Research
By Professor John A Groeger and Kate Bosak of Nottingham Trent University's Sleep Well Science project.
Sleep responds systematically to gradual biological changes that see us develop from being children into adolescents, from women who might give birth to no longer ovulating, and as we approach and hopefully enjoy old age. We conceptualise these changes in our capacity to have restorative sleep as the waxing, waning, and interplay of two pervasive influences - circadian fluctuation and the build-up and release of sleep pressure. Abrupt challenges to either process, such as losing a night’s sleep or intercontinental travel, immediately bring home the easy dependence we typically have on these continuous influences on our lives. For most of us, these challenges are either temporary, which allows us to re-adjust, or gradual, which allows a more easily paced adaptation of life’s demands, lifestyles and the sleep which enables recovery and change. This is not the case for those who encounter events which result in major trauma- which NICE defines as “an injury or combination of injuries that are life-threatening and could be life changing because it may result in long-term disability”. What we may not realise is that the profile of those living after major injury has changed very dramatically over the last couple of decades.
New research has examined whether or not sleep disturbances have any association with stroke as sleep deprivation and sleeping for longer than nine hours a day have already been found to increase stroke risk. Researchers hope that the findings of this study will be able to help inform target interventions. The Canadian based study shows [...]
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of ongoing disability worldwide. It occurs when an external forces traumatically injure the brain, leading to structural damage, related functional changes, and neurological deficits.
The severity of TBI can range from mild, moderate, to severe, with symptoms ranging from headaches, dizziness, and confusion to seizures, paralysis, and coma. But let’s be clear, even a “mild” traumatic brain injury can be associated with disabling symptoms. Unfortunately, there has been no cure for TBI, and the available treatments focus on supportive care and symptom management. It was traditionally taught that there may be improvements for 12-18 months after brain injury through various types of retraining and therapy, through a process called “plasticity,” where under-used parts of the brain can take up duties of injured parts. However, recent advances in regenerative medicine have sparked excitement in the use of exosomes and stem cells as a potential assistive approach to address the lingering and previously considered permanent effects of TBI.New research has found that a keto diet can raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood and can lead to serious cardiac events such as stroke. What is a keto diet? This low-carbohydrate diet forces your body to rely on ketone bodies, which is a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored [...]
Individuals with depressive symptoms may have an increased stroke risk according to a new study. The researchers on this study also discovered that people with depressive symptoms were more likely to have worse recovery after a stroke. Study author Robert P. Murphy, of the University of Galway, says: “Depression affects people around the world and [...]
Evidence from a study of 31,245 patients already taking statin therapy has indicated that inflammation may be a more ‘powerful’ predictor of risk of future cardiovascular events, such as stroke, than bad cholesterol. The study’s corresponding author, Paul Ridker, MD, believes that treatments that aggressively lower vascular inflammation need to be incorporated into daily practise [...]
Bempedoic acid was given approval by the NHS last year after trials showed that it could offer high-cholesterol patients a new lifeline. This drug has shown that it can offer a new effective way of lowering cholesterol to those that have been affected by the side effects of taking statins. The trial results showed that [...]
Experts believe that expanding access of thrombectomy to individuals with higher levels of irreversible brain damage could mean that thousands of patients could have the possibility to achieve functional independence. According to commentary published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, by opening access to thrombectomy to individuals who have experienced a large vessel occlusion, it [...]
New research has shown that erythritol, which is a popular artificial sweetener is linked to an increased risk of stroke. This study examined over 4,000 individuals across Europe and the United States and discovered that those who have higher blood erythritol levels were at elevated risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiac event such as [...]
A study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge say that one in ten early deaths could be prevented if everyone managed at least half the recommended level of physical activity. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers say that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of [...]
