1. Classical Music Lifts Our Mood by ‘Synchronizing’ Parts of the Brain, Says Study of Patients with Depression
Whether Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, it’s widely recognized that classical music can affect a person’s mood.
Now, scientists are using brainwave measurements and neural imaging techniques to show exactly how Western classical music elicits its positive effects on the brain.
The discovery could lead to effective ways to use music as treatment to activate the brain in people with treatment-resistant depression.
“Ultimately, we hope to translate our research findings into clinical practice, developing convenient and effective music therapy tools and applications,” said Professor Bomin Sun, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The study focused on 13 patients with treatment-resistant depression who already had electrodes implanted in their brains for the purpose of deep-brain stimulation.
The implants are placed in a circuit connecting two areas in the forebrain—the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc).
Using the implants, the researchers found that music generates its antidepressant effects by synchronizing the neural oscillations between the auditory cortex, which is responsible for processing of sensory information—and the rewards circuit, responsible for processing emotional information.
2. Manuka Honey Reduces Breast Cancer Cell Growth by 84% in Human Cells and Mice
Honey has all manner of often-hidden medicine-like qualities, but more eyes will certainly be falling on Manuka honey after it was recently shown to reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells.
It did so in a sophisticated manner that even resulted in the occasional triggering of natural cell death, or apoptosis, a mechanism that’s bypassed as a malignant cell becomes cancerous.
Manuka honey is made by bees that feed on the nectar of the manuka tree from New Zealand and coastal Australia. This member of the Myrtle family is a cousin to other plants that yield powerful medicinal products like clove, allspice, and eucalyptus.
In a study published in the journal Nutrients, investigators at the UC Los Angeles Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that Manuka honey significantly reduced tumor growth in mice with ER-positive breast cancer cells by 84% without affecting normal breast cells or causing major side effects.
It’s thought that Manuka honey is unique compared to all other commercially produced kinds of honey because of its unique chemical composition. Manuka honey has been found to be antibacterial—and not just for the bacteria a parent worries about when their child scrapes their knee—but of the kinds that cause the infections typical in cystic fibrosis patients.
3. Daredevil 94-Year-old is Oldest Ever to Take on World’s Fastest Zip Line–Going 100mph
A 94-year-old Englishman decided to have a go on the world’s fastest zip line to raise money for his local hospice care. Great-grandfather-of-four David Aris lost his beloved wife, June, to cancer five years ago.
For the last few months of her life, she had been cared for by St John’s Hospice, which also provided end-of-life care for one of David’s friends, Mr. Kilby.
Together, 94-year-old David and Mr Kilby’s 70-year-old widow Narelle, took a trip to Zip World in Penrhyn Quarry, Wales, for a ride on the fastest zip line in the world that can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour).
The pair both looked to raise money for the hospice care that helped them at such an unhappy moment in their lives.
“I had heard of the zip line but I didn’t think to do it until Narelle mentioned it to me,” David told the English news media SWNS. “When we rang up to book in, and I said I was 94, and they said I am ‘probably the oldest person’ to do it. They checked and that turned out to be true!”
“On the day, the zip line was all over and done in less than a minute because it was so fast!” he added. “I was nervous but also excited. And I really enjoyed it.”
