Identifying Variables Associated with Menopause-Related Shame and Stigma: Results from a National Survey Study.

Despite the significance of menopause as a natural biological milestone experienced by approximately half the population, few studies have evaluated factors associated with menopause-related shame and stigma. Given previous research indicating increased shame and stigma are associated with negative outcomes that directly impact health ( reduced access to health care), it is critical to identify variables associated with menopause-related shame and stigma. As part of a larger, national survey, 214 perimenopausal ( = 111) and postmenopausal ( = 103) individuals completed self-report questionnaires assessing demographics and menopause-related symptoms, shame, and stigma.

Increased White Matter Coherence Following Three and Six Months of Medical Cannabis Treatment.

Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal white matter (WM) microstructure in recreational cannabis consumers; however, the long-term impact of medical cannabis (MC) use on WM coherence is unknown. Accordingly, this study assessed the longitudinal impact of MC treatment on WM coherence. Given results from preclinical studies, we hypothesized that MC treatment would be associated with increased fractional anisotropy (FA) and reduced mean diffusivity (MD).

Clinical and cognitive improvement following full-spectrum, high-cannabidiol treatment for anxiety: open-label data from a two-stage, phase 2 clinical trial.

Background: Evidence suggests cannabidiol (CBD) has anxiolytic properties, indicating potential for novel treatment strategies. However, few clinical trials of CBD-based products have been conducted, and none thus far have examined the impact of these products on cognition.

Methods: For the open-label stage of clinical trial NCT02548559, autoregressive linear modeling assessed efficacy and tolerability of four-weeks of 1 mL t.

The Impact of Micronutrient Fortified Foods on Cognitive Functioning among Low-Income Children: A Pilot and Feasibility Study.

Brain development continues throughout childhood and requires micronutrients for optimal maturation, but studies have typically examined only a limited number of micronutrients and there has been inconsistent use of validated cognitive measures. This study evaluated the impact of providing low-income children with a daily fortified meal (570 kcal) in the form of a bar and shake containing >75% of the FDA Daily Values for all essential vitamins and minerals, as well as macronutrients (e.g.

Made from concentrate? A national web survey assessing dab use in the United States.

Background: Cannabis concentrates, including dabs, contain extremely high levels of Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although these products appear to be gaining popularity among recreational cannabis consumers, little data exists regarding concentrate use in the US. We conducted a national web-based survey to examine patterns of concentrate use, specifically dabbing.

Marijuana Use Predicts Cognitive Performance on Tasks of Executive Function.

Objective: Despite growing evidence that chronic marijuana use is associated with cognitive impairment, particularly when use is initiated at an early age, national trends demonstrate significant decreases in the perceived risk of marijuana corresponding with increased use, especially among youth. The current study assessed the impact of marijuana use on executive function and whether patterns of marijuana use, including earlier age at onset, higher frequency, and increased magnitude of use, predict impairment.

Method: Forty-four chronic, heavy marijuana smokers (37 male, 7 female) and 32 healthy, nonsmoking control participants (20 male, 12 female) recruited from the Greater Boston area completed two assessments of executive function: the Stroop Color Word Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).

Citicoline Treatment Improves Measures of Impulsivity and Task Performance in Chronic Marijuana Smokers: A Pilot BOLD fMRI Study.

Objective: Citicoline is an endogenous nucleotide that has historically been used to treat stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cognitive dysfunction. Research has also shown that citicoline treatment is associated with improved cognitive performance in substance-abusing populations. We hypothesized that marijuana (MJ) smokers who received citicoline would demonstrate improvement in cognitive performance as well as increased neural efficiency during tasks of cognitive control relative to those who received placebo.

Worth the wait: effects of age of onset of marijuana use on white matter and impulsivity.

Rationale: Marijuana (MJ) use continues to rise, and as the perceived risk of using MJ approaches an all-time historic low, initiation of MJ use is occurring at even younger ages. As adolescence is a critical period of neuromaturation, teens and emerging adults are at greater risk for experiencing the negative effects of MJ on the brain. In particular, MJ use has been shown to be associated with alterations in frontal white matter microstructure, which may be related to reports of increased levels of impulsivity in this population.

Altered affective processing in bipolar disorder: an fMRI study.

Background: Previous studies have reported that patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) exhibit altered emotional processing and regulation. However, results remain largely inconsistent across studies. The aim of the current study was to further examine affective processing in patients with bipolar disorder.

Age of onset of marijuana use impacts inhibitory processing.

Difficulties in the ability to successfully inhibit impulsive behaviors have been reported in marijuana (MJ) smokers, yet few studies have made direct comparisons between early (prior to age 16) and late (age 16 or later) onset MJ smokers, specifically during behavioral inhibition tasks. The current study utilized the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in chronic, heavy MJ smokers and healthy non-MJ smoking controls which revealed a more focal pattern of anterior cingulate activity in controls relative to smokers. Early onset smokers had more focal activation but tended to make more errors of commission relative to late onset smokers, suggesting a possible neural adaptation despite difficulty with behavioral inhibition.

Age of onset of marijuana use and executive function.

Marijuana (MJ) remains the most widely abused illicit substance in the United States, and in recent years, a decline in perceived risk of MJ use has been accompanied by a simultaneous increase in rates of use among adolescents. In this study, the authors hypothesized that chronic MJ smokers would perform cognitive tasks, specifically those that require executive function, more poorly than control subjects and that individuals who started smoking MJ regularly prior to age 16 (early onset) would have more difficulty than those who started after age 16 (late onset). Thirty-four chronic, heavy MJ smokers separated into early and late onset groups, and 28 non-MJ smoking controls completed a battery of neurocognitive measures.

Why so impulsive? White matter alterations are associated with impulsivity in chronic marijuana smokers.

Difficulty monitoring and inhibiting impulsive behaviors has been reported in marijuana (MJ) smokers; neuroimaging studies, which examined frontal systems in chronic MJ smokers, have reported alterations during inhibitory tasks. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides a quantitative estimate of white matter integrity at the microstructural level. We applied DTI, clinical ratings, and impulsivity measures to explore the hypotheses that chronic, heavy MJ smokers would demonstrate alterations in white matter microstructure and a different association between white matter measures and impulsivity relative to nonsmoking control subjects (NS).

Circadian entrainment aftereffects in suprachiasmatic nuclei and peripheral tissues in vitro.

Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24-h rhythms. The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the mammalian hypothalamus serve as the master circadian pacemaker, entraining peripheral organs which also demonstrate circadian rhythms. Entrainment to LD cycles of non-24 h duration (T-cycles) induces aftereffects on period that act to bring the intrinsic period closer to the entraining cycle.

Mood disorders.

Despite the prevalence of the mood disorders, the underlying neuropathology is still poorly understood. This article describes abnormalities in brain activation that have been reported in neuroimaging studies of patients with depression and bipolar illness. Functional changes have been identified in regions important for neural networks underlying emotional processing, including frontal, subcortical, and limbic regions.