TIKTOK STAR SETS UP BED IN TESLA TO SLEEP WHILE AUTOPILOT DRIVES
JOHNATHON COOK
3 HOURS AGO__VICTOR TANGERMANN__FILED UNDER: ADVANCED TRANSPORT
Reckless Driving
Ever since Tesla decided to advertise its self driving feature as “Autopilot,” drivers have gotten into varying degrees of trouble for letting their vehicles take the reins on the highway — while they take a nap at the wheel.
The obvious danger didn’t discourage TikTok star Johnathon Cook, whose over one million followers were able to watch him tuck himself in to a cozy bed in the back of a Tesla Model 3 while racing down a highway, in an infuriatingly dangerous video first spotted by Electrek.
It’s a reckless and selfish stunt that endangered innocent lives — and, thanks to the video evidence, could present an open-and-shut case for local law enforcement who want to throw the book at Cook.
SMH
It gets even worse. Cook decided to upload a behind-the-scenes video to YouTube, in which he outlined how he fooled the vehicle’s Autopilot feature into registering that he was paying attention to the road.
Despite Tesla’s flagrantly misleading name for the feature, operators still have to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel, ready to take action at all times.
But those safety features can be easily circumvented. Cook used a device attached to the steering wheel to fool the car into thinking his hands were ready to engage. He also had to crawl out of his buckled seatbelt.
To be clear, Cook not only put his own life at risk but endangered other drivers on the roads. It’s probably enough to quality as a criminal offense, as Electrek argues — and he gave the local sheriff all the evidence they’d need to arrest him.
In brief: The modding community has a new tool to help them create original dialog for their mods. The app is called VASynth and is available on the NexusMods website. VASynth uses AI to convert text into realistic synthesized speech.
VASynth creator Dan Ruta used NPC voices from various Bethesda video games to train the tool’s machine learning AI models. He published multiple flavors of the app, including variations for Skyrim, Fallout 4, Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas, Morrowind, and Fallout 3. Each has a selection of models to download optionally.
Ruta also plans to release a Starfield version “soon.” He presumably means sometime after Bethesda launches the game, which still doesn’t have a release date. In the meantime, the modder will continue adding additional models and work on training existing voices to improve quality.
Ruta posted a demo (below) of how VASynth works, which is narrated by several voice models. The demo is relatively crude, and the speech often sounds unnatural. However, the characters explain and provide examples of how to improve the spoken words using punctuation, spelling tricks, pitch, and speed controls. Ultimately, users can record realistic voices with a little effort.https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqJ-ujWvu7s?rel=0&showinfo=0&modestbranding=1&vq=hd720&autohide=1&autoplay=1
Another modder posted a Skyrim trailer (top) as an example of what kind of results are possible with VASynth. While some phrases don’t sound quite right, many others are very convincing. Fearing that some might mistake the voices created with VASynth as the actual Bethesda voice actors, Ruta warns users not to misuse the app.
“To keep things fair, avoid using the tool in an offensive/explicit manner,” he cautions in the notes of each version. “Make it obvious where you can in descriptions that the voice samples are generated, and not from the original voice actors. Any issues you cause with this are on you.”
One of the first examples of a gameplay mod using VASynth is called “Positive Undressed Reactions.” As then name suggests, the mod causes Skyrim NPCs to complement players if they walk around nude. It’s a rather silly application of the tech, but one can easily see this tool being used to create scripted quest expansions for any of the supported Bethesda games.
Found is a TechSpot feature where we share clever, funny or otherwise interesting stuff from around the web.
There’s no doubt that television and film are doing a lot to help us through the pandemic. And there’s even science to suggest that cozying up in front of a favorite movie or show can boost well-being. But when bedtime rolls around, the more you can move away from screens, the better.
If you’ve never heard the sleep and sex rule of thumb before (as in, they’re the only two activities you should be doing in your bedroom), now you have. Though experts don’t align on all sleep hygiene tips, most agree that those two health-critical activities are the ones to get used to doing there.
A basic starting point is to slow your breath and pay attention to extending the exhales. Here’s a practice for that. If that alone does the trick, great. If not, consider listening to a guided relaxation — many offer breath-work guidance to support sleep. There’s absolutely an app (or 49) for that. Oh, and fun bedroom fact: As you uplevel your attention to sensation and presence via mindfulness, you might notice that sex improves too.
IMAGE: PROBOSCIS FULLY EXTENDS (RED ARROW) AND THEN IMMEDIATELY RETRACTS DURING PROBOSCIS EXTENSION SLEEP, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO SLOW-WAVE SLEEP IN HUMANS. view more CREDIT: RAVI ALLADA/NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
A new Northwestern University study reaffirms the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.
By examining fruit flies’ brain activity and behavior, the researchers found that deep sleep has an ancient, restorative power to clear waste from the brain. This waste potentially includes toxic proteins that may lead to neurodegenerative disease.
“Waste clearance could be important, in general, for maintaining brain health or for preventing neurogenerative disease,” said Dr. Ravi Allada, senior author of the study. “Waste clearance may occur during wake and sleep but is substantially enhanced during deep sleep.”
The study will publish tomorrow (Jan. 20) in the journal Science Advances.
Allada is the Edward C. Stuntz Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience and chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. He also is associate director of Northwestern’s Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. Bart van Alphen, a postdoctoral fellow in Allada’s laboratory, was the paper’s first author.
Although fruit flies seem very different from humans, the neurons that govern flies’ sleep-wake cycles are strikingly similar to our own. For this reason, fruit flies have become a well-studied model organism for sleep, circadian rhythms and neurodegenerative diseases.
In the current study, Allada and his team examined proboscis extension sleep (PES), a deep-sleep stage in fruit flies, which is similar to deep, slow-wave sleep in humans. The researchers discovered that, during this stage, fruit flies repeatedly extend and retract their proboscis (or snout).
“This pumping motion moves fluids possibly to the fly version of the kidneys,” Allada said. “Our study shows that this facilitates waste clearance and aids in injury recovery.”
When Allada’s team impaired flies’ deep sleep, the flies were less able to clear an injected non-metabolizable dye from their systems and were more susceptible to traumatic injuries.
Allada said this study brings us closer to understanding the mystery of why all organisms need sleep. All animals — especially those in the wild — are incredibly vulnerable when they sleep. But research increasingly shows that the benefits of sleep — including crucial waste removal — outweigh this increased vulnerability.
“Our finding that deep sleep serves a role in waste clearance in the fruit fly indicates that waste clearance is an evolutionary conserved core function of sleep,” the paper’s coauthors write. “This suggests that waste clearance may have been a function of sleep in the common ancestor of flies and humans.”
A branch of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $3.1 million, multiyear grant to a research team to study changes in speech, and look at movement, in Parkinson’s patients given bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS).
The grant from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) was given to a collaborative team of researchers led by Jeremy Greenlee, MD, a neurosurgeon at the University of Iowa. It runs through June 2025.
DBS is an established treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease who do not adequately respond to medication. It is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted in certain areas of the brain, generating electrical impulses to control abnormal brain activity and lessen motor symptoms.
After DBS treatment, however, patients usually have varied and unpredictable speech outcomes, showing either a worsening, no change, or a slight improvement in speaking abilities, while most “properly selected patients” show consistent limb motor benefits.
“An estimated 40% of STN-DBS [subthalamic nucleus DBS] patients notice worsened speech and with declines significant enough to reduce quality of life,” Greenlee wrote in the project proposal.
Understanding the source of these varied speech outcomes is important for identifying factors likely to predict functional communication changes, and in further identifying patients most likely to respond well to this treatment approach.
A separate team led by Kris Tjaden, PhD, at the Motor Speech Laboratory, part of the State University of New York at Buffalo, will analyze the patients’ speech.
“In order to optimize and develop better treatments for those living with PD [Parkinson’s disease], it is necessary to better understand the role of STN in speech as contemporary mechanistic models of human speech production omit STN,” Greenlee wrote. (The subthalamic nucleus is a small collection of neurons, part of the brain’s basal ganglia that affect movement and are thought to also have roles in cognitive and emotional functions. )
Specifically, the Buffalo researchers will analyze audio recordings taken pre-surgery, and again at six and 12 months post-surgery, of 80 Parkinson’s patients to measure voice quality, pitch and intensity, as well as articulation precision and speech durations. Findings will be compared with recordings of 40 patients who have not had DBS surgery, serving as a control group.
Recordings will also be obtained during DBS surgery, with patients awake and talking, to compare brain activity during both speech and limb motor tasks.
“One of the most exciting aspects of the project is that we are studying neural activity in the brain while patients are awake and talking as they are undergoing DBS surgery,” Tjaden said in a press release.
The team will also measure functional communication skills through perceptual judgments of speech intelligibility given by people listening to the recordings.
“We have reason to hypothesize that differences in brain activity during speaking versus the limb task will help to predict, along with other factors, those patients whose functional speech ability — for example, intelligibility — declines substantially within a year post-surgery,” Tjaden said.
“To our knowledge, this data will be the first of its kind to evaluate patients before, during, and after surgery with the goals of both directly defining the role of STN in speech and predicting speech outcome after STN-DBS,” the proposal concluded. “Such knowledge will provide mechanistic insights that cannot be obtained using other techniques and will guide development of new treatments of impaired speech in PD.”
The study is scheduled to restart this month, after surgeries were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justine Musk, who was married to tech visionary CEO Elon Musk for almost a decade, once shared a fascinating insight into the mind of her former beau–and how he hires employees.
“When Elon and I would travel, and we had to fill out those forms at customs that wanted to know your occupation, Elon never wrote down ‘CEO,’ ‘King of the World,’ or ‘studly international playboy,'” relates Justine.
“He wrote, ‘Engineer.'”
Yes, in his heart of hearts, famous CEO and tech visionary Elon Musk has long preferred to see himself not as a great business leader or a man of wealth. He sees himself as a problem solver.
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As such, Musk’s companies attract like minds. It’s why some of the most intelligent and capable people in the world pine for positions at Tesla and SpaceX: They want a crack at solving what they see as the world’s most challenging problems.
But how do Musk and company determine whom to hire? When it comes to elite problem-solvers, how do they differentiate the best of the best?
Musk recently shared a clue.
Via Twitter, Musk invited “ace engineers” to apply for work at “Gigafactory Berlin,” Tesla’s European battery manufacturing plant, which is currently under construction in Germany. Along with the public invite, Musk included the following request:
On the surface, this inquiry seems similar to a popular interview question used by countless companies across the world. But four subtle differences set it apart, increasing its value by leaps and bounds.
Let’s break them down.
1. He gets it in writing.
“When sending your résumé … “ Notice that Musk asks candidates to provide examples of problems they’ve solved in writing–before coming in for the interview.
This is a key request. In today’s work environment, writing skills are more vital than ever. Engineers (and everyone else) need to be able to communicate their thoughts, not only through drawings and presentations but, more important, also via email, Slack, and other IM platforms.
Additionally, the opportunity to submit these examples in writing allows candidates time to think over the request without the pressure of an in-person interview, where introverts and deep thinkers don’t often do their best work.
2. He asks for multiple examples.
Musk asks candidates to “please describe a few” hard problems they’ve solved.
Intelligent minds may be able to solve one or two hard problems. But the most intelligent minds actually seek out difficult problems to solve–giving them a great repository of examples.
By asking to see a few of these, Musk and company set the bar high. They seek the best and brightest candidates–those who can show a pattern of being able to solve difficult problems.
3. He speaks in superlatives.
Further, Musk doesn’t only ask for a few problems; he asks for a few of the hardest problems.
Another subtle yet important difference. Because once you’re concentrating on the top 1 to 2 percent of candidates, it becomes more challenging to differentiate one from the other. One way to do so is to look at the types of problems they’ve already solved and their level of complexity.
4. He asks to see the process.
Finally, Musk asks candidates to show “exactly how they solved” the problem. He thus shows his interest not only in the solution, but also in the process by which the candidate found that solution.
In other words, Musk and Tesla want to see how the potential employee thinks.
Many top companies use a similar technique. Tech companies ask candidates to produce coding solutions live, during the interview. Management consultancies ask potential hirees not only to provide a solution to a case (or situation) live, but also to walk the interviewer through their process.
But I like Musk’s technique even better. Because while there’s value in seeing candidates solve problems under pressure, all of the problems used on these interviews have already been identified and solved by countless previous interviewees.
In contrast, by asking for applicants to present examples of the hardest problems they’ve solved and the processes they used to solve them, Tesla gets insight into multiple areas of interest, including the candidate’s:
Motivation
Ability to identify unique underlying problems and root causes
Reasons for focusing on specific areas of those problems
Individual strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies
With this technique, Tesla can analyze how applicants’ problem-solving methods could be applied to similar problems the company is dealing with.
So, if you’re responsible for key hiring decisions, take a page out of Musk’s playbook. Don’t just ask candidates to provide examples of problems they’ve solved.
Also make sure to:
Get it in writing
Ask for multiple examples
Speak in superlatives
Ask to see the process
Following these steps will help you find the best of the best–and put your company in a position to solve the most complex problems.
The left image represents a microscopic view of the bone marrow of a myeloma-bearing mouse treated with control, and the right image represents the same for a myeloma-bearing mouse treated with the antisense oligonucleotide ION251, an experimental therapeutic. The red dots represent the IRF4 protein within human myeloma cells, which are much sparser after ION251 treatment. Credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences
Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That’s in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease—cells that continually self-renew. If a therapy can’t completely destroy these malignant stem cells, the cancer is likely to keep coming back.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Ionis Pharmaceuticals are taking a new, targeted approach to myeloma treatment—silencing IRF4, a gene that allows myeloma stem cells and tumor cells to proliferate and survive. Past studies have shown that high IRF4 levels are associated with lower overall survival rates for patients with the disease.
In a study published January 20, 2021 in Cell Stem Cell, the team details their successes inhibiting IRF4 with an antisense oligonucleotide, an engineered piece of DNA specifically designed to bind the genetic material coding for IRF4, causing it to degrade. The oligonucleotide—an investigational antisense medicine developed by Ionis and known as ION251—lowered disease burden, reduced myeloma stem cell abundance and increased survival of mice bearing human myeloma, according to preclinical study data.
Authors say the results support a Phase I clinical trial recently launched to assess the safety and efficacy of ION251 to treat humans with myeloma.
“As scientists, we don’t usually have direct contact with patients, as a daily reminder of what our research could do, or why it’s important,” said co-senior author Leslie Crews, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Regenerative Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “But I’ve been working with a local support group for patients with multiple myeloma. They inspire me. They ask the most insightful questions, and it really makes it personal. I hope this work will eventually give them new potential treatments to prevent relapse, and ultimately get better.”
One challenge myeloma researchers face is that myeloma cells don’t grow well in laboratory dishes. To study the disease and test new treatments, the best method, Crews said, is to transplant human myeloma cells into mice that lack an immune system and thus won’t reject the human cells—making avatars of each unique patient, in a way.
The team tested ION251 on these myeloma mouse avatars. Compared to untreated mice, the treated mice had significantly fewer myeloma cells after two to six weeks of treatment. What’s more, 70 to 100 percent of the treated mice survived, whereas none of the untreated control mice did. There were 10 mice in each treatment or control group and they received daily doses of ION251 or a control for one week, followed by three doses per week.
In separate experiments using human cells isolated from myeloma or healthy donor samples, doses of ION251 used were enough to eradicate the myeloma stem cells while sparing healthy blood cells.
“The results of these preclinical studies were so striking that half the microscopy images we took to compare bone marrow samples between treated and untreated mice kept coming back blank—in the treated mice, we couldn’t find any myeloma cells left for us to study,” said Crews, who is also associate member of the Moores Cancer Center and member of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute at UC San Diego. “It makes the science more difficult, but it gives me hope for patients.”
In addition to working on its own, the treatment improved myeloma tumor cell sensitivity to standard-of-care cancer therapeutics. The researchers also drilled down to the mechanisms at play and described the molecular effects of IRF4 inhibition—information that both clarifies how myeloma forms in the first place, and how the treatment works.
“These proof-of-principle studies will enable rapid clinical development of anti-sense oligonucleotide-mediated IRF4 inhibition to prevent myeloma relapse driven by drug-resistant cancer stem cells,” said co-senior author Catriona Jamieson, MD, Ph.D., Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, deputy director of Moores Cancer Center, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and director of the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic at UC San Diego Health.
The Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety of ION251, sponsored by Ionis Pharmaceuticals, is now recruiting participants at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health and elsewhere. More information is available at clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04398485.
“This collaboration exemplifies the power of combining Ionis’ antisense technology to target previously un-druggable factors in cancer, with world-class academic, translational and clinical research from institutions such as UC San Diego to rapidly bring promising drugs to patients desperately in need,” said co-senior author A. Robert MacLeod, Ph.D., vice president and franchise head of Oncology at Ionis Pharmaceuticals.
According to the National Cancer Institute, multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States, with more than 32,000 new cases predicted in 2020 and a five-year survival of only 53.9 percent.
Is your brain sleep deprived? Low mood, depression, forgetfulness and even Alzheimer’s can be linked to tiredness… so check out our ways to reduce your dementia risk
Neurosurgeon Dr Sanjay Gupta explains best ways to keep your brain sharp
His tips include giving your brain time to relax and taking time to exercise
Sleep is key – chronic inadequate sleep puts people at higher risk of dementia
Most of us operate at 50 per cent of our mental capacity. It’s like having a high-performance Ferrari and just using it to nip to the shops once in a while.
Having spent the past 25 years practising as a neurosurgeon, there is not much I don’t know about the workings of the brain, and I am convinced the exquisitely designed organ can crank out a lot more power.
If you don’t hit the open road occasionally and open the throttle, it could be all too easy to forget what your brain is really capable of achieving.
All this week, the Daily Mail has been serialising my new book, Keep Sharp, which sets out a blueprint for optimising mental capacity and protecting yourself against dementia.
Today, my focus is on sleep and relaxation because I believe it is possible to harness both to help switch the brain into hyperdrive status, and I’m going to show you how.+6
Today, my focus is on sleep and relaxation because I believe it is possible to harness both to help switch the brain into hyperdrive status, and I’m going to show you how
You can try wearing bed socks to help you drift off to sleep more easily
Wearing bed socks to keep your feet warm can help you get off to sleep more easily.
Doing stretching or relaxation exercises in the hour before bedtime can also help you to nod off.
However, avoid difficult conversations and keep everything peaceful — no arguing or discussing contentious topics.
Studies show chronic inadequate sleep puts people at a higher risk of dementia, depression and mood disorders, learning and memory problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, weight gain and obesity, diabetes, fall-related injuries, and cancer.
In fact, just one night of sleep deprivation can spike levels of inflammation which is enough to encourage the accumulation of beta-amyloid, the brain protein that has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
An alarming 2013 study found that older adults whose sleep is fragmented are more prone to develop Alzheimer’s, and worryingly, memory problems can occur years before a person is even diagnosed.
I have to confess I sorely underestimated the value of sleep for far too long and wish I could gain back all those hours — possibly years — that I lost.
Now I put sleep close to the top of my list in terms of priorities.
Contrary to popular belief, sleep is not a state of neural idleness. Billions of molecular tasks go on during sleep at the cellular level to ensure that you can live another day.
It is a critical phase during which the body replenishes itself in a variety of ways that ultimately affect every system, from the brain to the heart, the immune system, and all the inner workings of our metabolism.
Good sleep tidies up our memory hub (the hippocampus) and effectively scrubs the brain of metabolic refuse. It performs a double-duty: both decluttering and taking the rubbish out.
And research now indicates that failure to remove this brain trash may be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.
Among the more recent and captivating findings about sleep has been discovering the ‘washing’ effects on the brain.
Your body clears waste and fluid from tissues through the lymphatic system which carries toxic waste and cellular debris out of the body, filtering lymph fluid through the lymph nodes.
We used to think the brain didn’t have a lymphatic system and instead relied on waste slowly diffusing from brain tissue into the cerebrospinal fluid.
Brain ageing starts young
It is so important to do whatever it takes to care for your brain — and you’re never too young to start
Your brain, like the rest of your body, changes as you grow older. It begins to age in our mid-20s and its structure can deteriorate from as early as age 30.
After 40, the hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory) shrinks by about 0.5 per cent every year.
This shrinkage varies from individual to individual and the level of severity depends to a great degree on lifestyle choices, environmental factors, genetic predisposition, and medical conditions.
That’s why it is so important to do whatever it takes to care for your brain — and you’re never too young to start.
No one is immune from the brain-ageing process.
We all experience a breakdown of the assembly process of memory and that breakdown can begin in a subtle way when we are young, intensifying in our 50s and beyond.
But now scientists have identified a self-cleaning function the brain uses to get rid of waste called the glymphatic system and it goes into overdrive at night while we sleep.
We are quite clear that the quality of your sleep ultimately rules everything about you — how big your appetite is, how fast your metabolism runs, how strong your immune system is, how insightful you can be, how well you cope with stress, how adept you are at learning, and how well you can consolidate experiences in your brain and remember things.
Sleep is essential for consolidating our memories and filing them away for later recall.
Research is showing that brief bursts of brain activity during deep sleep, called sleep spindles, effectively move recent memories, including what we learned that day, from the short-term space of the hippocampus to a kind of hard drive.
So, sleep cleans up the hippocampus so that it can take in new information which it then processes. Without sleep, this memory organisation cannot happen.
But more than just affecting memory, a sleep deficit prevents you from processing information in general. So not only do you lack the ability to remember, you cannot even interpret information to bring it into the brain and think about it.
Sufficient sleep keeps you sharp, creative, attentive, and able to process information quickly, and poor sleep can make you more likely to focus on negative information when making decisions.
It seems clear that getting enough sleep now can improve your chances of fending off dementia in the future.
Once you learn how important sleep is in your life, my hope is that you will begin to prioritise it.
But I do recommend that you focus on rest too because it is important to build rest and relaxation into our waking lives if we want to stay sharp and focused.
Sleep might be the rejuvenating activity that the body demands, but there is a difference between sleep and rest, and our precious brain needs both.
Our mental well-being depends on this, and we know greater mental well-being is associated with reduced dementia risk.
Give your brain time to relax: Why household clutter and too much multi-tasking could be taking an unexpected toll
As well as good sleep, we need rest and relaxation if we want to live long and stay sharp.
Our mental well-being in general depends on this, and greater mental well-being is associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
I recommend setting aside 15 minutes each day for yourself and to use it for a de-stressing activity.
I’m a big fan of mindfulness and meditation. Both are powerfully effective at lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol and studies consistently show they significantly reduce anxiety, depression and pain.
In fact, scans have revealed that parts of the brain become thicker in people who frequently meditate, and that ‘thick-brained’ people tend to be smarter and have stronger memories.+6
I’m a big fan of mindfulness and meditation. Both are powerfully effective at lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol and studies consistently show they significantly reduce anxiety, depression and pain
This could be because meditation appears to bolster the areas which deal with attention and sensory processing as well as planning complicated cognitive actions.
Mindfulness and meditation can be highly relaxing and when you are in a deeply relaxed state, your heartbeat calms, breathing slows, and blood pressure lowers — and that’s very good for your brain too.
Don’t be put off by the idea of cross-legged yogis. Meditation can be as simple as sitting quietly for a few minutes and focusing on taking deep, calming breaths.
It is always time well spent. And there are some great smartphone apps and websites with guided meditation sessions to get you started.
The so-called relaxation response that’s achieved by meditation can also be brought about through yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and repetitive prayer.+6
Mindfulness and meditation can be highly relaxing and when you are in a deeply relaxed state, your heartbeat calms, breathing slows, and blood pressure lowers — and that’s very good for your brain too
One of the reasons deep breathing, for instance, is so effective at reducing stress is that it triggers a parasympathetic nerve response.
This builds protection against the action of the sympathetic nerve response which is hyper-sensitive to stress and anxiety.
Normally, when you are stressed, the sympathetic nervous system triggers surges of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
But the parasympathetic nervous system can instead trigger a relaxation response.
Deep breathing is one of the quickest ways to get there.
Whatever you choose to do during this daily relaxation time, please avoid anything too distracting such as scrolling through social media or shopping online. You might think that’s a form of relaxation but let me tell you, your brain disagrees.
Take a deep breath
If the idea of meditation sounds odd to you, be reassured that deep breathing can be done anywhere, any time.
If you’ve never meditated before, practising deep breathing twice a day will get you started and lead you to try more advanced techniques. Try this:
Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, shut your eyes and ensure your body is relaxed — releasing any tension in your neck, arms, legs, and back.
Inhale through your nose for as long as you can, feeling your diaphragm and abdomen rise as your stomach moves outwards.
Take in a little more air when you think you’ve reached the top of your lungs.
Slowly exhale to a count of 20, pushing every breath of 20 from your lungs, continue for at least five rounds of deep breaths.
Declutter your life
Mess creates stress, as disorganisation equates with distraction, so there is much to be gained from having a good clear-out and taking steps to manage your living and working spaces. Why not get busy this weekend cleaning out cupboards, attics and garages:
Give old clothes and books to that no longer bring you pleasure to friends or charities.
Toss out old magazines and catalogues.
Throw away or shred, bills, leaflets and letters that you don’t need.
Make a habit of immediately throwing away anything that you do not need or cannot be used.
Take a break from multi-tasking. Despite our attempts to carry out several activities at the same time, the brain doesn’t enjoy having to execute two things that simultaneously demand conscious effort, thinking, comprehension, or skill.
Your brain will always handle tasks sequentially and switches attention between tasks so rapidly that you are given the illusion that you are multi-tasking.
But no matter how good you think you are at doing this, the process slows down your thinking, meaning that everything takes longer to accomplish.
It is like putting your brain in stop-and-go traffic, where it has to work hard without really getting anywhere.
Studies show that the older we get, the more effort is needed for the brain to maintain focus, and it takes longer to get back to an original task after an interruption.
At some point, the number of things you can do effectively at any time diminishes. That’s why you might find yourself struggling to type an email and watch TV at the same time, or find that you want to turn off the radio to read the newspaper properly. My recommendation? Instead of training yourself to juggle numerous tasks, stop multi-tasking where you can.
Doing this can sometimes be very good for your brain.
Concentrating on one task at a time and avoiding all distractions is a great way to improve your attention and is also the best way to get more achieved with minimal effort.
It is like taking your turbo-powered brain out on an empty, flat road and letting it speed ahead.
This can be a surprisingly joyous experience — it is what I get whenever I am in the operating theatre, which is one of the few places where distractions are absolutely not allowed.
The image on the left (C) shows diffraction-limited imaging that is too blurry to capture plasmonic hotspots required to conduct single-molecule SERS analysis. On the right (D) is super-resolution imaging of the same plasmonic hotspots using DNA-STROBE, which is clear enough to allow for single-molecule SERS analysis. Credit: Johns Hopkins University
Even the smallest molecule can tell a big story. For instance, observing a single molecule can throw light on underlying biological processes in the human body. In fact, molecular imaging procedures—which are noninvasive and painless—are being used to diagnose and manage the treatment of COVID-19, cancer, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.
One of the more promising techniques for single molecule imaging is surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS. By focusing a laser beam on the sample, SERS detects changes in molecules based upon how they scatter light, and can identify specific molecules through their unique Raman spectra: a sort of molecular fingerprint. An advantage of SERS is that it is nondestructive and requires minimal sample preparation, as it does not require added chemicals or modifications to take measurements.
In a study recently published in Advanced Materials, engineers from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering describe a novel nanomaterial that enables fast and highly sensitive single molecule detection using SERS. Their invention could pave the way for rapid and more accurate diagnostic testing.
To create their new material, called DNA-Silicified Template for Raman Optical Beacon or DNA-STROBE, a team led by Ishan Barman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, engineered optical cavities of only a few nanometers or fewer. In SERS imaging, these plasmonic cavities “trap” beams of light by converting their electromagnetic radiation into electron waves. The Barman team’s tiny plasmonic nanocavities exponentially increase the density of this trapped electromagnetic energy, potentially enabling quantitative biomolecular imaging at ultralow concentrations.
“The effectiveness of SERS measurements depends on the architecture and reproducibility of the nanoscale probes. If successfully designed and realized, our DNA-STROBE structures offer real-time, single molecule, label-free optical sensing that is almost impossible to achieve with any existing platforms,” said Barman, the paper’s corresponding author.
Study co-authors include Le Liang and Peng Zheng, both postdoctoral fellows in Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.
According to Barman, SERS measurements can offer unprecedented insights at the nanoscale, which remains a challenging endeavor for conventional imaging methods. The intensity of the SERS signal depends on the size of the nanoscale gaps, known as “hotspots.”. Because these nanocavities confine light energy, the smaller the gaps, the higher the SERS signal. However, nanocavities of this small size are extremely difficult (and expensive) to fabricate in a programmable and reproducible manner, he explained.
The research team turned to DNA nanotechnology to find an answer. Using DNA as scaffolds, the team built synthetic nanocavities that are the perfect size to become hotspots. But given the elastic nature of DNA, especially its propensity to fold and bend, the size of the formed DNA-STROBE structures could change, potentially weakening the SERS signal. Thus, the team encapsulated the DNA-STROBE structures with a protective ultrathin silica shell to prevent such fluctuations.
The study reported two significant findings. First, the researchers showed they could fabricate ultra-small nanocavities with well-controlled and large electromagnetic enhancement of the SERS signal. Second, their approach allows for single molecule studies even in biological samples with high molecule concentrations—a roadblock in prior research.
“We were excited to observe that DNA-STROBE enhanced the Raman signal, and it was strong enough to permit real-time sensing and super-resolution imaging. This will certainly open up new avenues for use of SERS analysis, particularly in sensing and imaging applications where adding contrast agents and dyes is not desirable or practical,” said Liang.
The next step, the researchers say, will be to develop a set of tailored DNA-STROBE-derived analytical tools for a range of applications. For example, the team believes their approach offers a state-of-the-art platform for ultrasensitive detection of circulating cancer biomarkers.
“With suitable customization, the DNA-STROBE could enable progress in a wide variety of fields ranging from clinical diagnostics and basic biomedical research to environmental sensing and single molecule manipulation,” adds Barman.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a type of brain stimulation therapy.
It’s a noninvasive treatment that uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells, which may improve symptoms of neurological or mental health disorders.
TMS is mainly used to treat depression. It’s had success helping people who don’t respond to antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. In fact, in 2008 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved TMS for this purpose.
There’s also some evidence that TMS may help other disorders, like anxiety and Parkinson’s disease.
The therapy is done by a TMS technician or TMS physician. It’s an outpatient procedure, so it may be done in a medical clinic. If it’s done in a hospital, you won’t need to stay overnight.
Before the procedure, you’ll need to remove items that are sensitive to magnets, like jewelry.
Here’s what you can expect during TMS:
Your technician will have you wear earplugs to minimize the clicking sound of magnetic impulses. They’ll have you sit in a comfortable chair. You won’t need general anesthesia, and you’ll be awake throughout the treatment.
If it’s your first session, your technician will measure your head to determine where to place the magnetic coil. They’ll also take other measurements to personalize the settings on the TMS machine.
Your technician will place the coil above the front area of your brain. Next, they’ll start the treatment.
You’ll hear a clicking sound as the magnetic impulses are released. You’ll also feel a tapping or knocking sensation beneath the magnetic coil.
The treatment can last 30 to 60 minutes. You can drive yourself home after the procedure and resume normal activities.
You’ll need to repeat the procedure 5 days a week, for about 4 to 6 weeks. The exact length of your treatment depends on your response and specific condition.
It’s generally recommended for those who haven’t found relief from medication and psychotherapy. This is called treatment-resistant depression. Approximately 30 percent of people with depression don’t respond to these treatments.
According to 2015 researchTrusted Source, depression is linked to reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is involved with depression symptoms, like low energy levels and appetite changes.
TMS may help by stimulating nerve cells and increasing activity in this area.
TMS therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
The FDATrusted Source approved TMS for OCD in 2018. As with depression, TMS is recommended if a person with OCD hasn’t responded to medication and psychotherapy.
According to one studyTrusted Source, people with OCD often have increased activity between the prefrontal cortex and striatum. This hyperconnectivity is associated with severe OCD symptoms.
TMS can be used to inhibit the activity in this part of the brain, thus reducing OCD symptoms.
TMS therapy for anxiety
As TMS treats psychological disorders like depression and OCD, it may also ease anxiety. That’s because these conditions often cause anxiety symptoms.
In anxiety, there’s often increased nerve cell activity in the prefrontal cortex. TMS may reduce the activity in this region, according to a 2019 studyTrusted Source.
A 2018 trialTrusted Source found that TMS alongside cognitive processing therapy was effective for PTSD. The therapeutic effect of this combination lasted for 6 months.
TMS for stroke rehabilitation
There’s some evidence that TMS may help stroke rehabilitation.
A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked or reduced, causing brain cells to die. This can result in long-term loss of muscle movement.
According to research, using TMS after a stroke could promote motor recovery. The idea is that the magnetic impulses can alter the activity of the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls voluntary movement.
A 2017 article also shares that TMS may improve dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, by stimulating the motor cortex. They add that dysphagia affects 50 percent of people who have experienced a stroke.
TMS for schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a chronic, and often severe, psychiatric disorder.
A main symptom of the condition is auditory hallucinations, which affect 75 percent of people with schizophrenia.
According to a 2019 review, targeting the temporoparietal cortex could be beneficial for auditory hallucinations. This part of the brain, which is involved in language, is typically overactive in schizophrenia.
TMS for Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder. It causes motor dysfunction, including tremors, balance issues, and freezing of gait. Freezing of gait occurs when you feel frozen and can’t move while walking.
A 2020 studyTrusted Source found that TMS may improve freezing of gait. According to the researchers, TMS normalized the connections between parts of the brain involved in gait freezing.
TMS for Alzheimer’s disease
TMS might have benefits for Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia. This disorder causes progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.
According to newer researchTrusted Source, it’s thought that TMS could help Alzheimer’s disease by altering the neural connections involved in memory and learning. However, more research is necessary to understand how TMS can manage Alzheimer’s disease.
TMS for chronic pain
TMS could potentially improve chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia. A 2017 analysisTrusted Source shares that it may help by stimulating the motor cortex and controlling neurotransmitters involved in pain.
It’s worth noting that depression and chronic pain often occur together. Depression can worsen chronic pain, so TMS may help by treating depression symptoms.
TMS for nicotine addiction
Nicotine releases dopamine, also called the “happy hormone.” It sends signals to the reward system of your brain, including the prefrontal cortex, resulting in nicotine cravings and addiction.
According to a 2013 studyTrusted Source, TMS could help reduce nicotine cravings by targeting the prefrontal cortex.
The researchers think that TMS promotes the release of dopamine, which reduces the need for nicotine.
TMS for multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. It commonly causes spasticity, or muscle tightness that makes it difficult to move.
In a 2019 studyTrusted Source, researchers used TMS on the motor cortex of people with MS. The treatment, combined with physical therapy, was found to decrease spasticity.
TMS side effects are uncommon. If complications do occur, they may include:
mild headaches (most common)
lightheadedness
scalp pain
neck pain
tingling
facial twitching
sleepiness
altered cognition during treatment
Symptoms like headaches and lightheadedness usually go away after several treatments.
There’s also the risk of seizures, but this side effect is rare. There’s a 0.1 percentTrusted Source risk of developing seizures during a course of TMS therapy.
One course of TMS can cost between $6,000 to $12,000 out of pocket.
Your health insurance provider might offer coverage, but this depends on your medical history. You may be required to try at least four antidepressants before receiving TMS coverage.
Alternatively, they might provide coverage if you experience negative reactions when using antidepressants.
Is TMS therapy covered by Medicare?
If antidepressants and psychotherapy don’t work for you, Medicare will cover TMS therapy.
Do you have to miss work for TMS therapy?
Since you’re expected to get treatment 5 days a week for multiple weeks, you may have to miss a few hours of work each day. This depends on your schedule, the location of the clinic, and the time of your appointments.
One session can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, so you may be able to do the treatment before or after work.
TMS targets the activity of nerve cells in your brain, which may alleviate depression symptoms. It could also have benefit for disorders like OCD, anxiety, and PTSD as well.
The procedure may even improve motor dysfunction, making it potentially helpful for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke rehabilitation.
If you’re interested in TMS, talk with a doctor. You may be a good candidate if you’re young, have a low risk of seizures, and haven’t felt relief from antidepressants.
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