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Tag: Brain

  • 5 Quick Ayurvedic Practices You Can Do In Under 15 Minutes A Day

    5 Quick Ayurvedic Practices You Can Do In Under 15 Minutes A Day

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    Time: 1 minute or less

    How to: Lay down, tilt your head backward, and prop it on a pillow. Instill two drops of Anu tailam (an Ayurvedic oil for sinus relief) in each nostril. It may feel a little sharp if you are new to Nasya, but it should settle within the week. 

    Benefits: “Nasa hi siraso dwaram” – Sanskrit, Carak Samhita… The nose is the only gateway to the brain.

    The ancient texts of Ayurveda pointed out that the nose is the only organ that surpasses the blood-brain barrier, something that scientists in the west are discovering today.

    This practice goes beyond lubricating your nostrils, preventing allergies, opening up your sinuses, and decongesting phlegm. In fact, the main benefits of this practice are deeper than your ENT region. 

    When administered through the nose, Nasya drops are thought to nourish cerebrospinal fluid1, the juiciest of the brain and spinal fluids, which has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and certain types of dementia. Nasya is also known to give restful sleep, better vision, delayed graying, and lubrication of the jaw. So this one is a no-brainer!

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    Nidhi Pandya

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  • A Special Part of the Brain Lights Up When We See Food

    A Special Part of the Brain Lights Up When We See Food

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    Oct. 26, 2022 – “We eat first with our eyes.” 

    The Roman foodie Apicius is thought to have uttered those words in the 1st century AD. Now, some 2,000 years later, scientists may be proving him right. 

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have discovered a previously unknown part of the brain that lights up when we see food. Dubbed the “ventral food component,” this part resides in the brain’s visual cortex, in a region known to play a role in identifying faces, scenes, and words. 

    The study, published in the journal Current Biology, involved using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to build a computer model of this part of the brain. Similar models are emerging across fields of research to simulate and study complex systems of the body. A computer model of the digestive system was recently used to determine the best body position for taking a pill. 

    “The research is still cutting-edge,” says study author Meenakshi Khosla, PhD. “There’s a lot more to be done to understand whether this region is the same or different in different individuals, and how it is modulated by experience or familiarity with different kinds of foods.”

    Pinpointing those differences could provide insights into how people choose what they eat, or even help us learn what drives eating disorders, Khosla says. 

    Part of what makes this study unique was the researchers’ approach, dubbed “hypothesis neutral.” Instead of setting out to prove or disprove a firm hypothesis, they simply started exploring the data to see what they could find. The goal: To go beyond “the idiosyncratic hypotheses scientists have already thought to test,” the paper says. So, they began sifting through a public database called the Natural Scenes Dataset, an inventory of brain scans from eight volunteers viewing 56,720 images. 

    As expected, the software analyzing the dataset spotted brain regions already known to be triggered by images of faces, bodies, words, and scenes. But to the researchers’ surprise, the analysis also revealed a previously unknown part of the brain that seemed to be responding to images of food. 

    “Our first reaction was, ‘That’s cute and all, but it can’t possibly be true,’” Khosla says. 

    To confirm their discovery, the researchers used the data to train a computer model of this part of the brain, a process that takes less than an hour. Then they fed the model more than 1.2 million new images. 

    Sure enough, the model lit up in response to food. Color didn’t matter – even black-and-white food images triggered it, though not as strongly as color ones. And the model could tell the difference between food and objects that looked like food: a banana versus a crescent moon, or a blueberry muffin versus a puppy with a muffin-like face. 

    From the human data, the researchers found that some people responded slightly more to processed foods like pizza than unprocessed foods like apples. They hope to explore how other things, such as liking or disliking a food, may impact a person’s response to that food. 

    This technology could open up other areas of research as well. Khosla hopes to use it to explore how the brain responds to social cues like body language and facial expressions. 

    For now, Khosla has already begun to verify the computer model in real people by scanning the brains of a new set of volunteers. “We collected pilot data in a few subjects recently and were able to localize this component,” she says. 

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  • Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation Announces 3rd Annual ‘Alzheimer’s Day 2020’

    Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation Announces 3rd Annual ‘Alzheimer’s Day 2020’

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    This year’s event will feature renowned scientists and an opening meditation with special guest Deepak Chopra, M.D.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Nov 11, 2020


    RICHMOND, Va., November 11, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation, named in memory of the late CEO of Circuit City and founder of CarMax, has announced its 3rd annual “Alzheimer’s Day 2020.” While previous events have been held at the University of Richmond and the Science Museum of Virginia, this year’s event will be held virtually. Complimentary registration in advance is required – www.ricksharpalz.org. Previous speakers have included famed researcher Dr. Rudy Tanzi and New York Times best-selling author of “Still Alice” Lisa Genova.

    Panelists will include Dr. John Lazo of the University of Virginia, Dr. Constantine Lykestsos of Johns Hopkins, and Dr. Robert Innis from the National Institute of Mental Health. The evening will include special guest Deepak Chopra. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Catherine Franssen. The panel discussion will include the status of current research, the impact of COVID-19, and brain health.

    Sherry Sharp, founder of the Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation, said, “Since our inaugural event, we’ve met thousands of people and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to achieve our goal of curing Alzheimer’s Disease. Together, with your support, we have donated over $2 million and every penny raised goes directly to research.”

    Sherry also serves on the Board of Directors of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (www.curealz.org).

    For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, contact Director of Donor Engagement Carli Nelson at 833.CURE ALZ, Option 1, and/or visit www.ricksharpalz.org.

    About Dr. John Lazo: Dr. Lazo is a professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

    About Dr. Constantine Lyketsos: Dr. Lyketsos is the Chair of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

    About Dr. Robert Innis: Dr. Innis is Chief of the Molecular Imaging Brand at the National Institute of Mental Health. 

    About Deepak Chopra, M.D.: Chopra is an expert in the field of mind-body healing and a world-renowned speaker and author on the subject of alternative medicine.

    About Dr. Catherine L. Franssen: Dr. Franssen is currently the Scientist in Residence at the Science Museum of Virginia. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Longwood University.

    About the Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation: Rick Sharp was a business leader, husband, father, and friend to many. For over a decade, he served as the CEO of electronics retailer Circuit City. He went on to found car superstore CarMax, was a founding investor and Chairman of the Board of footwear brand Crocs, and electronics company Flextronics. Shortly after his death at age 67 from Alzheimer’s in 2014, Sherry founded the Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation. The non-profit focuses on supporting world-class research and increasing ALZ awareness. 100% of all money raised goes to finding a cure.

    Media Inquiries  
    Cara Dickens 
    Rocket Pop Media 
    cara@rocketpopmedia.com 

    Event Inquiries
    Carli Nelson
    Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation
    carli@ricksharpalz.org

    Source: Rick Sharp Alzheimer’s Foundation

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