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People worldwide are living longer.  According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over by 2030.  By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of individuals aged 65 years or above across the world will be twice the number of children under age 5 by the year 2050. That makes this population one of the fastest-growing groups in the world.

Below are some of the latest research and features on this growing population of older adults in the Seniors channel on Newswise.

Older adults rely more on trust in decision making. It could open them up to scams.

-University of Florida

Language barriers could contribute to higher aggression in people with dementia

-Edith Cowan University

Sexually transmitted infections among older adults pose a global public health challenge

-University of Oslo

Experts Comment on Aiming for a Romantic Relationship at Any Stage of Life

-University of New Hampshire

Third Major Study Finds Evidence that Daily Multivitamin Supplements Improve Memory and Slow Cognitive Aging in Older Adults

-Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Smartphone app could help prevent falls in older adults

-Binghamton University, State University of New York

Adults With Cognitive Disabilities Are More Likely to Have Worse Experiences With Health Care System

-Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University

Caring for LGBTQ+ nursing home residents in culturally appropriate and inclusive ways

-Regenstrief Institute

Following a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cognitive decline in older people

-University of Barcelona

Infection with common cat-borne parasite associated with frailty in older adults

-University of Colorado Boulder

Gambling disorders expert and UCLA psychiatrist says every state has seen increased demand for treatment services related to gambling problems since 2018 

In addition to very likely being one of the most-viewed sporting events in the world, Super Bowl LVIII is expected to be one of the largest sports betting events in U.S. history, with tens of millions of Americans expected to wager billions of dollars on Sunday’s matchup. But experts say the advent and rapid expansion of legalized, online sports betting has led to an unprecedented accessibility to gambling and the problems that can arise from it. 

The American Gaming Association, a gambling industry organization, estimated this week that a record 67.8 million American adults will bet on the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers – a 35% increase from last year’s Super Bowl. About $23.1 billion in wagers – including traditional wagers and casual bets among friends and family — are expected to be placed, up from the estimated $16 billion last year, according to the association. 

So far, 38 states and Washington, D.C., have adopted a legalized sports betting market since 2018, though some are limited to in-person betting only. For the remaining states, including California, sports gambling of any kind, whether online or in-person, remains illegal, though that could soon change in some states. The Georgia Legislature is currently debating a bill to legalize sports betting, which could take effect as soon as 2025.  

Dr. Timothy Fong, a UCLA Health psychiatrist and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, was asked to explain how the paradigm shift in sports betting has impacted gambling disorders in the U.S. and why so many people place wagers during the Super Bowl.   

Q: Big sporting events such as the Super Bowl have always attracted gambling, but how has the rise of sports betting apps and services changed the prevalence and accessibility of sports betting, especially in recent years? 

Dr. Fong: Since 2018, access to sports betting has exploded exponentially. There are regulated and unregulated applications and websites opening up constantly, making it nearly impossible to keep up with the different gambling options. The end result is access 24/7 to sports betting, in every state in America. Having unprecedented and nearly unlimited access to sports betting transforms gambling into a commonplace and embedded activity that is part of daily American life. It is no longer in the shadows or hidden away – it’s ubiquitous.    

Q: How does sports gambling differ from other types of gambling such as online poker or a traditional casino?  

Dr. Fong: There are many, many more different types of wagers and bets that can be placed on sports than traditional casino games. They don’t require any human interaction or dealers to be placed. Now, with the advent of artificial intelligence and big gambling data, there are different types of bets that can be offered every few seconds while watching games in real time. Sports betting offers up a wider variety of bets that can appeal to any personality and gambling preferences.   

Q: What makes the Super Bowl stand out from other sporting events in the sports betting world? 

Dr. Fong: Every year, the Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world. It has become a global phenomenon, highlighting many aspects of the leading edge of popular culture. Its growth in popularity is also tied to gambling as it is the single most wagered-on sporting event every year and growing. The Super Bowl has become more than just a sporting event, it’s become a national tradition that’s more about connecting with family and friends, eating, gambling, entertainment and being part of a communal event. 

Q: How has the popularity of sports betting changed since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to legalized sports betting in 2018? Has this resulted in an increase in gambling addiction cases? 

Dr. Fong: Since 2018, sports betting has grown into a massive industry, even though it is not yet legally available in all 50 states. Much of the growth has been in the online betting platforms that offer a dizzying number of wagers that change minute-to-minute. Fueled by new partnerships (professional sport leagues, online influencers, traditional media outlets), fast regulations put out by state legislatures and aggressive advertising and marketing campaigns, sports betting has become so commonplace that it is now considered a part of the American entertainment menu. This rise in acceptability and the promotion of sports betting has naturally led to increased participation by the general public. Nearly every state in the United States has seen increased demand for treatment services related to problems cause by gambling and several statewide surveys have shown increased numbers in the incidence and prevalence of gambling disorder. 

Q: What are some of the early warning signs that someone is starting to develop an unhealthy gambling habit? 

Dr. Fong: Gambling disorder is an addictive disorder that is characterized by continued gambling despite harmful consequences. Not every case presents the same way but, typically, early signs of an unhealthy or problematic relationship with gambling include preoccupation with gambling, not being able to cut down or stop gambling, gambling repeatedly beyond one’s means or budgets, borrowing money to finance gambling or chasing after losses by gambling more.  

Like any other addictive disorder, gambling disorder can also impact sleep, worsen physical conditions through emotional stress and exacerbate mental health conditions like depression or anxiety disorders. 

Q: Can sports betting be a “gateway drug” into developing other gambling addictions? 

Dr. Fong: There is no current evidence to suggest that sports betting will lead to other types of betting or increase a person’s risk of developing gambling disorder. In many cases of individuals who enter treatment for gambling disorder, they report engaging in multiple types of gambling, not just sports betting but oftentimes three to four types of gambling at the same time. 

Q: What are the clinical reasons why people gamble and form gambling addictions? How does brain activity change when a person is gambling? 

Dr. Fong: There are clear risk factors to developing gambling disorder including family history of gambling disorder, starting to gamble at a young age, gambling with high frequency, access to gambling along with access to money to gamble with, and the presence of active mental health conditions like depression, ADHD or substance use disorder. Gambling disorder has biopsychosocial risk factors just like substance use disorders.  

Gambling has been shown to activate the same brain regions that are activated during the process of using substances that are highly rewarding. When gambling (or even before gambling), the brain activates the natural reward system and all of the accompanying brain systems that are responsible for positive and negative emotions, excitement, anxiety, reward, hope, attention and more. Men and women with gambling disorder have been shown to have differences in brain activity as compared to those without the disorder. 

Q: Is there a “healthy” way to gamble? 

Dr. Fong: Gambling is part of the human condition and taking risks and learning to deal with losses is a normative part of life. Recreational gambling does not create harmful consequences to the individual, the family or to the community. Gambling, when viewed as another form of entertainment to which money spent is considered part of the experience, can lead to social connection and enjoyment. A generally accepted guideline to keep gambling in the social and recreational category is to ask: “Is gambling making my quality of life better or worse?” 

BOTTOM LINE 

If you are concerned or want to know more about your gambling behavior or the gambling behavior of a family member, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit the UCLA Gambling Studies Program.  

Newswise — Reducing homelessness by 25% could save almost 2,000 lives lost to opioid overdoses, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

Published by Health Affairs, the study is the first to suggest that increased homelessness likely causes increased overdose deaths from drugs and alcohol.

The researchers also found that reducing homelessness by a quarter could save 850 lives from alcohol poisoning and 540 from cocaine overdoses. (Due to the nature of addiction, some of these lost lives may overlap.)

“One of the frustrations for people who study and recommend policy changes is that homelessness and the opioid crisis are persistent,” said David Bradford, co-author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs. “Our study shows that there is a causal effect. Homelessness is making the opioid crisis worse.”

However, strengthening social safety nets and increasing housing security could help curb growing deaths from drug and alcohol poisoning.

Homeless, overdose death counts likely higher now due to pandemic

The researchers analyzed Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data on the number of homeless individuals in the U.S. from 2007 through 2017 and compared it with death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that attributed deaths to alcohol poisoning or drug overdose. 

The researchers found that even a small decrease in homelessness could save lives. For example, even a 10% decrease in homelessness could save more than 650 people from dying by an opioid overdose. 

“That’s a lot of lives,” said Felipe Lozano-Rojas, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in the School of Public and International Affairs. “Deaths from opioids used to be a rare event, but it has become increasingly prevalent.”

The pandemic hasn’t helped. With the end of the eviction moratorium in 2021, evictions have skyrocketed in the past few years. Almost 200,000 more individuals were unhoused in HUD’s 2023 data than the last year of the study period.

And that increase in homelessness is likely to lead to an increase in accidental drug and alcohol deaths, according to the researchers.

“The increase in homelessness that we’ve seen since COVID-19 is probably a significant factor in the increase in opioid-related deaths we’ve seen since COVID started,” Bradford said. “If you want to make progress fighting the opioid epidemic, tackling homelessness is one route to do that.”

Addressing homelessness first may curb addiction

Preliminary evidence from other studies suggests taking a housing first approach to the dual pandemic of homelessness and opioid addiction may help, according to the researchers. 

That would mean focusing on keeping people in their homes first and addressing any addiction issues second. 

For example, a previous study from Bradford and Ashley Bradford of Georgia Tech found that higher eviction rates were linked to higher rates of drug and alcohol deaths at the county level. Fewer evictions could mean fewer overdose deaths.

But solving the homeless and opioid crises is not as simple as just banning evictions. Landlords have to get paid. A tweak to current housing policies could help, though.

The researchers said something as simple as preventing evictions from happening through small claims court can help keep people in their homes, as can prohibiting retaliatory actions from landlords when their tenants report housing law violations.

“It took us decades to get into this problem, and it will take decades to get out of it,” Bradford said. “What I hope people can take away from studies like ours is that we need pragmatic policies that aren’t puritanical or judgmental. We need to invest in these people who need help. 

“If you give them a chance, they’ll surprise you, and they’ll do well.”

The study was published by Health Affairs and is available here.

BYLINE: Carlos José Pérez Sámano

Newswise — For 20 years, Laura Stewart, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Dietetics, at the University of Northern Colorado, has been exploring how exercise improves the immune system. Over the last decade, however, her interests shifted to focus on the relationship between cannabidiol (CBD) and immune function. It’s a topic that fascinates the scientist, as she has found that there is a big difference between what the public understands about cannabis (marijuana) and CBD, and what science has proven.     

“Although companies that sell products with claims about any cannabis component should be supported by research, there is a lot of information that is shared by the general public on social media that is far from what actual research has found,” said Stewart. 

Stewart chose to focus her research on components of the cannabis plant and its impact on the immune system shortly after moving to Colorado in 2014, the same year recreational marijuana use became legal in the state.  

CBD or cannabidiol, is the second most studied ingredient in cannabis after tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing, CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, and it can also be derived from the hemp plant or manufactured in a laboratory. As of 2018, Congress made hemp legal in all 50 states, and consequently, CBD derived from hemp is also legal.  

“A lot of the information that users share is not scientifically proven. People talk about their anecdotal responses with the use of it [CBD] and, unfortunately, a lot of this content is getting people to try things and pay for things that we have zero amount of research behind.”

– Laura Stewart

According to Peter Grinspoon, MD, cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, the strongest scientific evidence about the health benefits of CBD has been found in the treatment of childhood epilepsy syndromes such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Animal studies and self-reports or research in humans also show that CBD can be useful for anxiety, insomnia, chronic and neuropathic pain.  

However, the claims about what CBD can do in terms of improving general health is where Stewart sees most of the misinformation, for what she sees as two primary reasons. On one hand, most of the marketing claims around benefits of cannabis consumption are not backed by science. And if there is research behind those claims, the regulations on how to present them are very minimal. The second reason for people having an exaggerated idea of the benefits of cannabis consumption is the unregulated public opinion on the matter.   

“All kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds are recommending people to use CBD for a variety of reasons on all types of social media. And those opinions are unregulated because we are talking about people’s right to free speech,” said Stewart. 

“However, a lot of the information that users share is not scientifically proven. People talk about their anecdotal responses with the use of it and, unfortunately, a lot of this content is getting people to try things and pay for things that we have zero amount of research behind,” the researcher continued. 

A 2018 report from the World Health Organization states that there are numerous CBD products —including medicinal products, such as pills and capsules for various diseases/symptoms, lotions, oils, foods, drinks, shampoos, cosmetics, etc. – that are being manufactured and distributed without regulatory oversight and often with unverified contents. 

With two decades of experience investigating the impact of exercise and botanicals on the immune system, Stewart began to examine the impact of both cannabis and CBD on the immune system.  

Her first studies conducted between 2016 and 2019 examined how cannabis impacted the immune system for users and non-users, specifically as it relates to exercise performance.  

“We surveyed people who are physically active and then we moved more into some cross-sectional studies that explored the potential differences between cannabis users and non-users when it came to their health and fitness,” said Stewart. “In those projects, we looked at males and females separately and evaluated basic health measures like blood pressure, heart rate and body composition.” 

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RELATED: Biological Sciences Master’s Student Research Could Lead to Improvements in Liver Disease Outcomes

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In general, Stewart said there weren’t many differences between the cannabis and the non-cannabis users in both young males and females except for power tests. Power tests consist of going as fast as possible on a lab bike for 30 seconds. Stewart’s findings indicated that some cannabis users couldn’t maintain as much power as non-users. In other words, the use of cannabis adversely affected power. Since the population surveyed was small, Stewart said the results weren’t statistically significant, but it was an interesting factor to be considered by coaches, athletes and the general population.  

“The next study, which started in 2021, involved a clinical trial which involved daily CBD consumption for 8 weeks. We saw some potential for natural killer cells, which are part of the immune system. We saw that they might be potentially enhanced in their ability to kill cancer cells,” said Stewart. “We also found some interesting differences between groups in their ability to feel awake after sleeping.”   

In her most recent study, Stewart examined the potential effect of CBD on healthy people. The UNC researcher was contacted by a global beverage company to evaluate the potential impacts of regular CBD consumption on general health.  

“The brand had the intention to launch a drink with some CBD, so they contacted us to conduct a clinical trial before moving forward with it,” said Stewart. “They wanted to evaluate whether CBD had any effect on aspects of physical health, mental health, cognitive and focus ability.”   

Stewart’s research found that the daily use of CBD for eight weeks in healthy individuals didn’t affect any of the physical and mental health indicators she was measuring.  

These nine years’ worth of work have not only resulted in new findings for each study, but they also helped to create more internal and external partnerships. With the support of the College of Natural and Health Sciences’ dean, Kamel Haddad, UNC established a brand new Complementary Health and Integrative Physiology Center (CHIPC) on campus last year. This center will help to further research cannabis and other natural substances and their impact on health and to create collaboration between academia and private companies. A future study that will come from this center includes partnering with a pharmaceutical grade CBD company to evaluate the impact of this substance on veterans. 

“CHIPC epitomizes two of our college’s priorities: Innovation in the science of health care; and connecting with our regional STEM partners,” said Haddad. “I am thrilled that the launch of NHS’s newest center has already delivered on these two priorities.” 

“Cannabis is a very interesting plant, and we are still finding a lot more about its potential to impact mental and physical health,” said Stewart. “I am very excited to share this news with the general public and my commitment to further research in the area.”

The flu, caused by influenza viruses, triggers acute respiratory infections worldwide. While winter unleashes seasonal epidemics in temperate climates, tropical regions face year-round outbreaks, making influenza a year-round threat. Stay informed! Below are some of the latest news and expert commentary on Ifluenza, brought to you by Newswise.

Expert shares advice for parents navigating pediatric influenza, COVID-19, and RSV this winter

-Virginia Tech

Spike in Influenza, COVID-19, and Other Respiratory Illnesses Can Lead to Rise in Cardiovascular Complications

-Mount Sinai Health System

Study sheds light on how viral infections interact with our bodies

-Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

Urgent Message from WCS as the Avian Influenza Virus Threatens Wildlife Across the Globe

-Wildlife Conservation Society

Winter spikes of the flu, COVID-19, and RSV; expert offers tips and advice for staying healthy

-Virginia Tech

The ‘tripledemic’ surge

-Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan

Rising flu, COVID, RSV rates: Johns Hopkins expert available for interviews

-Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

‘Long flu’ has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID

-Washington University in St. Louis

Multiplex Testing Reduces Repeat Doctor Visits for Stomach Flu By Over 20%

-University of Utah Health

Team to develop breathalyzer test for COVID, RSV, influenza A

-Washington University in St. Louis

Survey finds many Americans are letting their guard down during respiratory illness season

-Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Jan. 30, 2024) — Like the rest of the country, Los Angeles County has experienced a dramatic upswing in overdoses from fentanyl, an opiate that is 100 times stronger than heroin.  

According to the L.A. County Department of Health, accidental fentanyl deaths increased 1,652% between 2016 and 2022.

The numbers are shocking, and so is the patient population. No longer is the epidemic of overdoses limited to regular drug users. Today, emergency medicine experts say it’s common to treat overdosing patients who had no idea they had ingested fentanyl.

At Huntington Health, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, healthcare workers are trying to change that. A team of doctors, pharmacists and nurses is traveling to schools, libraries and community centers to educate people about the opioid crisis and the importance of knowing what to do when witnessing an overdose.

Cedars-Sinai’s Newsroom spoke with Huntington Health Emergency Department Pharmacist Evan Adintori, PharmD, and Emergency Physician Sam Beckerman, MD, PhD, about their work to  curb the fentanyl epidemic.

Why is fentanyl so dangerous?

Sam Beckerman, MD, PhD: Fentanyl is an extremely powerful and very effective drug that we use every day in the hospital, but it has made its way into the illicit drug supply in our country. It is an extremely powerful and potent drug, an opiate like heroin, but you need like 1/100th the amount of fentanyl compared to heroin to make you overdose and stop breathing.

Evan Adintori, PharmD: People are buying medication that they don’t have a prescription for, such as anxiety medications, and they are buying it online or in the street, and in many cases, these pills are laced with fentanyl, which can lead to potentially fatal overdoses by unsuspecting customers.

Who is at risk for a fentanyl overdose?

Beckerman: It’s not just people who use drugs regularly. It’s anybody who experiments with drugs, anybody who takes pills, anybody who might have gotten a pill from a friend for a headache, or being told that this is like a study drug. We’re seeing it creep into our high schools and middle schools. What we’re seeing—and the language that I like to use is that we’re basically seeing fentanyl poisonings. These are people who oftentimes had no intention of taking fentanyl, or no intention of taking an opiate, but they end up ingesting a potentially lethal dose, without knowing it, and can die as a result of it. 

What does a fentanyl overdose look like? 

Adintori: There are several major signs to look for. If their pupils are what we call pinpoint pupils, they become very, very small, like the size of a point of a pin. In addition, they might be breathing very slowly or very irregularly. If you try to wake them up, they may not respond very well. They might seem very drowsy, and no matter how hard you shake them, they’re not waking up. Those are some of the major signs of a fentanyl overdose. 

What action should you take if you suspect someone has overdosed on fentanyl? 

Beckerman: If somebody has a fentanyl overdose or a suspected fentanyl overdose, there’s now an over-the-counter medication called Narcan or naloxone that can be given to people who are suffering from an opiate overdose. It can help them start breathing again and give people enough time to call 911 and get paramedics and have patients be brought to the emergency room while they’re still breathing, as opposed to having the paramedics bring us somebody who’s already died because they stopped breathing.

How do you use naloxone?

Adintori: Naloxone is very easy to use. It’s designed so that anybody can use it while waiting for help to arrive. There is one dose per device and there are usually two devices in every box. If you believe someone is experiencing an overdose, you want to lay them down on their right side in case they have any adverse effects, or if they vomit, it won’t go in their airway. You insert the device into the patient’s nose, and you push the button. You only have to push it once. It will administer a single dose. And then if the person does not respond, you can administer another dose using the second device. It does not matter which nostril it goes in. You do not have to divide it between nostrils. The most important thing is that you just insert the device, push the button, and the dose is administered. This medication reverses the effects on someone’s breathing. It only works for opioid medications; it will not work for other types of overdoses. However, if someone is experiencing an overdose from an opioid, it’ll help them to start breathing again, and it will give you time for help to arrive. 

What do you want the public to know about naloxone? 

Beckerman: It’s something we feel really strongly about. It’s a very safe medication. It has a long shelf life. It doesn’t require special handling. It’s very similar to the nasal sprays that people use for their everyday allergy medications. And we recommend that people keep this medicine next to their fire extinguisher in their house, and that they have it available. We try to provide it to people in a judgment-free way, especially in light of the fact that the people who are at risk of having a fentanyl overdose these days are any human beings who might encounter a pill. One of our goals is to remove the stigma for having this in your first-aid kit in your house, just like you would a fire extinguisher or gauze or Band-Aids, because you just don’t know these days. 

What are you and your team doing to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl and the benefits of naloxone?

Adintori: We’ve gone to a fair number of schools within the area as well as libraries and community centers, and we’ve been able to educate as many people as we can on the opioid crisis and using naloxone. We’ve had extremely positive feedback. We’ve had schools invite us for the next years, so we can continue to educate some of their students and parents, especially some of the freshman classes at the high schools.

Beckerman: One of our main messages is that we know that people will likely still continue to experiment with potentially dangerous drugs, so our goal is to inform them of what those risks are if they choose to do so. Our main goal is to save as many lives as possible because it’s now the case where if someone—maybe they decided to try something new just this once—we don’t want that to be the last mistake someone makes. We want to empower them and the people around them to know what to do in that situation and potentially save a life.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Talking to Your Kids About Drugs

Newswise — Flinders University researchers say that cohesive and collaborative action from preventive health communicators and organisations is needed to inform young people about the devastating harms of vaping.

“Despite awareness of the potential harms, recreational vaping is increasing among younger people with our South Australian participants seeing vaping as ‘cleaner’ and less harmful than cigarettes,” says Flinders University’s Dr Joshua Trigg.

“We know that nicotine vapes are highly addictive and expose people to harmful chemicals, respiratory irritants, and toxic substances.  In order to discourage young people from picking up a vape, we need to understand what messaging they will best respond to,” says Dr Trigg.

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that heat liquids containing solvents, nicotine, flavourings and other chemicals, volatile compounds, and ultrafine particles into an aerosol that are inhaled into the lungs.

Flinders University researchers investigated the impact of different vaping prevention public health media campaigns among young South Australians aged 16–26 years to help determine what will work best in vaping risk messaging.

Participants of the study were shown example materials from three vaping prevention campaigns and resource  sets: ‘The Real Cost, ‘Do you know what you’re vaping’ and ‘Unveil what you inhale’ to assess whether they were easily understood, appropriate, relevant, credible and effective.

“We know that health communication campaigns are an established tool for emphasising the dangers associated with vaping.  By studying the impact of these campaigns more closely, we can improve future messaging to reduce and deter the use of vapes by young people,” he says.

Those who do vape and those who don’t, reacted in different ways to the campaigns. Those who didn’t already vape responded better to explicit messaging and shock tactics about the health risks associated with vaping.  Whereas those who already vaped responded better to information challenging the notion that vapes are healthier than smoking cigarettes.

“We found that young people are likely to engage more with campaigns that consider the real life experiences, social contexts, and negative consequences associated with vaping.  These experiences drew more interest and were more thought provoking to young South Australians,” Dr Trigg says.

“Bright visual design elements that represented health and wellbeing drew the attention of both groups of young people, with participants reiterating the benefits of using online and media resources to deliver preventative media campaigns. Campaigns now tend to adopt a ‘mobile first’ design approach, to target their audiences where they consume media” he says.

“In future, it is important that vaping prevention messaging considers those who already vape and those who do not, and clearly address the potential dangers and side-effects of inhaling a combination of chemicals.  Young people need to understand that nicotine vaping is not a risk-free alternative to smoking cigarettes,” he adds.

The research – “Vaping harms awareness messaging: exploring young South Australians’ responses to vaping prevention campaign materials”, by Joshua Trigg, Ola Ela, Jacqueline Bowden, Ashlea Bartram, Clinton Cenko, and Billie Bonevski – has been published in the journal Health Promotional International. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daad145

Newswise — New findings published in the journal Nature Neuroscience have shed light on a mysterious pathway between the reward center of the brain that is key to how we form habits, known as the basal ganglia, and another anatomically distinct region where nearly three-quarters of the brain’s neurons reside and assist in motor learning, known as the cerebellum.

Researchers say the connection between the two regions potentially changes our fundamental view of how the brain processes voluntary movements and conditioned learning, and may lend fresh insight into the neural mechanisms underlying addiction and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.

“We are exploring a direct communication between two major components of our brain’s movement system, which is absent from neuroscience textbooks. These systems are traditionally thought to function independently,” said Farzan Nadim, chair of NJIT’s Department of Biological Sciences, whose research in collaboration with the Khodakhah lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine is being funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“This pathway is physiologically functional and potentially affects our behaviors every day.”

While both subcortical structures have long been known for their separate roles in coordinating movement through the cerebral cortex, they are also critical to both conditioned and error-correction learning.

The basal ganglia, a group of midbrain nuclei which Nadim describes as the “brain’s go-no-go system” for determining whether we initiate or suppress movement, is also involved in reward-based learning of behavior triggered by the release of dopamine.

“It’s the learning system that promotes motivated behavior, like studying for a good grade. It’s also hijacked in cases of addiction,” said Nadim, co-author of the study. “On the other hand, every behavior that we learn — whether it’s to hit a baseball or play violin — this motor learning is happening in your cerebellum at the back of the brain. It’s your brain’s optimization machine.”

However, the team’s latest research suggests the cerebellum could be involved in both.

In their study, Nadim and collaborators say they have reported the first direct evidence that the two systems are intertwined — showing the cerebellum modulates basal ganglia dopamine levels that influence movement initiation, vigor of movement and reward processing.

“This connection starts at the cerebellum and goes to neurons in the midbrain that provide dopamine to the basal ganglia, called the substantia nigra pars compacta. …. We have brain recordings showing this signal is strong enough to activate the release of dopamine within the basal ganglia,” explained Nadim. “This circuit may be playing a role in linking the cerebellum to motor and nonmotor dysfunctions.”

The team is seeking to identify exactly where cerebellar projections to the dopamine system originate at the nuclei level, a key step in learning whether the function of this pathway can be manipulated, Nadim said.

However, the team’s findings so far could have research implications for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, which is associated with the death of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra.

“This pathway seems very important to our vigor of movement and speed of cognitive processes. Parkinson’s patients not only suffer from suppression of movement, but apathy in some cases,” said Nadim. “The cerebellum’s location at the back of the brain makes it a much easier target for novel therapeutic techniques, such as non-invasive transmagnetic or direct-current stimulation.

“Since we’ve shown the cerebellum is directly exciting dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, we might now use mouse models for Parkinson’s to explore such techniques to see if that jumpstarts activity of these neurons and relieves symptoms of the disease.”

Newswise — As young people increasingly have access and exposure to online gambling, only one in four parents say they have talked to their teen about some aspect of virtual betting, a national poll suggests.

But over half of parents aren’t aware of their state’s legal age for online gambling and one in six admit they probably wouldn’t know if their child was betting online, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

“Teens and young adults may have a difficult time going into a casino unnoticed but they have easy access to a variety of betting and gambling options,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark, M.P.H.

“This expanded accessibility has increased exposure to the risks of underage betting, but there is little regulation or conversation around this problem.”

Online gambling more accessible than ever

Since a landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, over half of states have legalized some type of online gambling. Although most states restrict online sport and casino betting to 21 years or older, there are loopholes and concerns that adolescents and teens may bypass security measures.  

Online sports betting is similar to fantasy football leagues and college basketball tournament pools that are popular with sports fans, including high schoolers and even younger kids, Clark says.

“Many online gambling options will seem familiar to teens,” Clark said. “They feel like games kids have been playing on their phones, including features like bonus points and rewards. That familiarity may make it harder for teens to appreciate the difference between playing for fun and playing for money.”

Yet, just two percent of parents polled believe that their teen has used an online betting platform, while more than half of parents felt they would definitely know if their teen has been betting online.

“Parents may be underestimating their teen’s interest and savviness,” Clark said. “Online betting can be difficult to detect because a teen can easily log in on their smartphone or other personal device, delete the search history, hide the app or use it discretely.”

Additionally, two-thirds of parents reported their teen has a bank account or debit or credit card in their own name that could be used to register for online betting platforms. This makes it even more possible, Clark notes, for teens to participate in online betting without their parents’ knowledge.

Kids commonly exposed to online gambling

A third of parents say that they or another adult in their household participate in online, in-person, or social betting, finds the nationally representative poll that’s based on responses from 923 parents with at least one child ages 14-18.  

Another 63% say they have seen or heard ads for online sports or casino betting in the past year. Young people who engage in fantasy sports or gaming apps intended for adults, may also be exposed to gambling advertisements.

Such ads often feature entertainers and sports figures that are popular with teens and young adults, Clark says, along with enticing bonuses, online social casino games and graphics encouraging continued use.

“Teens may be especially susceptible to these ads, which are often marketed to convey feelings of excitement, endless possibilities, and social credit,” Clark said.   

Many parents worried about gambling risks

Two-thirds of parents think the legal age for online betting should be 21 years, while 22% say it should be between 18-20 years and 11% feel it shouldn’t be legal at any age.

Many parents also expressed concerns about youth risks, including going into debt or developing a gambling addiction as a result of online betting.  And the quarter of parents who have talked with their teen about some aspect of online betting commonly discussed these risks.

Some parents also support certain strategies they see as effective in minimizing the risks of online betting for youth or young adults, such as restricting betting after a certain amount is lost, offering a “parent view” option to monitor online betting accounts, verifying legal age with photo ID to open an online betting account, limiting the amount that can be bet within a certain timeframe and paying treatment costs for youth or young adults who develop gambling addictions.

Clark encourages parents to address the topic with teens to help them understand the strategies used by gambling sites to lure people into betting more frequently and in larger amounts.

“The ubiquity of gambling ads may offer parents an opportunity to initiate open, productive conversations with their teen about the risks of gambling and its prevalence in their social circles,” Clark said.

“Whether or not the child is actually using betting platforms, ongoing discussions may help them navigate the social pressures and media presence of gambling platforms.”

Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Today, The Ohio State University and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a new research initiative to identify the root causes of the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide, and drug overdose in the state of Ohio. Led by clinicians and researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, in collaboration with several Ohio universities, the SOAR Study will investigate the role of biological, psychological, and social factors that underlie this epidemic.

“Ohio must be the model in helping our citizens overcome or adapt to mental health challenges so that they improve mental and physical health, complete an education, attain a good-paying job, support a family, and contribute to our communities,” said Governor DeWine. “We envision that the SOAR Study will jump-start future efforts to learn more about what Ohioans can do to better manage adversity and develop resilience.”

“I want to thank Governor DeWine and the State of Ohio for this major investment in behavioral health. This is a milestone research endeavor and the investment demonstrates Ohio’s strong commitment to mobilizing expertise across the state to improve life for some of our most vulnerable residents,” said Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. “As a public, land-grant university, Ohio State will always have a duty to seek new ways to better meet the mental health needs of Ohioans. Innovative collaborations like this between the university and the state are among the reasons I chose to come to lead a place like Ohio State.” 

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is funding the statewide research project with an initial $20 million grant. Like other areas of the country, Ohio has seen a rise in mental illness, suicide, and deaths related to drug overdose over the past decade, and the COVID pandemic exacerbated these problems. This research investment demonstrates Ohio’s commitment to improving mental health.

SOAR will study Ohioans in their local communities, using an integrated “bring science to the people” approach. It will create a statewide medical research and development ecosystem to drive continued advances in mental health and substance use prevention science and treatment interventions.

 “This study is another example of how, under Governor DeWine’s leadership, Ohio is positioning itself as a national leader in mental health research and innovation,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of OhioMHAS. “The causes of these diseases remain largely a mystery to clinical experts and the public. The SOAR Study has the potential to help future generations better understand risk factors, effective mitigation strategies, and techniques to build resiliency — in short, the study has the potential to curb disease and save lives.”

 The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects:

•  Focusing on breadth, the SOAR Wellness Discovery Survey will engage as many as 15,000 people across all 88 Ohio counties. Researchers want to uncover how strengths and skills may be related to overcoming adversity. Those strengths will inform researchers about which factors to focus on to develop new treatments. This portion is underway with more than 300,000 postcards mailed out to residents statewide.

•  Focusing on depth, the SOAR Brain Health Study will comprehensively study as many as 3,600 Ohioans in family groups to examine the biological, psychological, and social factors that help explain that relationship, such as who does well with adversity, who does not, and why. Those discoveries will help researchers develop personalized treatments.

“This important SOAR Study builds on our long-standing academic health mission, and we are proud to champion this vital research to help all Ohioans,” said John J. Warner, MD, chief executive officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State. “Mental health care is health care, and this study will help us inform prevention and treatment strategies to advance patient-centered care and influence the way we train our future care providers.”

The SOAR Study will engage a multidisciplinary team of experts from Bowling Green State University, Central State University, Kent State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Case Western/University Hospital-Cleveland, Ohio University, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Toledo, and Wright State University.

“SOAR is our effort to do for addiction, mental illness and mental health, what the Framingham Heart Study researchers did for heart disease and heart health,” said SOAR haStudy principal investigator K. Luan Phan, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State.

Launched in 1948, the multigenerational heart study has enrolled more than 15,000 study participants over 75 years, resulting in major life-saving advancements about heart disease risk factors.

“Our approach with the SOAR Study will allow us to identify the factors that can be modified to reduce risk and build resilience,” Phan said. “We won’t be able to ‘bend the curve’ on the growing number of deaths of despair such as those from addiction and suicide until we go upstream to better understand their etiology. SOAR is the first-in the nation statewide, multi-generational comprehensive study that will offer a new roadmap for developing better treatments and cures that will improve and save lives.”

Editor’s note: The SOAR Study slides shared during the press conference are available here: SOAR_Slides for JAN 19 2024.pptx

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If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.