MediQuest Society

How are stretch reflexes modulated during voluntary movement? - USC Viterbi | School of Engineering

Rendering of a motoneuron in the spinal cord which activates your muscles, image credit: Jarrod Chatham

How did the bodies of animals, including ours, become such fine-tuned movement machines? How vertebrates coordinate the eternal tug-o-war between involuntary reflexes and seamless voluntary movements is a mystery that Francisco Valero-Cuevas’ Lab in USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, set out to understand. The Lab’s newest computational paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) adds to the thought leadership about the processing of sensory information and control of reflexes during voluntary movements—with implications as to how its disruption could give rise to motor disorders in neurological conditions like stroke, cerebral palsy, and Parkinson’s disease. 

Do you remember the pediatrician tapping your knee to see if you had a strong involuntary knee-jerk…

First academic study on slap fighting highlights risks to participants' neurological health

Pittsburgh, September 18, 2024 -- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine experts analyzed visible signs of concussion in individuals participating in professional slap fighting competitions and reported the results in a paper published in JAMA Surgery. As the first academic study to provide a quantifiable assessment of possible dangers associated with this activity, the findings offer a starting point for conversations around necessary regulations to ensure participants’ long-term health and well-being.

“Slap fighting may be entertaining to watch as a lay viewer, but as medical professionals, we found some aspects of the competitions to be quite concerning,” said lead author Raj Swaroop Lavadi, postdoctoral research fellow at Pitt’s neurosurgery department. “Our end goal is to make all professional sports safer for the neurologic health of the athletes. It is really difficult to ban any sport, but it is possible to raise awareness…

Mitochondria Are Flinging Their DNA into Our Brain Cells

A new study finds that mitochondria in our brain cells frequently fling their DNA into the cells' nucleus, where the mitochondrial DNA integrates into chromosomes, possibly causing harm. |  Columbia University Irving Medical Center

As direct descendants of ancient bacteria, mitochondria have always been a little alien.

Now a study shows that mitochondria are possibly even stranger than we thought.

Mitochondria in our brain cells frequently fling their DNA into the nucleus, the study found, where the DNA becomes integrated into the cells' chromosomes. And these insertions may be causing harm: Among the study's nearly 1,200 participants, those with more mitochondrial DNA insertions in their brain cells were more likely to die earlier than those with fewer insertions.

Just 10 minutes of mindfulness daily boosts wellbeing and fights depression

In a new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, researchers from the Universities of Bath and Southampton have unveiled how just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice can improve wellbeing, ease depression and anxiety, and help people to be more motivated to improve their lifestyle -- including healthier exercise, eating and sleeping habits.

The research, which enrolled 1247 adults from 91 countries, demonstrates that brief daily mindfulness sessions, delivered through a free mobile app Medito, can have profound benefits. Participants, most of whom had no prior mindfulness experience, were randomly allocated to a month-long mindfulness routine or a control condition -- listening to excerpts from Alice in Wonderland. Daily mindfulness sessions included relaxation exercises, intention-setting, body scans, breath-focused attention, and self-reflection.

The participants completed surveys on their mental health before starting the 30 days of mindfulness training…