Category Archives: Neuroscience

Joyce Richey never needed to learn about Juneteenth from stories in books. She first heard about the holiday through her own family history.

Each generation shares stories about her great-grandmother, who was born into slavery in Georgia and remained enslaved until nearly two years after the practice was abolished in 1862. Juneteenth, observed every year on June 19, celebrates the end of slavery.

She said her master did not tell his slaves they were free until the Yankees, as my great-grandmother called them, came and made him tell them, recalled Richey, associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She also said that the Yankees told the plantation owner to give each family of freed slaves 10 acres of land and a whole ham.

She doesnt remember receiving any of that. Instead, her father received a hogs head and no land.

Rena Terry Watson, Richeys great-grandmother, was born into slavery in Georgia. (Photo/Courtesy of Joyce Richey)

Richey heard accounts of her great-grandmother, Rena Terry Watson, throughout her childhood. Every couple of years, her extended family would get together for family reunions and talk about their history and how far theyve come since Watsons time.

Juneteenth commemorates the signing of General Order No. 3 by a Union Army general proclaiming freedom from slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. Slavery had already been outlawed in Texas and the rest of the United States nearly 2 1/2 years earlier when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but enforcement of that new law largely fell on Union troops.

Looking back, one of the things that strikes Richey most is her great-grandmothers spirit of forgiveness. Watson was a devout Baptist who forgave the people who owned her and her family.

During an interview with a local newspaper reporter when she passed age 100, Watson said she forgave the white people for the hard times the slaves had after their emancipation.

And while Richey admires her great-grandmothers heart, she questions whether she could have done the same.

I appreciate my great-grandmothers sentiments, her faith and her belief, for mine are similar, she said. However, when you think about the totality of her life experiences, its hard to reconcile. I also know that to move forward, you have to harness those horrific experiences into positivity, making meaningful change.

Its one thing to read it in history books, but its another thing to see it be so proximate. This is our family.

Joyce Richey

I dont want it to come off like Im not forgiving, but its something thats really difficult to digest.

Richey shares this family history with younger relatives and her own children as much as she can.

Its one thing to read it in history books, but its another thing to see it be so proximate, she said. This is our family.

Both of Watsons parents were slaves, and Watsons husband was also born a slave, Richey said. Thats a painful past to unwrap. She thinks about their deprivation and the opportunity missed: None of them were formally educated or given a chance to accumulate wealth while they were enslaved.

The Terry family, shown in a photo from a large reunion gathering in 1988. (Photo/Courtesy of Joyce Richey)

But it also is a testament to how much their descendants have accomplished. The family has grown by the hundreds about 400 have gathered for family reunions and generations of their children have grown up to have fulfilling careers and families.

Richey is an example. She holds a doctorate and is an associate professor of clinical physiology and neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine. She studies the relationship between obesity, diabetes and hypertension, and the National Institutes of Health and other major funders have supported her research.

There have been great obstacles, but look at the strides that have been made, she said. At the same time, we still have a long way to go.

Watsons life spanned decades that saw triumphs and continued discrimination for Black Americans. She died in 1963, as the U.S. civil rights movement was building momentum. She was reported to have reached age 113.

Most of what Richeys family knows about their great-grandmother and other relatives comes from the research of an unofficial family historian who has traveled throughout the country to track down original documents about the familys life in the United States.

Most of what Richeys family knows about their great-grandmother and other relatives comes from the research of an unofficial family historian. (Photo/Courtesy of Joyce Richey)

Those documents include birth and marriage certificates, as well as records of where their relatives were sold and some of their freedom papers, which certified their non-slave status.

Although this history is sad, Richey believes its important to share it with others. It shows how far people have come in this country and inspires future generations to honor their past.

I think that, in general, we have fallen short by not knowing our stories and not sharing our stories, she said. Commemorations like Juneteenth provide an opportunity to keep those stories alive and teach that history to others. When you hear those stories, I think thats when people have that aha moment, she said.

She is particularly proud of the fact that USC has made Juneteenth an annual celebration. Juneteenth shouldnt be confined to the South, she said: Its impact reverberates throughout the world.

To bring it home to USC and to highlight our faculty and our students in terms of what that means to us, that bodes really well in terms of just understanding one another, bringing those people together, being inclusive and understanding our sense of diversity and why our diverse experiences are so important, she said. It truly speaks to turning our pain into purpose.

Watch Joyce Richey tell her family story during USCs 2020 Juneteenth celebration (music licensed via Accidental Records: Breathe by Matthew Herbert Big Band):

More stories about: History, Race and Ethnicity

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Juneteenth and its stories are a part of Joyce Richey's family history - USC News

Neuroscience

The Neural Mechanisms Behind Effective Psychotherapy – Psychiatric Times

June 21, 2021 medical

The New Neuroscience of Memory

Recent studies have made important discoveries about the neural mechanisms underlying memory. Four are of particular interest. First, memories are not fixed entities; rather, they enter a labile state whenever they are reactivated, and can be modified or updated with new information during a 4 to 6 hour window after reactivation.1 Second, specific episodic (event) memories and semantic (generalizable knowledge) memories are highly inter-related in that they share neural mechanisms, and the latter are a distillation of the former.2 Third, memories that are emotionally charged are remembered better than those that are not.3 And fourth, the activation of emotion appears to be a necessary ingredient of successful outcomes in psychotherapy.4,5

Drawing upon these observations, my colleagues and I hypothesized that there were 3 key ingredients to lasting change in psychotherapy: 1) activating problematic memories and the associated painful affect; 2) concurrently engaging new emotional experiences that change old memories through reconsolidation; 3) reinforcing the strength of new memories and their semantic structures by practicing new ways of behaving and experiencing the world in a variety of contexts. In a 2015 article in a leading neuroscience journal,4 we briefly discussed the application of this model to 4 different psychotherapy modalities, including behavioral, cognitive behavioral (CBT), emotion focused (EFT), and psychodynamic psychotherapies..

Diving Into the Researchand the Clinical Implications

Realizing that there was much more to say about this new way of understanding change in psychotherapy, my colleagues and I published an edited volume, with multiple contributors, that both explains the basic science of memory and outlines a clinical application of our model. The new book, Neuroscience of Enduring Change: Implications for Psychotherapy, expands upon the previous work in 3 sections.6 The basic science section includes chapters on emotion, memory, emotion-memory interactions, the role of language in shaping emotion and memory, and the role of sleep in memory consolidation and reconsolidation. The clinical section includes chapters from leading experts in psychodynamic psychotherapy, CBT, EFT, coherence therapy, and integrative approaches. Each author considers the role of memory reconsolidation in both psychotherapy and in achieving lasting personal change. The final section includes chapters on recurrent maladaptive patterns, a computational neuroscience perspective on the proposed model, and a discussion of a proposed preclinical and clinical research agenda.

Considerable effort was made within and across chapters to promote cross-fertilization between basic science and clinical application. Although it is written for neuroscience-oriented mental health clinicians, all psychotherapists, psychotherapy researchers, and scientists interested in memory, emotion, and their clinical application will find new ideas and practical advice in this book. An independent book review has been published.7

If one takes this model seriously it could influence psychiatric practice in several ways. For example, it is useful to consider how interventions might be adjusted in therapies that have stalled or have failed. Rather than talking about feelings with the goal of promoting insight, it is also important to experience feelings, especially the old painful feelings from which individuals have protected themselves for years, and to juxtapose these feelings with corrective emotional experiences.

Another clinical implication emerges from the observation that consolidation of emotional memories occurs primarily during REM sleep. Because reconsolidation may work in the same way, medications that inhibit REM sleep may be counterproductive to enduring change in psychotherapy. It is therefore important to know that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, tricyclics, and benzodiazepines inhibit REM sleep, whereas trazodone, buproprion, and mirtazapine do not.8,9. The book describes these and other implications and provides a fresh perspective on how psychotherapy practice may be optimized and integrated in psychiatric care.

The Story Behind the Book

My interest in this topic emerged over the course of my 35-year career as an academic psychiatrist. I was initially trained as a clinical psychiatrist and psychodynamic psychotherapist and have continued to practice and supervise residents ever since. I was also fortunate enough to receive research training (resulting in a PhD in experimental psychology) that focused on cognitive neuroscience and functional neuroimaging of emotion. I have found the dialogue between the basic science of psychiatry and its clinical application to be particularly enriching and informative.

In my role as educator, I have become well acquainted with the challenges (eg, significant differences in the theoretical backgrounds, mindset, and clinical interventions required by these different approaches) psychiatry residents face in developing competence in CBT, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and supportive psychotherapy. Because there is a strong interest in finding common factors and common mechanisms across psychotherapy modalities, it occurred to me that a systems neuroscience perspective could provide an integrative mechanistic framework that would highlight commonalities instead of divergences. Moreover, the goal of integrating pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is likely to be advanced by explaining how each works in brain-based terms. In my efforts to develop a new brain-based model of change in psychotherapy, I have been fortunate to have remarkable collaborators, including Lynn Nadel, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona (a pioneer in the newly emerging understanding of memory).

Concluding Thoughts

It is important to emphasize that we have not yet established that change in psychotherapy occurs through memory reconsolidation. One of the conclusions of our book is that a focus of intervention is recurrent maladaptive patterns, which can be understood as an expression of schemas. Schematic memory is a type of semantic memory and, as an area of neuroscientific investigation, it is relatively new. It remains to be demonstrated empirically that schematic memories can be updated with emotional information. If so, it must then be determined whether this applies to psychotherapy. Although research of this type is still underway, it might be argued that it is important to consider the clinical implications of this model if it were true.

Dr Lane is professor of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Arizona.

References

1. Phelps EA, Hofmann SG. Memory editing from science fiction to clinical practice. Nature. 2019;572(7767):43-50.

2. Ryan L, Hoscheidt S, Nadel L. Perspectives on episodic and semantic memory retrieval. In: Dere A, Easton J, Huston J, Nadel L, eds. Handbook of Episodic Memory. Elsevier; 2008:5-18.

3. Kalbe F, Schwabe L. Beyond arousal: Prediction error related to aversive events promotes episodic memory formation. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2020;46(2):234-246.

4. Lane RD, Ryan L, Nadel L, Greenberg L. Memory reconsolidation, emotional arousal, and the process of change in psychotherapy: New insights from brain science. Behav Brain Sci. 2015;38:e1.

5. Auszra L, Greenberg LS, Herrmann I. Client emotional productivity-optimal client in-session emotional processing in experiential therapy. Psychother Res. 2013;23(6):732-746.

6. Lane RD, Nadel L, eds. Neuroscience of Enduring Change: Implications for Psychotherapy. Oxford University Press; 2020.

7. Kramer U. Review of Neuroscience of Enduring Change: Implications for Psychotherapy. Am J Psychother. 2021;74:44-45.

8. Doghramji K, Jangro WC. Adverse effects of psychotropic medications on sleep. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2016;39(3):487-502.

9. Borbly AA, Mattmann P, Loepfe M, Strauch I, Lehmann D. Effect of benzodiazepine hypnotics on all-night sleep EEG spectra. Hum Neurobiol. 1985;4(3):189-194.

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The Neural Mechanisms Behind Effective Psychotherapy - Psychiatric Times

Neuroscience

Study: People who felt their life was guided by meaningful values or goals were more willing to engage in COVID-19 protective behaviors – YubaNet

June 21, 2021 medical

Why can some people weather the stress of social isolation better than others, and what implications does this have for their health? New research from the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who felt a strong sense of purpose in life were less lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Did they achieve less loneliness by flouting public health guidance? No. Although lonelier people were less likely to want to follow public health guidance, people with a stronger sense of purpose also expressed more willingness to engage in social distancing, hand washing, and other COVID-19 protective behaviors.

Purpose in life, or a sense that your life is guided by personally meaningful values and goals which could involve family ties, religion, activism, parenthood, career or artistic ambitions, or many other things has been associated in prior research with a wide range of positive health outcomes, both physical and psychological.

In the face of adversity, people with a stronger sense of purpose in life tend to be more resilient because they have a clear sense of goals that motivate actions that are aligned with personal values, says Yoona Kang, Ph.D., lead author and a Research Director of the Communication Neuroscience Lab. People with strong purpose may also experience less conflict when making health decisions. We felt that the COVID-19 pandemic was an important context to test whether purpose in life relates to individuals willingness to engage in behaviors to protect themselves and others.

Based on their prior research, Kang and her collaborators expected that people with higher sense of purpose would be more likely to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors than individuals with a lower sense of purpose. In order to test their theory, the researchers surveyed more than 500 adult participants to capture their levels of purpose in life, their current and pre-pandemic levels of loneliness, and the degrees to which they intended to engage in behaviors known to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

They found that higher levels of loneliness made people be less focused on protecting themselves from COVID-19, and more skeptical that behaviors to prevent COVID-19 would be effective. However, having a stronger sense of purpose was associated with lower levels of loneliness and a greater desire to take action to protect themselves from COVID-19. Those with a higher sense of purpose also expressed a stronger belief that COVID-19 prevention behaviors would work. Even when people who had a strong sense of purpose did report being lonely, they still felt strongly about taking precautions to prevent COVID-19.

When faced with extreme loneliness and social isolation, like during the COVID-19 pandemic, wanting to connect with other people, despite the health risks, is a natural response, Kang says. And yet, amidst this drastic shift in social life, we found that people with a higher sense of purpose were more likely to engage in prevention behaviors. This is striking because it shows that purpose in life can empower people to make life-saving health decisions that protect their own health and those around them.

Additionally, the researchers found that older people expressed less loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic than younger people. Kang sees this as a sign of the resilience of older adults, and she hopes to further study how to enhance purpose in life and resilience in aging populations.

Having a stronger sense of purpose was associated with really important, positive outcomes across the lifespan, says Emily Falk, senior author, Director of the Communication Neuroscience Lab, and Professor of Communication, Psychology, and Marketing. Our upcoming work will test interventions to increase their sense of purpose, in hopes of bringing these benefits to more people.

The study, published yesterdayinThe Gerontologist, is entitled Purpose in Life, Loneliness, and Protective Health Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and is available here.In addition to Kang and Falk, authors include Danielle Cosme, Ph.D.; Rui Pei, Ph.D.; Prateekshit Pandey; and Jos Carreras-Tartak.

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Study: People who felt their life was guided by meaningful values or goals were more willing to engage in COVID-19 protective behaviors - YubaNet

Neuroscience

Cala Health and UCSF to develop neuromodulation therapies – Medical Device Network

June 21, 2021 medical

Cala Health will collaborate with the UCSF team to create non-invasive therapies for critical neurological diseases. Credit: Colin Behrens from Pixabay.

Cala Health has collaborated with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), US, to develop tailored peripheral nerve stimulation treatments based on the formers neuromodulation and data science platform technology.

A bioelectronic medicine company, Cala Health combines innovations in neuroscience and technology to create wearable therapies for chronic diseases.

As part of the alliance, the company will collaborate with UCSF Weill Institute of Neuroscience neurology associate professor and neural engineering expert Dr Karunesh Ganguly, as well as others, to develop non-invasive therapies for critical neurological diseases.

Cala Health founder and chief scientific officer Kate Rosenbluth said: Dr Gangulys pioneering research on the precise targeting of electrical stimulation to modulate neural networks provides an exciting path to personalise therapy to each patient.

This partnership takes Cala Health one step closer to reaching our goal to give the millions of patients suffering from debilitating neurological disorders access to non-invasive, efficacious therapies that improve their quality of life.

The technologies licenced from UCSF under this collaboration will aid Cala Health to grow its pipeline of neurology treatments.

Furthermore, the collaboration will boost the companys mechanistic research to create new tailored treatments as well as aiding in incorporating its data science platform to develop software-enabled customised treatment insights for patients in a timely manner.

Ganguly said: In my clinical work, I see the profound impacts of motor impairments from a wide range of neurological conditions such as brain injury and Parkinsons disease, and we are committed to advancing new treatments to enhance motor function.

The UCSF team looks forward to a fruitful partnership with Cala to advance peripheral nerve stimulation as a treatment to improve motor function.

Recently, Cala Health introduced its transcutaneous afferent patterned stimulation therapy, Cala Trio, for treating hand tremors in the movement disorder essential tremor.

Spectrometers, Multispectral Cameras, Spectral Sensors and Advanced Analytics

Semi-Finished Products and Components for Medical Devices

Brushless BLDC Motors for Medical Devices

Spectrometers, Multispectral Cameras, Spectral Sensors and Advanced Analytics

28 Aug 2020

Semi-Finished Products and Components for Medical Devices

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Neuroscience

Here’s how stress during coronavirus pandemic linked to poor sleep – Hindustan Times

June 21, 2021 medical

The findings of a study on hundreds of twins led by Washington State University researchers suggest that stress, anxiety and depression during the first few weeks of the pandemic were associated with less and lower quality sleep.

The study was published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. In a survey of more than 900 twins taken shortly after COVID-19 lockdown measures began, about half of the respondents reported no change in their sleep patterns, but around a third, 32.9 per cent, reported decreased sleep.

"The results show that deviations from your typical sleep behavior may be associated with depression, anxiety and stress," said Siny Tsang, lead author on the study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Tsang, a staff scientist with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, emphasized that this showed a connection, not a cause, but the study supports previous research that has found a two-way relationship between disrupted sleep patterns and poor mental health.

In other words, when people don't sleep well, they are more likely to feel stress, anxiety and depression, and when they are dealing with those same problems, they are more likely to sleep less--and sometimes more--than the typical six to nine hours a night.

This study analyzes survey responses collected between March 26 and April 5, 2020, from participants in the Washington State Twin Registry. Since then, the same group has answered three more waves of survey questions.

Researchers are particularly interested in studying twins, so they can investigate whether associations are mediated by genetic factors, shared environment, or both. The pandemic also offered an opportunity for a natural experiment to see how a stressful situation affects sleep amount and quality among individuals in the community, Tsang said.

The research relies on the self-reported perception of sleep length and quality, but the researcher said that when it comes to mental health, perception can matter more than the real amount of sleep.

"Even if your cell phone says you consistently sleep eight hours every day, you may feel that you slept less or slept poorly, and that may be linked to stressful or anxious feelings," Tsang said. "It may not matter whether or not the actual number has changed. It's how you are feeling that is associated with your mental health."

"A pattern that is consistent across these three studies is that people who reported change in physical exercise, alcohol use or sleep are more stressed, anxious and depressed than those who had said that they have had no change," Tsang said.

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Here's how stress during coronavirus pandemic linked to poor sleep - Hindustan Times

Neuroscience

Zhongchao Inc. Partners with a Subsidiary of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) for Medical Education Services – BioSpace

June 21, 2021 medical

SHANGHAI, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhongchao Inc. (NASDAQ: ZCMD) ("Zhongchao" or the "Company"), a healthcare services company offering online healthcare information, professional training and educational services, today announced the cooperation in physician education with AbbVie Pharmaceutical Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. ("AbbVie Shanghai"), a subsidiary of AbbVie Inc (NYSE: ABBV) ("AbbVie"). AbbVie is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. Pursuant to an agreement to facilitate such cooperation, Zhongchao and AbbVie Shanghai will cooperate in, including but not limited to, developing the medical education contents and producing medical education courses.

Weiguang Yang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zhongchao, commented, "AbbVie is one of the top ten global research-oriented biopharmaceutical companies with numerous innovations in the core field of immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and Allergan Aesthetics. In recent years, AbbVie has introduced more and more innovative therapies and drugs to the Chinese market, benefitting Chinese patients. We are honored to cooperate with AbbVie Shanghai to promote the development of medical education."

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. They strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit http://www.abbvie.com.

About Zhongchao Inc.

Incorporated in 2012 with headquarter offices in Shanghai and Beijing, China, Zhongchao Inc. is an online provider of healthcare information, professional training and educational services to healthcare professionals under its "MDMOOC" platform (www.mdmooc.org) and to the public under its "Sunshine Health Forums" platform (www.ygjkclass.com) in China. More information about the Company can be found at its investor relations website at http://izcmd.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as "may," "will," "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the professional training and educational services market in China and the other international markets the Company plans to serve; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and the international markets the Company plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the SEC, the length and severity of the recent coronavirus outbreak, including its impacts across our business and operations. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, which are available for review at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

For more information, please contact:

At the Company: Pei Xu, CFOEmail: xupei@mdmooc.orgPhone: +86 21-3220-5987

Investor Relations: Sherry ZhengWeitian Group LLCEmail: shunyu.zheng@weitian-ir.comPhone: +1 718-213-7386

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zhongchao-inc-partners-with-a-subsidiary-of-abbvie-inc-nyse-abbv-for-medical-education-services-301313255.html

SOURCE Zhongchao Inc.

Company Codes: NASDAQ-NMS:ZCMD

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Zhongchao Inc. Partners with a Subsidiary of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) for Medical Education Services - BioSpace

Neuroscience

BioXcel Therapeutics to Host Virtual Commercial Day on June 25, 2021Live webcast to be held on June 25th from 12:00 PM ET 1:30 PM ET – BioSpace

June 21, 2021 medical

NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. ("BioXcel" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: BTAI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial intelligence approaches to develop transformative medicines in neuroscience and immuno-oncology, today announced that the Company will host a virtual Commercial Day on Friday, June 25, 2021, from 12:00 PM ET 1:30 PM ET.

The event aims to provide an update on the Companys launch readiness plans and market insights for BXCL501, an investigational, proprietary, orally dissolving thin film formulation of dexmedetomidine for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders I and II in adults, along with a key opinion leader clinical perspective.

Vimal Mehta, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, and Will Kane, Chief Commercial Officer, will be joined by members of the Companys commercial leadership team, as well as industry expert, Dr. Leslie S. Zun, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Chicago Medical School.

A live webcast of the event and the accompanying presentation materials will be accessible through the investors section of the Companys website at http://www.bioxceltherapeutics.com on June 25th at 12:00 PM ET. Following the event, the webcast will be archived on the Companys website for at least 30 days.

About BXCL501

BXCL501 is an investigational, proprietary, orally dissolving thin film formulation of dexmedetomidine, a selective alpha-2a receptor agonist for the treatment of agitation and opioid withdrawal symptoms. BioXcel believes that BXCL501 potentially targets a causal agitation mechanism, and the Company has observed anti-agitation results in multiple clinical studies across several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia related agitation (SERENITY I), bipolar disorder related agitation (SERENITY II) and dementia related agitation (TRANQUILITY). BXCL501 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the acute treatment of agitation associated with dementia and Fast Track designation for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and dementia. The Company recently received acceptance of its New Drug Application for BXCL501 for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. The safety and efficacy of BXCL501 has not been established.

About BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial intelligence approaches to develop transformative medicines in neuroscience and immuno-oncology. BioXcels drug re-innovation approach leverages existing approved drugs and/or clinically validated product candidates together with big data and proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic indices. BioXcels two most advanced clinical development programs are BXCL501, an investigational, proprietary, orally dissolving thin film formulation of dexmedetomidine for the treatment of agitation and opioid withdrawal symptoms, and BXCL701, an investigational, orally administered, systemic innate immunity activator in development for the treatment of aggressive forms of prostate cancer and advanced solid tumors that are refractory or treatment nave to checkpoint inhibitors. For more information, please visit http://www.bioxceltherapeutics.com.

Contact Information:

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.www.bioxceltherapeutics.com

Investor Relations:Mary ColemanBioXcel Therapeutics, VP of Investment RelationsMColeman@bioxceltherapeutics.com1.475.238.6837

John GrazianoSolebury Troutjgraziano@soleburytrout.com1.646.378.2942

Media:

Julia DeutschSolebury Troutjdeutsch@soleburytrout.com1.646.378.2967

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BioXcel Therapeutics to Host Virtual Commercial Day on June 25, 2021Live webcast to be held on June 25th from 12:00 PM ET 1:30 PM ET - BioSpace

Neuroscience

Depression, anxiety during pandemic linked to poor sleep – Devdiscourse

June 21, 2021 medical

Anxiety and depression during the first few weeks of the pandemic were associated with less and lower quality sleep, as per the findings of a study conducted on hundreds of twins led by Washington State University researchers. The study was published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. In a survey of more than 900 twins taken shortly after COVID-19 lockdown measures began, about half of the respondents reported no change in their sleep patterns, but around a third, 32.9 per cent, reported decreased sleep.

Another 29.8 per cent reported sleeping more. In the analysis, the researchers found that any change in sleep was connected to self-reported mental health issues, though it was more strongly associated with decreased sleep. "The results show that deviations from your typical sleep behavior may be associated with depression, anxiety and stress," said Siny Tsang, lead author on the study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Tsang, a staff scientist with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, emphasised that this showed a connection, not a cause, but the study supports previous research that has found a two-way relationship between disrupted sleep patterns and poor mental health. In other words, when people do not sleep well, they are more likely to feel stress, anxiety and depression, and when they are dealing with those same problems, they are more likely to sleep less--and sometimes more--than the typical six to nine hours a night.

This study analyses survey responses collected between March 26 and April 5, 2020, from participants in the Washington State Twin Registry. Since then, the same group has answered three more waves of survey questions. Researchers are particularly interested in studying twins, so they can investigate whether associations are mediated by genetic factors, shared environment, or both. The pandemic also offered an opportunity for a natural experiment to see how a stressful situation affects sleep amount and quality among individuals in the community, Tsang said.

The research relies on the self-reported perception of sleep length and quality, but the researcher said that when it comes to mental health, perception can matter more than the real amount of sleep. "Even if your cell phone says you consistently sleep eight hours every day, you may feel that you slept less or slept poorly, and that may be linked to stressful or anxious feelings," Tsang said. "It may not matter whether or not the actual number has changed. It's how you are feeling that is associated with your mental health."

WSU researchers have also conducted twin studies on COVID-19 lockdown effects on alcohol use and pandemic stress and exercise. These have all been initial studies taken at the early stages of the pandemic and associated social distancing measures. The scientists are still analysing the results of later surveys, but they are starting to see a common theme. "A pattern that is consistent across these three studies is that people who reported change in physical exercise, alcohol use or sleep are more stressed, anxious and depressed than those who had said that they have had no change," Tsang said. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Depression, anxiety during pandemic linked to poor sleep - Devdiscourse

Neuroscience

New research finds compound that blocks Covid-19 virus and protects lung cells – Hindustan Times

June 21, 2021 medical

Research conducted at Louisiana State University Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that 'Elovanoids', bioactive chemical messengers made from omega-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, may block the virus that causes Covid-19 from entering cells and protect the air cells (alveoli) of the lung.

The findings of the research are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Because the compounds are protective against damage in the brain and retina of the eye and the Covid-19 virus clearly damages the lung, the experiment tested if the compounds would also protect the lung," noted Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Director of the LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center and senior author of the paper.

The research team tested Elovanoids (ELVs) on infected lung tissue from a 78-year-old man in petri dish cultures. They found that ELVs not only reduced the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to bind to receptors and enter cells, but they also triggered the production of protective, anti-inflammatory proteins that counteract lung damage.

The scientists report that ELVs decreased the production of ACE2. ACE2 is a protein on the surface of many cell types. ACE2 receptors act like locks on cells, and the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins act like keys that open the locks letting the virus enter cells to multiply rapidly. They also demonstrated for the first time that alveolar cells are endowed with pathways for the biosynthesis of ELVs.

"Since SARS-CoV-2 affects nasal mucosa, the GI tract, the eye, and the nervous system, uncovering the protective potential of ELVs expands the scope of our observations beyond the lung. Our results provide a foundation for interventions to modify disease risk, progression, and protection of the lung from Covid-19 or other pathologies (including some types of pneumonia)," added Dr Bazan.

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New research finds compound that blocks Covid-19 virus and protects lung cells - Hindustan Times

Neuroscience

OhioHealth debuts first of its kind Neuroscience Wellness Center – NBC4 WCMH-TV

May 24, 2021 medical

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) OhioHealth calls its new 18,000 square foot building just north of Riverside Methodist Hospital the first of its kind facility in the country. Tuesday, the hospital system unveiled the Neuroscience Wellness Center during a grand opening celebration.

What weve never done before is had a space where we could do all-access membership, explained Lauren Esposito, a physical therapist, and the manager of the new center.

The freestanding center will serve as a central location with amenities for people living with the effects of strokes, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions. Esposito gave NBC4 a tour of the facility Tuesday and highlighted the buildings indoor track, four education studios, several open gyms, and group fitness class areas.

Much of the exercise equipment can be adapted for use with wheelchairs or harnesses and can be operated by individuals with limited motor skills.

Every client space has a view of the trees outside. Access to a central courtyard, community garden, and outdoor yoga deck give the facility the appearance of a nature retreat.

This is a unique environment where they can come in and they have the courses, the exercise, the yoga, the mindfulness, the wellness, said Dr. Brien Smith, the Vice President of OhioHealth Neuroscience.

Part of what makes the center unique, Dr. Smith explained, is the sense of community it fosters. Caregivers will be able to use the facility along with patients and seating areas to encourage members to relax and spend time with one another.

We found that our members were really making a lot of connections with each other, Esposito said. And we wanted to create a space where they could gather and talk and really build those bonds.

She explained the wellness center will help patients build healthy lifestyles as they transition out of physical therapy. OhioHealths medical teams were consulted when creating the space and exercise physiologists will offer advice to members.

Non-members will have access to free classes at the facility and will be able to watch recorded videos of the seminars.

The Neuroscience Wellness Center was funded by $12.6 million in donations.

If youre interested in becoming a member, you can schedule and learn more by visiting OhioHealth.com/NeuroscienceWellnessCenter and completing a membership form.

You can also email NWCmembership@ohiohealth.com or call 614-788-5660 for more information.

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OhioHealth debuts first of its kind Neuroscience Wellness Center - NBC4 WCMH-TV