The Review – Notes from the Field

Sometimes, when researching, I come across interesting studies, papers, or articles. The Review is a roundup of these links with a brief explanation for your reference. These will be a little more technical in nature but I figure curious minds will delight in them. Enjoy! Titles link out to the article.

Turmeric Might Protect the Brain After Seizures

This paper investigates the neuroprotective effects of curcumin (a compound derived from turmeric). It turns out that curcumin lowers a marker for inflammation (TNF-α) in a brain region through acting on a signaling pathway.

Rats that were treated with curcumin fared better on behavioral assessments too (Morris Water Maze). They had shorter escape latencies and better spatial memory. Curcumin also appeared to shorten their seizure length. It remains to be seen if this would work the same way in humans but it’s a question worth exploring.

The TikTok Grounding Trend – Does It Work?

If you’ve ever felt relaxed walking barefoot on grass, you might’ve experienced what some people call “grounding.” Grounding is based on the idea that direct physical contact with the earth helps balance your body’s electric charge and improve your health. Now, this has made for tons of products to come out, with some costing hundreds of dollars. However, these products don’t seem to be any more effective than walking barefoot outdoors. Additionally, the effects of grounding are limited according to existing research. While some suggest marginal improvements in pain and sleep, more research and conclusive evidence will be necessary to demonstrate its potency.

Self-Perception and Empathy

A recent study found that people who think of themselves as lower social status are better at reading other people’s emotions than people who reported themselves as higher social status. People who had increased self-ratings of their social status were worse at reading individual emotions. Additionally, the effect is more closely linked to subjective feelings of social status, not objective ones. So someone could very well be objectively well-off by some measures but self-assess themselves as socially lower status.

That’s all for today, thanks for reading! I love answering and researching your questions so if you have a topic you’re curious about, please send it my way. I’ll consider looking into it.

Take care,
Eashan