By Brita Belli
April 12, 2021
Share this with FacebookShare this with TwitterShare this with LinkedInShare this with EmailPrint this
(Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein)
For all the attention paid to the short and long-term physical effects of COVID-19, the disease has serious mental health consequences, too.
In a new report, Yale researchers examine how the pandemic is affecting our brains in particular the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is involved in decision making, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
For 44 to 66 million disadvantaged Americans, the researchers say, the pandemic is exacerbating existing stressors including financial insecurity and systemic racism which impairs prefrontal cortical performance that is critical for regulating emotions and coping, among other functions.
Altered calcium signaling is linked to early-stage Alzheimer's pathology news-medical.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-medical.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
E-Mail
New Haven, Conn. Alzheimer s disease is known for its slow attack on neurons crucial to memory and cognition. But why are these particular neurons in aging brains so susceptible to the disease s ravages, while others remain resilient?
A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine has found that susceptible neurons in the prefrontal cortex develop a leak in calcium storage with advancing age, they report April 8 in the journal
Alzheimer s & Dementia, The Journal of the Alzheimer s Association. This disruption of calcium storage in turns leads to accumulation of phosphorylated, or modified, tau proteins which cause the neurofibrillary tangles in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer s.