Deep Brain Stimulation, The Cosmic Microwave Background & Nutritional Psychiatry

Deep Brain Stimulation

Benjamin Stecher - Chair of Patient Advisory Board at Rune Labs and Author of Brain Fables and Reprogramming The Brain

"It was no accident that this took place in Montreal where neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield first demonstrated the effect of stimulating different regions of the cortex during surgery for epilepsy. Functional inhibition was already known, stemming from the pioneering work of Denise Albe-Fessard. DBS in humans was first used in Germany in 1977 to treat the dystonia and tremor of a woman with multiple sclerosis. 

It was 1980 when Brice & McLellan published in the prestigious journal The Lancet their idea to close the loop of thalamic stimulation: EMG electrodes implanted in the deltoid would tell the implanted device when the patient moved their arm. This paper is as clever as it is underrecognized by the majority of researchers, who too often date the beginning of closed-loop(or adaptive) stimulation to more than three decades later. Reason? Probably the title: ‘contingent’ DBS is elegant but not as cool as closed-loop or adaptive. So, if all of this was already known, why are Benabid and Pollak considered the fathers of DBS? In our opinion it is because they showed the world that DBS requires a team of healthcare specialists and close collaboration between a neurologist and a neurosurgeon, in doing so they gave birth to a new multidisciplinary model of neurology.

Despite the morbid fascination in DBS, it’s important we stress just how stressful an event the procedure and subsequent programming sessions can, and should, be. Getting electrodes placed deep inside your brain is not something to be taken lightly. The brain is not supposed to have metals shoved inside of it, clearly. We often wonder how this procedure will be perceived a century from now, probably as a barbaric way to treat human diseases, similar to how trepanation is viewed today to treat headaches, seizures and mental illness."

Cosmic Microwave Background

Darby Kramer - Astrophysics PhD Candidate at Arizona State University

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) is the oldest light we can observe in the Universe, dating back to only 400,000 years after the Big Bang. At this point, the expanding Universe had cooled enough for photons (the particles that make up light) to stop scattering off protons and electrons, allowing them to travel through space freely. Most of the CMB photons we see today haven’t interacted with anything since.

However, there are a few whose course has changed over time. One effect, called gravitational lensing, occurs when massive objects like galaxies or galaxy clusters warp the spacetime around them, bending the path of light as it goes by or through the objects. Because these lensing events happen often and in all directions, the CMB we observe today contains imprints from all the matter in the Universe. This is one of the many ways that the CMB is a useful tool for studying the Universe.

Nutritional Psychiatry

Nicolas Hubacz, M.S. - Business Development Manager at Magstim and Founder of NH Sponsorships

The emerging field of nutritional psychiatry is shedding light on how our dietary choices can impact mental health, particularly in relation to depression. Recent observational and efficacy studies suggest that healthy dietary patterns may play a significant role in both the onset and management of depressive symptoms. Research has identified several complex and interacting pathways through which diet may influence mental and brain health ⬇

Inflammation: Diet can modulate inflammatory pathways, which are linked to mental health outcomes. 🥗

Oxidative Stress: Antioxidant-rich foods may help reduce oxidative stress, a factor in brain health. 🍇

Epigenetics: Dietary components can influence gene expression, impacting mental health. 🧬

Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Nutrients that support mitochondrial function may improve brain energy metabolism. ⚡

Gut Microbiota: The gut-brain axis highlights the importance of gut health in mental well-being. 🦠

Tryptophan–Kynurenine Metabolism: This pathway is crucial for serotonin production, affecting mood regulation. 😊

HPA Axis: Diet can influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is involved in stress responses. 🧘♀️

Neurogenesis and BDNF: Certain foods may promote the growth of new neurons and the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. 🌱

Obesity: Managing weight through diet can also impact mental health. ⚖️

While the current literature is promising, much of it is based on preclinical animal studies. To fully understand these mechanisms and their implications for human mental health, more intervention studies involving clinically diagnosed human populations are needed.

Credit to Wolfgang Marx, Melissa Lane, and their team at Deakin University for the great work!