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(https://www.psypost.org/prolonged-sun-exposure-associated-with-potential-brain-health-risks-study-finds/) Prolonged sun exposure associated with potential brain health risks, study finds
Sep 9th 2024, 10:00

Researchers have found a potential link between prolonged exposure to natural sunlight and negative effects on brain health. Their study, published in (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59633-z) Scientific Reports, indicates that spending more than two hours in the sun each day could be linked to decreased brain volume and increases in brain structural markers associated with disease, particularly in individuals under 60 years old and men.
Sunlight is often celebrated for its benefits, such as boosting mood and facilitating vitamin D production, which is essential for maintaining healthy bones and immune function. Previous studies have suggested that the brain can be affected by sunlight too, with increased brain temperature leading to a reduction in blood flow as the body tries to cool the brain. This may increase the risk of brain damage.
The researchers were motivated to explore this topic due to the limited understanding of how sunlight exposure affects brain structure. To address this gap, Huihui Li and colleagues from Qingdao University in China analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a population-based, large-scale study.
In total, 27,474 participants were analyzed, with an average age of 55 years. These participants had undergone brain scans and reported their average daily natural sunlight exposure. The researchers categorized participants based on their reported sunlight exposure, distinguishing between those who received less than 1.5 hours, 1.5 to 3 hours, and more than 3 hours of sunlight each day. Using statistical methods, they compared differences in brain structural markers across these groups. Factors such as age, sex, physical activity, average sleep duration, skin color, and history of disease were also accounted for.
The findings revealed a concerning trend: participants who reported longer sunlight exposure tended to have smaller brain volumes and increased white matter hyperintensities, which are considered markers of brain aging and can be linked to cognitive decline. Specifically, those in the highest exposure group (more than 3 hours) showed significant reductions in total brain volume, white matter, and gray matter compared to those with shorter exposure times. This effect was particularly pronounced in men and individuals under the age of 60.
“The mechanisms by which prolonged sunlight induces damage to brain structure are not fully understood,” Li and colleagues explained. They proposed that, “[sun]light may…penetrate the skin and heat tissues, increasing brain temperature. Elevated brain temperature can alter [signal] transmission, leading to changes in brain function,” and also “the UV radiation in natural sunlight can damage immune cells in the body, triggering inflammatory responses that can lead to damage.”
Interestingly, the study also identified a nonlinear relationship between sunlight exposure and brain health. While exposure up to two hours was associated with positive outcomes, exceeding this duration led to negative associations with brain volume. The researchers noted that these effects were more significant during the summer months, indicating that seasonal variations may play a role in how sunlight impacts brain structure.
The authors hypothesized a mechanism for this finding: “most of the vitamin D in the body is synthesized from sunlight exposure to the skin, and moderate sunlight exposure can maintain adequate levels of vitamin D which participates in maintaining brain function.” Li and colleagues also suggested that, “exposure to sunlight can regulate the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain, contributing to brain health.”
But the study has limitations. As an observational study, it cannot definitively establish causation between sunlight exposure and changes in brain structure. Additionally, sunlight exposure time was self-reported by the participants, which may be subject to bias.
The study, “(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-59633-z) The impact of sunlight exposure on brain structural markers in the UK Biobank,” was authored by Huihui Li, Fusheng Cui, Tong Wang, Weijing Wang, and Dongfeng Zhang.

(https://www.psypost.org/benevolent-sexism-as-a-buffer-against-parenting-stress-during-covid-19-lockdowns/) Benevolent sexism as a buffer against parenting stress during COVID-19 lockdowns
Sep 9th 2024, 08:00

A study published in (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01472-3) Sex Roles found that parents with higher levels of benevolent sexism before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower parenting strain and psychological distress during subsequent lockdowns.
Benevolent sexism, which idealizes women as nurturing caregivers and men as competent providers, reinforces traditional gender roles by offering wellbeing benefits to those who adhere to these stereotypes. However, its impact on parenting outcomes, especially during crises, is not well established.
The pandemic brought heightened stress and setbacks in gender equality, with women disproportionately adopting domestic and caregiving responsibilities. Thus, Nina Waddell and colleagues sought to determine whether pre-pandemic benevolent sexism could protect against parenting strain and psychological distress during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The study involved 175 heterosexual couples from a pre-pandemic sample who had already completed measures of sexist attitudes and psychological distress. Participants were invited to complete online questionnaires during two COVID-19 lockdowns in New Zealand: the first in March-April 2020 and the second in August-September 2021. Each parent completed assessments measuring their own psychological distress, using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and parenting strain, evaluated through a 9-item questionnaire assessing stress, negative emotions, and burnout related to parenting.
The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory was used to measure benevolent sexism before the pandemic, with items such as “a good woman should be set on a pedestal by her man” to gauge attitudes. Hostile sexism was also measured but was not the primary focus. The researchers controlled for pre-pandemic psychological distress to isolate the specific effects of benevolent sexism on parenting strain and psychological distress during lockdowns.
Waddell and colleagues found that higher levels of benevolent sexism among both mothers and fathers before the pandemic were associated with lower psychological distress and parenting strain during the 2020 lockdown. These effects were present for both parents, suggesting that benevolent sexism may provide a protective function by promoting a sense of order and purpose within traditional family roles. The protective benefits appeared to be mediated by reduced parenting strain; parents who endorsed benevolent sexism reported less stress and emotional burnout related to parenting duties during the lockdown.
However, by the second lockdown in 2021, the protective effects of benevolent sexism remained significant only for fathers and not for mothers. This difference suggests that while benevolent sexism may provide short-term benefits in terms of reduced strain and distress, these benefits are more stable and enduring for men.
This study was in the cultural context of New Zealand, which may limit the generalizability of findings.
The research article, “(https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01472-3) Parents’ Pre-Pandemic Benevolent Sexism Predicted Lower Parenting Strain and Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Lockdowns,” was authored by Nina Waddell, Nickola C. Overall, and Valerie T. Chang.

(https://www.psypost.org/reversing-agings-impact-on-brain-waste-clearance-new-study-highlights-promising-drug/) Reversing aging’s impact on brain waste clearance: New study highlights promising drug
Sep 9th 2024, 06:00

A recent study published in (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00691-3) Nature Aging has shown that it is possible to reverse age-related slowing of brain waste clearance, a key process that may contribute to neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Using a drug already approved for clinical use, researchers were able to restore this waste-clearing function in older mice, bringing it back to the efficiency seen in younger brains. The findings offer a potential pathway for developing treatments that target brain waste removal, which could delay or mitigate the effects of age-related neurological disorders.
Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are often linked to the accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain. Over time, these proteins build up due to a failure of the brain’s waste removal system, which clears out harmful substances. In younger individuals, this system, known as the glymphatic system, works efficiently to wash away these toxic proteins using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, as people age, the brain’s ability to clear out waste slows down, increasing the risk of diseases associated with this toxic buildup.
Researchers have long suspected that the lymphatic system—the network of vessels that remove waste from the body—may play a critical role in this process. Specifically, lymph vessels in the neck are believed to help remove CSF loaded with waste from the brain. But as the body ages, these vessels lose their ability to function properly. This study aimed to determine whether it was possible to restore their function and, by extension, the brain’s waste removal capabilities.
“The circulation of water-like fluid through and around brain tissue clears away wastes whose buildup correlates with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Those diseases are more likely in older patients, and many studies have shown that waste is cleared more slowly in older animals. We wondered if the lymph vessels in the neck, which take fluid from the skull, might play a role, and if we could counteract some effects of aging,” said (https://hajim.rochester.edu/me/sites/kelley/) Douglas H. Kelley, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester.
To investigate, the researchers focused on a particular set of lymph vessels in the neck, known as cervical lymph vessels. These vessels drain approximately half of the brain’s waste-laden cerebrospinal fluid into the body’s lymphatic system, where it is ultimately processed and eliminated. The study used advanced imaging techniques to observe and measure how efficiently these vessels worked in younger and older mice.
The researchers tracked the flow of CSF from the brain through the cervical lymph vessels, paying close attention to the way the vessels pulsed, which helps to pump the fluid. In young mice, the vessels contracted regularly and efficiently, but in older mice, the vessels were less active, contracting less frequently and with reduced strength. This resulted in a 63% slowdown in the removal of CSF from the brain in older mice compared to younger ones.
After documenting the decline in function, the research team wanted to see if they could restore the activity of these aging lymph vessels. They used a drug called prostaglandin F2 alpha, a hormone-like compound that stimulates smooth muscle contractions. This drug is already in medical use to induce labor and has a known effect on smooth muscle tissue, which lines the lymph vessels.
By applying prostaglandin F2 alpha to the cervical lymph vessels, the researchers were able to restore the vessels’ ability to pump CSF out of the brain as efficiently as in younger animals. This finding suggests that it may be possible to develop treatments that target this mechanism, potentially offering a way to slow or prevent the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain and delay the onset of neurological diseases.
“As mice get older, neck lymph vessels don’t work as well to clear brain waste, but a muscle-stimulating drug (prostaglandin 4 alpha) can make old vessels pump fluid as well as young ones,” Kelley told PsyPost. “Personally, I was surprised and impressed that the effect of the drug was so strong!”
While the study offers promising insights into how brain waste clearance might be restored in aging populations, there are several important limitations to consider. The study was conducted in mice, and it is unclear whether the same results would apply to humans. While the underlying mechanisms of brain waste clearance and lymph vessel function are likely to be similar, further research will be necessary to confirm whether the same approach would work in people.
“We worked only with mice, so many more trials will be necessary before human patients see similar treatments,” Kelley noted. “We applied the drug directly to the lymph vessels, during surgery, so developing an ointment, pill, or injection would make it more convenient.”
Additionally, while the drug successfully restored lymph vessel function in the study, it is unclear how long the effects would last or whether repeated treatments would be necessary. The researchers also noted that combining this approach with other interventions might be even more effective.
While much work remains to be done before this approach can be applied to humans, the findings point toward a promising new strategy for combating diseases that have long been linked to aging and toxic protein buildup in the brain. Kelley said the long-term goal is to “help prevent or alleviate diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by improving brain waste clearance.”
The study, “(https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00691-3) Restoration of cervical lymphatic vessel function in aging rescues cerebrospinal fluid drainage,” was authored by Ting Du, Aditya Raghunandan, Humberto Mestre, Virginia Plá, Guojun Liu, Antonio Ladrón-de-Guevara, Evan Newbold, Paul Tobin, Daniel Gahn-Martinez, Saurav Pattanayak, Qinwen Huang, Weiguo Peng, Maiken Nedergaard, and Douglas H. Kelley.

(https://www.psypost.org/robots-that-lie-how-humans-feel-about-ai-deception-in-different-scenarios/) Robots that lie: How humans feel about AI deception in different scenarios
Sep 8th 2024, 12:00

Humans don’t just lie to deceive: sometimes we lie to avoid hurting others, breaking one social norm to uphold another. As robots begin to transition from tools to team members working alongside humans, scientists need to find out how these norms about deception apply to robots. To investigate this, researchers asked people to give their opinions of three scenarios in which robots were deceptive. They found that a robot lying about the external world to spare someone pain was acceptable, but a robot lying about its own capabilities wasn’t — and that people usually blame third parties like developers for unacceptable deceptions.
Honesty is the best policy… most of the time. Social norms help humans understand when we need to tell the truth and when we shouldn’t, to spare someone’s feelings or avoid harm. But how do these norms apply to robots, which are increasingly working with humans? To understand whether humans can accept robots telling lies, scientists asked almost 500 participants to rate and justify different types of robot deception.
“I wanted to explore an understudied facet of robot ethics, to contribute to our understanding of mistrust towards emerging technologies and their developers,” said Andres Rosero, PhD candidate at George Mason University and lead author of the article in (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2024.1409712/full) Frontiers in Robotics and AI. “With the advent of generative AI, I felt it was important to begin examining possible cases in which anthropomorphic design and behavior sets could be utilized to manipulate users.”
Three kinds of lie
The scientists selected three scenarios which reflected situations where robots already work — medical, cleaning, and retail work — and three different deception behaviors. These were external state deceptions, which lie about the world beyond the robot, hidden state deceptions, where a robot’s design hides its capabilities, and superficial state deceptions, where a robot’s design overstates its capabilities.
In the external state deception scenario, a robot working as a caretaker for a woman with Alzheimer’s lies that her late husband will be home soon. In the hidden state deception scenario, a woman visits a house where a robot housekeeper is cleaning, unaware that the robot is also filming. Finally, in the superficial state deception scenario, a robot working in a shop as part of a study on human-robot relations untruthfully complains of feeling pain while moving furniture, causing a human to ask someone else to take the robot’s place.

(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2024.1409712/full) Read and download original article

What a tangled web we weave
The scientists recruited 498 participants and asked them to read one of the scenarios and then answer a questionnaire. This asked participants whether they approved of the robot’s behavior, how deceptive it was, if it could be justified, and if anyone else was responsible for the deception. These responses were coded by the researchers to identify common themes and analyzed.
The participants disapproved most of the hidden state deception, the housecleaning robot with the undisclosed camera, which they considered the most deceptive. While they considered the external state deception and the superficial state deception to be moderately deceptive, they disapproved more of superficial state deception, where a robot pretended it felt pain. This may have been perceived as manipulative.
Participants approved most of the external state deception, where the robot lied to a patient. They justified the robot’s behavior by saying that it protected the patient from unnecessary pain — prioritizing the norm of sparing someone’s feelings over honesty.
The ghost in the machine
Although participants were able to present justifications for all three deceptions — for instance, some people suggested the housecleaning robot might film for security reasons — most participants declared that the hidden state deception could not be justified. Similarly, about half the participants responding to the superficial state deception said it was unjustifiable. Participants tended to blame these unacceptable deceptions, especially hidden state deceptions, on robot developers or owners.
“I think we should be concerned about any technology that is capable of withholding the true nature of its capabilities, because it could lead to users being manipulated by that technology in ways the user (and perhaps the developer) never intended,” said Rosero. “We’ve already seen examples of companies using web design principles and artificial intelligence chatbots in ways that are designed to manipulate users towards a certain action. We need regulation to protect ourselves from these harmful deceptions.” However, the scientists cautioned that this research needs to be extended to experiments which could model real-life reactions better — for example, videos or short roleplays.
“The benefit of using a cross-sectional study with vignettes is that we can obtain a large number of participant attitudes and perceptions in a cost-controlled manner,” explained Rosero. “Vignette studies provide baseline findings that can be corroborated or disputed through further experimentation. Experiments with in-person or simulated human-robot interactions are likely to provide greater insight into how humans actually perceive these robot deception behaviors.”
(https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2024/09/05/will-humans-accept-robots-that-lie-it-depends-frontiers-robotics-ai) 

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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