Optimal Being

“Bed rotting,” or staying in bed all day, has been touted as a self-care routine on TikTok, but it might actually make you feel worse. Here’s why that happens and how you can snap out of it. The grueling stretch between New Year’s Day and springtime can seem interminable. It’s tempting to spend the long, gray months in hibernation mode with a book or your phone while you await brighter days. Enter “bed rotting,”   the Internet’s new favorite inactive activity . More entertaining than just sleeping in and somehow even less productive than being a couch potato, choosing to bed rot is a popular TikTok mental health trend associated with “reclaiming” time that might otherwise be spent on working, exercising, studying or other “productive” activities. It may mean you opt to stay in bed from sunrise to sunset for perhaps even a whole weekend or more, only leaving it to use the bathroom, get food or retrieve other essentials. Some “rotters” report feeling rejuvenated afterward. One Reddit...

Summary :  A novel study explores how Parkinson’s disease patients, particularly those with impulse control disorders (ICD) induced by dopaminergic medications, process the outcomes of risky decisions. The study, involving 30 participants, utilized a computer-based task to compare the decision-making behaviors of patients with and without ICD, revealing that those with ICD exhibit a diminished response to the consequences of their actions, a pattern that holds true regardless of medication status. This research not only sheds light on the nuanced effects of Parkinson’s treatment on behavior but also suggests broader implications for understanding the psychological impacts of dopaminergic drugs and potentially addictive substances on decision-making and risk perception. Key Facts: Dopaminergic Medications and ICD : Parkinson’s disease patients on these medications can develop impulse control disorders, leading to risky behaviors. Differential Processing of Risk : Patients with ICD e...

Summary:  A new study unveiled a crucial role of sleep: brainwaves facilitating the cleansing of the brain by flushing out waste. This discovery not only underscores the brain’s non-dormant state during sleep but also highlights a sophisticated system where neurons’ synchronized activity powers the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, effectively removing metabolic waste and potentially neurodegenerative disease-causing toxins. This insight opens up possibilities for enhancing brain cleaning processes to combat neurological diseases and improve sleep efficiency, hinting at a future where optimized sleep could lead to better health outcomes. Key Facts: Brainwaves Propel Cleansing Fluids : During sleep, neurons coordinate to produce rhythmic waves that drive the movement of fluid through the brain, washing away waste. Potential for Disease Prevention : Understanding and enhancing this cleansing process could delay or prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by ensuring the effective...

Injections of no-longer-used growth hormone derived from cadavers may have “seeded” Alzheimer’s in some people, small study suggests. Researchers say they have uncovered more evidence to support a controversial hypothesis that sticky proteins that are a signature of Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person through certain surgical procedures. The authors and other scientists stress that the research is based on a small number of people and is related to medical practices that are no longer used. The study does not suggest that forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease can be contagious. Still, “we’d like to take precautions going forward to reduce even those rare cases occurring”, says neurologist John Collinge at University College London who led the research, which was published in  Nature Medicine  on 29 January. For the past decade, Collinge and his team have studied people in the United Kingdom who, during childhood,  received growth hormone d...

Summary:  Researchers have found that targeted electrical stimulation of the brain can temporarily increase a person’s hypnotizability, potentially allowing more individuals to benefit from hypnosis-based therapies for pain relief and other conditions. In a study involving participants with fibromyalgia, electrical stimulation delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex boosted hypnotizability for about an hour. The effect was achieved in less than two minutes of stimulation and was statistically significant. The findings offer a novel approach to altering stable traits and could have broader implications for enhancing responses to psychotherapy. Key Facts: Hypnotizability is a stable trait in adults, much like personality and IQ, and can influence the effectiveness of hypnosis-based therapies. Transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered targeted electrical pulses to the brain, increasing hypnotizability for a short duration. This research has potential applications in pai...