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Del Moro L, Pirovano E, Rota E. Mind the Metabolic Gap: Bridging Migraine and Alzheimer's disease through Brain Insulin Resistance. Aging Dis 2024:AD.2024.0351. [PMID: 38913047 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.0351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain insulin resistance has recently been described as a metabolic abnormality of brain glucose homeostasis that has been proven to downregulate insulin receptors, both in astrocytes and neurons, triggering a reduction in glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis. This condition may generate a mismatch between brain's energy reserve and expenditure, mainly during high metabolic demand, which could be involved in the chronification of migraine and, in the long run, at least in certain subsets of patients, in the prodromic phase of Alzheimer's disease, along a putative metabolic physiopathological continuum. Indeed, the persistent disruption of glucose homeostasis and energy supply to neurons may eventually impair protein folding, an energy-requiring process, promoting pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease, such as amyloid-β deposition and tau hyperphosphorylation. Hopefully, the "neuroenergetic hypothesis" presented herein will provide further insight on there being a conceivable metabolic bridge between chronic migraine and Alzheimer's disease, elucidating novel potential targets for the prophylactic treatment of both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Del Moro
- Personalized Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano (MI), Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - Elenamaria Pirovano
- Center for Research in Medical Pharmacology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Eugenia Rota
- Neurology Unit, San Giacomo Hospital, Novi Ligure, ASL AL, Italy
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2
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Kurth F, Strohmaier S, Luders E. Reduced Age-Related Gray Matter Loss in the Orbitofrontal Cortex in Long-Term Meditators. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1677. [PMID: 38137125 PMCID: PMC10741700 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a functionally heterogeneous brain region contributing to mental processes relating to meditation practices. The OFC has been reported to decline in volume with increasing age and differs in volume between meditation practitioners and non-practitioners. We hypothesized that the age-related decline of the OFC is diminished in meditation practitioners. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of 50 long-term meditators and 50 matched controls by correlating chronological age with regional gray matter volumes of the left and right OFC, as well as in seven left and right cytoarchitectonically defined subregions of the OFC (Fo1-Fo7). In both meditators and controls, we observed a negative relationship between age and OFC (sub)volumes, indicating that older participants have smaller OFC volumes. However, in meditators, the age-related decline was less steep compared to controls. These age-related differences reached significance for left and right Fo2, Fo3, Fo4, and Fo7, as well as left Fo5 and right Fo6. Since different subregions of the OFC are associated with distinct brain functions, further investigations are required to explore the functional implications of these findings in the context of meditation and the aging brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Kurth
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Sarah Strohmaier
- Psychology Discipline, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3011, Australia
| | - Eileen Luders
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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3
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Farhang M, Rojas G, Martínez P, Behrens MI, Langer ÁI, Diaz M, Miranda-Castillo C. The Impact of a Yoga-Based Mindfulness Intervention versus Psycho-Educational Session for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15374. [PMID: 36430097 PMCID: PMC9690706 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192215374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a global agreement in the medical community that a significant proportion of dementia cases could be prevented or postponed. One of the factors behind this agreement comes from scientific evidence showing that mind-body interventions such as mindfulness and yoga for the elderly have been related to a range of positive outcomes, including improved cognition performance in seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention (YBM) versus psychoeducational sessions for older adults with MCI attending Hospital Clinic Universidad de Chile in Santiago. METHOD Two-arm, individually randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out at Clinical Hospital Universidad de Chile in Santiago. Older people over 60 years with any type of MCI using a score < 21 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and a score of 0.05 in the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale; and with preserved activities of daily living will be randomly assigned with an allocation ratio of 1:1 in either the yoga-based mindfulness intervention or the active control group based on the psycho-educational program. People who have performed yoga and/or mindfulness in the last 6 months or/and people with a psychiatric clinical diagnosis will be excluded from the study. Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the Barthel Index (BI), the Pemberton happiness index, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) as well as the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) will be administered by blinded outcomes assessors before random assignment (Pre-test), the week following the last session of the intervention (post-test), and then after 3- and 6-months follow-up. RESULTS The YBM intervention protocol based on a video recording has been adapted and designed. This is the first RCT to examine the effects of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention in improving cognitive and physical functions and mental health outcomes for Chilean elderly diagnosed with MCI. It is expected to be implemented as an acceptable and effective non-pharmacological option for older people with MCI. CONCLUSION Providing evidence-based programs such as preventive therapy for Alzheimer's disease has relevant implications for public mental health services in Chile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Farhang
- Escuela de Enfermería, Facultad de Salud y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 8370040, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP), Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Care Research (MICARE), Santiago 8370134, Chile
- Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago 8380455, Chile
| | - Graciela Rojas
- Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP), Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago 8380455, Chile
| | - Pablo Martínez
- Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, Longueuil, QC J4K A08, Canada
| | - Maria Isabel Behrens
- Centro de Investigación Clínica Avanzada (CICA), Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile
- Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380456, Chile
- Departamento de Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800284, Chile
- Departamento de Neurología y Psiquiatría, Clínica Alemana Santiago, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7800284, Chile
| | - Álvaro I. Langer
- Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP), Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago 8380455, Chile
- Mind-Body Lab, Institute of Psychological Studies, Austral University, Valdivia 5110566, Chile
| | - Marcela Diaz
- Clínica Psiquiátrica Universitaria, Hospital Clínico, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800284, Chile
| | - Claudia Miranda-Castillo
- Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP), Santiago 8380453, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Care Research (MICARE), Santiago 8370134, Chile
- Faculty of Nursing, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 7550000, Chile
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Dresp-Langley B. Consciousness Beyond Neural Fields: Expanding the Possibilities of What Has Not Yet Happened. Front Psychol 2022; 12:762349. [PMID: 35082717 PMCID: PMC8784399 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.762349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the field theories in physics, any particular region of the presumed space-time continuum and all interactions between elementary objects therein can be objectively measured and/or accounted for mathematically. Since this does not apply to any of the field theories, or any other neural theory, of consciousness, their explanatory power is limited. As discussed in detail herein, the matter is complicated further by the facts than any scientifically operational definition of consciousness is inevitably partial, and that the phenomenon has no spatial dimensionality. Under the light of insights from research on meditation and expanded consciousness, chronic pain syndrome, healthy aging, and eudaimonic well-being, we may conceive consciousness as a source of potential energy that has no clearly defined spatial dimensionality, but can produce significant changes in others and in the world, observable in terms of changes in time. It is argued that consciousness may have evolved to enable the human species to generate such changes in order to cope with unprecedented and/or unpredictable adversity. Such coping could, ultimately, include the conscious planning of our own extinction when survival on the planet is no longer an acceptable option.
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Abstract
The overarching objective is to review how early exposure to adversity interacts with inflammation to alter brain maturation. Both adversity and inflammation are significant risk factors for psychopathology. Literature relevant to the effects of adversity in children and adolescents on brain development is reviewed. These studies are supported by research in animals exposed to species-relevant stressors during development. While it is known that exposure to adversity at any age increases inflammation, the effects of inflammation are exacerbated at developmental stages when the immature brain is uniquely sensitive to experiences. Microglia play a vital role in this process, as they scavenge cellular debris and prune synapses to optimize performance. In essence, microglia modify the synapse to match environmental demands, which is necessary for someone with a history of adversity. Overall, by piecing together clinical and preclinical research areas, what emerges is a picture of how adversity uniquely sculpts the brain. Microglia interactions with the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (specifically, the subtype expressing parvalbumin) are discussed within contexts of development and adversity. A review of inflammation markers in individuals with a history of abuse is combined with preclinical studies to describe their effects on maturation. Inconsistencies within the literature are discussed, with a call for standardizing methodologies relating to the age of assessing adversity effects, measures to quantify stress and inflammation, and more brain-based measures of biochemistry. Preclinical studies pave the way for interventions using anti-inflammation-based agents (COX-2 inhibitors, CB2 agonists, meditation/yoga) by identifying where, when, and how the developmental trajectory goes awry.
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Lutz A, Chételat G, Collette F, Klimecki OM, Marchant NL, Gonneaud J. The protective effect of mindfulness and compassion meditation practices on ageing: Hypotheses, models and experimental implementation. Ageing Res Rev 2021; 72:101495. [PMID: 34718153 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a major health and societal issue; there is no treatment to date and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disease are not well understood. Yet, there is hope that AD risk factors and thus the number of AD cases can be significantly reduced by prevention measures based on lifestyle modifications as targeted by non-pharmacological preventive interventions. So far, these interventions have rarely targeted the psycho-affective risk factors related to depression, stress, anxiety, and feeling of loneliness, which are all prevalent in ageing. This paper presents the hypothesis that the regular practice of mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness and compassion meditation (LKCM) in the ageing population constitutes a lifestyle that is protective against AD. In this model, these practices can promote cognition, mental health, and well-being by strengthening attention control, metacognitive monitoring, emotion regulation and pro-social capacities. Training these capacities could reduce the risk of AD by upregulating beneficial age-related factors such as cognitive reserve, and down-regulating detrimental age-related factors, such as stress, or depression. As an illustration, we present the Medit-Ageing study (public name Silver Santé Study), an on-going European project that assesses the impact and mechanisms of non-pharmacological interventions including meditation, in the ageing population.
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Kurth F, Zsadanyi SE, Luders E. Reduced age-related gray matter loss in the subgenual cingulate cortex in long-term meditators. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:2824-2832. [PMID: 34686969 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00578-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that meditation practices have positive effects on brain ageing overall. The cingulate is known to be recruited during meditation, but research into possible effects of meditation on the ageing of the cingulate is currently missing. Thus, the present study was designed to help close this knowledge gap, with particular focus on the subgenual cingulate, a region involved in emotional regulation and autonomic and endocrine functions, making it potentially relevant for meditation. Here, we investigated differences in age-related gray matter loss between 50 long-term meditation practitioners (28 male, 22 female), aged between 24 and 77, and 50 age- and sex-matched controls. Areas of interest were four subregions of the subgenual cingulate gyrus (areas 25, 33, s24, and s32) defined as per the Julich-Brain atlas. Our study revealed a significant age-related decline in all subregions in both meditators and controls, but with significantly lower rates of annual tissue loss in meditators, specifically in left and right area s32 and right area 25. These regions have been shown to play a role in mood regulation, autonomic processing, and the integration of emotion and cognitive processes, which are all involved in and impacted by meditation. Overall, the results add further evidence to the emerging notion that meditation may slow the effects of ageing on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Kurth
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Sára E Zsadanyi
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Eileen Luders
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.,Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
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Guidotti R, Del Gratta C, Perrucci MG, Romani GL, Raffone A. Neuroplasticity within and between Functional Brain Networks in Mental Training Based on Long-Term Meditation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11081086. [PMID: 34439705 PMCID: PMC8393942 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11081086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) The effects of intensive mental training based on meditation on the functional and structural organization of the human brain have been addressed by several neuroscientific studies. However, how large-scale connectivity patterns are affected by long-term practice of the main forms of meditation, Focused Attention (FA) and Open Monitoring (OM), as well as by aging, has not yet been elucidated. (2) Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and multivariate pattern analysis, we investigated the impact of meditation expertise and age on functional connectivity patterns in large-scale brain networks during different meditation styles in long-term meditators. (3) The results show that fMRI connectivity patterns in multiple key brain networks can differentially predict the meditation expertise and age of long-term meditators. Expertise-predictive patterns are differently affected by FA and OM, while age-predictive patterns are not influenced by the meditation form. The FA meditation connectivity pattern modulated by expertise included nodes and connections implicated in focusing, sustaining and monitoring attention, while OM patterns included nodes associated with cognitive control and emotion regulation. (4) The study highlights a long-term effect of meditation practice on multivariate patterns of functional brain connectivity and suggests that meditation expertise is associated with specific neuroplastic changes in connectivity patterns within and between multiple brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Guidotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.D.G.); (M.G.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Cosimo Del Gratta
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.D.G.); (M.G.P.)
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Mauro Gianni Perrucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.D.G.); (M.G.P.)
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Gian Luca Romani
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, “Gabriele D’Annunzio” University Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Antonino Raffone
- Department of Psychology, “La Sapienza” University Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions, Nalanda University, Rajgir 803116, India
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van Boxtel MPJ, Berk L, E de Vugt M, van Warmenhoven F. Mindfulness-based interventions for people with dementia and their caregivers: keeping a dyadic balance. Aging Ment Health 2020; 24:697-699. [PMID: 30938168 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2019.1582004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin P J van Boxtel
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Lotte Berk
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolein E de Vugt
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Franca van Warmenhoven
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Department of Educational Development and Research, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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10
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Adluru N, Korponay CH, Norton DL, Goldman RI, Davidson RJ. BrainAGE and regional volumetric analysis of a Buddhist monk: a longitudinal MRI case study. Neurocase 2020; 26:79-90. [PMID: 32100616 PMCID: PMC7150651 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2020.1731553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (YMR) is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and renowned meditation practitioner and teacher who has spent an extraordinary number of hours of his life meditating. The brain-aging profile of this expert meditator in comparison to a control population was examined using a machine learning framework, which estimates "brain-age" from brain imaging. YMR's brain-aging rate appeared slower than that of controls suggesting early maturation and delayed aging. At 41 years, his brain resembled that of a 33-year-old. Specific regional changes did not differentiate YMR from controls, suggesting that the brain-aging differences may arise from coordinated changes spread throughout the gray matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Derek L Norton
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, UW-Madison, USA
| | | | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, UW-Madison, USA
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, UW-Madison, USA
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11
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Schnaubelt S, Hammer A, Koller L, Niederdoeckl J, Kazem N, Spiel A, Niessner A, Sulzgruber P. Expert Opinion: Meditation and Cardiovascular Health: What is the Link? Eur Cardiol 2020; 14:161-164. [PMID: 31933684 PMCID: PMC6950207 DOI: 10.15420/ecr.2019.21.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Meditation as a form of body–mind interaction for primary and secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease has been discussed critically in the past. However, data that aimed to link this intervention to a reduction of various aspects of cardiovascular disease, rendering it a potential part of a cost-effective treatment approach in patients at risk, remain scarce and inconclusive. This article aims to provide an overview of currently available evidence in the literature and the potential impact of meditation on cardiovascular health. However, the data highlighted in this article cannot render with certainty directly reproducible effects of meditation on patients’ cardiovascular disease profiles. Meditation may be suggested only as an additional link in the chain of primary and secondary prevention until future research provides sufficient data on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas Hammer
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Lorenz Koller
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Jan Niederdoeckl
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Niema Kazem
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Alexander Spiel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Alexander Niessner
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna Austria
| | - Patrick Sulzgruber
- Department of Medicine II, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Vienna Austria
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Gogo A, Osta A, McClafferty H, Rana DT. Cultivating a way of being and doing: Individual strategies for physician well-being and resilience. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 2019; 49:100663. [PMID: 31564630 DOI: 10.1016/j.cppeds.2019.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The practice of medicine is rewarding on many levels, but demands of the work can result in mental and emotional exhaustion, self-isolation, burnout, depression, suicidal ideation and tragically, completed suicide. It is critical to have effective strategies to address the unique stressors of a medical career, mitigate burnout, and buffer the physiologic toll of chronic stress. Using Zwack and Schweitzer's widely published description of approaches to maintaining resilience and approaches to wellness, we have organized these strategies into three broad domains relevant to medical practice: (1) gratification (connection and communication, meaning and purpose); (2) resilience building practices (self-reflection, time for oneself, self-compassion, spirituality); and (3) useful attitudes (acceptance, flexibility, self-awareness). Several techniques are described including mindfulness-based stress reduction, narrative medicine, skillful communication, and practices in self-compassion, gratitude, and spirituality. The focus of the work is to introduce a spectrum of resilience strategies for individual consideration that can be tailored and combined to meet a physician's changing needs over the course of medical training and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albina Gogo
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, United States.
| | - Amanda Osta
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Hilary McClafferty
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - Deborah T Rana
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States
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13
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Epigenetics and meditation. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:76-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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14
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The neuroanatomy of long-term meditators. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:172-178. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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15
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The association of health-related quality of life and cerebral gray matter volume in the context of aging: A voxel-based morphometry study with a general population sample. Neuroimage 2019; 191:470-480. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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16
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Sabel BA, Wang J, Cárdenas-Morales L, Faiq M, Heim C. Mental stress as consequence and cause of vision loss: the dawn of psychosomatic ophthalmology for preventive and personalized medicine. EPMA J 2018; 9:133-160. [PMID: 29896314 PMCID: PMC5972137 DOI: 10.1007/s13167-018-0136-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The loss of vision after damage to the retina, optic nerve, or brain has often grave consequences in everyday life such as problems with recognizing faces, reading, or mobility. Because vision loss is considered to be irreversible and often progressive, patients experience continuous mental stress due to worries, anxiety, or fear with secondary consequences such as depression and social isolation. While prolonged mental stress is clearly a consequence of vision loss, it may also aggravate the situation. In fact, continuous stress and elevated cortisol levels negatively impact the eye and brain due to autonomous nervous system (sympathetic) imbalance and vascular dysregulation; hence stress may also be one of the major causes of visual system diseases such as glaucoma and optic neuropathy. Although stress is a known risk factor, its causal role in the development or progression of certain visual system disorders is not widely appreciated. This review of the literature discusses the relationship of stress and ophthalmological diseases. We conclude that stress is both consequence and cause of vision loss. This creates a vicious cycle of a downward spiral, in which initial vision loss creates stress which further accelerates vision loss, creating even more stress and so forth. This new psychosomatic perspective has several implications for clinical practice. Firstly, stress reduction and relaxation techniques (e.g., meditation, autogenic training, stress management training, and psychotherapy to learn to cope) should be recommended not only as complementary to traditional treatments of vision loss but possibly as preventive means to reduce progression of vision loss. Secondly, doctors should try their best to inculcate positivity and optimism in their patients while giving them the information the patients are entitled to, especially regarding the important value of stress reduction. In this way, the vicious cycle could be interrupted. More clinical studies are now needed to confirm the causal role of stress in different low vision diseases to evaluate the efficacy of different anti-stress therapies for preventing progression and improving vision recovery and restoration in randomized trials as a foundation of psychosomatic ophthalmology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard A. Sabel
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lizbeth Cárdenas-Morales
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Muneeb Faiq
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029 India
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Langone Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY USA
| | - Christine Heim
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA
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