"All clear for the decisive trial of ecstasy in PTSD patients"

Via Drudge:  One of the main targets in the war on drugs could well become a drug to treat the scars of war. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as the illegal drug ecstasy, a "breakthrough therapy" for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a status that may lead to faster approval.

The agency has also approved the design for two phase III studies of MDMA for PTSD that would be funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit in Santa Cruz, California. MAPS announced the "breakthrough therapy" designation, made by FDA on 16 August, on its website today; if the group can find the money for the trials, which together could cost an estimated $25 million, they may start next spring and finish by 2021.

That an illegal dancefloor drug could become a promising pharmaceutical is another indication that the efforts of a dedicated group of researchers interested in the medicinal properties of mind-altering drugs is paying dividends. Stringent drug laws have stymied research on these compounds for decades. "This is not a big scientific step," says David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London. "It’s been obvious for 40 years that these drugs are medicines. But it’s a huge step in acceptance."

(Link to more)

"All aspects of the memory are affected by poor sleep"

"It doesn't just make you grouchy: Poor sleep 'also makes more forgetful"

Participants aged 18 to 80 were asked to measure their sleep against five different “everyday” memories: having to check whether they’ve done something; forgetting to tell somebody something important; where things are normally kept; doing something they intended to do such as posting a letter and finding it difficult to concentrate.

Poor sleep was classed as under five hours a night and the results found that all aspects of memory are affected by low levels of sleep.

The most commonly reported memory failure was having to check whether they had done something with 50 per cent struggling with this problem at least once a week but the figure rose to two thirds for poor sleepers.

This was closely followed by people forgetting to do something they intended to do – a weekly problem for 44 per cent rising to 60 per cent for those who slept for under five hours.

Forgetting where things are kept was a weekly problem for 25 per cent of respondents though when they had slept poorly it drastically increased to two thirds.

Half of poor sleepers surveyed said they “regularly” struggled with concentration in relation to their working life illustrating the profound effect lack of sleep has on everyday memory and wellbeing.

On average, those who slept for less than five hours a night were 25 per cent more forgetful than those who slept for longer. (read the whole thing)

"Midnight snacking is one of the worst things you can do"

LA Times:  People who midnight munch don’t experience the same “food high” we get when we eat earlier in the day — and that high contributes to a feeling of fullness, regulating the amount of calories consumed, according to a study by Brigham Young University. Without that reward sensation, the tendency is to eat more food. (And let’s face it, if it’s midnight, we’re more likely to be reaching for ice cream and potato chips rather than broccoli

Snacking when you’re supposed to be sleeping can alter the ability to remember things accurately the next day, according to researchers at the Semel Institute at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Most likely this is due to your body’s circadian clock, which is affected by day to night changes. ”Try to match your light exposure and food consumption periods,” suggests study author Dawn Loh.

Late-night eating, especially if you’re sleep deprived, slows mental reaction times and attention, according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Study subjects who fasted while being limited to just four hours of sleep per night “did not show… performance decline.” But sleep-deprived subjects who snacked away “showed significantly slower reaction times and more attention lapses,” according to the study.

"Music before surgery means patients need less sedation, study finds"

The Telegraph:  Just a quarter of an hour of jazz, classical and piano music before an eye operation was enough to reduce anxiety about the surgery carried out while the patient is awake.

A pilot study by the Paris-based Cochin University Hospital used music specifically composed to ease anxiety and found those who listened to it were more relaxed than others, up to an hour afterwards.

The 16 pieces were selected with the aim to prevent and manage pain, anxiety and depression.

All were instrumental pieces using a decreasing tempo, with a progressive decrease in the number of instruments playing. (more)

What would you want to hear before surgery?

"Half of all heart attack victims 'do not realise they have had one'"

Independent:  Experts said 45 per cent of people who have heart attacks suffered what they called the “silent” variety, where patients believe they have strained a muscle or have indigestion.

Silent heart attacks can cause just as much damage as heart attacks which are instantly recognised. But as silent attacks do not come with the usual symptoms of chest or arm pain, patients do not seek treatment which can help prevent another.

The research, published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, found people who have silent heart attacks are three times more likely to die of heart disease and 34 per cent more likely to die from any cause.

"Those With High Scores On A Psychopath Test Are Better At Creative Thinking"

"A new study by researchers at De La Salle University in the Philippines suggests those with psychopathic tendencies are often very creative, suggesting the ability to think boldly and ruthlessly can help with the development of great ideas."

“We argue that emotional disinhibition, in the form of psychopathic boldness, is actually integral to some creative personalities and functionally related to the creative process,” the researchers wrote.

In controlled quantities, psychopathy can be a good thing. Numerous studies have shown a lack of empathy can be advantageous in the business world. Interestingly, the new study shows that uninhibited psychopathy can boost the creative spark, something different from carefully applied Machiavellian plans.

In addition to suggesting that a bold, uninhibited approach may be best for creative thinking, the research provides more evidence that psychopaths shouldn’t necessarily be marginalized.

“It could turn out that the price of human discovery, whether we like it or not, is to give the trickster more credit,” the writers conclude.

Link to article

This Just In. Saturated Fats May Not Be Bad For Us.

If you wait long enough, nearly every medical study will be reversed, at least that's my belief.  This time the reversal, or maybe semi-reversal as the article is couched in tentative language, is that eating saturated fats does not lead to an increased probability of heart disease.

For decades, health officials have urged the public to avoid saturated fat as much as possible, saying it should be replaced with the unsaturated fats in foods like nuts, fish, seeds and vegetable oils.

But the new research, published on Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, did not find that people who ate higher levels of saturated fat had more heart disease than those who ate less. Nor did it find less disease in those eating higher amounts of unsaturated fat, including monounsaturated fat like olive oil or polyunsaturated fat like corn oil.

I read Gary Taubes's excellent book a couple of years ago in which he made the same point and  suggested that the real culprits in heart disease are consuming excessive carbohydrates and refined sugar.

He said that looking at individual fats and other nutrient groups in isolation could be misleading, because when people cut down on fats they tend to eat more bread, cold cereal and other refined carbohydrates that can also be bad for cardiovascular health.

This article and the study on which it is based is not a green light to go on an all-cheese diet.  But it does signal the importance of keeping a balance in your diet, and avoiding refined sugar and high carbohydrate foods.

And you can enjoy that steak without guilt.