Deep stimulation improves cognitive control by augmenting brain rhythms

In a new study that could improve the therapeutic efficacy of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric disorders such as depression, a team of scientists shows that, when DBS is applied to a specific brain region, it improves patients’ cognitive control over their behavior by increasing the power of a specific low-frequency brain rhythm in their prefrontal cortex. The findings, published […]

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Risk factors for faulty rhythms

Arrhythmias—disruptions in the rhythm of the heartbeat—after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery in children are common and contribute to increased morbidity and mortality. Prince Kannankeril, MD, MSCI, and colleagues explored clinical and genetic factors associated with atrial tachycardia (AT) after CHD surgery in infants younger than 1 year old. They examined variants in the genes PITX2 and IL6, which are […]

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Study locates circadian clock that controls daily rhythms of aggression

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia commonly experience the sundown syndrome – a sudden worsening of confusion, agitation and aggression at the end of the day. Its daily pattern suggested that “sundowning,” as the phenomenon is also known, may be governed by the body’s internal biological clock. Synchronized by light and darkness, the circadian clock exerts control […]

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Study locates circadian clock that controls daily rhythms of aggression

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia commonly experience the sundown syndrome – a sudden worsening of confusion, agitation and aggression at the end of the day. Its daily pattern suggested that “sundowning,” as the phenomenon is also known, may be governed by the body’s internal biological clock. Synchronized by light and darkness, the circadian clock exerts control […]

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