Page 21 - SAM 0625

BRAIN HEALTH

A sense of belonging as well as a sense of purpose can protect Attachment Representations. Brain Sci. 2023;13(6). https://doi.
against severe depression and anxiety. Helping others in the commu- org/10.3390/brainsci13060884
nity decreases activity in regions of the brain associated with stress. 5. Giunchi, M., Pena-Jimenez, M., Petrilli, S. Work-Family Boundaries
Volunteering is associated with benefits to mental and physical health, in the Digital Age: A Study in France on Technological Intrusion,
specifically in those with low neuroticism and higher extraversion. Work-Family Conflict, and Stress. Med Lav. 2023;114(4):e2023039.
As remote work has become common, the boundary between https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v114i4.14510
work and home has become unclear, which can cause stress that 6. Huberty, J., Green, J., Glissmann, C., Larkey, L., Puzia, M., Lee,
C. Efficacy of the Mindfulness Meditation Mobile App “Calm” to
may be further aggravated by interpersonal conflict within families. Reduce Stress Among College Students: Randomized Controlled
Active listening techniques, such as eye contact, asking questions, and Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019;7(6):e14273. https://doi.
affirming the speaker, can strengthen relationships. Being assertive also org/10.2196/14273
improves communication and interpersonal skills, thereby reducing 7. King, H.R., Jackson, J.J., Morrow-Howell, N., Oltmanns, T.F.
stress in the social environment. Personality Accounts for the Connection Between Volunteering
and Health. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2015;70(5):691-7.
Implementing Sustainable Practices https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu012
When implementing effective habit formation strategies for 8. Lewis, N.A., Hill, P.L. Sense of Purpose Promotes Resilience
tackling long-term brain health, it is important to understand the to Cognitive Deficits Attributable to Depressive Symptoms.
underlying neuroscience of behavior change. For example, starting with Front Psychol. 2021;12:698109. https://doi.org/10.3389/
small steps not only increases the probability of long-term success, but fpsyg.2021.698109
also continuously reinforces new neuronal pathways. Environmental 9. Madore, K.P., Wagner, A.D. Multicosts of Multitasking. Cere-
cues as well as meaningful rewards also support consistency, while the brum. 2019;2019
utilization of tracking methods provides feedback that can strengthen 10. Martino, J., Pegg, J., Frates, E.P. The Connection Prescrip-
and help with continued commitment. Personalized approaches are tion: Using the Power of Social Interactions and the Deep
Desire for Connectedness to Empower Health and Well-
especially helpful due to individual differences in stress-related triggers ness. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017;11(6):466-75. https://doi.
as well as vulnerabilities. Tailoring habit-changing strategies based on org/10.1177/1559827615608788
personality, preference and lifestyle greatly increases adherence. Fur- 11. Romero Garavito, A., Diaz Martinez, V., Juarez Cortes, E.,
thermore, maintaining flexibility and adjusting approaches during Negrete Diaz, J.V., Montilla Rodriguez, L.M. Impact of phys-
high stress periods as well as developing a personalized “emergency ical exercise on the regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic
protocol” enhances resilience. Importantly, when stress overwhelms factor in people with neurodegenerative diseases. Front Neurol.
personal coping strategies, utilization of professional support becomes 2024;15:1505879. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1505879
a valuable resource. Evidence-based models such as CBT provide struc- 12. Vandekerckhove, M., Wang, Y.L. Emotion, emotion regulation
tured approaches to stress regulation that can be easily integrated with and sleep: An intimate relationship. AIMS Neurosci. 2018;5(1):1-
self-directed practice. 17. https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2018.1.1
Ultimately, stress is multifactorial and may require patients to prac- 13. Xie, L., Kang, H., Xu, Q., Chen, M.J., Liao, Y., Thiyagarajan,
tice techniques relevant to various aspects of their life to see benefits. M., et al. Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain.
By introducing small changes to each facet of health, one can synergize Science. 2013;342(6156):373-7. https://doi.org/10.1126/sci-
protection from stress. With time, these small interventions can improve ence.1241224
long-term brain health. As stress quickens age-related cognitive decline, 14. Zhan, L., Lin, L., Wang, X., Sun, X., Huang, Z., Zhang, L. The
moderating role of catastrophizing in day-to-day dynamic stress
managing stress with consistent practices may greatly improve the quali- and depressive symptoms. Stress Health. 2024;40(4):e3404.
ty of life in old age. While stress can never be eliminated, reducing stress https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3404
should be a priority for enhancing overall life satisfaction.

References: Alison Bartak, OMS-II, is a medical student at the University of
1. Afonso, R.F., Kraft, I., Aratanha, M.A., Kozasa, E.H. Neural cor- the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2027.
relates of meditation: a review of structural and functional MRI Her current interests include Preventative Medicine and Surgery.
studies. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2020;12(1):92-115. https://doi.
org/10.2741/S542 Crista Thyvelikakath, OMS-1, is a medical student at the
2. Basso, J.C., McHale, A., Ende, V., Oberlin, D.J., Suzuki, W.A. University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine,
Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, Class of 2028. Her current interests include Behavioral Neurology
and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators.
Behav Brain Res. 2019;356:208-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. and exploring public health measures to improve mental health.
bbr.2018.08.023
3. Berding, K., Vlckova, K., Marx, W., Schellekens, H., Stanton, C., Ramaswamy Sharma, MS, PhD, is a Professor of Histology
Clarke, G., et al. Diet and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Sowing and Pathology at the University of the Incarnate Word School
the Seeds of Good Mental Health. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(4):1239-85. of Osteopathic Medicine. He is interested in delineating the
https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa181 multiple molecular and cellular roles of melatonin in maintaining
4. Eilert, D.W., Buchheim, A. Attachment-Related Differences our quality of life. Dr. Sharma is a member of the BCMS Publications
in Emotion Regulation in Adults: A Systematic Review on Committee.
Visit us at www.bcms.org 21