Mindfulness Meditation as a Complementary Therapy for Chronic Migraines

Migraine headaches, the most common neurological disease across all age groups, affect over one billion individuals worldwide, with symptoms ranging from moderate to severe. Migraines differ in intensity and are accompanied by secondary symptoms, such as neck pain, nausea, and vomiting. Current efforts in treating migraines focus on preventative drug therapy to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. Although mindfulness-based approaches such as MBSR may serve as an alternative method of reducing the severity of migraine attacks, studies investigating the efficacy of MBSR are limited.A meta-analysis provides insights into the pathogenesis of migraines through the identification of three genes (CACNA1A, ATP1A2, and SCN1A). Mutations within these genes have been found to increase glutamatergic neurotransmission (CACNA1A), increase the amount of extracellular potassium and neuronal excitability (ATP1A2), and increase the firing of inhibitory GABAergic neurons (SCN1A). Prior studies have demonstrated physiological improvements when using MBSR, such as reduced T1 pro-inflammatory lymphocyte to T2 anti-inflammatory ratio and a significant increase in left-sided anterior cortical activation, a phenomenon seen in regular meditators associated with positive affect. This suggests that MBSR techniques may have a prominent physiological change in the brain to promote health.One study employing Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) demonstrated some reduction in headache frequency. A randomized clinical trial investigating headache education versus MBSR training on migraines found that the frequency of attacks remained the same between the experimental and control groups. However, they found an improved quality of life, pain catastrophizing, and self-efficacy in those who underwent the MBSR program. We propose a study that provides a higher power of statistical significance using a larger population of participants

Lead (Pb) exposure and its effect on APP proteolysis and Abeta aggregation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with clinical manifestations appearing in old age, however, the initial stages of this disease may begin early in life. AD is characterized by the presence of excessive deposits of aggregated beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides, which are derived from the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) following processing by beta-secretase and gamma-secretase. Recently, we have reported that developmental exposure of rats to Pb resulted in latent elevation of APP mRNA, APP, and Abeta in old age. Here we examined whether latent up-regulation in APP expression and Abeta levels is exacerbated by concurrent disturbances in APP processing or Abeta aggregation. Among the environmental metals tested, only Abeta solutions containing Pb promoted the formation of Abeta aggregates at nanomolar concentrations. The lifetime profiles of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretases remained constant in adult and aging animals, and developmental exposure to Pb did not alter them. Furthermore, the addition of various concentrations of Pb (0.1 to 50 microM) to cerebral cortical extracts derived from control animals also did not affect the proteolytic activities of these enzymes. Therefore, we propose that amyloidogenesis is promoted by a latent response to developmental reprogramming of the expression of the APP gene by early exposure to Pb, as well as enhancement of Abeta aggregation in old age. In rodents, these events occur without Pb-induced disturbances to the enzymatic processing of APP. The aforementioned results provide further evidence for the developmental basis of amyloidogenesis and late-life disturbances in AD-associated proteins by environmental agents

Is nicotine addiction triggered by altered synaptic mechanisms in the brain reward circuit?

Abstract not available

The Effects of MIndfulenss on Stress, with Implications for Alzheimer\u27s Disease

As new research emerges on the effectiveness of mindfulness practices, there is a growing interest in the specific neurophysiological and longitudinal outcomes of mindfulness, including its long-term effects on stress. Through an extensive literature review, we are considering a surplus of experimental studies that have found an inverse relationship between mindfulness and both perceived and physiological stress. We are also seeking out studies that have investigated chronic stress as a factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Numerous studies indicate that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an intervention beneficial for stress management and general mental health (Klatt et al., 2009). Although there have been many studies that individually explore either the link between mindfulness and stress, or between stress and AD, there is less research done on the implications of mindfulness on preventing or delaying the onset of AD. Existing public and research data sets will be analyzed to identify potential connections between the prevalence of AD in a population and levels of stress and mindfulness. In addition to literature review and data set analysis, we will present our longitudinal research design to investigate the correlation between mindfulness and levels of perceived and physiological stress in participants of the 6-week Mindfulness Course taught by the Fish Interfaith Center at Chapman University. Our research study has implications for Alzheimer’s disease prevention because chronic stress in midlife is believed to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life (Jeong et al., 2006). Mental health surveys and salivary cortisol tests will be taken before, immediately upon completion, and 3 months after the completion of the Fish Mindfulness Course. It is anticipated that both the levels of perceived stress as well as the physiological stress of the subjects will decrease after completing the mindfulness course and partaking in regular meditation, both short-term and long-term