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Tag: study

  • Could Limiting Social Media Use Improve Your Mental Health?

    Could Limiting Social Media Use Improve Your Mental Health?

    A new study examined whether excessive use of social media contributed to feelings of depression and loneliness.

    The more time you spend scrolling through social media, the more likely you could be contributing to your own feelings of depression and loneliness. 

    A new study from Penn State researchers has determined that social media use correlates with both depression and feeling lonely. 

    The study was led by Melissa Hunt of Penn State’s psychology department and involved 143 students from the university. The students were broken into two groups—one being told to limit social media use (Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat) for 10 minutes per app, the other instructed to continue using it as normal—and then monitored for three weeks. 

    Over the course of the study, students were assessed each week through testing for depression, social support and more. Their social media use was monitored through the iOS battery use screen.

    According to the study authors, levels of loneliness and depression decreased significantly over the three weeks. 

    “The limited use group showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the control group,” authors wrote. “Both groups showed significant decreases in anxiety and fear of missing out over baseline, suggesting a benefit of increased self-monitoring. Our findings strongly suggest that limiting social media use to approximately 30 minutes per day may lead to significant improvement in well-being.”

    On the other hand, areas such as self-esteem and social support did not increase over the three weeks. Following up with the students was difficult, so authors were unable to fully determine if prior feelings returned or habit changes were implemented. 

    According to TechCrunch, Hunt states that by taking time away from social media, people are likely to instead focus on more fulfilling things in their lives. 

    “Some of the existing literature on social media suggests there’s an enormous amount of social comparison that happens,” she said. “When you look at other people’s lives, particularly on Instagram, it’s easy to conclude that everyone else’s life is cooler or better than yours. When you’re not busy getting sucked into clickbait social media, you’re actually spending more time on things that are more likely to make you feel better about your life.”

    The researchers did point out that their study was limiting. In future studies, they state, it could help to have a more diverse group of participants, include more social media outlets, extend the timeframe of the experiment and allow for more comprehensive follow-up with participants. Researchers also state that the set time for social media use could sway results.  

    Whatever the case, Hunt says, it’s important to take time away from technology to connect with others in your life. 

    “In general, I would say, put your phone down and be with the people in your life,” she stated. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Tetris Help Alleviate Anxiety?

    Can Tetris Help Alleviate Anxiety?

    Researchers explored whether the classic game could have positive effects on those battling anxiety.

    Could an old-school video game help ease your anxiety? New research points to yes. 

    According to NPR, Kate Sweeny, a psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, conducted research into whether the game Tetris can have positive effects for those struggling with anxiety. 

    The premise of the game is to rotate and adjust moving tiles so they fit into a flat line at the bottom of the screen.

    “Years of my life were lost disappearing into a game of Tetris on my Nintendo system,” Sweeny told NPR.

    The game, according to Sweeny, can help ease anxiety by allowing players to enter a state psychologists call “flow.”

    “The state of flow is one where you’re completely absorbed or engaged in some kind of activity,” Sweeny told NPR. “You lose your self-awareness, and time is just flying by.”

    In conducting the study, Sweeny’s team focused on people who were waiting for “uncertain, potentially life-altering news” with the idea that playing Tetris could help their minds focus elsewhere for a period of time.

    Specifically, they took a group of 300 college students and told them their peers would be rating how attractive they were. 

    “I know, it’s kind of cruel, but we found it’s a really effective way to get people stressed out,” Sweeny told NPR.

    While the students were waiting for the results, they were instructed to play Tetris. There were three levels of difficulty assigned to different students: one slow, easy and boring; one fast, challenging and frustrating; and one classic version, meaning the game is adjusted based on the player’s ability. 

    While players still reported varying degrees of worry, the group that played the classic version reported slightly increased levels of positive emotions and slightly decreased levels of negative ones. 

    “It wasn’t a huge difference, but we think it’s noticeable,” Sweeny told NPR. “And over time, it can add up.”

    Games aren’t the only way to reach a state of flow, according to Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who studies happiness.

    “Think of the activity that grabs your attention and doesn’t let it go,” Dunn told NPR. “For me, it’s mountain biking.” 

    While Dunn was not involved in the research, she says the results were not surprising.

    “I can’t say I found this study particularly surprising at all,” she told NPR. “Mostly because, based on previous research, it’s hard to find a situation where the experience of flow isn’t a good thing.”

    Dunn also noted that the research indicates “that even in tough moments, we should push ourselves to do something challenging to get us out of the moment.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Quitting Marijuana Improve Memory For Teens?

    Can Quitting Marijuana Improve Memory For Teens?

    Impaired memory functions from marijuana use don’t have to be permanent.

    New research on the impact of marijuana use among teenagers appears to corroborate other studies that suggest cannabis can be detrimental to the development of their brains.

    However, the recent study also suggests that abstinence from marijuana use for 30 days or more may reverse its effect on memory, attention and the ability to retain new information.

    The results of the research have raised additional questions about marijuana use and teenagers, including the possibility of permanent impairment if no abstinence is undertaken.

    As Science News noted, studying marijuana use among this age group runs afoul of ethical issues—unlike adults, children can’t be asked to use a drug in order to study its effects. So the researchers—from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School—circumnavigated the problem by recruiting teenagers who reported using marijuana at least once a week to participate in their study.

    Eighty-eight Boston-area teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 who reported weekly marijuana use were recruited, and 62 of them were offered money to stop using for a month. Payments increased as the month wore on, with some participants earning more than $500 for their abstinence.

    Of the 62 that received payment, urine tests revealed that 55 of them were able to remain abstinent for the full 30 days. All 88 test subjects were also tested on levels of attention and memory; these included directional tests and the monitoring of number sequences, as well as retention of information.

    The study results—which were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on October 30—found that while attention remained largely unchanged for the abstinent participants, they showed moderate improvement on memory tests, especially those that required them to remember lists of words. Those participants that continued to use marijuana during the test period showed no signs of improvement on these memory tests.

    Neuropsychologist and study co-author Randi Schuster said that the test results showed that marijuana use can have a negative impact on how young people retain new information, but abstinence may play a role in reversing those effects. “From these data, we think that at least some of that impairment is not permanent,” she noted.

    Response to the study results focused on the effect of marijuana use beyond the study time frame. “If somebody is using very heavily over a prolonged period of time, is there a point at which these functions may not recover?” asked clinical neuropsychologist April Thames of UCLA.

    To answer these questions, Schuster and her fellow researchers plan additional, longer-term studies, including studying the effect on memory among 13- to 19-year-olds who abstain for a period of six months.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How Alcohol "Hijacks" Dopamine Pathways

    How Alcohol "Hijacks" Dopamine Pathways

    Researchers explored how alcohol affects memories in a recent study.

    While it’s long been known that alcohol affects the brain’s reward pathways, a new study has shed light on exactly how this happens and how it affects memories made while under the influence. 

    According to Inverse, Brown University researchers have proven that alcohol “affects a specific cell signaling pathway in the brains of fruit flies.”

    The specific pathway is called “Notch,” Inverse reports, and is found in humans and most other multicellular organisms. 

    Karla Kaun, assistant professor of neuroscience at Brown University and the study’s corresponding author, tells Newsweek that the way alcohol affects signaling on the Notch pathway can affect associative memory, which can “drive addiction.”

    “While you are drinking, you are forming memories for cues in your environment, like the feel of the glass or the bouquet of your wine, that become associated with the feeling of being intoxicated,” she said. “Our study provides genetic and biochemical evidence that fairly low doses of alcohol can activate a highly conserved cell-signaling pathway in the brain, leading to changes in expression of genes important for learning and memory.”

    According to Inverse, the signaling of the Notch pathway plays a vital role in developing brains for embryos. But, until now, researchers say the impact of the Notch pathway in adults has been underestimated because the pathway could have to do with how alcohol affects dopamine, the neurotransmitter often connected with positive feelings and substance use disorder. 

    During the study, a group of fruit flies was trained to seek out alcohol. In that group, the activation of the Notch pathway affected the flies by changing a certain gene. While alcohol did not decrease, increase or activate the dopamine receptors, it did alter the “gene expression of the dopamine receptors that cells produced,” Inverse reports.

    According to study authors, this change indicates that alcohol is “hijacking” how the dopamine pathways in the brain respond to “pleasure and reward.”

    “If this works the same way in humans, one glass of wine is enough to activate the pathway, but it returns to normal within an hour,” Kaun told the Independent. 

    However, the more drinks consumed, the longer it takes to revert to normal. 

    “After three glasses, with an hour break in between, the pathway doesn’t return to normal after 24 hours,” Kaun added. “We think this persistence is likely what is changing the gene expression in memory circuits.”

    Though not involved with the study, Peter Giese, a professor of neuroscience at King’s College London, tells the Independent that studies like this assist in developing a greater understanding of the brains in those battling substance use disorder, and, in turn, a greater chance of helping them.

    “[This study] suggests that drug addiction persists because memory mechanisms were hijacked by drug exposure,” Giese told the Independent. “The study not only provides a model for understanding the persistence of drug addiction, it also identifies potential pharmacological targets for treating addiction.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Are Women At Higher Risk For Pot Addiction?

    Are Women At Higher Risk For Pot Addiction?

    A new study explored the gender-based differences in the way cannabis affects the body.

    Women’s hormones put them more at risk than men of becoming addicted to cannabis, a study found.

    Specifically, the sex hormone oestrogen makes them enjoy the particular high of smoking pot, according to the research.

    Men are also at risk from a hormone—in their case, testosterone—which makes them more likely to try cannabis and then use higher doses more frequently.

    The research, which focused on studies of animal behavior, revealed that while women are less likely to try pot in the first place, they are at higher risk of developing a dependence on the drug.

    Hormones are powerful levers in most of human behavior, and this includes drug use. Due to how the sex hormone oestrogen responds to marijuana, the body’s pleasure center is more powerfully affected in women than men.

    Research published in the South Burnett Times found that the differences in the impact on the endocannabinoid system in men and women were centered around testosterone, oestradiol (oestrogen) and progesterone. 

    The endocannabinoid system, or ECS, is a complex network of cannabinoid receptors expressed in cells of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. ECS helps to bring about homeostasis in all the major body systems to ensure that the body as a whole works in harmony and health.

    Study co-author Dr. Liana Fattore, of the National Research Council of Italy, told South Burnett Times, “Male sex steroids increase risk-taking behavior and suppress the brain’s reward system, which could explain why males are more likely to try drugs, including cannabis.”

    She continued to say, “Females seem to be more vulnerable, at a neurochemical level, in developing addiction to cannabis.”

    As the push to legalize marijuana continues having success all over the world, with two-thirds of Americans supporting the legalization of cannabis, it is increasingly important to conduct science-based research on the effects of marijuana.

    Understanding gender-based differences in how cannabis affects the body and the potential for addiction is going to become increasingly important as more Americans use the drug for both recreational and medicinal purposes.

    Gender-based drug addiction information and treatment could be a next step, as well as a crucial piece of the puzzle for those struggling with addiction who use marijuana as a tool to wean off harder drugs.

    Professor Fattore told the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, “Identifying factors is critical for optimizing evidence-based prevention and treatment protocols.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Opioid Addiction Rates Higher Than Expected In Massachusetts, Study Says

    Opioid Addiction Rates Higher Than Expected In Massachusetts, Study Says

    Nearly 5% of Massachusetts residents may be battling opioid use disorder, according to a new study. 

    Health officials in Massachusetts are expressing concern over the results of a new study, which suggests that more residents are struggling with opioid use disorder than previous research had suggested.

    Using information culled from a database for public health information, the study authors found that the number of individuals in the Bay State who have either received treatment for addiction, or who qualify as addicted but have gone undiagnosed, may be as high as 4.6% of residents over the age of 11.

    That number is significantly higher than previous records, which suggested that addiction rates hovered at just over 1%.

    The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health, and sought to determine the annual prevalence of opioid use between 2011 and 2015.

    To do so, researchers used the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse, which links information on hospital and emergency room visits, prescriptions and insurance claims, among other sources, from more than a dozen state agencies.

    Patients are identified with their own unique number so it is possible to track a single individual who may have been admitted to a hospital or ER or received treatment from first responders.

    Researchers looked at information on individuals who, based on such encounters with the health care system, had been or could be determined as suffering from opioid addiction—and identified 119,000 people, or 2% of the state population over the age of 11 in 2015.

    From there, they used statistical methods to estimate the number of people who would be considered as opioid-dependent but have not received any treatment. 

    That formula brought the total number of individuals up to 4.6%, or 275,000 Massachusetts residents over the age of 11 years. Previous research, which determined the 1% rate, was based on national surveys that interviewed only those people who had sought help from the health care system for opioid-related issues.

    Response from the Massachusetts medical community was largely positive in regard to the study’s findings. The Boston Globe quoted Dr. Joshua A. Barocas, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, who said, “[The study] is a good wake-up call. Our pool of people who are at risk for overdoses is potentially higher than we thought it was.” 

    The study also drew criticism from Dr. Silvia S. Martins, director of the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Unit at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her response stemmed from what she viewed as a broad definition of opioid use disorder, which may have inflated the statistics.

    “The analysis could have been done in a more precise way,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Are Diabetics More Likely To Die From Alcoholism?

    Are Diabetics More Likely To Die From Alcoholism?

    Alcohol-related deaths, specifically cirrhosis of the liver, were as much as 10 times higher for those with diabetes, according to a new study.

    A Finnish study concluded that diabetes sufferers are at significantly higher risk than the non-diabetic population of death from alcohol-related issues or suicide, due to the strain on their mental health while managing the disease.

    However, once the numbers of the study are parsed, it’s clear that the risk in the diabetic community is relatively small overall.

    Studies have already proven that diabetes—especially diabetes that is not well-controlled—puts a person at higher risk for various serious health issues such as certain cancers and heart disease.

    However, the new Finnish research, published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, shows that because of the strain of managing diabetes, those with the disease are at higher risk of psychological issues and resulting death.

    Specifically, The Independent reported that the study showed that alcohol-related deaths, particularly caused by cirrhosis of the liver, were as much as 10 times higher in the diabetic community versus those without the disease. Death by suicide was increased by a staggering 110%. The more severe the disease (requiring more insulin injections and medical interventions) the bigger the risk of death.

    The lead researcher on the study, Professor Leo Niskanen of the University of Helsinki, said, “We know that living with diabetes can lead to a mental health strain.”

    A diagnosis of diabetes is either Type 1 or Type 2. Both variations disrupt the way your body regulates blood sugar, also known as glucose. Insulin allows glucose to enter the body’s cells. In Type 1 diabetes, the body is not producing insulin, while in Type 2, the cells are not responding as well as they should be to insulin.

    During the timeframe of the Finnish study, there were 2,832 deaths related to alcohol and 853 deaths by suicide. Patients taking insulin saw a 6.9% increase in deaths from alcohol-related conditions for diabetic men, and 10.6 times higher for women. Patients taking oral medication—who were able to control their condition with diet and exercise—saw an increased risk of death but at a much lower percentile.

    Professor Niskanen says, “The low absolute suicidal rates make the risk ratios look very high—even small increase in risk may thus have higher risk ratios… However, they are highly [statistically] significant anyway. This study has highlighted that there is a need for effective psychological support for people with diabetes. If [diabetes patients] feel like they are under a heavy mental burden or consider that their use of alcohol is excessive, they should not hesitate to discuss these issues with their primary care physician.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Legal Marijuana Linked To Rise In Car Crashes

    Legal Marijuana Linked To Rise In Car Crashes

    Legalizing marijuana isn’t completely harmless, according to a pair of new studies.

    Car crashes went up by about 6% in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, a couple of new studies found. Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington have seen an increase in insurance claims for collisions, according to separate studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute.

    The institutes presented their research at the Combating Alcohol- and Drug-Impaired Driving Summit on Thursday.

    The Highway Loss Data Institute focused on claims between 2012 and October 2017, comparing the results to four illegal states, including Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety observed a 5.2% increase in police-reported crashes after legalization in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

    “States exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety,” said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute.

    The findings are important as the tide is increasingly turning to favor the legalization of marijuana. Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana, and Michigan and North Dakota are holding a vote on the issue next month. Canada has legalized it as well.

    FIguring out who is or isn’t impaired by marijuana while driving is also a challenge, the institutes acknowledge. Marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, can remain detectable in a person for as long as 30 days—long after the high has worn off. Currently, there isn’t a reliable method to determine whether someone is currently high. But according to the studies, it’s clear that marijuana has some effect on driving ability.

    “Despite the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of marijuana impairment on crash risk, the evidence is growing that legalizing its use increases crashes,” Harkey said.

    The Center for Medical Cannabis Research at the University of California San Diego is undertaking studies to better understand the effects of marijuana on driving as well as methods to more reliably detect if a driver is currently under the influence.

    Methods now used by law enforcement are notoriously unreliable, and as a result field sobriety tests for marijuana cannot be used as evidence in some cases.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Social Media Reduce Depression In Older Adults With Chronic Pain?

    Can Social Media Reduce Depression In Older Adults With Chronic Pain?

    A recent study examined how social media use affected the mental health of elderly adults living with pain.

    There’s been lots of information put forward about the toll that social media can take on our mental health, with excessive use of social media linked to depression and addictive behaviors.

    However, a new study indicates that there may be a silver lining: social media use might be associated with lower depression levels in older adults with pain. 

    The study, published in Journals of Gerontology, Series B and reported by Reuters Health, followed 3,401 people ages 67 or older. The people in the study all lived in the community, rather than in an assisted living or nursing facility, and 54% of them said they’d been bothered by pain in the past month. 

    Researchers found that among people with pain, 15% of those who did not use social media showed signs of depression. That dropped to just 6% among people who did engage with social media.

    “Using online social media to maintain contact with family members and friends is a good way to compensate for seniors who restrict their social activities due to pain. It is not going to replace seeing people in person, but it will help supplement their reduced activities,” said Shannon Ang, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and co-author of the study. “For us, this study is about preserving mental health.”

    Despite the connection with better mental health, only 17% of participants were using social media, Ang found. He said that programs that teach the elderly how to use computers and engage online could be beneficial.

    In the future, Ang wants to research the connection between social media and mental health further, looking at what social media platforms and patterns of use are most closely connected with mental health benefits. 

    Healthcare providers say it isn’t necessarily surprising that social media could reduce depression symptoms, since it can alleviate feelings of isolation.

    “It’s very well known that social support is helpful for depression and physical symptoms. It’s a growing area of interest in research and clinical care,” said Dr. William Pirl of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, who wasn’t involved in the study. 

    However, people should proceed with caution, Pirl said.

    “People respond differently to it. Some people can become more anxious hearing other peoples’ stories or about other treatments for what they’re experiencing. There’s a lot of variability of whether social media is right for you.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Are $1 Test Strips The Key To Curbing Fentanyl Deaths?

    Are $1 Test Strips The Key To Curbing Fentanyl Deaths?

    Harm reduction advocates are applauding a new study that examines whether the test strips proved beneficial to injection drug users.

    Fentanyl, the powerful opioid said to be responsible for exacerbating the opioid crisis, could be meeting its match: a $1 test strip that indicates the presence of fentanyl in street drugs.

    A group of researchers wondered, if drug users had free access to these test strips, would they adjust their drug use to avoid dying from fentanyl?

    They put together a research study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, that distributed test strips to 125 heroin users at a needle exchange program in Greensboro, North Carolina. They then distributed an online survey that revealed 81% of the heroin users had used the strips, with 63% reporting that their drugs tested positive.

    Those who saw that their drugs contained fentanyl were five times more likely to adjust the way they used the drug so they would not overdose.

    For example, they may have opted to snort it instead of injecting it, slowing down the rate at which it enters the bloodstream. Others opted to simply use a smaller dose.

    The results are in line with a study by Johns Hopkins University researchers that found that users who preferred to inject their drugs did want to know if fentanyl was present, and would take its presence into account when using.

    Proponents of harm reduction see the study as a positive step forward.

    “Harm reduction at its core is a scrappy self-made movement,” said Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor and study co-author. “Syringe exchange and naloxone peer distribution came out of this movement and have gone mainstream. But the [test strips] need an evidence base in order to become the next intervention in this legacy.”

    Slowly but surely, test strips are making their way to being distributed alongside clean needles at needle exchanges. However, unlike clean needles, test strips are still considered paraphernalia and thus face some legal restrictions in their distribution.

    The District of Columbia and Maryland have already adjusted their laws to allow the distribution of test strips, and advocates are confident other cities will soon follow.

    But even if the legal jam were to be overcome, there’s another problem. That $1 price tag on each strip adds up. Critics say it’s more cost-efficient for users to simply act like all their drugs contain fentanyl instead of testing each and every dose, but that’s not good enough, said Jon Zibbell, RTI International public health analyst and study author.

    “That’s like saying, ‘Assume everyone you have sex with has chlamydia,’” Zibbell said, suggesting that most people don’t act on a risk unless they have concrete evidence it’s real.

    He hopes that the strips will lead to more cost-effective bulk testing methods, such as spectrometers that scan for fentanyl at every needle exchange site.

    View the original article at thefix.com