Brain Health, Neuroplasticity and Neurotechnology News

Welcome to a new edition of SharpBrains’ e‑newsletter, featuring this time nine scientific reports and industry developments to help promote lifelong brain and mental health.

#1. To lower stress levels and improve problem-solving, practice cognitive reframing instead of venting

“… venting likely doesn’t soothe anger as much as augment it. That’s because encouraging people to act out their anger makes them relive it in their bodies, strengthening the neural pathways for anger and making it easier to get angry the next time around. Studies on venting anger (without effective feedback), whether online or verbally, have also found it to be generally unhelpful … To get out of that, you can ask the person to step back and help you reframe your experience by asking, “How should I think about this differently?” or “What should I do in this situation?”

#2. Headspace and Ginger merge to expand and scale up digital mental health

“The new company would find it pushing well beyond its current mindfulness focus to, “provide the full spectrum of proven, effective virtual support – from mindfulness and meditation, to text-based behavioral health coaching, to video-based therapy and psychiatry – for all types of patient populations.”

Ambitious move!

#3. How to read, understand and write great medical research

12 good tips for students and everyone else

#4. Veterans Affairs won’t cover Biogen’s new “Alzheimer’s drug” given concerns over safety and lack of evidence

Their independent review concludes that “given the lack of evidence of a robust and meaningful clinical benefit and the known safety signal, we recommend against offering this agent to patients with Alzheimer’s dementia (mild or otherwise) or mild cognitive impairment.”

#5. Alzheimer’s & Dementia researchers challenge FDA’s approval of Aduhelm given lack of evidence for beta-amyloid as a marker

A strong call to “learn how this regulatory failure occurred and to ensure that it doesn’t occur again”

#6. Debunking four myths about decision-making capacity to keep Britney Spears and others safe

Addressing the ongoing controversy about conservatorships, a USC Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry shares a great article to debunk these all-too-common myths

#7. Study examines common cognitive biases (have you tried this brain teaser?) and ways to mitigate them

If you have not encountered the “Linda brain teaser” before, please give it a try! If you have, you’ll enjoy the new paper titled Tversky and Kahneman’s Cognitive Illusions: Who Can Solve Them, and Why?

#8. Integrating music, movement and stroke rehabilitation, MedRhythms raises $25M to develop and commercialize digital therapeutic

Fascinating approach to gait training.

#9. Neurotech start-up Paradromics raises $20M to address brain-related disorders via next-gen brain-computer interfaces

Neuralink vs. Paradromics vs. non-invasive platforms — quite a stimulating space to track

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy back-to-school and month of September,

The SharpBrains Team