Mind & Mood Archive

It's called dysthymia, and it often goes unnoticed and thus undiagnosed and untreated.

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Everyone feels down at some time. You may lack energy, have trouble sleeping, or just feel blah. The feeling often goes away, or it comes and goes, but does not seem like a cause for concern. Yet if these blue feelings persist, they could be a red flag for a type of depression called dysthymia, or low-grade depression.

"Even though dysthymia is regarded as a lesser form of depression, it should be taken seriously," explains Dr. David Mischoulon, psychiatrist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "Its persistent hold can interfere with your health, family, and social life."

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In the Journals

Here is another reason to get your hearing checked: it could strengthen your brain. A study to be published in the June 2016 American Journal of Audiology found that hearing aids improve brain function in people with hearing loss. Hearing loss can interfere with cognitive abilities because so much brain effort is put toward understanding speech, according to lead researcher Dr. Jamie Desjardins, assistant professor of speech language pathology at the University of Texas at El Paso. "Therefore, hearing aids can not only improve one's ability to hear, but also restore lost brain function," she says.

The study examined subjects in their 50s and 60s with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss—the most common type of permanent hearing loss—who had never used hearing aids or sought any evaluation. They were tested to measure their working memory, selective attention, and processing speed. The subjects wore hearing aids for an average of eight hours a day for six months. By the end of that time, the group had improved working memory by 14% and selective attention by 20%. Processing speed increased by 0.2 seconds from 1.4 seconds to 1.2.

Research we're watching

Even moderate drinking may not be good for your brain, according to a study published online June 6, 2017, by The BMJ. Researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London, found that imbibers, even those who met definitions for moderate drinking, saw higher rates of cognitive decline and brain shrinkage than their teetotaling counterparts.

The study followed 550 men and women for 30 years, measuring their brain structure and function to determine how alcohol use affects the mind over time. What they found is that the more people drank, the more atrophy occurred in the brain's hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure in your brain that plays a role in storing memories. The highest risk was for people who drank 17 standard drinks or more of alcohol per week. But even people who drank moderately saw an elevated risk for cognitive changes.

Treating underlying conditions and using helpful strategies may be all it takes to get you back on track.

Reading for pleasure is one of life's great gifts. It's an escape to another world or a path to increased knowledge. Plus, reading about a subject that's new to you challenges the brain, which may help create new brain cell connections. But many aspects of health can affect our ability to read in older age.

Physical changes

Chronic disease and age-related changes can have a big effect on your ability to read. Consider these factors: