News Briefs: REM Sleep; Anxiety; New Brainwave Test
Dream Stage of Sleep Spurs Memory Formation
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the stage of sleep in which dreaming occurs, plays an important role in memory formation, according to animal research described online May 13, 2016 in the journal Science. Researchers put two groups of mice through a memory exercise. Following the exercise, the scientists altered one group of mice by deactivating a specific cluster of cells in a key memory region called the hippocampus that are normally active during REM sleep. The following day, compared to the group of mice that were unaltered and experienced normal REM sleep, the mice with the “switched-off” cells were unable to recall spatial memory tasks they had learned the previous day. The findings suggest that REM sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, and that without it, memories may be disrupted or erased. REM sleep is thought to be an important aspect of sleep for humans, and research has linked its disruption with brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
More Women than Men Are Troubled By Anxiety
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from anxiety. That’s the conclusion reached by researchers who analyzed 48 previously published studies on anxiety levels worldwide. The analysis revealed that nearly four percent of people around the globe experience anxiety disorders, according to the study, which was published in the June 2016 issue of Brain and Behavior. Although the cause of the disparity between men and women is not known, the researchers suggest that it may have to do with hormonal fluctuations and differences in brain chemistry between the two sexes. The study also revealed that people in North America and other Western countries are more likely to experience anxiety disorders than people in other parts of the world. For example, compared to North America, where eight of 100 people suffer from anxiety, East Asia had fewer than three in 100. Anxiety can be treated with talk therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.
New Brainwave Test: Part of Brain Checkups?
One day in the future, your annual medical exam may include a high-tech brain checkup. The procedure, which has been developed by researchers looking for ways to monitor brain health, uses brain waves as cerebral vital signs to look for symptoms of brain disorders. The process, which was described in a paper published in the May 2016 issue of Frontiers in Neuroscience, uses noninvasive electrodes attached to the skull to record the brain’s electrical activity during basic functions such as paying attention and thinking. The brain wave information is automatically translated into objective indicators that can be easily read by medical professionals. These indicators may help reveal signs of concussion, stroke, brain injury, dementia, and other brain diseases and disorders. The technique can also help doctors establish a baseline of brain function so that it’s possible to spot changes in the brain during later examinations that may indicate problems. It might also be used to assess responses to treatment.
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