by EurekAlert:

We all know the importance of keeping healthy and are familiar with the refrains of ‘exercise more’, ‘eat better’ and ‘get regular physicals’. But what about our mental health? Professor Barbara Sahakian, best known for her expertise on cognitive enhancers, challenges society (and government) to prioritise mental health in the same way as we do physical health.

“As a society, we take our mental health for granted,” said Prof Sahakian. “But just like our bodies, it is important to keep our brains fit.”

In any given year, one in every four adults suffers from a mental disorder. As a result, in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability, with depression and anxiety accounting for a significant percentage of the disorders.

by Mary Elizabeth Dallas for WebMD:

When older people’s mood improves, so does their brain power, new research suggests.

Being in a good mood appears to enhance decision-making skills and working memory among older adults, according to the study published in the current issue of the journal Cognition and Emotion.

The study authors suggested that even something as simple as a small bag of candy can help older people perform better on so-called “cognitive” — or thinking skill — tests.

“There has been lots of research showing that younger adults are more creative and cognitively flexible when they are in a good mood. But because of the [mental] declines that come with aging, we weren’t sure that a good mood would be able to help older adults,” study co-author Ellen Peters, professor of psychology at Ohio State University, said in a university news release.

“So these results are good news,” she added. “There are ways for older adults to overcome some of the [mental] declines that come with aging”

by The Herald:

Kronos Longevity Research Institute (KLRI) today announced that a major finding of the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) indicates that hormone therapy (HT) improves symptoms of depression and anxiety in recently menopausal women, without adverse effects on cognition.  The findings come as a result of a four-year randomized clinical trial involving nearly 730 menopausal women. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society, Oct. 3-6, 2012, in Orlando, Fla.

“The KEEPS was a complex study to address issues that are important to menopausal women and their caregivers,” said KLRI Director and President S. Mitchell Harman, M.D., Ph.D. “These preliminary results are of major clinical significance, as they will help clinicians assess the overall risk-benefit profile for each woman wishing to receive hormone therapy for symptoms of menopause.”

by Staness Jonekos for Huffington Post:

Are you suffering from hot flashes, night sweats or cranky moods? Feeling hopeless, apprehensive or deep sadness for prolonged periods? If so, you may be suffering from perimenopausal depression.

Depression is more common among women than men. Biological, life cycle, hormonal and psychosocial factors that women experience may be linked to women’s higher depression rate. Researchers have shown that hormones directly affect the brain chemistry that controls emotions and mood.

Perimenopausal symptoms may be the cause of depression, and for some, it may even be clinical depression.

by Ed Yeates for Desert News:

Researchers find taking creatine supplement along with antidepressants help women recover faster from depression.

Athletes know all about an amino acid called creatine. It’s been used for decades to improve performance in competition. Our body makes about half of what we need. The rest comes from eating meat and fish. But this dietary supplement appears to do a lot more than just build muscles.

Researchers at the University of Utah and three South Korean universities have documented what may be the brain protecting properties of this substance.

The eight-week study included 52 women, ages 19-65, with depression. All were taking the antidepressant Lexapro. Researchers observed dramatic improvements in women’s brain chemistry after combining only 5 grams of creatine with their daily doses of antidepressant medications.

by Tom Jacobs for Pacific Standard:

Music has charms to soothe even those suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease. That’s the key finding of encouraging new research from France, which found music therapy enhanced the moods of patients as much as four weeks after the conclusion of a four-week-long program.

It’s the latest in a series of studies that point to music therapy as an effective tool in dealing with dementia. The Italian Psychogeriatric Association just reviewed 32 papers published over the past decade, and found a pattern of significant reductions in such symptoms as depression, delusions, and hallucinations.

The new French study, published in the journal Music Perception, is—like most studies of people suffering from dementia—based on a very small sample: 11 people. But it was structured to provide a direct comparison between music therapy and an alternative treatment approach: specifically, eating and cooking.

by Science Daily

A drug prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease does not ease clinically significant agitation in patients, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the U.K., U.S. and Norway. This is the first randomized controlled trial designed to assess the effectiveness of the drug (generic name memantine) for significant agitation in Alzheimer’s patients.

Previous studies suggested memantine could help reduce agitation and improve cognitive functions such as memory. Led by the University of East Anglia in the U.K., the new research found that while memantine does improve cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as delusion, mood and anxiety, it is no more effective in reducing significant agitation than a placebo.

“Memantine is quite commonly prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. Despite the negative findings regarding agitation, this trial opens a door of hope,” said Regenstrief Institute investigator Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH, associate professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and associate director of the IU Center for Aging Research. “Memantine does appear to help with other behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.”

by Anne Kingston for Macleans

New research on pain, medical devices and even PMS reveals big holes in our knowledge of the female body.

In 2004, Barbara Colbourn began experiencing pain in her legs when walking. The 61-year-old London, Ont., office manager tried to ignore the discomfort at first. Six months later, she went to her doctor, who diagnosed peripheral artery disease, or PAD. Colbourn had never heard of it—and was shocked to learn it was a chronic disease caused by atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, of the legs, feet or arms that puts people at higher risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

When she was asked to participate in a 24-week international treatment trial organized by London clinical trials nurse Marge Lovell, a PAD awareness advocate, she agreed. Like many women over 60, Colbourn’s health concerns were fixated on breast cancer and heart disease. “Hardening of the arteries was something my grandma had,” she says.

Now 69, Colbourn takes baby aspirin and a cholesterol-lowering drug and exercises daily to prevent the disease’s progression and stave off invasive surgery. There were warning signs she ignored, she says. She had to give up curling in her 50s because her feet were always cold. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think it could be serious.”

by  Ashlee Reichel for Equick News

Although, there are no major differences in the signs of depression in women and men, it has been proven by medical studies that women tend to be more prone to depression in their lifetime than men. This trend of depression symptoms in women has been suggested irrespective of culture, ethnicity, nationality and economic divide. There are several reasons cited for depression signs in women. Signs of depression in women vary from psychological reasons like feeling of despair and meaninglessness to physical signs of depression like unexplained aches and pains.

Emotional and Physical Signs of Depression in Women

One of the first signs of depression in women is feeling of hopelessness and frequent mood swings. An irritated and depressed mood, that seldom leads to smiles, laughter and happiness is considered to be a hint towards being depressed. Some of the most evident signs of depression in women appear in the form of many physical problems. Weight changes and appetite are some of the most initial depression signs in women. Due to depression there is an increased or decrease of appetite, changes in eating habits leading to increase or decrease in weight. Added to these signs and symptoms of depression in women are those that are related to the women’s health.

by  Gayatri Devi, M.D. for The New York Memory Services:

Menopause symptoms due to estrogen deficits, include memory problems, trouble finding words, inability to pay attention, mood swings and irritability, in addition to the more well known symptoms. These symptoms are often overlooked or left untreated but should be addressed. Treatment will not only result in symptom remission but may also, in my opinion, have preventive value. Some common questions I have encountered in my practice about estrogen and memory loss include the following:

Q: Do I have Alzheimer’s disease?

A: This unspoken fear is often the reason why women suffer in silence when they experience cognitive symptoms during menopause. Scared about what they may discover, many women opt not to seek treatment. However, menopause related memory and cognitive disturbances are being increasingly described in scientific literature and are generally responsive to treatment. They can and should be addressed and treated.

Q: Does estrogen have an impact on functions of the mind?

A: Yes. Estrogen influences language skills, mood, attention, and a number of other functions in addition to memory.