Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Neuroscience graduate sets her sights on a future in research – University of Miami: News@theU

Eboni Arnold credits self-advocacy, mentorship, and early exposure to her career path for her undergraduate success. She now looks forward to new challenges from the doctoral program she has chosen to pursue and someday hopes to be a role model.

Growing up in Titusville, Floridajust a few miles from the Kennedy Space CenterEboni Arnold was naturally attracted to and astute in science and math. Everyone around her thought she should become a doctor, but she never imagined that for herself.

In her junior year of high school, Arnolds impressive academic track record caught the attention of her anatomy and physiology teacher, who advised her to attend a seven-week residential summer research program at a local university.

After learning all about laboratory research, attending science lectures, and being mentored by professional researchers, Arnold said it was then that she knew the perfect career path for hera scientist.

Arnold now looks forward to attending Harvard University in the fall, where she was accepted into the Ph.D. program in biological and biomedical sciences. The recent graduate earned her bachelors degree in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and microbiology and immunology from the University of Miamis College of Arts and Sciences on Friday.

A lot of people dont even understand what research is and that its a career option, said Arnold, who believes early exposure to science played a huge role in her affinity for the subject. Im such an independent thinker and I realized that research allows me to work individually while also making a difference.

Arnold was originally a microbiology major but after her first year, she wanted more of a challenge. Once she made the switch, she said the neuroscience curriculum challenged her in new ways.

There came a point in my academic career where I really enjoyed what I was learning, said Arnold. I felt so much more engaged in the classroom these past two years.

While Arnold knows the University of Miami has fully prepared her to shine at Harvard University, she was initially intimidated by the doctoral program offer.

When I went to visit their campus, I was one of three undergraduates there. Everyone around me was so much older. But at the same time, it tells me that Im just as competitive as this pool of applicants, said Arnold. I applied to Harvard because thats where I felt I deserved to be. It pushed me out my comfort zone, but I knew that the outcome would be worth it.

As an undergraduate student, Arnold found her own way and sometimes even took the road less traveled to accomplish some of her significant goals. From being the minority in nearly every lab or summer research program where she has conducted research to being the only member initiated in fall 2020 into the Mu Nu chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a historically Black sorority, Arnold said she is privileged for every experience that has made her who she is today.

For the past two years, Arnold, was the president of her sorority. In her role, she hosted numerous community services events and collected hundreds of donations for Breast Cancer Awareness and a local womens shelter, which all resulted in one of her proudest moments: winning five awards from the Association of Greek Letter Organization.

Joining my sorority helped me to foster my independence and to learn how to be confident in my own abilities, said Arnold. Overall, Ive been very fortunate to be intelligent, be at the right places at the right time, meet the right people, and get into programs that I could only have dreamed about being a part of, said Arnold.

Already looking ahead, Arnold said once she graduates from Harvard, she hopes to open her own research institution and become affiliated with a historically Black college or university to show students that research is a career option.

I want to provide motivation to Black students to show them that its a possibility, she said. Because at the end of the day, if you see someone who looks like you . . . then you know you can do it, too.

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Neuroscience graduate sets her sights on a future in research - University of Miami: News@theU

Neuroscience

Recommendations for repositories and scientific gateways from a neuroscience perspective | Scientific Data – Nature.com

Data repositories and scientific gateways have the potential to contribute strongly with technical reproducibility and consistent data quality. Unique identifiers make data easy to find and cite. Structured method reporting and automated metadata verification make data more reliable and reusable.

The use of (machine readable) persistent identifiers (PID) is a core requisite for making research data accessible and fulfilling the FAIR principles. Services should assign PIDs to data descriptions, data and complementary materials (e.g., digital object identifiers (DOI)), software (DOI, Software Heritage ID (SWHID)14), authors (open researcher and contributor IDs (ORCID)) and associated research resources (RRIDs15). We also recommend that service providers register for an RRID that identifies their infrastructure.

Metadata is critically important to FAIR6; it is the backbone of any dataset, and ongoing quality control of metadata is as important as the data. It is vital in ensuring that data can be correctly understood and effectively used and reused.

We recommend services to document and communicate their curation processes for data and metadata. Where possible, higher level curation which links to annotation and other published information material is preferable.

We recommend that methods are reported in a structured, community relevant format, (examples: Structured, Transparent, Accessible Reporting (STAR) Methods, MDAR (Materials Design Analysis Reporting)) and that metadata entry is made easy and automatically or semi-automatically verified. Ideally, methods are also published and citable (using platforms such as protocols.io).

We recommend that key software, such as analysis code, is versioned and documented, and that the versioning history is communicated. Provenance for data, derived data and software should be documented and extractable. We recommend that versioning of both content and authorship is transparently communicated and available for datasets, code, and analysis software.

We recommend services to interact with their community to identify and accommodate various data search behaviours, and to deliver search summaries that make it possible for researchers to judge relevance, accessibility, and reusability of a data collection from the summary.

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Recommendations for repositories and scientific gateways from a neuroscience perspective | Scientific Data - Nature.com

Neuroscience

Psychopaths Remain Just as Bad, or Worse, as They Age – Neuroscience News

Summary: While most people mellow with age, this does not appear to be the case for those with ASPD or psychopathy. Researchers report maladaptive behaviors associated with ASPD often get worse as people with the personality disorder age.

Source: University of Otago

Anyone waiting for a sociopath to grow up or calm down should give up; they will not change, a new study has revealed.

The research, published in theInternational Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, surveyed more than 1,200 partners,family membersand friends of psychopaths93% reported they were just as bad, or worse, as they got older.

Co-author Professor Martin Sellbom, of the University of Otagos Department of Psychology, says the research focused on people with antisocial personality disorder/psychopathy who were aged over 50.

There is a general idea that offenders burn out and change their antisocial ways. But this study shows that those with psychopathic traits very much remain the same past age 50, and some even become worse as they get older with respect to manipulation, deceit, and abuse, he says.

The study took a unique victim-centered approach.

This research gives a voice to the victims of psychopathy, providing a general indication of the degree to which victims are affected. Most of the time we focus on the individuals with such traits, and their biased perspectives.

According to those surveyed, 935 individuals showed levels of disordered traits considered indicative of ASPD/psychopathy. Respondents said 99% were manipulative, 94% engaged in antisocial behavior, 93% were emotionally abusive, 89% were psychologically abusive, 58% were financially abusive, and 47% were violent.

Manyrespondentsprovided narrative descriptions of what they witnessed and experienced. One woman wrote about her ex-husband: The older he got, the more abusive he became. He lied, cheated, used, and stole. As he aged, he seemed to care less about hiding his behavior, and he seemed to openly enjoy being cruel.

Another respondent wrote about her mother: Nothing ever changed. She exploits, lies, throws tantrums, rages, abandons, pouts, defames, threatens, and would still be physically violent if she had the physical strength.

There are many ways people can be victimized and many are unaware of the warning signs of psychopathy before it is too late. These individuals can be very charming and say all the right things to hook someone, but then the manipulation begins, Professor Sellbom says.

Survey respondents reported significant harm caused by these over-50 individuals: 68% lost money, 45% incurred debt, 26% were physically abused or injured, and 27% had their lives threatened.

Psychological harm was even more widespread: 88% ofsurvey respondentssaid they became anxious or depressed, 76% said the stress of the involvement made them ill, 70% said they suffered post-traumatic stress disorderand 31% considered or attempted suicide.

Lead author Donna Andersen, founder of non-profit Lovefraud Education and Recovery, says the research shows people withantisocial personality disorderorpsychopathynever stop their manipulative and deceptive behavior.

Anyone who is waiting for a senior sociopath to grow up or calm downwhether this person is aromantic partner, family member, work colleague or friendshould stop wasting their life and escape. He or she will not change.

Author: Press OfficeSource: University of OtagoContact: Press Office University of OtagoImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Closed access.Surviving Senior Psychopathy: Informant Reports of Deceit and Antisocial Behavior in Multiple Types of Relationships by Donna M. Andersen et al. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Abstract

Surviving Senior Psychopathy: Informant Reports of Deceit and Antisocial Behavior in Multiple Types of Relationships

A prevailing view among researchers and mental health clinicians is that symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)/psychopathy decrease as affected individuals reach middle age.

In the current investigation, informants were surveyed about the behavior of individuals who they believed showed traits of ASPD/psychopathy and were over the age of 50.

A final sample of 1,215 respondents rated the index individuals according to the ASPD/psychopathy traits derived from the pre-publication first draft of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, revealing high endorsement of traits associated with ASPD.

Survey respondents reported their observations that individuals who met a threshold for putative ASPD/psychopathy continued to engage in antisocial behavior after age 50, and as a result the respondents endured significant harm, including material losses, financial losses, and various self-reported mental health problems.

Those who knew the index individuals both before and after the age of 50 were specifically asked whether there was a change in the individuals engagement in manipulation, deceit, and antisocial behavior; 93% of respondents reported that the behavior was just as bad or worse after age 50.

Other researchers have suggested that the DSM diagnostic criteria do not accurately describe ASPD/psychopathy symptoms and behavior in older adults, and that the disorder remains stable, but its manifestation changes with age. This study supports those conclusions.

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Psychopaths Remain Just as Bad, or Worse, as They Age - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

We cannot live without love: when Dr Love met Dr Loneliness – The Guardian

Close your eyes for three seconds, Dr Stephanie Cacioppo instructs me early in our conversation. You might like to do the same at home, or on the train, or wherever you are. Now think of the person that you love most in the world. Got them? Remember the last time you made them laugh out loud. One-two-three. Did that bring a smile to your face? asks Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, who specialises on the impact of love on the brain, and is the author of a new book, Wired for Love.

It did. It works all the time, she goes on. Its because of this fantastic wiring we have in our brain that activates the love network, but also the mirror neuron system. Thats the neuro system that is activated when you move, but also when you anticipate or think about the actions or emotions of others. So imagining someone smiling, its like activating your own smile as well.

Dr Cacioppo suggests the exercise might be useful for astronauts, who can spend months away from their loved ones on a space station. It could also come in handy, say, during a global pandemic that makes us housebound for the better part of two years. But the memory game has a personal resonance for Cacioppo, who is 47 and has a big smile and rolling wave of platinum-blonde hair. In March 2018 her partner, Dr John Cacioppo, a social neuroscientist who was a pioneer of research into loneliness, died unexpectedly, aged 66.

Theirs had, in some ways, been an unlikely relationship: not least because it brought together two experts who had been christened in the media as Dr Love and Dr Loneliness. When they met in January 2011 at a neuroscience research symposium in Shanghai, she was in her mid-30s and he was in his late-50s; both were adamant they were not looking for a partner. But in less than a year, they were married and inseparable. They worked inches apart at one desk and shared an office at the University of Chicago with The Cacioppos on the door. They came at their research from opposite ends of the spectrum, but both passionately believed that the human need for social connection was as essential to a persons wellbeing as clean water, nutritious food or exercise.

So, when Stephanie Cacioppo closes her eyes, she sees John. Love is a biological necessity. We cannot live without it, she says. And thats hard to say for someone who lost their best friend, their soul mate, and the love of their life. But I realised that love does not have to be with the person who is physically here with you. Like we mentioned with the astronaut, we can be in love with someone even if they live far away from you. Or even if they passed away; we lost so many people in our lives during Covid and I think many people can relate to that.

One key to keeping Johns love alive was actually to realise that he was gone, and to face the pain that he was not physically here, Cacioppo goes on. And once I let go, once I really faced that pain, I saw him everywhere, all around me. In different ways I could feel his love and I still really feel his love everywhere. That was beautiful for me and I hope that can inspire people to feel connected and not lonely.

Wired for Love: a Neuroscientists Journey Through Romance, Loss and the Essence of Human Connection is very much not the book that Cacioppo expected to write. She has spent her career attempting to prove that love was a worthy subject of scientific study (she received strong pushback on this idea from other researchers who considered it a primitive impulse, almost an addiction). Her work was evidence-based: she conducted electroencephalogram (EEG) tests to track electrical signals produced by the brain and functional MRI scanning techniques to delineate between love and lust. Understanding love was about science, not stories or, heaven forfend, poetry.

It was an important time for an in-depth analysis of love, Cacioppo felt. By several parameters, humans appear to be experiencing less love, and more loneliness, than ever before. Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples have been in steady decline in the UK since the 1970s. In 2018, the Office for National Statistics reported that they were the lowest ever recorded. Despite the proliferation of dating apps, we seem to be having less sex than ever. In 2018, nearly a quarter of Americans again, another record said they had no sexual encounters in the previous year. Among the factors believed to contribute to this sex drought are smartphones, the gig economy, open-plan offices (perhaps counterintuitively) and more people living in cities.

But when Cacioppo came to work on her serious science book, details of her own relationship with John kept bobbing to the surface. As she wrote them down, she began to realise that she had never told even her closest friends most of what happened in their rollercoaster, seven-year relationship. Sharing that story was really excruciating, she says, because its really against my nature. Im a shy and private person, but I felt like it was kind of a mission for me to conquer my shyness and share my story and the science behind my story with the readers. The hope being that it will help people not only appreciate more the beauty and the nature of human connections, but also perhaps find love and maintain love in their own life.

The strange truth is that romantic love has been elusive for Dr Love for most of her life. Growing up in the outskirts of Chambry in the French Alps, Stephanie Ortigue was the only child of passionate French-Italian parents who set a dauntingly high bar for what a relationship should look and feel like. To avoid feeling like a gooseberry, she threw herself first into tennis and then science.

I didnt understand why I was born an only child, says Cacioppo, who now lives in Oregon, in a house near some woods with her dog, a shar-pei called Bacio. I thought that just because of that, that was my fate: I was born alone, I will die alone. Typical romantic, French dramatic. And on top of that, my dear Italian grandmother told me to dress up nicely every day just in case that was the last day of our life. So my attitude was: I live as if I were going to die tomorrow and I enjoy life as if I am going to live forever.

On top of that, I had my parents displaying this beautiful, perfect relationship that seems quite honestly unattainable. But it was inspiring and I love challenges. So I dont take impossible as an answer and I always thought that maybe one day

Cacioppo didnt have serious boyfriends as a teenager or in college, and in her 20s she threw herself into her research, initially at the Geneva University Hospital and then Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. One of her early findings was that romantic love seemed to activate 12 specific brain regions. Some of these were not a big surprise: Cacioppo expected it to fire up the so-called emotional brain and the dopamine-hungry reward system. What was unexpected was that passionate love distinct from friendship or maternal love also triggered some of the most sophisticated, higher-order regions of the brain. One in particular: the angular gyrus.

The angular gyrus, which is found tucked behind the ear, was developed relatively recently in our evolutionary history (only apes and humans have it). It is generally linked to abstract thought and language; photos of Einsteins brain have shown that this area was unusually large. For Cacioppo, the discovery was proof that love played a more complex role in the brain than anyone could have reasonably guessed. Her research also showed that, while we might believe that how we experienced love was unique, what was happening on a biological level was pretty much identical for all of us. Regardless of where you were born, whether you were gay or straight, male, female, transgendered, if a person or persons were significant to you, they can light up this network in the same essential way, Cacioppo writes in Wired for Love.

It was groundbreaking work, but for Cacioppo personally, love remained a theoretical concept. That changed at the conference in Shanghai in 2011. She has no doubt that love at first sight exists and there is scientific research to back it up: directeye-to-eye contact has been shown to spark activity in that core area of the angular gyrus. I felt really fulfilled in a way, at that time, recalls Cacioppo. And I genuinely thought I was happy until I met my husband, who really proved me wrong! I was happier with him than ever before.

In the beginning, John Cacioppo, who had been married twice before, was the more wary of the pair. After their first meeting, with him back in Chicago and her in Geneva, it was Stephanie who sent the follow-up message. Ive always been a fiercely independent woman, but yes, I did send that email, she says. And Im really glad I did. Because his prefrontal cortex what I call the parents in the brain was more dominant than his intuition, or the part of his mind that felt like his heart. So I dont think he would ever have sent an email.

The Cacioppos relationship moved fast, and in many ways they felt like they had the blessing of the science. Stephanies research suggested there were significant mental and physical benefits to being in love: rather than being distracted, people in love can benefit from the explosion of activity in their angular gyrus and be more creative and motivated. Likewise, data from one of Johns studies found that chronic loneliness increases the odds of an early death by 20%. This was about the same impact as being obese though obesity does not make you as miserable as loneliness, John Cacioppo told the Observer in 2016.

We joked about Dr Loneliness meeting Dr Love, but the title didnt really play a role in our relationship, she says. But our science really was part of our life: we tried to apply our science to everyday to make sure that Dr Love and Dr Loneliness will have this lasting love and will be happy ever after.

Theirs was not an uncomplicated coupling. In 2015, John was diagnosed with a rare form of salivary gland cancer; he had to undergo aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and for months was fed through a tube. But he recovered well enough to return to full-time teaching. His appetite came back and he rebuilt his depleted body with daily exercise sessions. Eventually, he was told by doctors that he had turned another corner, but soon afterwards he started coughing violently. The cancer had spread to his lungs.

In Wired for Love, Cacioppo is unsparing about the impact her husbands death had on her: she was depressed, unsure that a meaningful life was still possible. Today, she is still clearly raw, but defiant. When you go through all these emotions, like I did, you feel like the passenger of your life, rather than the driver of your life, she says. And this is really disturbing in a way, because you really dont know whats happening.

But Im a living proof of my science; I survived partly thanks to it, Cacioppo continues. Thats why I want to share it with readers; I want to share that experience and all the tricks and drills of the mind. And help them understand how the brain works, so then they can regain control of their own brain and feel that they are in charge of their emotions, rather than being the victim of their emotions.

The first stage of recovery for Cacioppo was exercise. She ran six miles a day (a 20-minute daily walk will also help) and realised she was happiest when she was helping others. Losing my husband was a huge mental shower, she says. I really understood what was important in life and its not me. I used to be an only child, always spoiled and the centre of attention, at least for my Italian grandmother. But now I see there is something bigger than me and its very humbling.

One of the great challenges for our society, says Cacioppo, is tackling loneliness. Its an invidious problem, but there are strategies that can help. The worst thing you can do to a lonely person is try to help them, she notes in Wired for Love. If you know somebody whos lonely, ask them to help you. Being shown respect, being depended upon, being made to understand your own importance all these things can give a lonely person a sense of worth and belonging.

Even the simple exercise we started the article with can reduce feelings of isolation. Understanding that our brain is our best friend, says Cacioppo, that we can really stay connected with others just with the power of our mind, just by imagining them with us right now, that will also help people feel less lonely.

As for whats next for Cacioppo, personally and professionally, shes not sure. Ill talk to my dog and see what she thinks about it, she says, with a giggle. But then she turns more serious. If there is one take-home message from my story, it doesnt come from me, it comes from Maya Angelou, who beautifully wrote, Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.

Wired for Love by Dr Stephanie Cacioppo is published by Little, Brown at 20, or buy a copy from guardianbookshop.com for 17.40

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We cannot live without love: when Dr Love met Dr Loneliness - The Guardian

Neuroscience

Binge Drinking Has a Powerful Impact on the Adolescent Brain – Neuroscience News

Summary: Adolescent binge drinking has vast functional implications on the developing brain, researchers report. Binge drinking decreases function in areas responsible for sensory, motor, memory, and cognitive processes.

Source: University at Buffalo

Binge drinking is the most common, costly and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Defined as consuming five or more drinks in a 2-hour period for men or four or more drinks for women,binge drinkingis associated with numerous health problems in adults, including increased violence, accidental injuries and death, impaired memory and increased risk for cancers, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

How bingedrinkingaffects adolescents, especially theadolescent brain, which is still developing, has not been well-understood.

Now a University at Buffalo research team has published apreclinical studydemonstrating the powerful effect that binge drinking has on the brains of adolescent rats. It also found that even low and moderate amounts ofalcoholcan significantly impactbrain function.

The paper was published May 14 in the journalMetabolic Brain Disease.

Mapping alcohols effects in the brain

Prior research has suggested that alcohol exposure during adolescence can lead to the development of various health risks, such as addiction, depression andbrain trauma, in adulthood.

To this end, we wanted to understand how adolescent binge drinking changesbrainfunction and brain connectivity, the ability of different regions in the brain to interact, said Panayotis K. Thanos, Ph.D., senior author and senior research scientist in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

To do this, we examinedglucose utilization, he explained.

By mapping the utilization of glucose throughout the brain, we can get an idea of how binge drinking changes brain functioning and where in the brain these changes take place. We can then use these data to learn more about future alcohol-induced neurological or psychiatric dysfunction in adulthood.

The researchers focused on glucose metabolism in the brain because it is the brains major source of energy.

While the brain only makes up approximately 2% of an individuals body weight, it consumes about 20% of the glucose in the body, said Thanos.

The metabolism of glucose in the brain is critical in carrying out normal physiological processes. By understanding how the brain uses glucose, we can get a sense of how the brain is functioning.

To determine how acute ethanol binge drinking affected glucose metabolism in the adolescent brain, the researchers conductedpositron emission tomography(PET) scans on rats that were provided with an alcohol/water drinking solution.

The study found that all levels of alcohol consumptionlow, moderate and highdecreased bloodglucose metabolismin the primary somatosensory cortex and visual cortex, which are key to processing sensory and visual information, as well as executing motor functions.

Vast functional implications

Our (PET) brain-imaging data showed that adolescent binge drinking has vast functional implications in the brain, said Thanos.

Alcohol binge consumption decreased brain function in areas responsible for sensory, motor, memory and cognitive processes. This lines up with the known behavioral consequences of alcohol consumption: impaired vision, diminished motor skills and coordination, confusion and others.

He said the data also provide a circuit map of the brains functional response to binge drinking that will be important targets for the future study of chronic effects of binge drinking.

The UB study is the first animal model of adolescent binge drinking that features simultaneous imaging of the brain in the animal while awake. Thats important because, for obvious reasons, we cannot feasibly study the acute brain effects of underage drinking in the human population, said Thanos.

Also of interest was what the study revealed about how low and moderate amounts of alcohol consumption affected the adolescent brain.

The interesting finding was the similarities between the low and moderate doses of alcohol consumed, said Thanos.

Although the low dose of alcohol consumed does not meet the criteria for binge drinking in humans, it still promoted a very similar profile in the brain compared to the alcohol dose that does meet binge drinking criteria.

Thanos concluded: Thisadolescentrat model allows us to capture the effects of binge drinking and view its deleterious effects on how the brain functions, he said. By doing so, we can begin to understand the neurobiological links between brain function and future behavioral deficits in adulthood.

Author: Press OfficeSource: University at BuffaloContact: Press Office University of BuffaloImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Closed access.Alcohol binge drinking decreases brain glucose metabolism and functional connectivity in adolescent rats by Cecilia Rapp et al. Metabolic Brain Disease

Abstract

Alcohol binge drinking decreases brain glucose metabolism and functional connectivity in adolescent rats

Alcohol misuse represents a serious health concern, especially during adolescence, with approximately 18% of high school students engaging in binge drinking. Despite widespread misuse of alcohol, its effects on how the brain functions is not fully understood.

This study utilized a binge drinking model in adolescent rats to examine effects on brain function as measured by brain glucose metabolism (BGluM).

Following an injection of [18FDG] fluro-2-deoxy-D-glucose, rats had voluntary access to either water or various concentrations of ethanol to obtain the following targeted doses: water (no ethanol), low dose ethanol (0.290.03g/kg), moderate dose ethanol (0.980.05), and high dose ethanol (2.190.23g/kg). Rats were subsequently scanned using positron emission tomography.

All three doses of ethanol were found to decrease BGluM in the restrosplenial cortex, visual cortex, jaw region of the somatosensory cortex, and cerebellum. For both the LD and MD ethanol dose, decreased BGluM was seen in the superior colliculi. The MD ethanol dose also decreased BGluM in the subiculum, frontal association area, as well as the primary motor cortex.

Lastly, the HD ethanol dose decreased BGluM in the hippocampus, thalamus, raphe nucleus, inferior colliculus, and the primary motor cortex. Similar decreases in the hippocampus were also seen in the LD group. Taken together, these results highlight the negative consequences of acute binge drinking on BGluM in many regions of the brain involved in sensory, motor, and cognitive processes.

Future studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of alcohol binge drinking on brain function as well as its cessation.

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Binge Drinking Has a Powerful Impact on the Adolescent Brain - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

18-year-old triplets graduate from Georgia Tech – 11Alive.com WXIA

In 2019, the triplets became the first-ever co-valedictorians at West Forsyth High School when they were 16-years-old.

ATLANTA Three years after being named the first-ever co-valedictorians at West Forsyth High School, the Kashlan triplets graduated from Georgia Tech at 18-years-old.

Adam, Zane, and Rommi Kashlan earned neuroscience degrees with minors in health and medical sciences. They completed their degrees a year early and with honors. The trio will head to Boston to work and conduct research at Harvard Medical School.

Inseparable, right, guys? Rommi laughed. You cant get away from me!

Their parents, Dean and Majid Kashlan, said the brothers have always been close.

They've been the best buddies all along," Dean said.

When the boys were in the first grade, school administrators suggested they be tested at a higher academic level.

"They found out that they can take one class extra," Majid said. "They accelerated them into the gifted and talented program."

And their academic success grew from there. They graduated as co-valedictorians from West Forsyth High when they were only 16-years-old.

They worked for every bit of it; they surmounted their own little Mt. Everest," Dean said. "We followed them. We saw where they were going and all we did was make sure that that road is paved.

Although that road led to the same university, degree and postgrad plans, they still found their paths.

We were trying to be different and then we just merged," Zane joked. "Somehow we just found each other."

We are very different in our passions," added Rommi, who said he wants to pursue teaching.

Zane and Adam plan to work at Harvard Medical School in affiliation with Boston Childrens Hospital as Research Assistants.

Being a researcher is my number one passion," Adam said. "You're always going to be the best at something that you enjoy. At the end of the day, even if you have infinite success, if you don't love what you do, then it doesn't mean anything.

The triplets credit their parents for supporting their various passions over the years.

"At the end of the day, you need you need your family to support you," Rommi said. "Everyone's going to have different passions. Everyone's going to end up someplace in life. As long as you just have that net to catch you when you fall and bounce right back up, that's the most important thing."

"I think having parents that kind of steer you in the right direction but don't like force you into something I think is really important," added Adam.

Zane said his advice for others is not to get too caught up in the "next step."

A lot of people are focused on only going forward and sometimes I think it's good to just take like steps back to reevaluate everything," he said.

Degrees now secured, the brothers are ready to step forward.

"It's all on to the next," Rommi said. "That's our motto."

No matter who they become, theyll still always be the brothers theyve been.

Whatever place there is for us, well find it," Rommi said. "At the end of the day, we have each other."

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18-year-old triplets graduate from Georgia Tech - 11Alive.com WXIA

Neuroscience

Meet StoreDot: The Startup That Used Neuroscience to Revolutionize EV Batteries – Sustainable Brands

Thanks to a unique, interdisciplinary approach to addressing range anxiety due to limited battery life, the Israeli startup has reinvented the EV battery with a breakthrough that could finally leapfrog EVs into the mainstream.

It is no secret that transportation is one of our biggest polluters andcontributors to climate change it is responsible for 20 percent of all carbondioxideemissionsglobally, with the largest majority emitted by road transportation. Despitethis, private carownershipis on the rise; 91.5 percent ofhouseholdsin the US had access to at least one vehicle in 2020, up from 90.82 percentin 2015. But its clear that a sustainable future for travel cannot be dependenton traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles.

Consumers understand the need for a shift to electric vehicles (EVs) 75percent of US driversagree that EVs are the future; but the majority of them dont seem to be readyfor them in the present, as most continue to favor the familiarcombustion engine.

One of the most critical barriers preventing consumers from buying EVs is rangeanxiety the fear of running out of power and not being able to find acharging point. Automakers from Ford and Jaguar Land Rover to Porsche and Tesla are actively working to advance manufacturing and capabilities for EV batteries; but in the meantime, recent Volvo research found that range anxiety was still the topbarrier to purchasing an EV for 58 percent ofdriverswho had never driven an EV.

Hoping to help ease this anxiety is StoreDot anIsraeli EV battery startup that is showcasing the potential ofextra-fast-charging (XFC) battery power to disrupting the EV market. Thanks to aunique, interdisciplinary approach to the issue of battery life, StoreDot hasreinvented the battery with a breakthrough that might leapfrog EVs into themainstream.

In batteries, charge is held in the electrodes the cathodes and anodes. Whensomething is being powered, ions move from anode tocathode; then,when the battery is recharged, ions return to cathode from anode. StoreDots XFCbatteries work by replacing the traditional Li-ion graphite anode withactive-material silicon nanoparticles, which accelerate diffusion. Siliconanodes are absorbent and can accept more lithium ions than graphite, whichcauses faster recharge resulting in more charge and longer battery life.

The surface area where Li-ions can enter a 3D structure of silicon our activematerial is much larger, Doron Myersdorf, CEO and co-founder of StoreDot,told Sustainable Brands. So, imagine the surface area of a footballfield with nanoparticle capabilities, compared to a credit card without it. Thelarger surface area allows for free flow of ions in a safe and fast manner,which is not feasible otherwise.

The breakthrough was inspired by work at Tel AvivUniversity on Alzheimer's disease. There, theyinvestigated peptides in the Amyloid fibrils the brains neural network associated with brain degradation. By artificially synthesising a variety ofmolecules, they demonstrated the potential of organic molecules for energystorage in nanoscale structures.

The number-one problem for adoption of electric vehicles is the speed ofcharging; and I saw a path to change the game using the XFC technology,Myersdorf explains. We identified organic materials and small molecules thatcan be beneficial in storing energy; then, created a large experiment toidentify the most effective materials that can be integrated into the Li ionbatteries.

StoreDots breakthrough was made possible by its interdisciplinary team ofscientists from different academic fields.

The best way to break the limits of what is known in science is the combinationof different disciplines, Myersdorf told us. That way, much of the advancedmethodologies and materials can be synergistically integrated into the design ofthe new battery and thats what enables breakthroughs.

The innovation of combining organic and inorganic molecules can be a longprocess; and it took StoreDot, founded in 2012, almost a decade to materializethe configuration of the battery and materials.

The speed of charge was very limited in traditional graphite-based anodes.StoreDot shows how you can replace the graphite with silicon, with combinedprotection from organic additives and coatings, Myersdorf says. Silicon has 5xenergy compared to graphite; however, it needs to be well controlled in terms ofswelling.

StoreDots reinvented batteries, augmented by organic molecules and optimized byAI, will help advance the shift away from combustion engines to a lesscarbon-filled future. Not only will EVs charge faster, but StoreDot is pushingfor the longevity of EV batteries the company ensures that the batteries canretain 70 percent of their original capacity after 1,700 charging cycles; and itis now developing self-repairing batterycells.

StoreDot, valued at $1.6 billion, has a wide variety ofinvestors includingautomakers VinFast (Vietnamese EV manufacturer) andDaimler, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the Wertheimerfamily(French billionaires and co-owners of Chanel), BP, Samsung Ventures,Singulariteam and electronics giant TDK.With the solid state battery market estimated to reach $3.4 billion globallyby 2030 at 18 percentCAGR,investments like these are crucial to promote the necessary R&D to meet futuremarket demand.

Last month, Volvo Cars Tech Fund also invested inStoreDot.Volvo Cars was the first established car manufacturer to commit to all-outelectrification,and aims to be a pure electric car company by 2030. This collaboration shouldaccelerate perfection and scaling of StoreDots technology and with it, globalgrowth of EV adoption.

Myersdorf said the Volvo investment opens the access for advanced battery andvehicle teams across the globe, and allows entry into the NorthVolt productionfacility which is part of the Volvo joint ventures for volume battery deliveries.

In the meantime, StoreDot is on track to meet its first milestone, set for2024, to mass-produce anddeliver battery cells that allow for 100 miles of driving after only 5 minutesof charging and by 2028, just 3 minutes.

Published May 12, 2022 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST

Scarlett Buckley is a London-based freelance sustainability writer with an MSc in Creative Arts & Mental Health.

Original post:
Meet StoreDot: The Startup That Used Neuroscience to Revolutionize EV Batteries - Sustainable Brands

Neuroscience

Eating Sea Squirts May Reverse the Signs of Aging – Neuroscience News

Summary: Supplementing a diet with Ascidiacea, or sea squirts, reversed some of the main signs of aging in mouse models.

Source: Xian jiaotong-Liverpool University

If you have ever looked in the mirror and seen graying hair and wrinkles or forgotten the name of a close friend, youd be forgiven for wishing for a pill that could slow or even reverse the effects of aging.

A new study suggests that this may not be such a fantasy. Researchers from Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Stanford University, Shanghai Jiao tong University, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported that supplementing a diet with the sea organisms Ascidiacea, also known as sea squirts, reverses some of the main signs of aging in an animal model.

Sea squirts can be eaten raw and are found in dishes from Korea (where it is known asmeongge, or ) and Japan (hoya, or ). These sea organisms contain substances called plasmalogens, which are vital to our body processes.

Plasmalogens are found all over our bodies naturally, particularly in the heart, brain andimmune cells, but as we get older, the amount in our body decreases. This loss is also a characteristic of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease.

To investigate whether boosting the levels of plasmalogens can stave off the effects of aging, the researchers studied the effects of adding plasmalogens to the diet of aged mice.

They found that the supplements had profound effects on the learning abilities and physical symptoms of these mice.

Professor Lei Fu, the corresponding author of the study, says: Our research suggests that plasmalogens may not just stopcognitive decline, but may reverse cognitive impairments in the aging brain. Additionally, aged mice fed with the plasmalogens grow new black hair that is thicker and glossier than aged mice not fed thesupplement.

This study is the first to show, in detail, how plasmalogens affect the aging brain.

Making new connections

The effects of the plasmalogen supplement on learning and memory were tested by training mice to use a Morris water mazea pool of water that contains a platform that serves as a resting area. Generally, mice do not like to swim, so over five days of training, they remember where the platform is and swim directly to it as soon as they are in the pool. However, older mice take longer to find the platform after the same amount of training.

Astonishingly, when fed with plasmalogens, aged mice perform more like young mice, finding the platform much quicker than the control group of aged mice that have not been given the supplement.

To find the reason for the improvement shown by plasmalogen-fed mice, the researchers took a closer look at changes happening within the brain. They found that mice that were fed the plasmalogen supplement had a higher number and quality of synapsesthe connections between neuronsthan the aged mice not given the supplements.

Synapses are a fundamental part of our neural networks and, therefore, crucial for learning and memory. Our synapses tend to be very plastic as children, but they decrease in number and deteriorate with age and in neurogenerative diseases, resulting in cognitive impairments.

Accordingly, in this study, the aged mice fed with plasmalogen supplements showed greater potential for learning new skills and creating new neural networks than the aged mice whose diet was not supplemented. This suggests that dietary plasmalogens can halt the age-related deterioration of synapses.

A further characteristic of getting older, and thought to be a significant factor in neurodegeneration, is inflammation in the brain. Too much inflammation can have a negative effect on cognitive ability, as the brains immune system becomes overactive and turns on itself, attacking neurons and preventing synapses from functioning correctly.

In this study, the inflammation in agedmicewas greatly decreased in those given plasmalogen supplements compared to those on a normal diet, providing some insight as to why they performed better in learning and memory tasks.

Possible pathways of action

Although it is still unclear how dietary plasmalogen supplements seem to cause such significant changes in learning and memory, Professor Fu speculates on possible pathways of action.

We found that plasmalogens significantly increase the number of molecules that aid the growth and development of neurons and synapses in the brain. This suggests that plasmalogens can promote neurodegeneration.

There is also an increasing body of evidence that plasmalogens directly affect the structural properties of synapses. Plasmalogens may increase the fluidity and flexibility of synaptic membranes, affecting the transmission of impulses between neurons.

Additionally, Professor Fu explains that plasmalogens may also have indirect effects on our brains.

Some studies have shown that dietary plasmalogens affect the microorganisms in the gut. It has been widely reported that the connection between the organisms in our gut and our brain influences neurodegeneration. It may be the plasmalogens effect on this connection that causes the improvements in learning and memory seen in this study.

Professor Fu is so convinced by the results of this study that he takes a plasmalogen supplement each day.

For the first time, we show that plasmalogen supplements might be a potential intervention strategy for halting neurodegeneration and promoting neuroregeneration.

The oral intake of plasmalogens could be a feasible therapeutic strategy to improve cognitive function in older people.

So, it could be that a pill to keep you young may not be such an unrealistic proposition after allas long as it containssea squirts.

Author: Cat DiamondSource: Xian jiaotong-Liverpool UniversityContact: Cat Diamond Xian jiaotong-Liverpool UniversityImage: The image is credited to Jpatokal

Original Research: Open access.Plasmalogens Eliminate Aging-Associated Synaptic Defects and Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Mice by Jinxin Gu et al. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Abstract

Plasmalogens Eliminate Aging-Associated Synaptic Defects and Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Mice

Neurodegeneration is a pathological condition in which nervous system or neuron losses its structure, function, or both leading to progressive neural degeneration. Growing evidence strongly suggests that reduction of plasmalogens (Pls), one of the key brain lipids, might be associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers disease (AD).

Plasmalogens are abundant members of ether-phospholipids. Approximately 1 in 5 phospholipids are plasmalogens in human tissue where they are particularly enriched in brain, heart and immune cells. In this study, we employed a scheme of 2-months Pls intragastric administration to aged female C57BL/6J mice, starting at the age of 16months old.

Noticeably, the aged Pls-fed mice exhibited a better cognitive performance, thicker and glossier body hair in appearance than that of aged control mice.

The transmission electron microscopic (TEM) data showed that 2-months Pls supplementations surprisingly alleviate age-associated hippocampal synaptic loss and also promote synaptogenesis and synaptic vesicles formation in aged murine brain.

Further RNA-sequencing, immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that plasmalogens remarkably enhanced both the synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis in aged murine hippocampus. In addition, we have demonstrated that Pls treatment inhibited the age-related microglia activation and attenuated the neuroinflammation in the murine brain.

These findings suggest for the first time that Pls administration might be a potential intervention strategy for halting neurodegeneration and promoting neuroregeneration.

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Eating Sea Squirts May Reverse the Signs of Aging - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Combination of ‘Feelings’ and Measurements Suggest Alzheimer’s in the Early Stage – Neuroscience News

Summary: A combination of patient-reported subjective cognitive impairment and measurable clinical symptoms, such as amyloid-beta accumulation in the cerebrospinal fluid, may help in the early diagnosis of Alzheimers disease.

Source: DZNE

Subjective memory disorders in conjunction with conspicuous levels of beta-amyloid proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid are a strong indication of developing Alzheimers disease. This is the conclusion of a DZNE study involving about 1,000 older adults.

A team led by dementia researcher Frank Jessen reports on these findings in the journalAlzheimers & Dementia.

The study results could contribute to the early detection and treatment of Alzheimers disease.

When people feel that their memory or other mental abilities are declining, but objective tests do not reveal any deterioration, this is referred to in medicine as subjective cognitive impairment, or SCD for short. The phenomenon has been a topic of research for several years.

The affected individuals report cognitive problems that cause them serious concern, but which are not measurable with current techniques, explains Prof. Frank Jessen, a DZNE scientist and director of the Department of Psychiatry at University of Cologne. By now it has turned out that SCD is a risk factor, but not a conclusive warning sign for upcoming dementia.

In many individuals with SCD, there is no progressive loss of cognitive performance. To assess the individual risk more accurately, other factors have to be taken into account, the researcher says. We have now been able to specify these. If, in addition to SCD, there is also evidence that certain proteins accumulate in the brain, then taken together thats a strong sign for a developing Alzheimers disease.

A nationwide study

This assessment is based on a long-term DZNE study called DELCODE, which comprises ten study centers across Germany and involves several university hospitals. Within this framework, cognitive performance of almost 1,000 older women and men has been recorded annually since several years.

This is done by means of established neuropsychological test procedures. In addition, the cerebrospinal fluid of many study participants is analyzed andbrain volumedetermined by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Jessen and his colleagues now evaluated measurement series of the individual subjects, each data set covered a period of up to five years. Mean age of the study participants was around 70 years, and they were originally recruited through memory clinics at the participating university hospitals and through newspaper advertisements.

The cohort included more than 400 people with SCD at baseline and around 300 individuals who had measurable cognitive impairmentsup to symptoms of dementia due to Alzheimers disease.

In addition, the cohort comprised more than 200 adults whose cognitive performance was within the normal range and who did not exhibit SCD at baseline: These healthy persons served as acontrol group. All in all, this represents one of the most comprehensive studies on SCD to date.

Biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid

The protein beta-amyloid, which accumulates in the brain in the course of Alzheimers disease, played an important role in the investigations.

Accumulation in the brain can be assessed indirectlyon the basis of the level of the protein in thecerebrospinal fluid: if the reading is beyond athreshold value, this is regarded as evidence that beta-amyloid is concentrating in the brain. These individuals are then considered amyloid-positive. 83 study participants with SCD and 25 volunteers from the control group had this status.

Deposition of beta-amyloid, like SCD, is a risk factor for Alzheimers disease. On their own, however, neither phenomenon is a clear indicator of disease. But the picture sharpens, as evidenced by our study, when these phenomena are considered together and over a longer time period, Jessen says.

Development over time

During the study period, some subjects from the SCD group and also some from the control group evolved measurable cognitive deficits. This was particularly evident in amyloid-positive subjects with SCD at baseline.

In comparison,cognitive declinewas much on average much lower in amyloid-positive individuals of the control group. MRI data of the brain also showed differences:

The hippocampus, a brain area divided over both brain hemispheres and considered the control center of memory, tended to be smaller in amyloid-positive subjects with SCD than in amyloid-positive individuals of the control group: an indication of atrophy, i.e. loss of brain mass.

Stage 2 of Alzheimers disease

When you add up all the findings, including the data from those subjects who already had measurable cognitive deficits at baseline, we see the combination of SCD and amyloid-positive status as a strong indicator of early-stage Alzheimers disease, Jessen says.

If you classify Alzheimers into six stages according to common practice, with stage 6 representing severe dementia, then, in our view, the combination of SCD and amyloid-positive status corresponds to stage 2. This occurs before the stage where measurable symptoms first appear and which is also referred to as mild cognitive impairment.

An approach for early detection

To date, there is no effective treatment for Alzheimers disease. However, it is generally believed that therapy should begin as early as possible.

If there are measurable clinical symptoms, then the brain has already been significantly damaged. From todays perspective, treatment then has little chance of lasting success, says Jessen.

The question, therefore, is how to identify apparently healthy individuals who actually have Alzheimers disease and are very likely to develop dementia. I consider the combination of SCD and amyloid-positive status to be a promising criterion that should be further investigated and tested in future studies.

Author: Press OfficeSource: DZNEContact: Press Office DZNEImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Open access.Subjective cognitive decline and stage 2 of Alzheimer disease in patients from memory centers by Frank Jessen et al. Alzheimers & Dementia

Abstract

Subjective cognitive decline and stage 2 of Alzheimer disease in patients from memory centers

It is uncertain whether subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in individuals who seek medical help serves the identification of the initial symptomatic stage 2 of the Alzheimers disease (AD) continuum.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the multicenter, memory clinicbased DELCODE study.

The SCD group showed slightly worse cognition as well as more subtle functional and behavioral symptoms than the control group (CO). SCDA+ cases (39.3% of all SCD) showed greater hippocampal atrophy, lower cognitive and functional performance, and more behavioral symptoms than COA+. Amyloid concentration in the CSF had a greater effect on longitudinal cognitive decline in SCD than in the CO group.

Our data suggests that SCD serves the identification of stage 2 of the AD continuum and that stage 2, operationalized as SCD-A+, is associated with subtle, but extended impact of AD pathology in terms of neurodegeneration, symptoms and clinical progression.

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Combination of 'Feelings' and Measurements Suggest Alzheimer's in the Early Stage - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Family Size May Influence Cognitive Functioning in Later Life – Neuroscience News

Summary: Having three or more children was associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline later in life.

Source: Columbia University

A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and the Robert Butler Columbia Aging Center and Universit Paris-DauphinePSL, found that having three or more versus two children has a negative effect on late-life cognition.

The results further indicated that this effect was strongest in Northern Europe, where higher fertility decreases financial resources but does not improve social resources in this region. This is the first to study the causal effect of high fertility on late-life cognition.

Until now fertility has not received much attention as a potential predictor of late-life cognition compared with other factors, such as education or occupation.

The findings are published in the journalDemography.

Understanding the factors that contribute to optimal late-life cognition is essential for ensuring successful aging at the individual and societal levelsparticularly in Europe, where family sizes have shrunk and populations are aging rapidly, said Vegard Skirbekk, Ph.D., professor of population and Family health at Columbia Mailman School.

For individuals, late life cognitive health is essential for maintaining independence and being socially active and productive in late life. For societies, ensuring the cognitive health of the older population is essential for extending work lives and reducinghealth care costsand care needs, said Eric Bonsang, Ph.D., professor of economics at the Universit Paris-DauphinePSL.

The researchers analyzed data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to examine the extent to which having three or more children versus two children causally affects late-life cognition.

SHARE surveys representative samples of the older populations in 20 European countries and Israel including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Participants were aged 65 or older who had at least twobiological children.

Based on advanced econometric methods able disentangle causality from simple associations, the evidence suggests that that having three or more versus two children is related to worse late-life cognition. They also found that this effect is similar for both men and women.

Fertility may affect late-life cognition via several pathways. First, having an additional child often incurs considerable financial costs, reducesfamily incomeand increases the likelihood of falling below the poverty line, thus decreasing the standard of living for allfamily membersand possibly causing financial worries and uncertainties, which could contribute to cognitive deterioration.

Second, having an additional child is causally related to womens lower labor market participation, fewer hours worked, and lower earnings. In turn, labor force participationcompared with retirementpositively affects cognitive functioning among men and women.

Third, having children decreases the risk of social isolation among older individuals which is a key risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia, and often raises the level of social interaction and support, which can be protective against cognitive decline at older ages.

Finally, having children can be stressful, affect health risk behaviors and adversely affect adult cognitive development. Parents with more children can experience more stress, have less time to relax and invest in cognitively stimulating leisure activities. This can imply sleep deprivation for the parent.

Thenegative effectof having three or more children on cognitive functioning is not negligible, it is equivalent to 6.2 years of aging, noted Bonsang. It suggests that the decrease in the proportion of Europeans having three or more children may have positive implications for thecognitive healthof the older population.

Given the magnitude of the effect, future studies on late-life cognition should also examine fertility as a prognosticator alongside more commonly researched predictors, such as education, occupational experiences, physical exercise, and mental and physical health, observed Skirbekk.

In addition, future studies should address the potential effects of childlessness or having one child on late-life cognition. We also need more information on the types of interactions, supports, and conflicts that occur between parents and children, which may influence cognitive outcomes.

Author: Press OfficeSource: Columbia UniversityContact: Press Office Columbia UniversityImage: The image is in the public domain

Original Research: Open access.Does Childbearing Affect Cognitive Health in Later Life? Evidence From an Instrumental Variable Approach by Eric Bonsang et al. Demography

Abstract

Does Childbearing Affect Cognitive Health in Later Life? Evidence From an Instrumental Variable Approach

Cognitive decline is a widespread concern as populations grow older. However, population aging is partly driven by a decrease in fertility, and family size may influence cognitive functioning in later life. Prior studies have shown that fertility history is associated with late-life cognition, but whether the relationship is causal remains unclear.

We use an instrumental variable approach and data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe to examine whether having three or more versus two children affects late-life cognition.

Parents often prefer to have at least one son and one daughter. We thus exploit the sex composition of the first two children as a source of exogenous variation in the probability of having three or more children.

Results indicate that having three or more versus two children has a negative effect on late-life cognition. This effect is strongest in Northern Europe, perhaps because higher fertility decreases financial resources yet does not improve social resources in this region.

Future studies should address the potential effects of childlessness or having one child on late-life cognition and explore the mediating mechanisms.

Link:
Family Size May Influence Cognitive Functioning in Later Life - Neuroscience News