anxiety

Gut microbial flora is the largest micro-ecosystem in the human body, it is symbiotically associated with the host; and maintains normal physiological processes in a dynamic equilibrium state. A plethora of evidence supports that gut microbial flora influences the neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. This gut flora influences cognitive function, anxiety, depression; and mood disorders as they are capable of synthesizing neurotransmitters in the nervous system. Therefore intake of probiotics influences gut microbiome; and depression. The versatility and number of gut microbial flora varies individually, so the content of common gut microbes may affect the neurotransmitters, manipulating the gut microbiota with probiotics offers a novel approach to treat brain disorders such as depression via GUT-BRAIN AXIS. The present review outlines the aspect of such alterations and how modulation of gut microbiota influences depression.

Children who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—including trauma, family instability, or significant loss—are at increased risk for enduring mental, emotional, and physical challenges, including conditions such as depression, anxiety, and chronic health issues. Without effective support, these adverse experiences can have lasting effects on a child’s well-being, often persisting into adulthood and impacting mental, emotional, and physical health outcomes over the long term. Storytelling is a powerful method to support resilience in these children by enabling them to process emotions, make sense of complex experiences, and view themselves as active agents in their lives. By framing their experiences within personal narratives, children can create coherent stories that aid emotional regulation and support mental well-being. Through storytelling, children can frame their struggles as part of a larger, purposeful journey, fostering a sense of agency and self-worth. Techniques such as narrative therapy, story circles, and resilience-themed books-exemplified by The Adventures of Gabriel—help children explore their experiences, visualise positive outcomes, and strengthen social bonds. Moreover, storytelling is an accessible tool that aids in perspective—taking, allowing children to relate their challenges to those of characters, which reinforces their ability to overcome adversity and navigate life’s complexities with strength and optimism.

This study evaluates the effects of two months of regular snoezelen therapy on anger-hostility (AH), assessing both psychological and physiological indicators before and after the intervention. Using the Profile of Mood States (POMS-2), the research measured changes in anger-hostility levels and stress responses, comparing pre- and post-intervention data. At baseline, participants exhibited relatively high levels of anger-hostility, with psychological scores averaging 40.14 (± 2.46) and physiological scores averaging 42.25 (± 2.71), indicating significant irritability, aggression, and elevated stress responses. After two months of multisensory stimulation in a snoezelen room, participants’ psychological scores decreased to 37.40 (± 2.26) and physiological scores to 39.50 (± 2.01), suggesting improvements in mood and physiological stress. The statistical analysis yielded a p - value of 0.047, indicating that the reductions were significant. These findings suggest that snoezelen therapy can be effective in reducing anger-hostility and associated physiological stress, offering a promising intervention for emotional regulation and stress management.

The psychophysical impact of a high-complexity environment such as the dental office is not a novelty. This article outlines the organizational and human factors that impact the overall health of dentists, assistants, hygienists, and administrative staff. A careless organizational and human factors approach cannot only function as a stress and error trigger but also affect the highly precise requirements of dentistry and task performance in the daily demands of the office. Ergonomics and human factors principles guidelines should be structured and taught from the basics in dental schools and supported by prevention programs and interventions in the dental professional field, as in other industries, to promote safety, health, and efficiency within the integration of humans, systems, and environments.Usually, the main focus of dentistry research is the physical aspect of the job; the high rates of musculoskeletal disorders are a real problem, but the cognitive-organizational element of the job is not a minimal issue, which highly contributes to physical-emotional exhaustion in the work environment.A fatigued mind impacts the physical aspect of the job, and physical fatigue impacts the mental aspect of the job. This dual effect in a job that requires dealing with anxiety and fear patients, administrative situations in the office, financial aspects, and technical and skill aspects from the dentist, among other requirements, makes dentistry a unique profession.This article addresses the components of the factors that promote cognitive depletion in our field and provides simple tips on controlling them to avoid burnout among dentists. It highlights the importance of awareness of how we manage the organization in the office and the effect on human behavior and performance. It wants to bring to light a common problem for dental practitioners and the workforce to prevent health and performance decrease.

Aim and objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of drug dependency among patients in various rehabilitation centers in the Shimla district. Introduction: Drug abuse is a multifaceted and significant issue impacting individuals worldwide, and the city of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh is no exception. Despite its reputation as a picturesque hill station known for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, Shimla faces challenges related to substance abuse. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, gathering demographic data, drug history, and indicators of dependency from the participants.Results: The findings revealed that 60% of the patients were drug-dependent, with 44% addicted to heroin and 11% to alcohol. Additionally, 60% of the patients reported a family history of chemical dependency. The study also identified associated psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as interpersonal and environmental factors like peer pressure and coping mechanisms such as avoidance and denial. Conclusion: These findings underscore the complexity of drug dependency, highlighting the need for comprehensive, multidimensional approaches to address the medical, emotional, and social aspects of addiction.

Background: The amygdala is a core structure in the mammalian brain that processes emotion and memory. Its complex neuronal composition and intricate microcircuit mechanisms play key roles in behaviors such as fear, anxiety, and reward. The diversity of neuronal types and the dynamics of these microcircuits provide the neural foundation for the encoding and extinction of fear memories.Aim: This is a retrospective review article summarizing recent research on the amygdala and fear behavior in mice, which is of significant importance in helping people to comprehensively understand and recognize that the amygdala is the core regulator of fear behavior.Methodology: An extensive and systematic search of electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Web of Science) using keywords related to the amygdala and the technologies involved in the study such as “mouse amygdala,” “basolateral amygdala (BLA),” “central amygdala (CeA),” “fear extinction,” “fear learning,” and “microcircuits.” Articles meeting the selection criteria were included as candidate references.Results: By integrating recent findings from optogenetics, chemogenetics, and single-cell sequencing, this review reveals the interactions between glutamatergic projection neurons and GABAergic interneurons in the amygdala, the functional division between subnuclei, and the neural basis of cross-brain area coordination. Additionally, it discusses the technical challenges in amygdala research and future directions, providing theoretical support for understanding the pathophysiology of emotional disorders.Conclusion: The amygdala is intimately linked to emotional health, playing a critical role in understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite advances in methodologies such as in vivo calcium imaging, neural circuit tracing, and electrophysiological techniques, which are progressively uncovering the underlying mechanisms of amygdalar regulation of emotional behaviors, the intrinsic microcircuitry of the amygdala remains highly complex. Significant gaps persist, necessitating further exploration and refinement to elucidate unresolved aspects of its functional architecture and behavioral modulation.

Objectives: Hospitalization following a head injury is associated with high rates of disability that have a strong correlation with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Well-being is related to life satisfaction, quality of life, happiness, personal growth and flourishing, competence, self-acceptance, positive relationships, and autonomy. The well-being of patients and their primary caregivers is important when a patient is left with impaired mobility after neurosurgery. The aim of this study is to examine whether the well-being of patients and their primary caregivers will differ before and after neurosurgery, and whether well-being differs between patients with motor disability (WMD group) and those without, compared to those who are not - NMD group (non-motor disability).Methodology: 123 patients and their main caregivers were recruited. Of these, 62 were in the before neurosurgical group, 31 Patients and 31 caregivers. 61 in the after neurosurgical group, 30 Patients and 31 caregivers, of which there are 16 from WMD group and 15 from NMD. Main outcome measures: Two analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted: for WMD and NMD separately. The results reveal a significant decrease in wellbeing for both, patient and main caregivers, but a stronger decline in well-being was observed among WMD, as indicated by a larger effect size (η² = 0.74) compared to the NMD (η² = 0.38). In addition, no significant effect between group and time of measurement was found, indicating that the decrease in wellbeing was not different among patients compared to their main caregivers. Conclusion: The findings highlight the multifaceted impact of neurosurgery on well-being, particularly for patients who remain with motor disabilities and their primary caregivers.The decline in well-being after neurosurgery highlights the need for improved social support and the importance of developing treatment programs that can help ease the process of coping with these phenomena and provide appropriate support for both patients and their primary caregivers.