Smartphone-based cognitive behavioral therapy found to significantly decrease insomnia, substantially outperforming sleep education
This study was a single-blinded RCT conducted from March 2021 to January 2022, with screening and randomization conducted at Peking University First Hospital in China. Following eligibility assessment, eligible participants were enrolled and allocated 1:1 to DCBT‑I or sleep education groups, and data were evaluated from January to February 2022. A total of 82 participants were included in the study, with 41 randomized to sleep education and 41 randomized to DCBT‑I.
The DCBT‑I group significantly outperformed the control group in improved insomnia severity and subjective sleep quality, demonstrating the intervention...
Source: SharpBrains - May 17, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation Chinese cognitive-behavioral-therapy DCBT-I digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia insomnia severity randomized clinical trial sleep education Source Type: blogs
Should doctors prescribe lecanemab (Leqembi) to women? The answer, given available evidence, is probably No
This article is an edited combination of two previous blog posts by him at www.skin2neuron.org.
News in Context:
CMS: anti-amyloid drug Leqembi (lecanemab) doesn’t meet the “reasonable and necessary” standard required for wider Medicare coverage
The post Should doctors prescribe lecanemab (Leqembi) to women? The answer, given available evidence, is probably No appeared first on SharpBrains. (Source: SharpBrains)
Source: SharpBrains - May 10, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Prof. Michael Valenzuela Tags: Brain/ Mental Health amyloid amyloid antibodies amyloid removal CLARITY trial Clinical Dementia Rating immunotherapy lecanemab Leqembi women Source Type: blogs
Study shows the power of electroencephalography and machine learning to help predict response to psychotherapy (or lack thereof) in patients with PTSD
This study investigates whether individual patient-level resting-state EEG connectivity can predict psychotherapy outcomes in PTSD. We developed a treatment-predictive EEG signature using machine learning applied to high-density resting-state EEG collected from military veterans with PTSD. The predictive signature was dominated by theta frequency EEG connectivity differences and was able to generalize across two types of psychotherapy—prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy. Our results also advance a biological definition of a PTSD patient subgroup who is resistant to psychotherapy, which is currently the mo...
Source: SharpBrains - May 2, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Amit Etkin at Alto Neuroscience Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation Alto Neuroscience cognitive processing therapy digital biomarker electroencephalography posttraumatic stress disorder precision psychiatry prolonged exposure Psychotherapy PTSD Source Type: blogs
On the 7 Habits of Highly Stress-Resilient Minds, cognitive screenings, anti-amyloid drugs, and more
Welcome to a new edition of SharpBrains e‑newsletter, this time covering the latest developments in stress research, meditation, virtual reality, anti-amyloid drugs, cognitive screenings, and more.
#1. The 7 Habits of Highly Stress-Resilient Minds
“Anything worth doing will have aspects of stress woven through: challenge, discomfort, risk. We can’t change that. But what we can change is our response” – Elissa Epel, Director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center at UCSF
#2. Harnessing mindfulness and virtual reality simulations to maximize sports performance
Good tips and tools to “simulate or repli...
Source: SharpBrains - April 27, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning SharpBrains Monthly eNewsletter anti-amyloid drugs cognitive-screenings digital medicine lecanemab Leqembi Linus Health Core Cognitive Evaluation meditation Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Re Source Type: blogs
8 ‑week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course found to be as effective as Lexapro (escitalopram) to treat adults with anxiety disorders, and with far fewer side effects
In this study, 276 patients with an anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to either an eight-week course of MBSR or a well-known anti-anxiety drug, Lexapro (with ongoing monitoring). The MBSR course, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, involved introducing people to a variety of meditation practices (like mindful breathing, body scans, walking meditation, and loving-kindness meditation) and having them meditate daily at home to improve their skills. Overall, the training is designed to help people learn how to pay attention to the present moment and accept whatever sensations, thoughts, and feelings arise without judgment.
Duri...
Source: SharpBrains - April 19, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greater Good Science Center Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning anxiety anxiety disorder body scans cognitive-behavioral-therapy Lexapro mbsr medication meditation mindful breathing Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction psychiatric disorder psyc Source Type: blogs
Pilot program by IU and Davos Alzheimer ’s Collaborative to test AI-powered cognitive screening at scale
How AI, Digital Screening Tools Can Help Flag Early Cognitive Decline (Health IT Analytics):
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other dementias remains at the forefront of efforts to minimize the impact of these neurodegenerative diseases. But challenges such as increased life expectancy and the risks of aging, along with complexities in diagnosis and treatment resulting from mixed brain pathologies, make early detection difficult … A new pilot program at Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health, in collaboration with the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), seeks to tackle these issues u...
Source: SharpBrains - April 11, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation aging artificial intelligence cognitive decline cognitive evaluation Cognitive-impairment Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative digital screening early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Linus Health Li Source Type: blogs
Harnessing mindfulness and virtual reality simulations to maximize sports performance
Athletes at the very highest level of their sport face the challenge of performing consistently under pressure amid many potential distractions, including performance anxiety, crowd behaviour, their own and others’ expectations, and the responses of their opponents.
The performance of players in the 2023 Australian Open, for example, demonstrated the psychological factors needed to succeed at elite-level tennis.
It had plenty of exciting moments that are the hallmarks of a great tournament. Andy Murray made an astonishing comeback from two sets down against Thanasi Kokkinakis, following his long recovery after major inju...
Source: SharpBrains - April 3, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: The Conversation Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Peak Performance high performance meditation mindfulness Mindfulness-Training resilience sport psychologists sport psychology virtual-reality Source Type: blogs
Pear Therapeutics loses 97% of its market capitalization since 2021, explores strategic alternatives
Source: Google Finance
Pear Therapeutics exploring sale, other ‘strategic alternatives’ (MobiHealth News):
Prescription digital therapeutics company Pear Therapeutics is exploring “strategic alternatives,” including a possible company sale, merger or acquisition.
In a press release, the company said it hired a financial advisor to look into actions that could “maximize shareholder value.” That includes a potential sale, M&A, divestiture of assets, licensing or other strategic transactions. It may also seek additional financing.
The company hit the public markets in late 2021 through a merger with a special ...
Source: SharpBrains - March 29, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Technology & Innovation MTS Health Partners Pear Therapeutics prescription digital therapeutics special purpose acquisition company Source Type: blogs
Beyond bulky VR headsets: Voice recognition, eye tracking, and natural gestures in the era of the metaverse and the “Medi-verse”
Imagine you have moved to a new city and bought a condo advertised as “metaverse enabled.” Upon closing, along with the physical keys to your condo, you receive a unique cryptographic key to the community. You move into your neighborhood both physically and digitally. With the crypto key, you link your own personal metaverse profile to the condo. This merges your personal metaverse, including a digital catalog of all the objects in your home, to a digital map of the new space integrating all the sensors and devices that control the objects through the metaverse.
As you move from your bedroom to the kitchen, the li...
Source: SharpBrains - March 21, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Cori Lathan Tags: Technology & Innovation AnthroTronix AR display eye-tracking healthcare delivery Medi-verse metaverse personal metaverse spatial computing stress relief voice recognition wearables Source Type: blogs
Ten resources, brain teasers and illusions to celebrate Brain Awareness Week 2023
We invite you to celebrate Brain Awareness Week (March 13–19th, 2023) by learning more about that key yet often-overlooked organ and by putting it to good use via some fun brain teasers and illusions 🙂
Can you connect these pairs of words?
Try these quick teasers to challenge your working memory
Three classic optical illusions, explained
Test your cognitive skills with these proverbs
Math teaser: Will you finish your thesis on time?
What do you see? And, can you unsee it?
Study examines common cognitive biases such as this one and ways to mitigate them
About Brain Awareness Week:
Every March, Brain Awareness We...
Source: SharpBrains - March 15, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Education & Lifelong Learning Brain Teasers brain-awareness-week cognitive biases cognitive-skills fun brain teasers optical-illusions quick teasers Working-memory Source Type: blogs
The 7 Habits of Highly Stress-Resilient Minds
Are you suffering from chronic stress? Many of us are—whether we’re stressed out by our jobs, complicated relationships, caregiving responsibilities, or the general state of the world.
That’s where Elissa Epel’s new book, The Stress Prescription, comes in. A health psychologist and director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center at the University of California, San Francisco, Epel explains how stress affects our bodies and minds—including our health, happiness, and longevity—and how to manage it in the best way possible.
Too many of us are in a constant state of alertness, she argues, which makes us ill-...
Source: SharpBrains - March 7, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greater Good Science Center Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning aging chronic-stress deep breathing Gratitude high-intensity interval training meditation mindfulness mindfulness-meditation physiological stress Stress Prescription Stress Respons Source Type: blogs
CMS: anti-amyloid drug Leqembi (lecanemab) doesn ’t meet the “reasonable and necessary” standard required for wider Medicare coverage
CMS Sticks to Sharply Limited Coverage of New Alzheimer’s Drug, Leqembi (Managed Healthcare Executive):
For now, CMS (Note: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is sticking to the coverage decision it made for Aduhelm (aducanumab) and applying it Leqembi (lecanemab). The decision limits Medicare coverage of the two Alzheimer disease’s drugs to Medicare beneficiaries who have enrolled in clinical trials of the drugs
The decision, which was announced in a press release yesterday, was denounced in strong language by the Alzheimer’s Association.
“CMS’ role is to provide health care coverage” said Joanne Pi...
Source: SharpBrains - February 28, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health aducanumab Aduhelm Alzheimer's drug Alzheimers-Association amyloid CMS dementia FDA lecanemab Leqembi Medicare monoclonal antibodies Source Type: blogs
BrainHealth Week starts today! Plus: dancing, personalized mental health, brain stimulation and more
Welcome to a new edition of SharpBrains e‑newsletter, annoucing the kick-off of BrainHealth Week and featuring some stimulating resources and teasers.
#1. BrainHealth Week (February 20–24th) starts today:
Explore many fun events including a daily text challenge, a talk with the always great Dr. Tom Insel, and more!
#2. Without Brain Health, you do not have Health
Important article given that “It typically takes twenty to forty years or more for scientific discoveries to meaningfully benefit human life. We cannot wait that long.” — Wise words!
#3. Sin Salud Cerebral, Usted no tiene Salud –same article, in Spa...
Source: SharpBrains - February 20, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning Alto Neuroscience Alzheimer’s Disease brain stimulation Brain Teasers brain-teaser BrainHealth Week cerebral cognitive-skills dancing mental-fitness personalized salud salud Source Type: blogs
Sin salud cerebral, usted no tiene salud
A lo largo de la vida, su cerebro va a experimentar un desarrollo extraordinario. Su cerebro es el órgano más adaptable y modificable de su cuerpo, y puede cambiar tanto positiva como negativamente, dependiendo de cómo lo utilice cada día. Simplemente leyendo este libro, su cerebro ha cambiado.
¿Cuánto y cómo va cambiar en los próximos años y décadas? La buena noticia es que muchos de los deterioros relacionados con la edad se pueden prevenir, e incluso revertir. El hecho de que usted éste leyendo este libro me dice que está motivado para entender y mejorar el funcionamiento de su cerebro, lo cual es el mejor p...
Source: SharpBrains - February 14, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning En Español capacidad cerebro capital intelectual ciencias mente mentes neurocientificos potencial cognitivo salud cerebral Source Type: blogs
Without Brain Health, you do not have Health
As you go through life, your brain undergoes extraordinary development. Your brain is the most adaptable, modifiable organ in your body, and it can change both positively and negatively by how you use it each day. Just by reading a book such as this one, your brain has been changed.
How has your brain been altered throughout your life? How may it change in years and decades ahead? The good news is that much of the age-related decline is likely avoidable and even reversible. The fact that you bought and have read this book to the very end tells me you are motivated to do something about your brain performance. Our cognitive...
Source: SharpBrains - February 10, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning brain disease brain health brain span Brain-Fitness brain-injury brain-performance Brain-Scientist cognitive brain health cognitive potential cognitive scientist cognitive-health Source Type: blogs
