By discovering the culprit behind decreased blood flow in the brain of people with Alzheimer's, biomedical engineers at Cornell University have made possible promising new therapies for the disease. You know that dizzy feeling you get when, after lying down for an extended period, you stand up a little too quickly? That feeling is caused by a sudden reduction of blood flow to the brain, a reduction of around 30 percent. Now imagine living every minute of every day with that level of decreased blood flow. People with Alzheimer's disease don't have to imagine it. The existence of cerebral blood flow reduction in Alzheimer's patients has been known for decades, but the exact correlation to impaired cognitive function is less understood. "People probably adapt to the decreased blood flow, so that they don't feel dizzy all of the time, but there's clear evidence that it impacts cognitive function," said Chris Schaffer, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University. A … [Read more...] about Researchers Closer to New Alzheimer’s Therapy With Brain Blood Flow Discovery
Reduced blood flow to brain
How Does a Person Freeze to Death?
This week's polar vortex has brought bitter cold — even Arctic-like temperatures — to parts of the Upper Midwest and Eastern U.S., and this frigid air may have you feeling like you could "freeze to death." Indeed, when temperatures dip this low, frostbite and hypothermia are real health concerns. Weather officials have warned of dangerous and even life-threatening wind chills through Thursday (Jan. 31). [7 Crazy Things That Happen Only When It's Really Cold] However, death from the cold can happen even if the body isn't literally frozen. Core temperature drop A person's core body temperature usually hovers around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature dips to around 95 F (35 C) or lower. Surprisingly, people can experience hypothermia in relatively cool, but not freezing, air temperatures — around 30 to 50 F (minus 1 to 10 C) — particularly if they are wet, such as from rain, sweat or submersion in cold … [Read more...] about How Does a Person Freeze to Death?
Wearing a tie may be restricting blood flow to your brain
Home News Health Daily news 6 July 2018 By Alice KleinTime to say bye to your tie? The businesswear staple reduces blood flow to the brain by squashing veins in the neck, research suggests. Robin Lüddecke at University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and his colleagues scanned the brains of 15 healthy young men before and after they put on a tie. Each participant was instructed to make a Windsor knot and tighten it to the point of slight discomfort. Just after the men tightened the ties, the blood flow in their brains dropped by an average of 7.5 per … Popular Facebook promises to better explain who is paying for ads Brain images display the beauty and complexity of consciousness Horses remember if you smiled or frowned when they last saw you Advertisement … [Read more...] about Wearing a tie may be restricting blood flow to your brain
Artificial Intelligence Improves Stroke and Dementia Diagnosis in Most Common Brain Scan
Machine learning has detected one of the commonest causes of dementia and stroke, in the most widely used form of brain scan (CT), more accurately than current methods. New software, created by scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh, has been able to identify and measure the severity of small vessel disease, one of the commonest causes of stroke and dementia. The study, published in Radiology, took place at Charing Cross Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Researchers say that this technology can help clinicians to administer the best treatment to patients more quickly in emergency settings - and predict a person's likelihood of developing dementia. The development may also pave the way for more personalised medicine. Dr Paul Bentley, lead author and Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College London, said: "This is the first time that machine learning methods have been able to accurately measure a marker of small vessel disease in patients … [Read more...] about Artificial Intelligence Improves Stroke and Dementia Diagnosis in Most Common Brain Scan
9 things you can do right now to reduce your risk of high blood pressure
source Shutterstock High blood pressure kills – and it kills quietly. There aren’t any obvious signs (other than a cuff reading) that a person’s blood pressure is dangerously high, which is why many call hypertension the “silent killer.” It can be tough to see outward signs of pressure building up in a person’s blood vessels until it’s too late and the extra stress on arteries leads to a heart attack, a stroke, or heart failure. In 2013, the problem contributed to more than 1,000 deaths in the US every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recently, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology lowered the bar for what they consider high blood pressure to a cuff reading above 130/80, down from 140/90. The new guidelines mean nearly half of adults in the US – 46% – should lower their blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. Here are … [Read more...] about 9 things you can do right now to reduce your risk of high blood pressure