G’day, Dr Karl here.
This story tells more about how under-rated our sense of smell really is – and how loss of smell can be an early indicator of COVID-19.
As an aside, a loss of smell can be deeply linked to some neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as several autoimmune diseases.These include Systemic Lupus Erythematosis SLE, Sjogren’s Disease, and many more.
Why? Well, it turns out that in your DNA, many of the genes associated with smell are located right next to a big bunch of genes that form your immune system, the so-called Major Histocompatibility Complex. Maybe this is the link.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The link between psychological stress and physical health problems generally relates to a stress-induced immune response gone wild, with inflammation then causing damage to other systems in the body. It s a predictable cascade - except in pregnancy, research suggests.
Scientists exploring the negative effects of prenatal stress on offspring mental health set out to find the immune cells and microbes in stressed pregnant mice most likely to trigger inflammation in the fetal brain - the source for anxiety and other psychological problems identified in previous research.
Instead, the researchers found two simultaneous conditions in response to stress that made them realize just how complex the cross-talk between mom and baby is during gestation: Immune cells in the placenta and uterus were not activated, but significant inflammation was detected in the fetal brain.
A new pilot study has shown when a female athlete has a concussion injury during the phase of her menstrual cycle when progesterone is highest, she feels less stress. Feeling stressed is one symptom of a concussion. Feeling less stressed is a marker of recovery. The study also revealed for the first time the physiological reason for the neural protection is increased blood flow to the brain as a result of higher levels of progesterone. Birth control pills may help.
DUBAI, UAE, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Prof. Dr. Dr. Erich Ringelstein highlights the long-term impact of ABI and the need for understanding. Every March, the Brain Injury Association
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MADISON, Wis. Millions of people are administered general anesthesia each year in the United States alone, but it s not always easy to tell whether they are actually unconscious.
A small proportion of those patients regain some awareness during medical procedures, but a new study of the brain activity that represents consciousness could prevent that potential trauma. It may also help both people in comas and scientists struggling to define which parts of the brain can claim to be key to the conscious mind. What has been shown for 100 years in an unconscious state like sleep are these slow waves of electrical activity in the brain, says Yuri Saalmann, a University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology and neuroscience professor. But those may not be the right signals to tap into. Under a number of conditions with different anesthetic drugs, in people that are suffering from a coma or with brain damage or other clinical situations there can be high-frequency activity as