Latest news with #Neuroscience
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blankety Blank viewers in shock after learning winning contestant died after filming show
Viewers of the BBC gameshow Blankety Blank have been left in shock after learning that a winning contestant died months after filming the show. During Saturday night's episode (15 June), Nathanael Hill, a 39-year-old RAF veteran, rugby coach and PhD student from Liverpool, was triumphant in winning the show's main prize. But a memorandum message appearing after the credits rolled showed that Hill had died months after filming. The tribute read: 'Nathanael Hill 1985 – 2025.' The cause of death was not stated. The episode saw Hill match his answers with those given by a panel of six celebrities, including comedians Rob Beckett, Lucy Beaumont, Jack Dee, actor Omid Djalili, former GB athlete Dame Kelly Holmes and TV host Steph McGovern. At the beginning of the episode, Hill explained that he was studying for a PhD in neuroscience, researching chronic pain and how to cure it without the use of opioids. Hill was also a coach at the LGBT+ rugby team, Liverpool Tritons, which was formed in 2016 as Merseyside's first Inclusive men's Rugby Union team. According to the Liverpool Echo, Hill worked as an armour officer in the Royal Air Force and completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. During a stint in south and central Asia, Nathanael got injured by shrapnel from a roadside bomb. After doctors found a blood clot in his leg during the pandemic, he contracted sepsis and underwent an above-knee amputation on his leg in October 2022. He had been using a prosthetic leg. Hill had also been involved in training for triathlons and had been fundraising with the dream of joining Team GB at the 2028 LA Paralympics. He joked during a programme that his desired prize on the show was a running blade for his prosthetic leg, to which host Bradley Walsh quipped: 'I'm not sure that's in Blankety Blank's remit to give you a running blade. We can give you a toaster, or a kettle?' In the end, his prize was the Blankety Blank chequebook and pen trophy. In April, the Liverpool Tritons announced the news of Hill's death, remembering him as a 'cherished' member of the team, and a 'formidable player on the pitch and a passionate, dedicated coach off it'. They added: 'More than his achievements in the game, Nate will be remembered for his kindness, sense of humour, and the unwavering support he showed to teammates, new players, and friends alike. His loss will be felt deeply across the club and far beyond.' 'Nate brought skill, heart, and a contagious enthusiasm to everything he did. His commitment to inclusive rugby and to our community helped shape the club into what it is today.' Blankety Blank viewers paid tributes online, with one person writing on X/Twitter: 'Who knew you could get sad at the end of an episode of Blankety Blank? RIP Nathanael.' Another added: 'RIP Nathanael. Fly high.'
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Tailored mindfulness techniques could ease different kinds of anxiety
The researchers suggest that different kinds of mindfulness practices might be helpful for different kinds of anxiety. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Mindfulness has its roots in traditional meditation techniques. It involves embracing the present moment and accepting it as it is, without judgment. You breathe, feel and observe your thoughts, without trying to change them. Once seen as a spiritual practice, it has now gained legitimacy in the therapeutic field. And with good reason: it has proven its effectiveness in tackling anxiety and stress. But mindfulness doesn't work in the same way for everyone. So why does it work better for some people? And above all, how can we adapt this practice to each individual? This is the subject of a study published in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews. Its authors suggest adjusting the form of mindfulness practiced according to the type of anxiety experienced. The results are based on solid data and confirm what many people feel, without always being able to explain it. 'A lot of research has shown that mindfulness can reduce anxiety symptoms,' explained study co-author, Resh Gupta, a postdoctoral research associate with the Mindfulness Science & Practice research cluster at Washington University in Saint Louis, quoted in a news release. 'We all experience anxiety, but it can manifest in many different ways. It's a tough problem to pin down.' Tailored techniques to meet different needs To find out more, the researchers explored how the brain works, in particular what is known as cognitive control. This function helps us stay focused, resist distractions and make choices in line with one's intentions. Anxiety, however, scrambles this mechanism. It invades the mind, upsetting priorities and complicating decision-making. Conversely, mindfulness can reinforce this ability to stay on course. Moreover, certain techniques are more suited to different profiles. Focused attention mindfulness meditation, for example, enables people experiencing a lot of anxious thoughts to focus on an anchor point such as breathing. 'You keep bringing your attention back to that anchor every time your mind wanders. Instead of focusing on the worry, you're focusing on the present moment experience,' the researcher explained. Other people experience anxiety in a more physical way, with rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms and tightness in the chest. For them, an approach called open monitoring seems more beneficial. It involves observing and welcoming everything that arises, without judgment or rejection. It's a way of making peace with our inner turmoil, rather than fighting it. This research is part of a wider dynamic, supported by the Mindfulness Science and Practice cluster, which also organises events open to all. 'We're dedicated to helping the WashU and greater St Louis community get access to tools to learn about mindfulness science and practice,' said Resh Gupta. For Todd Braver, professor of psychological and neurological sciences at the University of Washington, and co-author of the study, offering a variety of options is essential. 'People have different options they can choose from, so it becomes easier to find one that best fits your particular temperament, concerns, or current situation,' he said. Gone is the one-size-fits-all model. The future of mindfulness promises to be more flexible, more personalised, with an approach that's in tune with each individual, transforming an age-old practice into an everyday tool.
Bloomberg
02-06-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Neuralink Rival Paradromics Tests Brain Implant in First Human
Takeaways NEW Paradromics Inc., a brain implant company and rival to Elon Musk's Neuralink, tested its device in its first human patient last month. Neurosurgeon Matthew Willsey put a chip smaller than a penny on the patient's brain while the person was undergoing surgery for epilepsy and left it there for 10 to 15 minutes. Needles half the diameter of a human hair poked into the brain tissue, aiming to pick up electrical signals from individual neurons.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Why do we need to talk more about menopause in the workplace?
Montreal Watch Neuroscientist Claudien Gauthier speaks about by we need to talk about menopause in the workplace more.
Medscape
09-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
No Psychological Harm in Knowing Alzheimer's Risk
Learning about one's Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk may not cause emotional distress — but it could curb motivation to adopt or maintain healthy habits to preserve brain health, according to the results of a survey of adults who were cognitively unimpaired and who underwent amyloid beta PET imaging. Individuals who were told they didn't have elevated amyloid beta had reductions in all emotional parameters assessed compared to baseline, while peers who were told they did have amyloid beta deposits experienced a modest decrease in anxiety and no change in depression. 'We observed no significant harm after disclosure. However, motivation to adopt lifestyle changes decreased after disclosing both elevated and nonelevated amyloid beta status and should be targeted,' the study team reported. 'The results highlight how easily people lose motivation to make lifestyle changes aimed at maintaining cognitive health. Strategies to sustain these healthy behaviors are crucial,' first author Sapir Golan Shekhtman, PhD candidate, The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center, Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, said in a statement. The study was published online on May 7 in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Important Topic, Limited Data Amyloid beta deposition, an early hallmark of AD, is detectable through PET imaging years before cognitive symptoms manifest. With the increasing use of this and other AD biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment eligibility, there is a need to better understand how cognitively normal individuals emotionally react to learning their biomarker status. To investigate, Shekhtman and colleagues surveyed 199 at-risk, but cognitively normal, adults before and 6 months after they underwent amyloid PET scans to determine amyloid beta status. Most were enrolled in observational trials. Disclosure of nonelevated amyloid beta was associated with a significant decrease in anxiety and depression (P < .001), as well as subjective memory complaints (P < .001), suggesting a feeling of relief and decreased worry when ruling out the presence of AD pathology, the researchers said. Disclosure of elevated amyloid beta status was associated with no change in depression or memory complaints and, counter intuitively, with a modest decrease in anxiety (P = .026). The authors cautioned that the elevated amyloid beta group only included 21 individuals, which is 'too small to draw definitive conclusions.' The individuals with elevated amyloid beta were also older than those with nonelevated amyloid beta (median, 81 years vs 63 years). While both groups expressed strong motivation to implement lifestyle changes at baseline, after disclosure, a significant decrease in reported motivation to pursue lifestyle changes was observed in both groups, although to a lesser extent in the elevated amyloid beta group. In the nonelevated amyloid beta group, this may be attributed to the relief of not having AD pathology, the authors suggested. The causes for decreased motivation are less understood in the elevated amyloid beta group. However, it is concerning as maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is a key recommendation for the prevention of AD, they added. Summing up, the researchers said the findings are in-line with previous studies showing that amyloid beta status disclosure has a low risk for psychological harm both in elevated and nonelevated amyloid beta levels. Looking ahead, they said research is needed to identify populations with elevated psychological vulnerability and develop personalized communication strategies. 'Mechanisms behind decreased motivation for lifestyle changes after disclosure should be further explored and targeted,' they added. Funding for this research was provided by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association. The authors declared having no relevant disclosures.
