh Rd.
Ta-Liao Township
Kaohsiung 831
Taiwan
Telephone:

+886-931378188

E-mail: ns148@mail.fy.edu.tw

chen k-m, hsu y-c, chen w-t & tseng h-f (2007) Journal of Clinical Nursing 16, 845–852
Well-being of institutionalized elders after Yang-style Tai Chi practice

Abstract

Aims and objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Tai Chi on the physical and psychological well-being of elders who resided in long-term care facilities.

Background. The beneficial effects of Tai Chi on elders’ well-being have been well-documented; however, most of the studies focused on community-dwelling or healthier elders.

Design and methods. In this longitudinal, time-series, quasi-experimental study, a convenience sample of 28 institutionalized elders was recruited. A six-month Yang-style Tai Chi intervention was administered twice a week for 60 minutes per practice. The well-being outcome variables, including physical and mental health status, blood pressure, quality of sleep, occurrence of falls and fear of falling, were measured before the intervention and then at one-month, two-month, three-month and six-month intervals.

Results. Results indicated that the physical health status and social functioning of frail elders were significantly improved after Tai Chi practice [F(4,24) = 3·42, p = 0·038; F(4,24) = 9·66, p = 0·001 respectively].

Conclusions. Tai Chi practice is beneficial for frail older people.

Relevance to clinical practice. The findings provide a basis for using Yang-style Tai Chi as a floor activity in long-term care facilities to promote the well-being of the older residents.

The association between soy nut consumption and decreased menopausal symptoms.

J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2007 Apr;16(3):361-9.

Related Articles, Links

The association between soy nut consumption and decreased menopausal symptoms.

Welty FK, Lee KS, Lew NS, Nasca M, Zhou JR.

Division of Cardiology, Beth Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. fwelty@bidmc.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest a low incidence of hot flashes in populations that consume dietary soy. The present study examined the effect of soy nuts on hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. METHODS: Sixty healthy postmenopausal women were randomized in a crossover design to a therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet alone and a TLC diet of similar energy, fat, and protein content in which one-half cup soy nuts divided into three or four portions spaced throughout the day (containing 25 g soy protein and 101 mg aglycone isoflavones) replaced 25 g of nonsoy protein. During each 8-week diet period, subjects recorded the number of hot flashes and amount of exercise daily. At the end of each 8-week diet period, subjects filled out the menopausal symptom quality of life questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared to the TLC diet alone, the TLC diet plus soy nuts was associated with a 45% decrease in hot flashes (7.5 +/- 3.6 vs. 4.1 +/- 2.6 hot flashes day, respectively, p < 0.001) in women with >4.5 hot flashes/day at baseline and 41% in those with <or=4.5 hot flashes/day (2.2 +/- 1.2 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.1, respectively, p < 0.001). Soy nut intake was also associated with significant improvement in scores on the menopausal symptom quality of life questionnaire: 19% decrease in vasomotor score (p = 0.004), 12.9% reduction in psychosocial score (p = 0.01), 9.7% decrease in physical score (p = 0.045), and a trend toward improvement in the sexual score, with a 17.7% reduction in symptoms (p = 0.129). The amount of exercise had no effect on hot flash reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Substituting soy nuts for nonsoy protein in a TLC diet and consumed three or four times throughout the day is associated with a decrease in hot flashes and improvement in menopausal symptoms.

Publication Types:

PMID: 17439381 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

Phytother Res. 2007 Jun 11; [Epub ahead of print]

Herbal medicines in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.

Sarris J.

School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

This paper reports a critical review of 27 herbal medicines and formulas in treating a broad range of psychiatric disorders (in addition to anxiety and depression), including obsessive-compulsive, seasonal affective, bipolar depressive, psychotic, phobic and somatoform disorders. Ovid Medline, Pubmed and the Cochrane Library were searched for pharmacological and clinical evidence of herbal medicines with psychotropic activity. A forward search of later citations was also conducted. Whilst substantial high-quality evidence exists for the use of kava and St John's wort in the treatment of anxiety and depression respectively, currently there is insufficient robust clinical evidence for the use of many other herbal medicines in psychiatric disorders. Phytotherapies which potentially have significant use in psychiatry, and urgently require more research are Rhodiola rosea (roseroot) and Crocus sativus (saffron) for depression; Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Scutellaria lateriflora (scullcap) and Zizyphus jujuba (sour date) for anxiety disorders; and Piper methysticum (kava) for phobic, panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. While depression and anxiety are commonly researched, the efficacy of herbal medicines in other mental disorders requires attention. The review addresses current issues in herbal psychotherapy: herbal safety, future areas of application, the relationship of herbal medicine with pharmaceuticals and the potential prescriptive integration of phytomedicines with synthetic psychotropic medicines. Particular attention is given to clinical and safety issues with St John's wort and kava. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID: 17562566 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Monday, June 4, 2007

The role of sleep in declarative memory consolidation: passive, permissive, active or none?

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Dec;16(6):716-22. Epub 2006 Nov 7.

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The role of sleep in declarative memory consolidation: passive, permissive, active or none?

Ellenbogen JM, Payne JD, Stickgold R.

Center for Sleep and Cognition, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Feldberg 866, Boston, MA 02215, USA. jeffrey_ellenbogen@hms.harvard.edu

Those inclined to relish in scientific controversy will not be disappointed by the literature on the effects of sleep on memory. Opinions abound. Yet refinements in the experimental study of these complex processes of sleep and memory are bringing this fascinating relationship into sharper focus. A longstanding position contends that sleep passively protects memories by temporarily sheltering them from interference, thus providing precious little benefit for memory. But recent evidence is unmasking a more substantial and long-lasting benefit of sleep for declarative memories. Although the precise causal mechanisms within sleep that result in memory consolidation remain elusive, recent evidence leads us to conclude that unique neurobiological processes within sleep actively enhance declarative memories.

Publication Types:

PMID: 17085038 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

When did neurologists and psychiatrists stop talking to each other?

Epilepsy Behav. 2003 Dec;4(6):597-601.

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When did neurologists and psychiatrists stop talking to each other?

Kanner AM.

Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL, USA. akanner@rush.edu

Patients with epilepsy have a significantly higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbid disorders involving depression, anxiety, psychotic, and attention deficit disorders. Accordingly, one would expect that psychiatrists would be actively involved in the evaluation and management of these patients. This, however, is hardly the case. Patients who undergo temporal lobectomies, for example, are known to experience postsurgical depression and occasionally psychotic disorders. Yet, most epilepsy centers in North America do not include a psychiatric evaluation as part of the presurgical work-up. Collaboration between epileptologists and psychiatrists is often sparse, despite the intimate relationship between psychiatric comorbidities and epilepsy. The purpose of this paper is to highlight this bizarre phenomenon and to identify some of the reasons behind it.

PMID: 14698691 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

"treatment of depression has become an integral part of the management of these neurologic disorders"

Epilepsy Behav. 2005 May;6(3):303-11.

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Should neurologists be trained to recognize and treat comorbid depression of neurologic disorders? Yes.

Kanner AM.

Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Medical College, Rush Epilepsy Center and Rush University Medical Center, 1653 West Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL, USA. akanner@rush.edu

Depression is a relatively common psychiatric comorbidity of most neurological disorders, with prevalence rates ranging between 20 and 50% among patients with stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and dementia. Furthermore, depression is an independent predictor of poor quality of life in these patients and has a negative impact on the response to treatment, course and recovery of neurological deficits. Thus, treatment of depression has become an integral part of the management of these neurologic disorders. This article discusses the rationale for neurologists to be trained in recognizing depressive disorders in neurologic patients and identifies the type of mood disorders in which neurologists can provide pharmacotherapy and those that need to be referred to the care of the psychiatrist.

Publication Types:

Review

PMID: 15820336 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Relation of higher folate intake to lower risk of Alzheimer disease in the elderly.

Arch Neurol. 2007 Jan;64(1):86-92.

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Relation of higher folate intake to lower risk of Alzheimer disease in the elderly.

Luchsinger JA, Tang MX, Miller J, Green R, Mayeux R.

Taub Institute for Research of Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. jal94@columbia.edu

BACKGROUND: Higher intake of folate and vitamins B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) and B12 (cyanocobalamin) may decrease the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) through the lowering of homocysteine levels. OBJECTIVE: To relate intake of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 to AD risk. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: We followed up 965 persons 65 years or older without dementia at baseline for a mean +/- SD period of 6.1 +/- 3.3 person-years after the administration of a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Total, dietary, and supplement intake of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 and kilocalorie intake were estimated from the questionnaire responses. We related energy-adjusted intake of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 to incident AD using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident AD. RESULTS: We found 192 cases of incident AD. The highest quartile of total folate intake was related to a lower risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.9; P=.02 for trend) after adjustment for age, sex, education, ethnic group, the epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, current smoking, heart disease, stroke, and vitamin B6 and B12 levels. Vitamin B6 and B12 levels were not related to the risk of AD. CONCLUSIONS: Higher folate intake may decrease the risk of AD independent of other risk factors and levels of vitamins B6 and B12. These results require confirmation with clinical trials.

Publication Types:

PMID: 17210813 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia.

Neuropsychologia. 2007 Jan 28;45(2):459-64. Epub 2006 Nov 27.

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Bilingualism as a protection against the onset of symptoms of dementia.

Bialystok E, Craik FI, Freedman M.

Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ellenb@yorku.ca

This study examined the effect of lifelong bilingualism on maintaining cognitive functioning and delaying the onset of symptoms of dementia in old age. The sample was selected from the records of 228 patients referred to a Memory Clinic with cognitive complaints. The final sample consisted of 184 patients diagnosed with dementia, 51% of whom were bilingual. The bilinguals showed symptoms of dementia 4 years later than monolinguals, all other measures being equivalent. Additionally, the rate of decline in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores over the 4 years subsequent to the diagnosis was the same for a subset of patients in the two groups, suggesting a shift in onset age with no change in rate of progression.

Publication Types:

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 17125807 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Physical Activity and the Risk of Dementia in Oldest Old

Aleksandra Sumic, MPH

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, sumica@ohsu.edu .

Yvonne L. Michael, ScD

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon

Nichole E. Carlson, PhD

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon

Diane B. Howieson, PhD

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon

Jeffrey A. Kaye, MD, PhD

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon

Objective: This study evaluated the protective role of physicalactivity (PA) against cognitive impairment (CI) in the oldestold (age $≥$ 85). Method: Prospective data on 66 optimally healthy,oldest old adults (mean age 88.5) were analyzed using survivalanalysis. Results: In all, 12 men and 11 women reported exercising> 4 hours per week, and 38 participants developed CI (mean onsetage 93; mean follow-up 4.7 years). The effect of exercise wasmodified by gender. In more active women (> 4 hours/week), therisk of CI was reduced by 88% (95% confidence interval 0.03,0.41) compared to those less active. Less active women had 2times the incidence rate of CI compared to less active men andalmost 5 times the rate compared to active women. Discussion:This study demonstrates the beneficial effects of exercise onhealthy brain aging even in the oldest old and emphasizes theimportance of increasing PA in older women.

Key Words: oldest old • physical activity • exercise • dementia • cognitive impairment