Motor control loss, cognitive decline early signs of Alzheimer’s
Loss of motor control and cognitive decline are symptoms that could enable early diagnosis of people with Alzheimer’s Disease — estimated at 50 million worldwide — according to a recent research study of École de Technologie Supérieure, Montreal (Canada) and Dartmouth University, New Hampshire (USA).
Researchers found that one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s is involuntary eye movements known as saccades. Detecting and analyzing saccades directly requires monitoring by eye-tracking equipment, not easily accessible for most. Therefore, researchers used a hearable — an earpiece device with in-ear microphones that captures eardrum vibrations caused by eye movements — to gather this information.
“Eye movements are fascinating since they are some of the most rapid and precise movements in the human body, indicative of motor skills and cognitive functioning,” says Arian Shamei, postdoctoral researcher at École de Technologie Supérieure.
Consistent bedtime helps children regulate emotions, behaviour
Consistent bedtime rather than the duration or quality of sleep enables children to control their emotions and behaviour, according to a new study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics by the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine.
The study revealed that children who followed a consistent bedtime routine and fell asleep at the same time each night displayed better control of their emotions and behaviour when they were under stress or working with others. Adwoa Dadzie, doctoral student in biobehavioural health, and Orfeu Buxton, the Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professor of Biobehavioural Health, led a team who analyzed sleep and behaviour data of 143 six-year-old children in the Penn State Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study.
Children in the study wore a monitor on their wrist for seven days to measure their nighttime sleep and activity. “Children who had consistent bedtimes were generally better able to regulate their behaviour and emotions,” says Dadzie. “On the other hand, children whose bedtimes and sleep times were all over the place showed more impulsivity and less control.”
Indian medicos’ screen time goes beyond prescribed limits
Asignificant number of Indian doctors use digital devices beyond the recommended ‘Digital Screen Time’ set by various health organizations. Sixty-seven percent identified smartphones as their primary digital device and 60 percent acknowledged that increased screentime negatively affected their sleep, reveals a study published in Apollo Medicine (November).
The study highlights the need to inform healthcare professionals about the health risks associated with excessive screen watching, supporting global efforts to reduce these risks and encourage healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.
“The study highlights the specific patterns of digital screen usage among healthcare professionals, a demographic often overlooked in prior research. It provides insights into reasons behind screen viewing and raises awareness about the detrimental health effects associated with prolonged digital device engagement,” says the study author Dr. Raju Vaishya, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic & Joint Replacement Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi.
Tantrums in young children associated with ADHD
Preschool children who struggle to control their emotions and behaviour are symptomatic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at age seven, suggests a first-of-its-genre study led by the universities of Edinburgh, Northumbria and Oxford — all in the UK, to examine the link between early patterns of emotion regulation and school-age mental health.
Researchers analysed a dataset from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, which follows the lives of 19,000 young people born in 2000-02. A tendency to have extreme emotional responses and slower development in capability to regulate emotions was significantly associated with ADHD symptoms, reveals the study.
“Emotion regulation skills are acquired early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help identify which children are at risk of mental health issues.” said Dr. Aja Murray of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the study.
