Brain zaps for Tourette syndrome

Electric zaps can rewire the brains of Tourette syndrome patients, effectively reducing their uncontrollable vocal and motor tics. The procedure, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), improved tic severity by nearly half in patients with uncontrolled Tourette symptoms.

According to Dr. Michael Okun, chair of neurology and co-director of the Movement Disorders Center at the University of Florida's College of Medicine, much improvement in these symptoms is difficult when using medication or behavioral therapy.

With DBS, brain surgeons run thin electric leads to specific regions of the basal ganglia, a cluster of nerves in the brain related to motor control and behavior, then apply electricity to the brain circuits they've most closely linked to Tourette, to try to control the patient's tics. then introduce electricity into the brain to change the way these circuits function.

However, the procedure still needs more work. More than a third of patients experienced adverse events, most often slurred speech or a pins-and-needles sensation. These side effects occur when electricity meant for one brain circuit unintentionally spreads to other nearby nerves but the adverse effects are reversible.

Tourette patients are typically treated using medications and speech or behavioral therapy. Another option for severe Tourette cases is deep brain stimulation, which also used to treat many other motor disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and multiple sclerosis.

Researchers wanted a better idea of whether DBS is effective in treating severe cases of uncontrolled Tourette, which can cause motor tics so strong that people end up hurting themselves. The average tic severity patients that used DBS improved by 45 percent within one year of implant.
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Control diabetes with diet and exercise

According to latest research, dieting and regular exercise can be more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes than medication. Patients who take part in weight loss programmes are less likely to need drugs and tend to have healthier blood sugar levels. Regular exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy helps people to lose weight.

A sensible diet can control diabetes more effectively than drugs, people who completed the weeks regime saw no increase in the diabetes pills they had to take. They were also half as likely to see their condition progress to the extent that they needed to take insulin.

A single workout could save your life, diabetes sufferers who lost at least 11lb also had a significant reduction in their blood sugar levels in the following three years. A real-life structured weight management intervention can reduce weight in the medium term, result in improved glycaemic control with fewer medications, and may be more effective than pharmacological alternatives.

The course involved 90-minute classes every fortnight for four months, in which patients were given exercise advice and told to follow a diet of 1,400 calories a day for women and 1,900 a day for men.
They also underwent cognitive behavioural therapy to help them lose weight. Study leader Dr Jennifer Logue, from the University of Glasgow, said: ‘This is the first real-world study to show that the lifestyle weight management programmes delivered in the NHS can have a long-lasting meaningful clinical effect.’
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Treating insomnia may reduce the risk of mental health problems

Treating insomnia with online cognitive behavioural therapy CBT could reduce mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Sleep disruption is a driving factor in the occurrence of paranoia, hallucinatory experiences, and other mental health problems in so many people.

One group received online cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for insomnia; the other group did not but had access to standard treatments. Those who received the CBT sleep treatment showed large reductions in insomnia, paranoia and hallucinatory experiences. The treatment also led to improvements in depression, anxiety, nightmares and psychological well-being.

The programme was interactive, with participants' daily sleep diaries used to tailor the advice. Researchers monitored participants' mental health through a series of online questionnaires. Those who received CBT may not experience anxiety disorder. Treating disrupted sleep could provide a key route for improving mental health.

Sleep problems are common in people with mental health disorders, insomnia is the cause of psychological difficulties. The results showed that insomnia may be a cause of mental health problems. A good night's sleep can make a difference to people's psychological health.

The cognitive-behavioural therapy was delivered through an online programme. It included behavioural, cognitive and educational components, such as learning to associate bed with sleep, encouraging people to put time aside to reflect on their day before going to bed, and facilitating a pro-sleep environment.
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