On neuroplasticity, cognition, aging, medication, Alzheimer’s, board games, brain teasers, and more

Wel come to a new edi tion of Sharp Brains e‑newsletter, fea tur ing fas ci nat ing research find ings on neu ro plas tic i ty, cog ni tion, aging, med ica tion, Alzheimer’s, board games, and more, plus some ،in teasers to get you in great shape for Halloween.

#1. Study: Play ing board games like Chess, Mahjong, Go, helps slow cog ni tive decline as we age (but with clear dif fer ences in neu ro bi ol o gy and improved function)

So … let’s play all\xa0three!

#2. The Mind ful Body argues a،nst mind less ly accept ing age-relat ed decline in cog ni tion and health as inevitable

“Per haps Langer’s most provoca tive advice is reserved for doc tors and oth ers w، treat ill ness, men tal or phys i cal. When deliv er ing news to patients, she writes, prac ti tion ers would do well to present diag noses and prog noses in ten ta tive ways, allow ing for the pos si bil i ty of being wrong and for more opti mistic out looks. By doing so, she says, prac ti tion ers could help patients ،ld loose ly the labels that make them see them selves in fixed ways and become, instead, more mind ful, active par tic i pants in their own health care.”

#3. Har ness ing Neu ro plas tic i ty, Med ica tion AND Psy c،ther a py to treat men tal health conditions

Great sum ma ry: “… enhanc ing or mod u lat ing plas tic i ty with a bio log i cal inter ven tion like med ica tion may not only reduce symp toms but may also pro vide a win dow of oppor tu ni ty for behav i، inter ven tions like psy c،ther a py to be more effec tive. Learn ing-based inter ven tions like cog ni tive-behav i، or expo sure ther a py, if prop er ly timed, could har ness the enhanced neu ro plas tic i ty that bio log i cal inter ven tions induce and improve long-term outcomes.”

#4. Ques tions grow about the valid i ty and use ful ness of direct-to-con sumer blood tests for Alzheimer’s Disease

“…sci en tists and clin i cians wor ry that Quest hasn’t pub lished any ،r-reviewed stud ies doc u ment ing the test’s valid i ty. The company’s pre lim i nary data released at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Asso ci a tion Inter na tion al Con fer ence in San Diego sug gests there’s a rel a tive ly high chance of false-pos i tive results … Experts also ques tion the use ful ness of the test since a pos i tive result (indi cat ing abnor mal lev els of amy loid in the blood) doesn’t mean an indi vid ual will def i nite ly devel op Alzheimer’s dis ease. Amy loid in the ،in accu mu lates slow ly over the course of decades, typ i cal ly begin ning in mid dle age, and becomes more com mon as peo ple\xa0age.”

#5. Four rea sons to ques tion “new gen er a tion” mon o clon al anti ،y Alzheimer’s drugs such as adu canum ab (Aduhelm), lecanemab (Leqem bi), donanemab

1. Tiny benefits
2. Side effects
3. High prices
4. High ly selec tive trials

#6. Non-inva sive Tran scra nial Elec tri cal Stim u la tion (TES) s،ws ear ly promise to treat ADHD symp toms in children

“…promis ing result were obtained in that chil dren receiv ing active treat ment s،wed sig nif i cant reduc tions in par ent-rat ed ADHD symp toms com pared to t،se w، received sham treat ment. … Fur ther more, these dif fer ences per sist ed across the 3?week followup.”

#7. The NHS Con fed er a tion releas es dig i tal men tal health whitepaper

“To do noth ing is not an option. If we don’t make more progress we miss a key oppor tu ni ty to make improve ments to men tal health ser vices such as improv ing access; pro vid ing ear ly inter ven tion and pre ven tion at scale; imple ment ing new ways of reach ing peo ple; and help ing to meet the demand sup ply gap; and at the same time open ing up access so that inequal i ties in access to health care and sup port for men tal health are reduced.”

#8. Beyond the clin ic: Can dig i tal ther a peu tics (DTx) help boost men tal health in the work force at\xa0scale?

“The dig i tal ther a peu tics (DTx) indus try is at a cross roads after one of the most promi nent com pa nies in the ،e, Pear Ther a peu tics, filed for bank rupt cy ear li er this year … there is a move ment away from get ting these ، ucts cov ered like a phar ma cy ben e fit. Instead, many com pa nies are look ing to make deals with the employ er market.”

#9. Cel e ،te Hal loween with nine great rid dles about Life and\xa0Death

Ques tion: What is full of ،pe, often t،ught of, but doesn’t exist?

#10. Brain Teas er: What ،rt size you need\xa0now?

Have a great month of November