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Growing evidence that the heart has a strong influence on thinking and feeling

The influence of the heart and circulatory system occurs within milliseconds, and every single heartbeat plays a role. The role of the heart in the psyche and cognition is evident in the high coincidence of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart attack, and mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders.

There are a number of explanations for this high coincidence, but none of them have been definitively proven yet. For example, negative psychological reactions to a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease are cited as a reason for the development of mental illness. On the other hand, an unhealthy lifestyle in the presence of mental illness is considered a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.

The concept is based on integrated brain–body states. Every , such as a heartbeat or any change in blood pressure or metabolism, is automatically accompanied by a mental or psychological process. This means that the two are inextricably linked.

Chronic Insomnia May Spark Changes in The Brain That Trigger Dementia

Staring at the ceiling while the clock blinks 3am doesn’t only sap energy for the next day. A large, long-running US study of older adults has now linked chronic insomnia to changes inside the brain that set the stage for dementia.

The researchers, from the Mayo Clinic in the US, followed 2,750 people aged 50 and over for an average of five and a half years. Every year the volunteers completed detailed memory tests and many also had brain scans that measured two telltale markers of future cognitive trouble: the buildup of amyloid plaques, and tiny spots of damage in the brain’s white matter – known as white-matter hyperintensities.

Participants were classed as having chronic insomnia if their medical records contained at least two insomnia diagnoses a month apart – a definition that captured 16 percent of the sample.

Beaming Your Mind to a Starship or Colony

Can we travel the stars without a body? Explore the idea of uploading your mind and transmitting it at light speed to distant starships or colonies—becoming data instead of a passenger.

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Free Will, Quantum & Orchestrated Objective Reduction

An extended exploration of what science tells us about free will and consciousness in a quantum universe, including Sir Roger Penrose’s theory of Orchestrated Objective Reduction.

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Episode 353a, June 30, 2024 Written, Produced & Narrated by Isaac Arthur.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.

Cambridge scientists created a gel that could end arthritis pain

Cambridge scientists have created a breakthrough material that can sense tiny chemical changes in the body, such as the increased acidity during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly when and where they’re needed. By mimicking cartilage while delivering medication, this smart gel could ease pain, reduce side effects, and provide continuous treatment for millions of arthritis sufferers.

Huntington’s progression slowed by experimental gene therapy

Even hearing the phrase “Huntington’s disease” will make a room suddenly somber. So the joy that accompanied a recent announcement of results of an experimental gene therapy for the deadly diseases signaled an unfamiliar sense of hope.

In a small clinical trial, brain injections of a virus that codes for a tiny segment of RNA may have prevented the formation of the rogue proteins that make Huntington’s so devastating. The early results, announced September 24 in a news release, show that over three years, the treatment slowed Huntington’s progression by up to 75 percent. While not a cure, the treatment could potentially give people living with Huntington’s disease, who might otherwise face early disability and death, the gift of many more years of life.

The surprising new particle that could finally explain dark matter

Physicists are eyeing charged gravitinos—ultra-heavy, stable particles from supergravity theory—as possible Dark Matter candidates. Unlike axions or WIMPs, these particles carry electric charge but remain undetectable due to their scarcity. With detectors like JUNO and DUNE, researchers now have a chance to spot their unique signal, a breakthrough that could link particle physics with gravity.

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