An update on Molly Meldrum

Molly's recovery

Readers may recall that in December 2011 Molly Meldrum was admitted to hospital after a fall at his home in Melbourne. He was in an induced come for approximately 10 days and in Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) for almost one month. From the limited details released by the media, Molly appeared to have sustained at least a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

It has emerged that on February 27, 2012, less than 10 days after coming out of PTA, Molly checked himself out of hospital. At that point he could walk and talk, was physically much better, had likely had enough of being in hospital and (incorrectly) assumed that he was well enough to go home.

Autism - making the most of a disABILITY

Recently, Louis Theroux explored the lives of children with Autism and their families in a documentary called 'Extreme Love'. It was most recently aired on ABC2 on Sunday 13 January.

One of the best scenes in the documentary (in my opinion) involves Louis asking a family whether they would take away their son's autism if they could. They said no because some of his quirks related to his condition made him lovable, fun and interesting to be around. According to his mother, none of her other children could make her laugh or make her think about things the way he could.

This child was very high functioning and, understandably, the answer was quite different for those families whose child/ren were low functioning or difficult to manage.

Should we be concerned about the effects of mobile phones?

Numerous articles and studies have suggested that regular use of mobile telephones may be harmful to our health. It has even been suggested that mobiles fry our brains. Given that mobile telephone are becoming more and more prevalent, are being used by younger and younger children, and for many of us are our primary means of communication, it is important that we understand the effects of these devices on our brain functioning. It is also important that we do not make false assumptions about the erroneous effects of mobile phones.
The public concern about mobile phones is based on the fact that wireless phone signals cause electromagnetic fields from which radiation is emitted. The World Health Organisation has found that radiation is a possible human cancer-causing agent.
It is however difficult to measure to what extent radiation from mobile phones heats human brain tissue. A recent study by researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Alcatel-Lucet Bell Laboratories in the US found that MRI scans can directly study how mobile phones heat the human brain. Research is in its early stages however and there are no conclusions as yet.

The neurobiology of giving

The neurobiology of giving

As many of us are immersed into the final frenzy of Christmas gift buying, the thought of battling the crowds to find that pair of socks for dad can be a daunting one. However recent research suggests that rather than induce a headache, shopping for gifts can actually be good for us. In a 2008 study from the University of British Columbia, subjects rated their level of happiness before being randomly allocated to different spending conditions - to either spend money on themselves or spend money on others (prosocial spending).

Subjects once again rated their level of happiness after spending the money. It was reported that subjects who spent money on others rated themselves as happier than subjects who spent money on themselves. Interestingly, this increase in happiness did not depend on how much money was spent. The researchers also found, however, that when subjects were asked to imagine what they thought would make them happier, most thought it would be personal, rather than prosocial, spending, suggesting that we are largely unaware of the benefits of giving.

Researchers at the University of Oregon used neuroimaging to identify which brain structures may be involved in prosocial or giving behaviours. This revealed that the centres of our brain implicated in pleasure and reward, the caudate, nucleus accumbens and insula, are also activated when people engage in acts of altruistic giving, such as donating money to a charity. So, it would seem that the brain’s pleasure centres do not only respond to what we want and like – they also track what is good for others too!

Who would have thought gift giving is so good for us and that the brain gets the same warm glow from buying that box set of socks for dad as when experiencing the delight of a tasty meal or a lottery win! Makes you want to go out and finish that Christmas shopping!

We’d love to hear your comments (below) or contact us for any queries.

Non-pharmacological Treatments for Memory Decline

It was recently reported on ABC news (Mon Oct 15, 2012) that drug companies are abandoning research into the development of new drugs for dementia.

The key reasons cited for this trend were the enormous costs involved in drug development and little success with disease modifying drugs, particularly for Alzheimer's Disease, the most common form of dementia.

With dementia widely recognised as a ballooning problem for not only in Australia but across the world over, this then raises the question of what other treatment options are out there?

In fact there are several other potentially promising lines of research investigating non-pharmacological treatments for memory decline. These non-drug based treatments share one thing in common, capitalising on the neuroplastic and regenerative properties of the brain.

One such treatment which has gained increasing attention is cognitive remediation, a psychological intervention which has been particularly investigated in people with schizophrenia. This form of intervention typically involves the use of brain training exercises and teaching of memory strategies, with research overall showing robust benefits for memory and cognition, as well as improvements in quality of life. Cognitive remediation has additionally recently been trialled in people at risk for dementia, with early promising results showing improvements in memory.

Another exciting new intervention is through using mild forms of brain stimulation. These brain stimulation techniques involve the application of small electric currents or brief magnetic pulses into the brain for the purpose of transiently modulating brain activity. These non-invasive forms of stimulation have been shown to be effective in treating depression, and there is now some preliminary research showing that they can also be used to enhance memory in older persons and people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Though the research into these new non-pharmacological treatments to help improve memory is very much preliminary at this stage, with more research these treatments may become more widely available in the future. Most likely these new treatments will be used to supplement existing drug treatments, as additional “booster” treatments to help delay cognitive decline and improve quality of life.

ANTS conducts a Cognitive Remediation Programme based in Sydney's inner west. For more information please contact us.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales are also currently conducting a research trial investigating the use of mild brain stimulation for people at risk for dementia. More information about this trial is available at http://www.cheba.unsw.edu.au/project/brain-stimulation-and-cognitive-training.

An unconventional treatment for dementia?

Curry may help combat dementia!

Scientists are investigating whether curcumin, a chemical in the spice turmeric, may help to prevent Alzheimer's dementia (AD), the most common form of dementia. Curcumin, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, may play a role in clearing the brain of a protein called beta amyloid, which is known to be a causative factor in the development of AD.

India, the largest consumer of turmeric-based curries has the lowest rate of AD in the world.

AD and other forms of dementia are perhaps the single greatest health issue facing Australia in the 21st century, with almost 1 million people in Australia predicted to be living with dementia by 2050. A number of researchers and medical practitioners have recently spoken out about their concerns about the reduction in research dollars spent on finding ways to combat this insidious illness, given the morbidity and prevalence of dementia. Many pharmaceutical companies have stopped or reduced their dementia research programs due to the lack of efficacy of treatments to cure the disease or slow its progress.This is despite advances in neuroimaging technology and diagnostic techniques.

As with most illnesses, prevention is better than cure, and scientists are now focusing on finding ways to stop those at risk of developing AD from doing so.

A clinical trial has started at a Sydney retirement village where 100 residents will take supplements of curcumin and be given MRIs. Ralph Martins, a professor of ageing and Alzheimer's disease at Edith Cowan University, who is conducting the research along with the McCusker Alzheimer's Research Foundation, the Brain and Mind Research Institute and the Royal Prince Alfred Medical Imaging Services, said that:

"What we currently know as clinical Alzheimer's [dementia] is probably the end stage of disease, so the disease is cooking in people's brain for as much as 20 years and what we're finding in the healthy normal people is that a third of them will have this toxic amyloid in their brain".

While the research is promising, there are a range of other lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise and 'brain training' (or stimulation to keep the mind active) that are also important to consider in trying to prevent all forms of dementia.

Curry is certainly not enough, but it may be a good start!

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may be developing dementia, we at ANTS can help. The first step is to read our fact sheet on dementia at:

http://neurotreatment.com.au/neuropsychological-information-dementia.aspx

A thorough neuropsychological assessment is a key component of the diagnosis and management of dementia. If you would like to learn more about what we can offer here at ANTS, please don't hesitate to contact us.

The Neuropsychology of Depression

In his recently released autobiography, Ian Thorpe describes how he has suffered from depression most of his life. Like many young Australians with depression, the 30-year old revealed that he kept the illness behind closed doors to the point that not even his family and close friends were aware of his battle with the mental illness, and rather than seeking professional help he would instead often turn to alcohol. He recalls in his book periods of low mood that would often last a month, during which he contemplated suicide.

Depression is not uncommon in young Australians, with approximately 160 000 individuals between the ages of 16 to 24 years of age living with the mental illness. Like Thorpe, a high percentage of sufferers experience suicide ideation and such individuals are at increased risk of completing suicide.

Depression is mainly known for its affect on mood. A lesser known fact is that sufferers also exhibit a number of neuropsychological impairments. Research has shown that individuals with depression have poorer episodic memory and slower psychomotor speed. In addition, those with depression exhibit difficulties with problem-solving, planning and mental flexibility.

The range of cognitive impairments seen in individuals with depression is the consequent of several biological changes in the brain. One of the most widely researched biological dysfunction concerns a deficiency in Serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that is known to mediate memory and learning. Brain MRI studies have shown that, relative to healthy controls, individuals with depression have decreased activity in the frontal lobe, an areas of the brain important for problem-solving, planning and mental flexibility. In addition, research has shown that depressed people exhibit abnormal activity in the amygdala, an area important for processing emotional aspects of information.

Thorpe described that after years of suffering with depression he finally consulted with his doctor who prescribed medication “but little in the way of explanation”. Ironically, he noted that this consultation isolated him further as he felt he "now had a secret and no one to share it with.”

While most antidepressant medications are thought to improve symptoms of depression by correcting deficiencies in Serotonin, they are not affective in addressing the important psychological component of the mental illness, namely negative and maladaptive thinking-patterns. This is usually addressed by supplementing antidepressants with some form of cognitive therapy. Interestingly, there is some preliminary evidence to suggest that cognitive therapies may in themselves alter neural circuitry and normalise abnormal amygdala and frontal activity. Whether these changes lead to corresponding neuropsychological improvements, however, is yet to be determined.