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Beloved champion athlete dies from rare brain tumour

<p>A beloved Australian athlete has tragically died after a high-profile battle with a rare and aggressive brain tumour. </p> <p>Jenny Alcorn, a champion triathlete, passed away on Monday at the age of 66, with her partner Margot Rupe breaking the devastating news. </p> <p>“She pushed every boundary in life and it was incredible,” Rupe said. “She was the love of my life for 20 years, she helped me raise two amazing children."</p> <p>“Yes, triathlon was her life but she always enjoyed all the sports our kids did, she never missed a TSS First 15 game, she never missed a Bond Uni rugby game."</p> <p>“Even on Saturday afternoon, she sat up and watched our son play rugby in Japan, so she was a pretty amazing person."</p> <p>“We’re all heartbroken, our souls are heartbroken, she did everything with love, she loved her family, she loved me, she loved our kids and embraced everything she did.”</p> <p>Alcorn was a sporting legend and Alcorn was recognised just last year at the AusTriathlon Awards, as she was particularly well known in Queensland as a coach, a competitor, and an inspiration to many. </p> <p>In 2016, at the age of 55, Alcorn came out of retirement and won the famous Kona Ironman World Championships in her age group.</p> <p>Last December, Alcorn’s “three-decade contribution” to Australia’s triathlon scene was recognised with the President’s Special Recognition Award, as the Trizone website said, “Her honour highlighted not just her achievements as an athlete and coach, but her inspiring resilience while battling a rare brain tumour."</p> <p>Surfers Paradise Triathlon Club member Dan Teasdale and close friend of Alcorn's paid tribute to his late friend. </p> <p>“She was always a fantastic spectator so you’d hear her yelling out ‘go Danny boy’ on the side of the race,” he said.</p> <p>“She was a very caring, loving person but a tough-as-nails athlete. She never had a bad word to say about anyone she was very inclusive, welcomed everyone and loved the sport triathlon.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Caring

Century-old Anzac memorial damaged

<p>A century-old Anzac memorial has been damaged in northern New South Wales, prompting a police appeal for information from the public. </p> <p>Police were told on Thursday that the marble statue, depicting a soldier, in Walgett Memorial Park, had suffered some damage.</p> <p>Authorities found the statue's arm had been damaged and the marble rifle missing.</p> <p>It's believed the statue was damaged between Monday February 10th and Thursday February 13th.</p> <p>The memorial statue was originally imported to the regional town from France in 1922.</p> <p>Anybody with dashcam footage, CCTV, or information on the vandalism, is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Legal

Around 3% of us will develop a brain aneurysm in our lives. So what is it and how do you treat it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-nealon-1481995">Jessica Nealon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p>Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands announced on air that he <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-03/kyle-sandilands-brain-aneurysm-diagnosis/104888826">has a brain aneurysm</a> and needs urgent brain surgery.</p> <p>Typically an aneurysm occurs when a part of the wall of an artery (a type of blood vessel) becomes stretched and bulges out.</p> <p>You can get an aneurysm <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/aneurysm">in any blood vessel</a>, but they are most common in the brain’s arteries and the aorta, the large artery that leaves the heart.</p> <p>Many people can have a brain aneurysm and never know. But a brain (or aortic) aneurysm that ruptures and bursts can be fatal.</p> <p>So, what causes a brain aneurysm? And what’s the risk of rupture?</p> <h2>Weakness in the artery wall</h2> <p>Our arteries need strong walls because blood is constantly pumped through them and pushed against the walls.</p> <p>An <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/aneurysms">aneurysm</a> can develop if there is a weak part of an artery wall.</p> <p>The walls of arteries are made of three layers: an inner lining of cells, a middle layer of muscle and elastic fibres, and a tough outer layer of mostly collagen (a type of protein). Damage to any of these layers causes the wall to become thin and stretched. It can then balloon outward, leading to an aneurysm.</p> <p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4399795/">Genetics</a> and <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-aneurysms">certain inherited disorders</a> can cause weak artery walls and brain aneurysms in some people.</p> <p>For all of us, our artery walls become weaker as we age, and brain aneurysms are more common as we get older. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">average age for a brain aneurysm</a> to be detected is 50 (Sandilands is 53).</p> <p>Females have a higher risk of brain aneurysm than males <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">after about age 50</a>. Declining oestrogen around menopause reduces the collagen in the artery wall, causing it to become weaker.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="An illustration showing a brain aneurysm." /><figcaption><span class="caption">A brain aneurysm occurs when a part of the wall of an artery balloons out.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/human-brain-blocking-stroke-aneurysm-disease-2171173339">Alfmaler/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>High blood pressure can increase the risk of a brain aneurysm. In someone with high blood pressure, blood inside the arteries is pushed against the walls with greater force. This can <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3163429/">stretch and weaken the artery walls</a>.</p> <p>Another <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/introduction">common condition</a> called atherosclerosis can also <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-arteriosclerosis">cause brain aneurysms</a>. In atherosclerosis, plaques made mostly of fat build up in arteries and stick to the artery walls. This directly damages the cell lining, and weakens the muscle and elastic fibres in the middle layer of the artery wall.</p> <h2>Several lifestyle factors increase risk</h2> <p>Anything that increases inflammation or causes atherosclerosis or high blood pressure in turn increases your risk of a brain aneurysm.</p> <p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6527044/">Smoking and heavy drinking</a> affect all of these, and nicotine <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6214667/">directly damages</a> the artery wall.</p> <p>Sandilands mentioned <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/radio/kyle-sandilands-reveals-shock-health-diagnosis-i-may-be-dead/news-story/62f9f05c6f0a03702632ec8d622cf97a">his cocaine use</a> in discussing his diagnosis. He said: "The facts are, a life of cocaine abuse and partying are not the way to go."</p> <p>Indeed, cocaine abuse <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-aneurysm/causes/">increases the risk of a brain aneurysm</a>. It causes very high blood pressure because it causes arteries to spasm and constrict. Cocaine use is also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878875023017400">linked to worse outcomes</a> if a brain aneurysm ruptures.</p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejn.15992">Stress</a> and a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6243058/#:%7E:text=High%2Dfat%20diets%20(HFDs),many%20organs%20(see%20text).">high-fat diet</a> also increase inflammation. <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/atherosclerosis#:%7E:text=Atherosclerosis%20is%20thickening%20or%20hardening,activity%2C%20and%20eating%20saturated%20fats.">High cholesterol</a> can also cause atherosclerosis. And <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/risk-factors/overweight-and-obesity">being overweight</a> increases your blood pressure.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.022277">A study</a> of more than 60,000 people found smoking and high blood pressure were the strongest risk factors for a brain aneurysm.</p> <h2>Is it always a medical emergency?</h2> <p>About <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">three in 100 people</a> will have a brain aneurysm, varying in size from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">less than 5mm to more than 25mm</a> in diameter. The majority are only discovered while undergoing imaging for something else (for example, head trauma), because small aneurysms may not cause any symptoms.</p> <p>Larger aneurysms can cause symptoms because they can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-aneurysm/symptoms-causes/syc-20361483">press against brain tissues and nerves</a>.</p> <p>Sandilands described “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-03/kyle-sandilands-brain-aneurysm-diagnosis/104888826">a lot of headache problems</a>” leading up to his diagnosis. Headaches can be due to <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-aneurysm/symptoms-causes/syc-20361483">minor leaks of blood</a> from the aneurysm. They indicate a risk of the aneurysm rupturing in subsequent days or weeks.</p> <p>Less than <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46015-2">one in 100 brain aneurysms will rupture</a>, often called a “brain bleed”. This causes a <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/subarachnoid-hemorrhage#:%7E:text=A%20subarachnoid%20hemorrhage%20is%20bleeding,brain%20and%20inside%20the%20skull.">subarachnoid haemorrhage</a>, which is a <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/subarachnoid-haemorrhage/">type of stroke</a>.</p> <p>If it does occur, rupture of a brain aneurysm is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">life-threatening</a>: nearly one in four people will die within 24 hours, and one in two within three months.</p> <p>If someone’s brain aneurysm ruptures, they usually experience a sudden, severe headache, often described as a “<a href="https://www.bafound.org/blog/three-signs-your-bad-headache-might-be-a-ruptured-brain-aneurysm/">thunderclap headache</a>”. They may also have <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-aneurysms">other symptoms of a stroke</a> such as changes in vision, loss of movement, nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness.</p> <h2>Surgery can prevent a rupture</h2> <p>Whether surgery will be used to treat a brain aneurysm depends on its size and location, as well as the age and health of the patient. The medical team will balance the potential benefits with the risks of the surgery.</p> <p>A small aneurysm with low risk of rupture will usually <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2323531/">just be monitored</a>.</p> <p>However, once a brain aneurysm reaches <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">7mm or more</a>, surgery is generally needed.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-aneurysm/treatment/#:%7E:text=A%20cut%20is%20made%20in,permanently%20clamped%20on%20the%20aneurysm.">surgery to repair a brain aneurysm</a>, the surgeon will temporarily remove a small part of the skull, then cut through the coverings of the brain to place a tiny metal clip to close off the bulging part of the aneurysm.</p> <p>Another option is <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/endovascular-coiling">endovascular</a> (meaning within the vessel) coiling. A surgeon can pass a catheter into the femoral artery in the thigh, through the aorta to the brain. They can then place a coil inside the aneurysm which forms a clot to close off the aneurysm sac.</p> <p><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007372.htm">After either surgery</a>, usually the person will stay in hospital for up to a week. It can take <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-aneurysm-clipping-surgery#recovery">6–8 weeks</a> for full recovery, though doctors may continue monitoring with annual imaging tests for a few years afterwards.</p> <p>You can <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-prevent-a-brain-aneurysm#prevention">lower your risk of a brain aneurysm</a> by not smoking, moderating alcohol intake, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/248882/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-nealon-1481995">Jessica Nealon</a>, Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/around-3-of-us-will-develop-a-brain-aneurysm-in-our-lives-so-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-treat-it-248882">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Can you get sunburnt or UV skin damage through car or home windows?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p>When you’re in a car, train or bus, do you choose a seat to avoid being in the sun or do you like the sunny side?</p> <p>You can definitely feel the sun’s heat through a window. But can you get sunburn or skin damage when in your car or inside with the windows closed?</p> <p>Let’s look at how much UV (ultraviolet) radiation passes through different types of glass, how tinting can help block UV, and whether we need sunscreen when driving or indoors.</p> <h2>What’s the difference between UVA and UVB?</h2> <p>Of the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-ultraviolet-(uv)#:%7E:text=Most%20solar%20UVB%20is%20filtered,for%20the%20immediate%20tanning%20effect.">total UV</a> radiation that reaches Earth, about 95% is UVA and 5% is UVB.</p> <p>UVB only reaches the <a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-dont-burns-bleed-130792">upper layers</a> of our skin but <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-uv-index-an-expert-explains-what-it-means-and-how-its-calculated-173146">is the major cause</a> of sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer.</p> <p>UVA <a href="https://theconversation.com/sunscreen-why-wearing-it-even-in-winter-could-be-a-good-idea-219640">penetrates deeper</a> into our skin and causes cell damage that leads to skin cancer.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646357/original/file-20250203-17-c897dp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Graphic showing UVA and UVB penetrating skin" /><figcaption><span class="caption">UVA penetrates deeper than UVB.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/difference-radiation-types-sunlight-which-harmful-669925423">Shutterstock/solar22</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Glass blocks UVA and UVB radiation differently</h2> <p>All <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpp.12022">glass</a> used in house, office and car windows completely blocks UVB from passing through.</p> <p>But only laminated glass can completely block UVA. UVA <a href="https://www.skincancer.org/blog/sneaky-ways-youre-being-exposed-to-the-suns-uv-rays/#:%7E:text=UVB%20rays%2C%20the%20primary%20sunburn,the%20rays%20will%20reach%20you">can pass through</a> other glass used in car, house and office windows and <a href="https://theconversation.com/sunscreen-why-wearing-it-even-in-winter-could-be-a-good-idea-219640">cause skin damage</a>, increasing the risk of cancer.</p> <h2>Car windscreens block UVA, but the side and rear windows don’t</h2> <p>A car’s front windscreen lets in lots of sunshine and light. Luckily it <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpp.12022">blocks 98% of UVA radiation</a> because it is made of two layers of laminated glass.</p> <p>But the side and rear car windows are made of tempered glass, which doesn’t completely block UVA. A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2522190">study of 29 cars</a> found a range from 4% to almost 56% of UVA passed through the side and rear windows.</p> <p>The UVA protection was not related to the car’s age or cost, but to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962205046244?casa_token=qxVQnQ_mFjEAAAAA:5n6QVYBb22gfsWNLxfxbNtsibJ1JXl_C7RtRhsaQLFVkRocFgoWiI4BnNyMGO35EnyIsLNhFK90">the type</a> of glass, its colour and whether it has been tinted or coated in a protective film. Grey or bronze coloured glass, and window tinting, all increase UVA protection. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/tropej/article/59/6/496/1660803">Window tinting</a> blocks around 95% of UVA radiation.</p> <p>In a separate study from Saudi Arabia, researchers fitted drivers with a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9797294/">wearable radiation monitor</a>. They found drivers were exposed to UV index ratings up to 3.5. (In Australia, sun protection <a href="https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/sun-safety/about-sunscreen/spf50-sunscreen">is generally recommended</a> when the UV index is 3 or above – at this level it takes pale skin about 20 minutes to burn.)</p> <p>So if you have your windows tinted, you should not have to wear sunscreen in the car. But without tinted windows, you can accumulate skin damage.</p> <h2>UV exposure while driving increases skin cancer risk</h2> <p>Many people spend a lot of time in the car – for work, commuting, holiday travel and general transport. Repeated UVA radiation exposure through car side windows might go unnoticed, but it can affect our skin.</p> <p>Indeed, skin cancer is more common on the driver’s side of the body. A <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3117975/">study in the United States</a> (where drivers sit on the left side) found more skin cancers on the left than the right side for the face, scalp, arm and leg, including 20 times more for the arm.</p> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20226568/">Another US study</a> found this effect was higher in men. For <a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/melanoma/stages-types/melanoma-in-situ-stage-0#:%7E:text=What%20is%20melanoma%20in%20situ,grown%20deeper%20into%20the%20skin.">melanoma in situ</a>, an early form of melanoma, 74% of these cancers were on the on the left versus 26% on the right.</p> <p>Earlier Australian studies reported more <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1340770/">skin damage</a> and more <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/555250">skin cancer</a> on the right side.</p> <p>Cataracts and other eye damage are also <a href="https://www.aoa.org/news/clinical-eye-care/diseases-and-conditions/cataracts-and-uv-exposure-in-driver-side-windows?sso=y">more common on the driver’s side</a> of the body.</p> <h2>What about UV exposure through home or office windows?</h2> <p>We see UV damage from sunlight through our home windows in faded materials, furniture or plastics.</p> <p>Most glass used in residential windows lets a lot of UVA pass through, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0781.2009.00434.x">between 45 and 75%</a>.</p> <p>Single-pane glass lets through the most UVA, while thicker, tinted or coated glass blocks more UVA.</p> <p>The best options are laminated glass, or double-glazed, tinted windows that allow less than 1% of UVA through.</p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpp.12022">Skylights</a> are made from laminated glass, which completely stops UVA from passing through.</p> <p>Most office and commercial window glass has better UVA protection than residential windows, allowing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962205046244?casa_token=qxVQnQ_mFjEAAAAA:5n6QVYBb22gfsWNLxfxbNtsibJ1JXl_C7RtRhsaQLFVkRocFgoWiI4BnNyMGO35EnyIsLNhFK90#bib17">less than 25% of UVA transmission</a>. These windows are usually double-glazed and tinted, with reflective properties or UV-absorbent chemicals.</p> <p>Some <a href="https://theconversation.com/smart-windows-could-be-the-next-big-thing-in-renewable-heating-245053">smart windows</a> that reduce heat using chemical treatments to darken the glass can also block UVA.</p> <h2>So when should you wear sunscreen and sunglasses?</h2> <p>The biggest risk with skin damage while driving is having the windows down or your arm out the window in direct sun. Even untinted windows will reduce UVA exposure to some extent, so it’s better to have the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-cant-get-sunburnt-through-glass-shade-or-in-water-right-5-common-sunburn-myths-busted-150640">car window up</a>.</p> <p>For home windows, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpp.12022">window films or tint</a> can increase UVA protection of single pane glass. UVA blocking by glass is similar to protection by sunscreen.</p> <p>When you need to use sunscreen <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00267.x">depends on</a> your skin type, latitude and time of the year. In a car without tinted windows, you could burn after one hour in the middle of the day in summer, and two hours in the middle of a winter’s day.</p> <p>But in the middle of the day next to a home window that allows more UVA to pass through, it <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00267.x">could</a> take only 30 minutes to burn in summer and one hour in winter.</p> <p>When the UV index is above three, it is recommended you <a href="https://theconversation.com/sunglasses-dont-just-look-good-theyre-good-for-you-too-heres-how-to-choose-the-right-pair-245270">wear protective sunglasses</a> while driving or next to a sunny window to avoid eye damage.</p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-you-get-sunburnt-or-uv-skin-damage-through-car-or-home-windows-246599">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Kyle Sandilands reveals major health diagnosis live on air

<p>Kyle Sandilands has shared his shocking health diagnosis live on air, telling his listeners he is due to undergo emergency brain surgery. </p> <p>The radio shock jock shared the news on Monday morning, saying he would be stepping back from the KIIS FM hosting role to look after his health and recover from the major operation. </p> <p>“On Friday, I was told by my medical team, which sounds like I’m already very sick - to have a medical team - that I have a brain aneurysm and it requires immediate attention, brain surgery,” Sandilands told listeners.</p> <p>“If you just tuned in to us after all these years, lap it up. And if you’re in Melbourne ... you’re coming to the party too late. You may get your wish. I may be dead.”</p> <p>After being away on Friday, Sandilands shared that he received his diagnosis after a difficult period of difficult headaches. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFlTXUwo5w6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFlTXUwo5w6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kyle and Jackie O (@kyleandjackieo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"It's not a blockage. It's like, imagine your blood vessel is the garden hose, and the garden hose is weak and it blisters out like a big bubble, you know, like a puncture in it. (It's) like a bike tyre with a big bubble - that bubble's the aneurysm, so it's not blocked," he explained.</p> <p>"It's expanded and if it bursts, (I will become) either a vegetable, in the wheelchair, or dead instantly"</p> <p>Sandilands expects to take eight weeks off from his hit show, <em>The Kyle and Jackie O Show,</em> to recover. </p> <p>“My wife, every time I look at her, her eyes well up with tears. She is already counting down the days.”</p> <p>“The facts are a life of cocaine abuse and partying are not the way to go,” he said.</p> <p>Sandilands then used his condition as a warning to others, saying, "If anyone is having persistent headaches or any of those recurring issues, get a brain scan. It could save your life."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Caring

How to rewire your brain to feel good on Monday

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cristina-r-reschke-1413051">Cristina R. Reschke</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rcsi-university-of-medicine-and-health-sciences-788">RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jolanta-burke-315263">Jolanta Burke</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rcsi-university-of-medicine-and-health-sciences-788">RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences</a></em></p> <p>If you hate Mondays, you’re most certainly in good company. After a couple of days off, many of us have difficulty settling back into our routines and work duties. You may even have dread and anxiety that seeps into the weekend in the form of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-to-tackle-the-sunday-scaries-the-anxiety-and-dread-many-people-feel-at-the-end-of-the-weekend-187313">Sunday scaries</a>”.</p> <p>You can’t always change your schedule or obligations to make Mondays more appealing, but you may be able to “reprogram” your brain to think about the week differently.</p> <p>Our brains love predictability and routine. Research has shown that lack of routine is associated with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0003122418823184">decline in wellbeing and psychological distress</a>. Even though the weekend heralds a leisurely and pleasant time, our brain works hard to adjust to this sudden change to a routine.</p> <p>The good news is that the brain does not need to make too much effort when adjusting to the weekend’s freedom and lack of routine. However, it’s a different story when coming back to the less pleasant activities, such as a to-do list on Monday morning.</p> <p>One way to adjust to post-weekend change is introducing routines that last the whole week and have the power to make our lives <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0146167218795133">more meaningful</a>. These may include <a href="https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/routines-made-and-unmade">watching your favourite TV programme, gardening</a> or going <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22976286/">to the gym</a>. It is helpful to do these things at the same time every day.</p> <p>Routines improve our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448317/">sense of coherence</a>, a process that allows us to make sense of the jigsaw of life events. When we have an established routine, be it the routine of working five days and taking two days off or engaging in a set of actions every day, our lives become <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0146167218795133">more meaningful</a>.</p> <p>Another important routine to establish is your sleep routine. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-021-00400-z">Research shows</a> that keeping consistent sleep time may be as important for enjoying Mondays as how long your sleep lasts or its quality.</p> <p>Changes in sleep patterns during weekends trigger <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4543">social jetlag</a>. For instance, sleeping in later than usual and for longer on free days may trigger a discrepancy between your body clock and socially-imposed responsibilities. This is linked to higher stress levels on Monday morning.</p> <p>Try to keep a set time for going to bed and waking up, avoid naps. You might also want to create a 30 minute “wind-down” routine before sleep, by turning off or putting away your digital devices and practising relaxation techniques.</p> <h2>Hacking your hormones</h2> <p>Hormones can also play a role in how we feel about Mondays. For instance, cortisol is a very important multifunction hormone. It helps our bodies to control our metabolism, regulate our sleep-wake cycle and our response to stress, among other things. It is usually released about an hour before we wake up (it helps us feel awake) and then its levels lower until the next morning, unless we’re under stress.</p> <p>Under acute stress, our bodies release not only cortisol, but also adrenaline in preparation for fight or flight. This is when the heart beats fast, we get sweaty palms and may react impulsively. This is our amygdala (a small almond-shaped area in the base of our brains) hijacking our brains. It creates a super fast emotional response to stress even before our brains can process and think whether it was needed.</p> <p>But as soon we can think – activating the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area for our reason and executive thinking – this response will be mitigated, if there is no real threat. It is a constant battle between our emotions and reason. This might wake us up in the middle of the night when we’re too stressed or anxious.</p> <p>It shouldn’t be surprising then that cortisol levels, measured in saliva samples of full-time working individuals, tend to be higher on Mondays and Tuesdays, with the lowest levels reported on <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824866/">Sundays</a>.</p> <p>As a stress hormone, cortisol fluctuates daily, but not consistently. On weekdays, as soon as we wake up, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-18151-008">cortisol levels soar</a> and variations tend to be higher than on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11324714/">weekends</a>.</p> <p>To combat this, we need to trick the amygdala by training the brain to only recognise actual threats. In other words, we need to activate our prefrontal cortex as fast as possible.</p> <p>One of the best ways to achieve this and lower overall stress is through relaxation activities, especially on Mondays. One possibility is mindfulness, which is associated with a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23724462/">reduction in cortisol</a>. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722/full">Spending time in nature</a> is another method – going outside first thing on Monday or even during your lunch hour can make a significant difference to how you perceive the beginning of the week.</p> <p>Give yourself time before checking your phone, social media and the news. It’s good to wait for cortisol peak to decrease naturally, which happens approximately one hour after waking up, before you expose yourself to external stressors.</p> <p>By following these simple tips, you can train your brain to believe that the weekdays can be (nearly) as good as the weekend.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199236/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cristina-r-reschke-1413051"><em>Cristina R. Reschke</em></a><em>, Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences & Funded Investigator in the FutureNeuro Research Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rcsi-university-of-medicine-and-health-sciences-788">RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jolanta-burke-315263">Jolanta Burke</a>, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rcsi-university-of-medicine-and-health-sciences-788">RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-rewire-your-brain-to-feel-good-on-mondays-199236">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

Breakthrough study finds genetic link to Parkinson's and ADHD

<p>A major scientific study has found a surprising link between the genes that control brain size and the risk of brain-related conditions. </p> <p>A Queensland Institute of Medical Research Associate Professor Miguel Renteria led an international team of experts who scanned DNA data and MRI scans from 76,000 participants.</p> <p>“Genetic variants associated with larger brain volumes in key brain regions also increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, while variants linked to smaller brain volumes in key regions are associated with an increased risk of ADHD,” Renteria said. </p> <p>“It brings us closer to answering key questions about how genetics influence brain structure, and how we can potentially treat these conditions in future.”</p> <p>Parkinson’s Australia CEO Olivia Nassaris has celebrated the results of the study, saying the surprising results open the door to future treatment options for Parkinson’s, which currently has no cure or cause.</p> <p>“The more answers we have the closer we are to understanding this condition,” she said.</p> <p>Michael Wiseman, who has been living with Parkinson’s for eight years, said he is pleased more research is being done about the neurodegenerative condition.</p> <p>“I know it’s not going to benefit me in any way, as far as a cure or anything … I just hope they keep going, kicking some goals and finding results because it’s an insidious sort of thing, it’s a passenger I’ll have until I go to the grave.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Caring

What to claim for lost, delayed or damaged bags on overseas flights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a></em></p> <p>If you get on a plane and your baggage ends up being delayed, damaged or lost, who’s responsible: you or the airline? And what rules apply when you’re flying between different countries – even if you don’t have travel insurance?</p> <p>Airlines (otherwise known as carriers) generally include baggage requirements in their terms and conditions of carriage, which are set out or referred to on your ticket. These are the rules that apply to the journey that you have booked.</p> <p>But for international flights, a carrier’s liability for damage, loss or delay of baggage is governed by a number of overarching international treaties, which many passengers aren’t aware of.</p> <h2>International agreements</h2> <p>The <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.1929/doc.html">Warsaw Convention</a> of 1929 was the first of these treaties, and the latest is the passenger-friendly 1999 <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.unification.convention.montreal.1999/">Montreal Convention</a>.</p> <p>In order for one of these treaties to apply to a particular journey, the same treaty must be in place at the point of departure and the passenger’s final destination.</p> <p>For many trips, the agreement that will apply will be the Montreal Convention, which has to date <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">108 state parties</a>, covering everywhere from Albania and Australia to Zambia. In time, the Montreal Convention is expected to apply to almost all air travel.</p> <p>The Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) will generally apply where the Montreal Convention does not. It is less favourable to passengers.</p> <p>All these treaties have similar provisions to deal with baggage claims – but very different limits to what you might get if you need to make a claim.</p> <h2>What the airline is responsible for</h2> <p>A carrier is liable if your checked baggage is lost, delayed or damaged regardless of fault.</p> <p>This is so unless the damage resulted from the inherent defect or quality of the baggage or, in terms of delay, if it proves that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage occasioned by that delay.</p> <p>As for unchecked baggage (that is, carry-on baggage), the carrier is only liable if the damage is due to the fault of the carrier or its agents.</p> <p>Unless otherwise specified, reference to “baggage” includes both checked and unchecked baggage.</p> <h2>Calculating baggage compensation</h2> <p>Under the Warsaw Convention (as amended by the <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.hague.protocol.1955/doc.html">Hague Protocol</a> and <a href="http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/air.carriage.warsaw.convention.montreal.protocol.4.1975/doc.html">Montreal Protocol No. 4</a>) and the Montreal Convention, liability limits are expressed in <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/sdr.HTM">special drawing rights</a> (SDRs).</p> <p>An SDR is a type of foreign exchange reserve asset created by the International Monetary Fund. Its value is based on an artificial basket of currencies consisting of the US dollar, the euro, the pound and the Japanese yen. The liability limits are reviewed every five years.</p> <p>As of October 16, 2014, the <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">value of an SDR</a> is about US$1.49, £0.93 or A$1.70. Current SDR values for other currencies are also listed <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/data/param_rms_mth.aspx">here</a>.</p> <h2>So what is your baggage worth?</h2> <p>In terms of baggage liability limits, the Warsaw Convention is of relatively little assistance to passengers.</p> <p>If your international travel is subject to Warsaw (for example, if you flew out of the United States on a one way ticket to Guatemala), liability for delayed, damaged or lost baggage is limited to 17 SDRs (about US$25.33, £15.81 or A$28.90) per kilogram per passenger for checked baggage and 332 SDRs (about US$494.68, £308.76 or A$564.40) per passenger for unchecked baggage.</p> <p>In contrast, a carrier is liable to pay far greater damages if the Montreal Convention applies.</p> <p>For any travel covered by Montreal, the carrier’s liability for baggage is limited to 1131 SDRs per passenger (US$1685.19, £1051.83 or A$1922.70), unless otherwise declared.</p> <p>The carrier is not liable for damages caused by delay if the carrier took all reasonable measures, or if it was impossible for it to take such measures.</p> <h2>Time limits on baggage claims</h2> <p>Time limits are imposed on making a claim for delayed, damaged or lost baggage. Any potential claims should be made to a carrier in writing within these specified limits.</p> <p>Article 26 of Warsaw provides that any complaint as to delay of baggage must be made at the latest within 21 days from the date the baggage was placed at the passenger’s disposal.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"></figure> <p>Similarly, under Article 31 of Montreal, a complaint must be made within 21 days of a passenger receiving their baggage.</p> <p>With respect to damaged baggage, under Warsaw, any claim must be made “forthwith” after the discovery of the damage and at most seven days from the date of receipt of the baggage. Montreal also gives passengers seven days from receipt of checked bags to report a damage claim.</p> <p>Neither convention imposes a time limit for reporting lost baggage claims. But it is advisable that you make your complaint as soon as possible.</p> <p>Warsaw does not state when baggage is considered “lost”, leaving it up to carriers to make that ruling. Under Montreal, baggage is only considered lost after 21 days or if the carrier admits that they have lost it.</p> <p>If a passenger fails to make a complaint within the specified times, the carrier will not be liable unless there has been fraud on the carrier’s part.</p> <h2>Insurance alternatives</h2> <p>If you are concerned that the contents of your baggage exceed the liability limits outlined above, you can make a special declaration of the value of your baggage prior to check-in and pay any additional fee (if required).</p> <p>In this case, the carrier will be liable to pay a higher amount, unless it is proved that the declared amount is greater than the actual value of your baggage.</p> <p>Alternatively, prior to travelling, check with your insurance company as to whether your travel insurance covers any excess from delayed, damaged or lost baggage.</p> <p>You might also want to <a href="http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf">check this list</a> to see whether the places you’re departing from and finally arriving at are parties to the Montreal Convention. If not, you might just find yourself out of pocket.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32111/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-johnston-123333">Rebecca Johnston</a>, Adjunct Lecturer, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hodgkinson-6574">David Hodgkinson</a>, Associate Professor, Law School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-claim-for-lost-delayed-or-damaged-bags-on-overseas-flights-32111">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

Retiring early can be bad for the brain

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/plamen-v-nikolov-1112610">Plamen V Nikolov</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/binghamton-university-state-university-of-new-york-2252">Binghamton University, State University of New York</a></em></p> <p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p> <h2>The big idea</h2> <p>People who retire early suffer from accelerated cognitive decline and may even encounter early onset of dementia, according to a I conducted with my doctoral student <a href="https://sites.google.com/binghamton.edu/alan-adelman/home">Alan Adelman</a>.</p> <p>To establish that finding, we examined the effects of a rural pension program China introduced in 2009 that provided people who participated with a stable income if they stopped working after the official retirement age of 60. We found that people who participated in the program and retired within one or two years experienced a cognitive decline equivalent to a drop in general intelligence of 1.7% relative to the general population. This drop is equivalent to about three IQ points and could make it harder for someone to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700008412">adhere to a medication schedule</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-%205890.2007.00052.x">conduct financial planning</a>. The largest negative effect was in what is called “delayed recall,” which measures a person’s ability to remember something mentioned several minutes ago. Neurological research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.1991.00530150046016">links problems in this area to an early onset of dementia</a>.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>Cognitive decline refers to when a person has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating or making decisions that affect their everyday life. Although some cognitive decline appears to be an inevitable byproduct of aging, faster decline can have profound adverse consequences on one’s life.</p> <p>Better understanding of the causes of this has powerful financial consequences. Cognitive skills – the mental processes of gathering and processing information to solve problems, adapt to situations and learn from experiences – are crucial for decision-making. They influence an individual’s ability to process information and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1818642">are connected to higher earnings</a> and a <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1257/jep.25.1.159">better quality of life</a>.</p> <p>Retiring early and working less or not at all can generate large benefits, such as reduced stress, better diets and more sleep. But as we found, it also has unintended adverse effects, like fewer social activities and less time spent challenging the mind, that far outweighed the positives.</p> <p>While retirement schemes like the 401(k) and similar programs in other countries <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1023/B:PUCH.0000035859.20258.e0">are typically introduced to ensure the welfare of aging adults</a>, our research suggests they need to be designed carefully to avoid unintended and significant adverse consequences. When people consider retirement, they should weigh the benefits with the significant downsides of a sudden lack of mental activity. A good way to ameliorate these effects is to stay engaged in social activities and continue to use your brains in the same way you did when you were working.</p> <p>In short, we show that if you rest, you rust.</p> <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> <p>Because we are using data and a program in China, the mechanisms of how retirement induces cognitive decline could be context-specific and may not necessarily apply to people in other countries. For example, cultural differences or other policies that can provide support to individuals in old age can buffer some of the negative effects that we see in rural China due to the increase in social isolation and reduced mental activities.</p> <p>Therefore, we can not definitively say that the findings will extrapolate to other countries. We are looking for data from other countries’ retirement programs, such as India’s, to see if the effects are similar or how they are different.</p> <h2>How I do my research</h2> <p>A big focus of the <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/pnikolov/my-research-group-1">economics research lab</a> I run is to <a href="http://www.nber.org/%7Enikolovp/research.html">better understand</a> the causes and consequences of changes in what economists call <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-capital">“human capital”</a> – especially cognitive skills – in the context of developing countries.</p> <p>Our lab’s mission is to generate research to inform economic policies and empower individuals in low-income countries to rise out of poverty. One of the main ways we do this is through the use of randomized controlled trials to measure the impact of a particular intervention, such as retiring early or access to microcredit, on education outcomes, productivity and health decisions.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/plamen-v-nikolov-1112610"><em>Plamen V Nikolov</em></a><em>, Assistant Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/binghamton-university-state-university-of-new-york-2252">Binghamton University, State University of New York</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/retiring-early-can-be-bad-for-the-brain-145603">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

The best exercises to boost your brain health after 60

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neva-beraud-peigne-1418228">Neva Béraud-Peigné</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-saclay-2174">Université Paris-Saclay</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alexandra-perrot-1531671">Alexandra Perrot</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-saclay-2174">Université Paris-Saclay</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/pauline-maillot-1167901">Pauline Maillot</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-cite-4263">Université Paris Cité</a></em></p> <p>Have you ever thought about why we have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/fr/topics/cerveau-21903">brain</a>? The obvious answer might be “to think”. But scientist Daniel Wolpert came up with a completely different explanation at the <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_wolpert_the_real_reason_for_brains">2011 meeting of the <em>Society for Neuroscience</em></a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>“We have a brain for one reason and one reason only: to produce adaptable and complex movements”</p> </blockquote> <h2>Use your brain to stay efficient</h2> <p>The brain, in other words, is the orchestra conductor which orders the body’s movements. We call the faculties that allow us to interact with our environment <em>cognitive abilities</em>. These include concentrating, learning, reasoning, adapting and communicating with others. Every one of them is key in enabling us to go about our routine and help us maintain a good lifestyle.</p> <p>So, how can we best take care of our brains so that they can stay as efficient as long as possible? Contrary to popular belief, the brain does not deteriorate continuously with age. Instead, it only sees the number of its brain cells drop and connections deteriorate <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.d7622">from the age of 45 onwards</a> as part of a normal ageing process. But cerebral plasticity, although reduced, is present until the end of life. Each individual will build up a cognitive reserve throughout their lives.</p> <p>The more positive, rich and stimulating the lifestyle, the more powerful and effective the reserve. In other words, it’s possible to moderate the effects of age on cognition.</p> <h2>The benefits of physical activity on cognitive capacity after 60</h2> <p>In fact, much research shows indeed that physical activity improves cognitive capacity, even after the age of 60. From increased memory, better reactivity to greater planning skills, the <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072720-014213">benefits are endless</a>.</p> <p>Despite this, few older folks engage in <a href="https://theconversation.com/fr/topics/activite-physique-adaptee-apa-146288">physical education</a> adapted to their bodies on a regular basis. Poor motivation and access to these exercises are some of the factors don’t help.</p> <p>With that in mind, many carers might be tempted to offer older people monotonous, routine activities because of their diminishing physical, cognitive and sensory abilities. And indeed, for a long time, the range of sports on offer and research in this field revolved around the same triptych: gentle gymnastics, walking and yoga. However, you’ll reap more benefits by <a href="https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.u-paris.fr/science/article/abs/pii/B9780444633279000175">combining different training methods</a>.</p> <h2>Three ingredients to train the brains of senior citizens</h2> <p>Researchers are currently attempting to crack the winning formula that would flex older people’s cognitive, as well as physical muscles. It’ll consist of three main ingredients:</p> <p><em>First ingredient: complex physical and motor stimulation of at least moderate intensity.</em></p> <p>Moderate cardio workouts not only improve cardiorespiratory health but also make the brain more <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/22682">efficient</a>. Overall improved cardiofitness, in turn, allows the brain to receive more oxygen and even to generate <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1015950108">new neurons in the hippocampus</a>, where memory is lodged.</p> <p>It therefore makes sense for programmes designed to boost cognitive function to include cardio. But it is also <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9280.t01-1-01430">necessary to combine them with muscle-strengthening, flexibility and balance exercises to achieve greater benefits</a>. In addition, the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763413001012">researchers</a> emphasise the importance of adding situations requiring complex motor skills and coordination, as these would have a significant impact on cognitive functions (e.g. memory, attention and mental flexibility), particularly in the elderly.</p> <p><em>Second ingredient: fire up those brain cells during exercises</em></p> <p>Incorporating cognitive stimulation, such as remembering information for a period of time and executing it, anticipating actions, or planning a move, is another winning strategy. When cognitive stimulation is combined with physical activity, it can produce <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13825585.2011.645010">synergistic effects</a> and, as a result, be more effective on cognitive functions.</p> <p>_Third ingredient: group activities that lead to social interaction. _</p> <p>Working out as part of a group has been shown to help us <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001756">persevere through it</a>.</p> <p>What this winning formula could look like in practice is still being researched. At present, there are two broad types of exercises that have caught our attention that could help older people stay sharp.</p> <h2>Opting for cooperative and oppositional team sports</h2> <p>Team sports offer much more than just physical exercise sessions. What’s particularly great about them is that they don’t only challenge cardiorespiratory balance, but tap into the whole body’s physical skill-set.</p> <p>Take basketball or handball, for example: to move around the court, dribble or score, balance, coordination and flexibility are essential. Muscular strength is also required for passing, recovering the ball and moving around. These team sports can be suitable even after the age of 60, provided they are properly supervised.</p> <p>From a cognitive point of view, these activities create situations that are always new, rich and stimulating. We call this double combination of stimuli <em><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13825585.2011.645010">simultaneous training</a></em>. A number of researchers have highlighted the importance of this cognitive involvement in team sports and encourage their practice, particularly among the elderly.</p> <p>Recent studies, such as <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S162748302100129X">the one carried out in 2022</a> by French researchers, have shown that participation in team sports improves short-term visuospatial memory (which enables people, for example, to remember the location of certain objects for a limited period of time) and planning skills in the elderly.</p> <h2>Get your body moving with exergames</h2> <p>Another promising avenue are <em>exergames</em> – video games that require players to move around to play. Named after the contraction of “exercise” and “games”, they grew popular in the 2000s thanks to Nintendo’s Wii and Switch and Microsoft’s Kinect.</p> <p>Exogames have been thought out to exercise different fitness skills, such as balance, endurance, strength, and coordination, while simultaneously stimulating cognitive functions. Among older people, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-27707-001">several research studies</a> show that this type of training helps to improve many physical and cognitive abilities.</p> <p>In 2020, a new generation of exergames emerged, making use of interactive walls to create an even more immersive gaming experience, such as Neo Xperiences’ <em>Neo-One</em>, Sphery’s <em>ExerCube</em> and Lü’s <em>Aire interactive</em>. In these games combining real and virtual worlds, physical objects (such as balls) and digital objects coexist and interact in real time.</p> <p>A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-023-00952-w">recent study</a> compared an exergame programme assisted by an immersive wall with a walking and muscle-strengthening programme. Its results suggest that this new generation of exergames may be more effective on cognitive abilities than traditional training.</p> <p>Combining physical and cognitive exercises offers the best chance to keep one’s brain health while keeping fit. This is essential for an active and fulfilling life, whatever your age.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237162/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neva-beraud-peigne-1418228">Neva Béraud-Peigné</a>, Doctorante en sciences du mouvement, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-saclay-2174">Université Paris-Saclay</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alexandra-perrot-1531671">Alexandra Perrot</a>, Maitre de conférences HDR, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-saclay-2174">Université Paris-Saclay</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/pauline-maillot-1167901">Pauline Maillot</a>, Maître de conférences en STAPS, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-paris-cite-4263">Université Paris Cité</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-best-exercises-to-boost-your-brain-health-after-60-237162">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Do mobile phones cause brain cancer? Science makes definitive call

<p>The question of whether mobile phones - specifically the electromagnetic radiation or radio waves emitted by these devices - cause cancer has been debated and researched for a long time, and now scientists have made a definitive call. </p> <p>A new comprehensive review commissioned by the World Health Organization has found that mobile phones are NOT linked to brain and head cancers. </p> <p>The systematic review, led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Arpansa), examined over 5,000 studies, which included 63 observational studies on humans published between 1994 and 2022 and is "the most comprehensive review to date" according to review lead author, associate prof Ken Karipidis. </p> <p>“We concluded the evidence does not show a link between mobile phones and brain cancer or other head and neck cancers," he said. </p> <p>The review, which was published on Wednesday, focused on cancers of the nervous system, salivary gland and brain tumours. </p> <p>They found no overall association between mobile phone use and cancer, even if people have used it for a long time (over 10 years) or spend a lot of time on their phones. </p> <p>“I’m quite confident with our conclusion. And what makes us quite confident is … even though mobile phone use has skyrocketed, brain tumour rates have remained stable,” Karipidis continued. </p> <p>Despite emitting electromagnetic radiation, also known as radio waves, the exposure is relatively low. </p> <p>Karipidis said people hear the word radiation and assume it is similar to nuclear radiation, “and because we use a mobile phone close to the head when we’re making calls, there is a lot of concern.”</p> <p>He clarified that “radiation is basically energy that travels from one point to another. There are many different types, for example, ultraviolet radiation from the sun." </p> <p>“We’re always exposed to low-level radio waves in the everyday environment.”</p> <p>While exposure from mobile phones is still low, it is much higher than exposure from any other wireless technology sources since they are used close to the head, Karipidis said. </p> <p>The association between mobile phones and cancers came about from early studies comparing differences between those with and without brain tumours and asking about their exposure history. </p> <p>According to Karipidis, who is also the vice-chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the results from these kind of studies tend to be biased, as the group with the tumour tend to overreport their exposure. </p> <p>Based on these early studies WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) designated radio-frequency fields like those from mobile phones as a possible cancer risk, but Karipidis said "this classification doesn’t mean all that much”.</p> <p>This is because the IARC has different classifications of cancer risk, with some substances classified as a “definite” carcinogen (such as smoking), and others as “probable” or “possible” carcinogens.</p> <p>Tim Driscoll, a professor at the University of Sydney and chair of the Australian Cancer Council’s occupational and environmental cancers committee, also backed the systematic review. </p> <p>“I think people should feel reassured by this study … but it’s worthwhile just remembering that the studies aren’t perfect, but the weight of evidence certainly is that mobile phones should be considered safe to use in terms of any concerns about increased risk of cancer,” Driscoll said.</p> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p> <p> </p>

Body

Can a 10-year-old be responsible for a crime? Here’s what brain science tells us

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/susan-m-sawyer-109573">Susan M. Sawyer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nandi-vijayakumar-1644262">Nandi Vijayakumar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757"><em>Deakin University</em></a></em></p> <p>The age a child can be arrested, charged and jailed in Australia is back in the spotlight.</p> <p>Last year, the Northern Territory became the first jurisdiction to raise the age of criminal responsibility from ten to 12. Now its new, tough-on-crime government has pledged to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/incoming-chief-minister-says-age-of-criminal-responsibility-to-be-lowered-to-10-years-old/a1xm9jy9c">return it to ten</a>. It comes after Victoria <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-13/victoria-youth-justice-reform-criminal-age/104217160">walked back</a> its earlier commitment to raise the age to 14, settling instead on 12.</p> <p>But the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child says 14 should be the absolute <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no-24-2019-childrens-rights-child">minimum</a>. It raised this age from its earlier recommendation (in 2007) of 12, citing a decade of new research into child and adolescent development.</p> <p>So what does the science say? What happens to the brain between ten and 14? And how much can those under 14 understand the consequences of their actions?</p> <h2>Who is an adolescent?</h2> <p>Our research shows adolescence is a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30169257/">critical period</a> for development. It’s the time children’s experiences and explorations shape how they develop cognitive skills (including critical thinking and decision making), as well as social and emotional skills (including moral reasoning).</p> <p>Adolescence also lasts longer than we tend to think. Important brain development begins during late childhood, around eight to nine years. Intense changes then follow during early adolescence (ages ten to 14). But these changes continue well into the twenties, and full cognitive and emotional maturity is not usually reached until around age 24.</p> <p>However, everyone’s brain matures at a different rate. That means there is no definitive age we can say humans reach “adult” levels of cognitive maturity. What we do know is the period of early adolescence is critical.</p> <h2>What does puberty do to the brain?</h2> <p>Puberty is a defining feature of early adolescence. Most of us are familiar with the changes that occur to the body and reproductive systems. But the increase in puberty hormones, such as testosterone and oestrogen, also trigger changes to the brain. These hormones <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453017313252?via%3Dihub">increase most sharply</a> between ten and 15 years of age, although gradual changes continue into the early twenties.</p> <p>Puberty hormones change the structures in the brain which process emotions, including the amygdala (which encodes fear and stress) and ventral striatum (involved in reward and motivation).</p> <p>This makes adolescents particularly reactive to emotional rewards and threats. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2019.04.024">Our research</a> has shown the brain’s sensitivity to emotions increases throughout early adolescence until around 14 or 15 years old.</p> <p>At the same time, changes in puberty have <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000172">been linked</a> to increased sensation seeking and impulsive behaviours during early adolescence.</p> <p>This context is crucial when we discuss the behaviour of children in the ten to 14 age range. The way their brains change during this period makes them more sensitive and responsive to emotions, and more likely to be seeking experiences that are new and intense.</p> <h2>How do adolescents make decisions?</h2> <p>The emotional context of puberty influences how younger adolescents make decisions and understand their consequences.</p> <p>Decision making relies on several basic cognitive functions, including the brain’s flexibility, memory and ability to control impulses.</p> <p>These cognitive abilities – which together help us consider the consequences of our actions – undergo some of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1741-13.2013">steepest development</a> between ages ten and 14. By age 15, the ability to make complex decisions has usually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000315">reached adult maturity</a>.</p> <p>But adolescents at this age remain highly susceptible to emotions. So while their brain may be equipped to make a complex decision, their ability to think through the consequences, weighing up costs and benefits, can be clouded by emotional situations.</p> <p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12085">research has shown</a> 13-14 year-olds were more distracted from completing a task and less able to control their behaviour when they viewed images that made them feel negative emotions.</p> <p>The social world of teenagers also has a significant impact on how they make decisions – especially in early adolescence. One study found that while older adolescents (aged 15-18) are more influenced by what adults think when weighing up risk, adolescents aged 12-14 <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797615569578">look to other teenagers</a>.</p> <p>Experiments <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431616648453">have also shown</a> adolescents aged 12-15 make riskier decisions when they are with peers than by themselves. Their brain responses also suggest they experience a greater sense of reward in taking those risks <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsy071">with peers</a>.</p> <h2>How do teens understand the consequences of their actions?</h2> <p>The concept of <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2122/Quick_Guides/MinimumAgeCriminalResponsibility">criminal responsibility</a> is based on whether a person is able to understand their action and know whether it is wrong.</p> <p>Moral reasoning – how people think about right and wrong – depends on the ability to understand another person’s mental state and adopt their perspective. These skills are in development <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.012">across adolescence</a>.</p> <p>Research suggests it may take more effort for adolescent brains to process <a href="https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2009.21121">“social” emotions</a> such as guilt and embarrassment, compared to adults. This is similar when they make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2014.933714">moral judgements</a>. This evidence suggests teenage brains may have to work harder when considering other people’s intentions and desires.</p> <p>Young adolescents have the cognitive ability to appreciate they made a bad decision, but it is more mentally demanding. And social rewards, emotions and the chance to experience something new all have a strong bearing on their decisions and actions in the moment — possibly more than whether it is right or wrong.</p> <h2>Early adolescence is critical for the brain</h2> <p>There are also a number of reasons adolescent brains may develop differently. This includes various forms of neurodisability such as acquired brain injury, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disability, as well as exposure to trauma.</p> <p>Teenagers with neurodevelopmental disorders will likely cope differently with decision making, social pressure, impulse control and risk assessment, and face <a href="https://www.mcri.edu.au/images/research/strategic-collaborations/Flagships/Neurodevelopment/Neurodevelopment_Flagship_Brochure.pdf">extra difficulties</a>. Across the world, they are <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(19)30217-8/fulltext">disproportionately incarcerated</a>.</p> <p>In Australia, Indigenous children and adolescents are incarcerated <a href="https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/measures/2-11-contact-with-the-criminal-justice-system#:%7E:text=On%20an%20average%20day%20in%202021%E2%80%9322%2C%20there%20were%3A,AIHW%202023d%3A%20Table%20S76a">in greater numbers</a> than their non-Indigenous peers.</p> <p>Each child matures differently, and some face extra challenges. But for every person, the period between ten and 14 is critical for developing the cognitive, social and emotional skills they’ll carry through the rest of their life.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237552/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/susan-m-sawyer-109573">Susan M. Sawyer</a>, Professor of Adolescent Health The University of Melbourne; Director, Royal Children's Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nandi-vijayakumar-1644262">Nandi Vijayakumar</a>, Research Fellow, School of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-a-10-year-old-be-responsible-for-a-crime-heres-what-brain-science-tells-us-237552">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

What happens in my brain when I get a migraine? And what medications can I use to treat it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-slee-1343982">Mark Slee</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anthony-khoo-1525617">Anthony Khoo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p>Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”.</p> <p>“Migraine” <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1029040/">comes from</a> the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly one-sided.</p> <p>Some people experience an “aura” preceding the headache phase – usually a visual or sensory experience that evolves over five to 60 minutes. Auras can also involve other domains such as language, smell and limb function.</p> <p>Migraine is a disease with a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(18)30322-3/fulltext">huge personal and societal impact</a>. Most people cannot function at their usual level during a migraine, and anticipation of the next attack can affect productivity, relationships and a person’s mental health.</p> <h2>What’s happening in my brain?</h2> <p>The biological basis of migraine is complex, and varies according to the phase of the migraine. Put simply:</p> <p>The earliest phase is called the <strong>prodrome</strong>. This is associated with activation of a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which is thought to contribute to many symptoms such as nausea, changes in appetite and blurred vision.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/608985/original/file-20240723-17-rgqc7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The hypothalamus is shown here in red.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/brain-cross-section-showing-basal-ganglia-329843930">Blamb/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Next is the <strong>aura phase</strong>, when a wave of neurochemical changes occur across the surface of the brain (the cortex) at a rate of 3–4 millimetres per minute. This explains how usually a person’s aura progresses over time. People often experience sensory disturbances such as flashes of light or tingling in their face or hands.</p> <p>In the <strong>headache phase</strong>, the trigeminal nerve system is activated. This gives sensation to one side of the face, head and upper neck, leading to release of proteins such as CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide). This causes inflammation and dilation of blood vessels, which is the basis for the severe throbbing pain associated with the headache.</p> <p>Finally, the <strong>postdromal phase</strong> occurs after the headache resolves and commonly involves changes in mood and energy.</p> <h2>What can you do about the acute attack?</h2> <p>A useful way to conceive of <a href="https://www.migraine.org.au/factsheets">migraine treatment</a> is to compare putting out campfires with bushfires. Medications are much more successful when applied at the earliest opportunity (the campfire). When the attack is fully evolved (into a bushfire), medications have a much more modest effect.</p> <p><iframe id="Pj1sC" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Pj1sC/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><strong>Aspirin</strong></p> <p>For people with mild migraine, non-specific anti-inflammatory medications such as high-dose aspirin, or standard dose non-steroidal medications (NSAIDS) can be very helpful. Their effectiveness is often enhanced with the use of an anti-nausea medication.</p> <p><strong>Triptans</strong></p> <p>For moderate to severe attacks, the mainstay of treatment is a class of medications called “<a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/migraineaus/pages/595/attachments/original/1678146819/Factsheet_15_2023.pdf?1678146819">triptans</a>”. These act by reducing blood vessel dilation and reducing the release of inflammatory chemicals.</p> <p>Triptans vary by their route of administration (tablets, wafers, injections, nasal sprays) and by their time to onset and duration of action.</p> <p>The choice of a triptan depends on many factors including whether nausea and vomiting is prominent (consider a dissolving wafer or an injection) or patient tolerability (consider choosing one with a slower onset and offset of action).</p> <p>As triptans constrict blood vessels, they should be used with caution (or not used) in patients with known heart disease or previous stroke.</p> <p><strong>Gepants</strong></p> <p>Some medications that block or modulate the release of CGRP, which are used for migraine prevention (which we’ll discuss in more detail below), also have evidence of benefit in treating the acute attack. This class of medication is known as the “gepants”.</p> <p>Gepants come in the form of injectable proteins (monoclonal antibodies, used for migraine prevention) or as oral medication (for example, rimegepant) for the acute attack when a person has not responded adequately to previous trials of several triptans or is intolerant of them.</p> <p>They do not cause blood vessel constriction and can be used in patients with heart disease or previous stroke.</p> <p><strong>Ditans</strong></p> <p>Another class of medication, the “ditans” (for example, lasmiditan) have been approved overseas for the acute treatment of migraine. Ditans work through changing a form of serotonin receptor involved in the brain chemical changes associated with the acute attack.</p> <p>However, neither the gepants nor the ditans are available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the acute attack, so users must pay out-of-pocket, at a <a href="https://www.migraine.org.au/cgrp#:%7E:text=While%20the%20price%20of%20Nurtec,%2D%24300%20per%208%20wafers.">cost</a> of approximately A$300 for eight wafers.</p> <h2>What about preventing migraines?</h2> <p>The first step is to see if <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/migraineaus/pages/595/attachments/original/1677043428/Factsheet_5_2023.pdf?1677043428">lifestyle changes</a> can reduce migraine frequency. This can include improving sleep habits, routine meal schedules, regular exercise, limiting caffeine intake and avoiding triggers such as stress or alcohol.</p> <p>Despite these efforts, many people continue to have frequent migraines that can’t be managed by acute therapies alone. The choice of when to start preventive treatment varies for each person and how inclined they are to taking regular medication. Those who suffer disabling symptoms or experience more than a few migraines a month <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1915327">benefit the most</a> from starting preventives.</p> <p>Almost all migraine <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/migraineaus/pages/595/attachments/original/1708566656/Factsheet_16_2024.pdf?1708566656">preventives</a> have existing roles in treating other medical conditions, and the physician would commonly recommend drugs that can also help manage any pre-existing conditions. First-line preventives include:</p> <ul> <li>tablets that lower blood pressure (candesartan, metoprolol, propranolol)</li> <li>antidepressants (amitriptyline, venlafaxine)</li> <li>anticonvulsants (sodium valproate, topiramate).</li> </ul> <p>Some people have none of these other conditions and can safely start medications for migraine prophylaxis alone.</p> <p>For all migraine preventives, a key principle is starting at a low dose and increasing gradually. This approach makes them more tolerable and it’s often several weeks or months until an effective dose (usually 2- to 3-times the starting dose) is reached.</p> <p>It is rare for noticeable benefits to be seen immediately, but with time these drugs <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26252585/">typically reduce</a> migraine frequency by 50% or more.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="jxajY" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/jxajY/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <h2>‘Nothing works for me!’</h2> <p>In people who didn’t see any effect of (or couldn’t tolerate) first-line preventives, new medications have been available on the PBS since 2020. These medications <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8388188/">block</a> the action of CGRP.</p> <p>The most common PBS-listed <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/migraineaus/pages/595/attachments/original/1708566656/Factsheet_16_2024.pdf?1708566656">anti-CGRP medications</a> are injectable proteins called monoclonal antibodies (for example, galcanezumab and fremanezumab), and are self-administered by monthly injections.</p> <p>These drugs have quickly become a game-changer for those with intractable migraines. The convenience of these injectables contrast with botulinum toxin injections (also <a href="https://www.migraine.org.au/botox">effective</a> and PBS-listed for chronic migraine) which must be administered by a trained specialist.</p> <p>Up to half of adolescents and one-third of young adults are <a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/147205/jan13818.pdf">needle-phobic</a>. If this includes you, tablet-form CGRP antagonists for migraine prevention are hopefully not far away.</p> <p>Data over the past five years <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36718044/">suggest</a> anti-CGRP medications are safe, effective and at least as well tolerated as traditional preventives.</p> <p>Nonetheless, these are used only after a number of cheaper and more readily available <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/migraineaus/pages/595/attachments/original/1677043425/Factsheet_2_2023.pdf?1677043425">first-line treatments</a> (all which have decades of safety data) have failed, and this also a criterion for their use under the PBS.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227559/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-slee-1343982">Mark Slee</a>, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anthony-khoo-1525617">Anthony Khoo</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-in-my-brain-when-i-get-a-migraine-and-what-medications-can-i-use-to-treat-it-227559">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

Think you’ve decided what to buy? Actually, your brain is still deciding – even as you put it in your basket

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tijl-grootswagers-954175">Tijl Grootswagers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/genevieve-l-quek-1447582">Genevieve L Quek</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/manuel-varlet-156210">Manuel Varlet</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>You are standing in the cereal aisle, weighing up whether to buy a healthy bran or a sugary chocolate-flavoured alternative.</p> <p>Your hand hovers momentarily before you make the final grab.</p> <p>But did you know that during those last few seconds, while you’re reaching out, your brain is still evaluating the pros and cons – influenced by everything from your last meal, the health star rating, the catchy jingle in the ad, and the colours of the letters on the box?</p> <p>Our recently published <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-62135-7">research</a> shows our brains do not just think first and then act. Even while you are reaching for a product on a supermarket shelf, your brain is still evaluating whether you are making the right choice.</p> <p>Further, we found measuring hand movements offers an accurate window into the brain’s ongoing evaluation of the decision – you don’t have to hook people up to expensive brain scanners.</p> <p>What does this say about our decision-making? And what does it mean for consumers and the people marketing to them?</p> <h2>What hand movements tell us about decision-making</h2> <p>There has been <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051053">debate within neuroscience</a> on whether a person’s movements to enact a decision can be modified once the brain’s “motor plan” has been made.</p> <p>Our research revealed not only that movements can be changed after a decision – “in flight” – but also the changes matched incoming information from a person’s senses.</p> <p>To study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62135-7">how our decisions unfold over time</a>, we tracked people’s hand movements as they reached for different options shown in pictures – for example, in response to the question “is this picture a face or an object?”</p> <p>When choices were easy, their hands moved straight to the right option. But when choices were harder, new information made the brain change its mind, and this was reflected in the trajectory of their hand movements.</p> <p>When we compared these hand movement trajectories to brain activity recorded using neuroimaging, we found that the timing and amount of evidence of the brain’s evaluation matched the movement pattern.</p> <p>Put simply, reaching movements are shaped by ongoing thinking and decision-making.</p> <p>By showing that brain patterns match movement trajectories, our research also highlights that large, expensive brain scanners may not always be required to study the brain’s decision evaluation processes, as movement tracking is much more cost-effective and much easier to test on a large scale.</p> <h2>What does this mean for consumers and marketers?</h2> <p>For consumers, knowing our brains are always reevaluating decisions we might think of as “final” can help us be more aware of our choices.</p> <p>For simple decisions such as choosing a breakfast cereal, the impact may be small. Even if you have preemptively decided on a healthy option, you might be tempted at the last minute by the flashy packaging of a less healthy choice.</p> <p>But for important long-term decisions such as choosing a mortgage, it can have serious effects.</p> <p>On the other side of the coin, marketers have long known that many purchase decisions are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698912000781">made on the spot</a>.</p> <p>They use strategies such as attractive packaging and strategic product placement to influence people’s decisions.</p> <p>New ways of studying how people’s brains process information – right up to the last minute – can help marketers design more effective strategies.</p> <h2>Opportunities for further research</h2> <p>Further research in this area could explore how different types of information, such as environmental cues or memories, affect this continuous decision evaluation process in different groups of people. For example, how do people of different ages process information while making decisions?</p> <p>Our finding – that hand movements reflect the inner workings of the brain’s decision making process – could make future studies cheaper and more efficient.</p> <p>The ability to fine-tune marketing in this way has implications beyond just selling products. It can also make public strategic messaging far more effective.</p> <p>This could include tailoring a public health campaign on vaping specifically for people aged under 30, or targeting messaging about superannuation scams more effectively at those of retirement age.</p> <p>The act of reaching for a product is not a simple consequence of a decision already made; it’s a highly dynamic process. Being aware of what influences our last-minute decision-making can help us make better choices that have better outcomes.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/234167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tijl-grootswagers-954175">Tijl Grootswagers</a>, Senior Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/genevieve-l-quek-1447582">Genevieve L Quek</a>, Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/manuel-varlet-156210">Manuel Varlet</a>, Associate Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/think-youve-decided-what-to-buy-actually-your-brain-is-still-deciding-even-as-you-put-it-in-your-basket-234167">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

AFL great's son in induced coma after mystery brain infection

<p>Geelong great Peter Riccardi has revealed his son, Osca, was briefly put on life support after suffering a mystery infection on the brain. </p> <p>Speaking on the podcast Beyond The Boundary, the former AFL player revealed that his son became suddenly ill a fortnight ago. </p> <p>“A couple of Sundays ago (Osca) came home, been out with a few of his mates, he’d been to the beach, went out for dinner, went out to play 10-pin bowling ... and said he was going to bed,” Peter Riccardi said. </p> <p>“Then halfway through the night he was up, he was vomiting, he was feeling a bit crook ... we just thought he was run down.</p> <p>“But come lunchtime, he couldn’t talk, he could hardly walk.”</p> <p>He added that they were extremely lucky his wife Mel worked from home that day and rushed Osca straight to hospital, where they found some "swelling" on his brain following a scan. </p> <p>Doctors also found that he had a sinus and ear infection and glandular fever all “rolled into one”.</p> <p>“Whether the swim did something with his ears and went into his brain, I’m not 100 per cent sure, yet,” Riccardi said.</p> <p>“They put him an induced coma for three days. He was in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for four days.</p> <p>“But he’s back home now recovering ... you wouldn’t know that two weeks ago, watching him on life support, and seeing him now, it’s amazing what they do in there.”</p> <p>The podcast hosts then asked how scary the situation was for Riccardi and his wife, and he responded: “It was, yeah ... obviously they have got to prepare you for the worst (outcome)."</p> <p>“That was probably the worst thing to hear, because we didn’t know how he was going to come out of it.</p> <p>“But again, like I said, if Mel had gone to work that day, he wouldn’t be here today.</p> <p>“We’re pretty lucky, we’re pretty lucky.</p> <p>“It must have been a mother’s intuition or mother’s instinct to stay at home that day.”</p> <p><em>Image: Facebook/ Geelong Cats</em></p>

Caring

4 things you’re likely doing that are damaging your hearing

<p>Your hearing is a precious gift, so it’s important to take good care of your ears. We’ve got some advice on the things to avoid, and what you can do to protect your hearing.</p> <p><strong>Using cotton tips</strong></p> <p>Though they’re commonly used for the job, cotton tips should never be used to clean out your ears. In fact, no solid object should be put inside your ears. Cotton tips account for around four per cent of all ruptured eardrums.</p> <p>These innocuous-looking objects can also cause bleeding, scratch your ear canal, or trigger an infection. So put them down and step away. Instead, use a commercial ear cleaner, or even just a few drops of mineral oil, baby oil, or glycerine to soften the earwax.</p> <p><strong>Don’t wait and see</strong></p> <p>If your hearing in one or both ears suddenly disappears without cause, you need to go and see your doctor as soon as you can. It could be inflammation, infection, or a decrease in blood supply to the area.</p> <p>If you need treatment, you’ll likely need it immediately to have any hope of restoring your hearing.</p> <p><strong>Using eardrops without advice</strong></p> <p>There are many over-the-counter eardrops available to help with things like swimmer’s ear. But in extreme cases, these products can cause deafness. Before you use anything, including a home remedy, get your doctor to check that you don’t have a ruptured eardrum.</p> <p>Some people may be born that way, or have had surgery as a child, or suffered an injury. If the ingredients in these drops make their way inside your eardrum, it can cause a lot of pain, and permanent deafness.</p> <p><strong>Always protect your ears</strong></p> <p>It’s incredibly important to protect your ears from permanent damage. Tiny hairs inside your ears act as hearing receptors, and these can be broken by extremely loud noises. Once they’re gone, they don’t come back.</p> <p>So things like loud music, fireworks, machinery, and artillery are all risky to be around. The best thing you can do is cover up with earmuffs whenever you’re around these things – especially if it’s on a regular basis. For extra safety, use earplugs as well.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Body

Disabled man slams Qantas after they damaged his wheelchair

<p>An Australian man has called out Qantas for damaging his wheelchair during a flight, and then offering him a slim compensation package that wouldn't cover the cost of the repair. </p> <p>Queensland wheelchair athlete Timothy Lachlan was travelling from the USA to Sydney when he claims Qantas luggage handlers broke his wheelchair as it was being loaded onto the plane. </p> <p>Like many Australians living with a disability, Lachlan described his wheelchair as "his legs".</p> <p>"This wheelchair is basically my legs — Qantas has basically broken my legs," he told <em>7News</em> of the custom chair he's owned for more than a decade.</p> <p>"If you go up the slightest incline, the chair just tips back."</p> <p>Lachlan now can no longer use the chair and says the saga has cost him work as an occupational therapist. He's currently borrowing a friend's chair to get around and says though he did try to fix his chair, he wasn't able due to the extent of the damage.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Q68PmJYXV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Q68PmJYXV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Queensland (@7newsqueensland)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>He was then locked in a bitter compensation battle with the airline for several months, which resulted in Lachlan being offered a mere $3,500, which he claims won't "even cover a set of wheels", let alone repair the entire chair. </p> <p>As part of the settlement agreement, which was described by Lachlan as a "signed confidential settlement", he claims he was forced to stay quiet about the amount he was offered by the airline. </p> <p>However, instead of staying quiet, he decided to do the opposite and call out the airline, which has taken a large hit to its reputation in recent years.</p> <p>In a statement provided to <em><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/qantas-offers-disabled-aussie-3500-to-stay-quiet-after-damaging-his-wheelchair-225833471.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo News Australia</a></em>, a Qantas spokesperson said they "sincerely apologise to Mr Lachlan for the damage caused to his wheelchair".</p> <p>"We have offered him compensation and are waiting to hear back," a spokesperson said.</p> <p>Lachlan said he would like the incident to serve as a reminder to Qantas, and airlines in general, to be more respectful when it comes to transporting mobility aids.</p> <p>"I am more than happy to meet with them, I invite the CEO of Qantas to jump in this chair and tell me it doesn't need to be replaced," he said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

After 180 years, new clues are revealing just how general anaesthesia works in the brain

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-d-hines-767066">Adam D Hines</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4773932/pdf/BLT.15.159293.pdf/">Over 350 million surgeries</a> are performed globally each year. For most of us, it’s likely at some point in our lives we’ll have to undergo a procedure that needs general anaesthesia.</p> <p>Even though it is one of the safest medical practices, we still don’t have a complete, thorough understanding of precisely how anaesthetic drugs work in the brain.</p> <p>In fact, it has largely remained a mystery since general anaesthesia was introduced into medicine over <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/08941939.2015.1061826">180 years ago</a>.</p> <p>Our study published <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0588-23.2024">in The Journal of Neuroscience today</a> provides new clues on the intricacies of the process. General anaesthetic drugs seem to only affect specific parts of the brain responsible for keeping us alert and awake.</p> <h2>Brain cells striking a balance</h2> <p>In a study using fruit flies, we found a potential way that allows anaesthetic drugs to interact with specific types of neurons (brain cells), and it’s all to do with proteins. Your brain has around <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cne.21974">86 billion neurons</a> and not all of them are the same – it’s these differences that allow general anaesthesia to be effective.</p> <p>To be clear, we’re not completely in the dark on <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165614719300951">how anaesthetic drugs affect us</a>. We know why general anaesthetics are able to make us lose consciousness so quickly, thanks to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/367607a0">landmark discovery made in 1994</a>.</p> <p>But to better understand the fine details, we first have to look to the minute differences between the cells in our brains.</p> <p>Broadly speaking, there are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6591655/">two main categories of neurons in the brain</a>.</p> <p>The first are what we call “excitatory” neurons, generally responsible for keeping us alert and awake. The second are “inhibitory” neurons – their job is to regulate and control the excitatory ones.</p> <p>In our day-to-day lives, excitatory and inhibitory neurons are constantly working and balancing one another.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2017294">When we fall asleep</a>, there are inhibitory neurons in the brain that “silence” the excitatory ones keeping us awake. This happens <a href="https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2018/01/07/why-do-we-get-tired/">gradually over time</a>, which is why you may feel progressively more tired through the day.</p> <p>General anaesthetics speed up this process by directly silencing these excitatory neurons without any action from the inhibitory ones. This is why your anaesthetist will tell you that they’ll “put you to sleep” for the procedure: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2372">it’s essentially the same process</a>.</p> <h2>A special kind of sleep</h2> <p>While we know why anaesthetics put us to sleep, the question then becomes: “why do we <em>stay</em> asleep during surgery?”. If you went to bed tonight, fell asleep and somebody tried to do surgery on you, you’d wake up with quite a shock.</p> <p>To date, there is no strong consensus in the field as to why general anaesthesia causes people to remain unconscious during surgery.</p> <p>Over the last couple of decades, researchers have proposed several potential explanations, but they all seem to point to one root cause. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7709148/#:%7E:text=At%20presynaptic%20part%2C%20voltage%2Dgated,anesthetics%20to%20inhibiting%20neurotransmitter%20release.">Neurons stop talking to each other</a> when exposed to general anaesthetics.</p> <p>While the idea of “cells talking to each other” may sound a little strange, it’s a <a href="https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/brain/brain-physiology/action-potentials-and-synapses">fundamental concept in neuroscience</a>. Without this communication, our brains wouldn’t be able to function at all. And it allows the brain to know what’s happening throughout the body.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593888/original/file-20240514-16-5fletd.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Two branching structures in orange, green, blue and yellow colours on a black background." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Colourised neurons in the brain of a fly.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Hines</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What did we discover?</h2> <p>Our new study shows that general anaesthetics appear to stop excitatory neurons from communicating, but not inhibitory ones. <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/40/21/4103">This concept isn’t new</a>, but we found some compelling evidence as to <em>why</em> only excitatory neurons are affected.</p> <p>For neurons to communicate, proteins have to get involved. One of the jobs these proteins have is to get neurons to release molecules called <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22513-neurotransmitters">neurotransmitters</a>. These chemical messengers are what gets signals across from one neuron to another: dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin are all neurotransmitters, for example.</p> <p>We found that general anaesthetics impair the ability of these proteins to release neurotransmitters, but only in excitatory neurons. To test this, we used <a href="https://www.eneuro.org/content/8/3/ENEURO.0057-21.2021"><em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> fruit flies</a> and <a href="https://imb.uq.edu.au/research/facilities/microscopy/training-manuals/microscopy-online-resources/image-capture/super-resolution-microscopy">super resolution microscopy</a> to directly see what effects a general anaesthetic was having on these proteins at a molecular scale.</p> <p>Part of what makes excitatory and inhibitory neurons different from each other is that they <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00007.2012">express different types of the same protein</a>. This is kind of like having two cars of the same make and model, but one is green and has a sports package, while the other is just standard and red. They both do the same thing, but one’s just a little bit different.</p> <p>Neurotransmitter release is a complex process involving lots of different proteins. If one piece of the puzzle isn’t exactly right, then general anaesthetics won’t be able to do their job.</p> <p>As a next research step, we will need to figure out which piece of the puzzle is different, to understand why general anaesthetics only stop excitatory communication.</p> <p>Ultimately, our results hint that the drugs used in general anaesthetics cause massive global inhibition in the brain. By silencing excitability in two ways, these drugs put us to sleep and keep it that way.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229713/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-d-hines-767066">Adam D Hines</a>, Research fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-180-years-new-clues-are-revealing-just-how-general-anaesthesia-works-in-the-brain-229713">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

“My darling wife": Newlywed's tragic death overseas

<p>Madison Noronha (née Chatham) was in Amsterdam with her husband Kyle Noronha after only a few weeks of getting married when she suddenly collapsed on the street. </p> <p>When she was rushed to hospital last week, scans revealed that she had suffered a brain aneurysm and despite getting immediate surgery to relieve the pressure, she unfortunately <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">could</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> not be saved. </span></p> <p>“Madi fought like she always does right to the very end,” her heartbroken husband wrote on social media. </p> <p>She passed away in his arms and was surrounded by loved ones. </p> <p>“My darling wife I cannot comprehend what has happened, I’m in a million pieces. Forever and always babe.”</p> <p>Now, her family have set up a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/madison-noronha-chatham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> in attempt to raise funds to “help with flights, funeral costs and to help bring our beloved Madison home to be laid to rest”.</p> <p>Since the launch of the fundraiser, people have come together and raised over $30,000 for the family. </p> <p>Taylah Wicks, the organiser of the fundraiser and a family friend, said that Madison was loved and cherished beyond measure”.</p> <p>“We are all left heart broken, but can’t imagine the pain that Kyle and her immediate family are experiencing,” she wrote on the page.</p> <p><em>Image: GoFundMe</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-blumen-1231899">Helena Blumen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/albert-einstein-college-of-medicine-3638">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a></em></p> <h2>The big idea</h2> <p>Social ballroom dancing can improve cognitive functions and reduce brain atrophy in older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s the key finding of my team’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0176">recently published study</a> in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.</p> <p>In our study, we enrolled 25 adults over 65 years of age in either six months of twice-weekly ballroom dancing classes or six months of twice-weekly treadmill walking classes. None of them were engaged in formal dancing or other exercise programs.</p> <p>The overall goal was to see how each experience affected cognitive function and brain health.</p> <p>While none of the study volunteers had a dementia diagnosis, all performed a bit lower than expected on at least one of our dementia screening tests. We found that older adults that completed six months of social dancing and those that completed six months of treadmill walking improved their executive functioning – an umbrella term for planning, reasoning and processing tasks that require attention.</p> <p>Dancing, however, generated significantly greater improvements than treadmill walking on one measure of executive function and on processing speed, which is the time it takes to respond to or process information. Compared with walking, dancing was also associated with reduced brain atrophy in the hippocampus – a brain region that is key to memory functioning and is particularly affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also know that this part of our brain can undergo neurogenesis – or grow new neurons – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0611721104">in response to aerobic exercise</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/unmbhUvnGow?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows those who regularly dance with a partner have a more positive outlook on life.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>While several previous studies suggest that dancing has beneficial effects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa270">on cognitive function in older adults</a>, only a few studies have compared it directly with traditional exercises. Our study is the first to observe both better cognitive function and improved brain health following dancing than walking in older adults at risk for dementia. We think that social dancing may be more beneficial than walking because it is physically, socially and cognitively demanding – and therefore strengthens a wide network of brain regions.</p> <p>While dancing, you’re not only using brain regions that are important for physical movement. You’re also relying on brain regions that are important for interacting and adapting to the movements of your dancing partner, as well as those necessary for learning new dance steps or remembering those you’ve learned already.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>Nearly 6 million older adults in the U.S. and 55 million worldwide <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2019.01.010">have Alzheimer’s disease</a> or a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia">related dementia</a>, yet there is no cure. Sadly, the efficacy and ethics surrounding recently developed drug treatments <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21507740.2022.2129858">are still under debate</a>.</p> <p>The good news is that older adults can potentially <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6">lower their risk for dementia</a> through lifestyle interventions, even later in life. These include reducing social isolation and physical inactivity.</p> <p>Social ballroom dancing targets both isolation and inactivity. In these later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a better understanding of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214211005223">indirect effects of COVID-19</a> – particularly those that increase dementia risk, such as social isolation – is urgently needed. In my view, early intervention is critical to prevent dementia from becoming the next pandemic. Social dancing could be a particularly timely way to overcome the adverse cognitive and brain effects associated with isolation and fewer social interactions during the pandemic.</p> <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> <p>Traditional aerobic exercise interventions such as treadmill-walking or running have been shown to lead to modest but reliable improvements in cognition – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617707316">particularly in executive function</a>.</p> <p>My team’s study builds on that research and provides preliminary evidence that not all exercise is equal when it comes to brain health. Yet our sample size was quite small, and larger studies are needed to confirm these initial findings. Additional studies are also needed to determine the optimal length, frequency and intensity of dancing classes that may result in positive changes.</p> <p>Lifestyle interventions like social ballroom dancing are a promising, noninvasive and cost-effective path toward staving off dementia as we – eventually – leave the COVID-19 pandemic behind.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194969/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-blumen-1231899">Helena Blumen</a>, Associate Professor of Medicine and Neurology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/albert-einstein-college-of-medicine-3638">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kick-up-your-heels-ballroom-dancing-offers-benefits-to-the-aging-brain-and-could-help-stave-off-dementia-194969">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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