Lifeboat Foundation

Chronic anxiety is prevalent and associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Prior studies that have reported a relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and anxiety have focused on participants with anxiety disorders and/or metabolic syndrome. The present study leverages a large cohort of healthy adults devoid of cardiometabolic disorders to examine the hypothesis that trait anxiety severity is positively associated with resting MSNA and blood pressure. Resting blood pressure (BP) (sphygmomanometer and finger plethysmography), MSNA (microneurography), and heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram) were collected in 88 healthy participants (52 males, 36 females, 25 ± 1 yr, 25 ± 1 kg/m²). Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the independent relationship between trait anxiety, MSNA, resting BP, and HR while controlling for age and sex. Trait anxiety was significantly correlated with systolic arterial pressure (SAP; r = 0.251, P = 0.018), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP; r = 0.291, P = 0.006), mean arterial pressure (MAP; r = 0.328, P = 0.002), MSNA burst frequency (BF; r = 0.237, P = 0.026), and MSNA burst incidence (BI; r = 0.225, P = 0.035). When controlling for the effects of age and sex, trait anxiety was independently associated with SAP (β = 0.206, P = 0.028), DAP (β = 0.317, P = 0.002), MAP (β = 0.325, P = 0.001), MSNA BF (β = 0.227, P = 0.030), and MSNA BI (β = 0.214, P = 0.038). Trait anxiety is associated with increased blood pressure and MSNA, demonstrating an important relationship between anxiety and autonomic blood pressure regulation.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Anxiety is associated with development of cardiovascular disease. Although the sympathetic nervous system is a likely mediator of this relationship, populations with chronic anxiety have shown little, if any, alteration in resting levels of directly recorded muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). The present study is the first to reveal an independent relationship between trait anxiety, resting blood pressure, and MSNA in a large cohort of healthy males and females devoid of cardiometabolic comorbidities.

Listen to this article’s corresponding podcast at https://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/anxiety-and-muscle-sympathetic-nerve-activity/.

A recent study published in Current Biology provides evidence that people suffering from nightmare disorder can experience an acceleration in the remission of their symptoms when treated with behavioral therapy and Targeted Memory Reactivation.

Nightmare disorder (ND) is a condition characterized by recurrent nightmares that significantly affect daytime functioning. Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) is the most recommended treatment for ND, whereby patients imagine a more positive outcome for their nightmare, and then recall the new dream. However, “approximately 30% of patients are unresponsive to this treatment,” the authors of the new study explained.

A growing body of evidence indicates that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep can aid in decreasing negative emotions and consolidating the recall of positive emotional memories. With this in mind, the authors sought to investigate whether manipulating memory processing during REM could accelerate the remission of ND when combined with Imagery Rehearsal Therapy.

The Dark Tetrad personality traits of sadism, narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism have long been associated with perpetrating negative behavior, but can they also put someone at higher risk for victimization? A study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggest that these traits may be associated with higher rates of being the victim of bullying.

Bullying is a serious and pervasive problem that can be associated with many negative outcomes for victims, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and even suicidality. Due to these potentially grave outcomes, research has attempted to delve into the dynamics surrounding bullying, including what makes people more likely to become a perpetrator and/or a victim of bullying.

The Dark Tetrad traits are typically linked with antisocial and criminal behaviors. They are personality traits that are frequently associated with a lack of empathy, increased manipulation, and a disregard for other people.

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U.S. cyber intelligence staff is vastly outnumbered by Chinese hackers, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray told Congress as he pleaded for more money for the agency.

“To give you a sense of what we’re up against, if each one of the FBI’s cyber agents and intel analysts focused exclusively on the China threat, Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI Cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1,” Wray said in prepared remarks for a budget hearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday.

The disclosure highlights the massive scale of cyber threats the U.S. is facing, particularly from China. Wray said the country has “a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined and have stolen more of our personal and corporate data than all other nations—big or small—combined.”

Understanding the interactions between quantum physics and gravity within a black hole is one of the thorniest problems in physics, but quantum computers could soon offer an answer.

By Alex Wilkins

While NASA prepares to launch its lunar space station, other groups are working to ensure we still have an off-world home closer to Earth.

Menno van Dijk/iStock.

This according to a study reported by The National Post on Friday.

The study parrots engaged in various social behaviors that researchers would often see amongst groups of birds or in the wild, including dancing and singing together.

Parrots are socially complex animals, outperforming 6-and 7-year-old children in puzzle activities and memory skills. When kept as pets, these birds frequently lack suitable stimulation to meet their high social, cognitive, and emotional needs.

A recent study by the University of Glasgow and Northeastern University looked at this issue by using 18 pet parrots to see if video calls could help them meet their social demands.