Gentle sound stimulation, also known as pink noise, may significantly enhance deep sleep in older adults and improve their ability to recall words, a new study has found.
Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation. However, beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in aging. The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test. “This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health,” said Phyllis Zee, professor at Northwestern University in the US. “This is a potential tool for enhancing memory in older populations and attenuating normal age-related memory decline,” said Zee.
Zee and a team of researchers gathered 13 adults, 60 and older, and monitored their sleep in a lab for two nights. On both nights, the participants took a memory test, went to bed while wearing headphones and a special cap, and took another memory test in the morning. But without the participants’ awareness, researchers only played pink noise into the headphones on one night. More specifically, they timed the sounds to match the participants’ slow-wave oscillations. During deep sleep, brain waves slow to about one oscillation per second, compared to about ten oscillations per second during wakefulness. The system they employed in the study allowed the team to deliver a low burst of pink noise at the “precise moment” when the participants’ slow waves rose — a pattern that is unique to each person.
The study found that participants’ slow waves increased after the night of sound stimulation, suggesting that they were getting more deep sleep. And on the morning after hearing pink noise, they performed three times better on memory tests than they did after sleeping without any sound stimulation.
Previous research showed pink noise during deep sleep could improve memory consolidation in young people. But it has not been tested in older adults. The new study targeted older individuals and used a novel sound system that increased the effectiveness of the sound stimulation in older populations.
The study was a relatively small one, so further research is needed to confirm its findings and to study how longer-term use of pink noise affects sleep. But Northwestern has taken steps to patent the researchers’ technology, which seems to have hit upon a way to stimulate slow waves at the right moment. The team hopes to develop an affordable device that people can use at home, from the comfort of their beds.
【小题1】The new study mainly reveals that _____.A.deep sleep consolidates old adults’ memory |
B.pink noise boosts memory among the elderly |
C.sleep disorders play a key role in memory loss |
D.sound stimulation increases the length of sleep |
A.worsening | B.reversing | C.slowing down | D.bringing about |
A.It employed a sound system programmed in step with brain waves. |
B.It compared the effects on older adults and on younger populations. |
C.It repeated the experiment several times without the participants’ notice. |
D.It adjusted the participants’ slow-wave oscillations to match the stimulations. |
A.may put old adults in risk in the long run |
B.has the potential to be applied in practice |
C.requires an innovative and affordable device |
D.needs Northwestern’s patent for confirmation |
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。
Attention deficit (不足) hyperactivity (活动过度) disorder is known by the letters A. D. H. D. with A. D. H. D. might have trouble paying attention. They might not seem to listen and might forget things. They might not be able to stay seated or play quietly. They might talk too much and act and speak without thinking about the results of their behavior. These are among the signs named on the web site of America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doctors usually identify the disorder in children. But experts say the behaviors often last into adulthood. Researchers have been looking for the cause or causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Now, a brain-imaging study offers more evidence that could lead to new ways to treat it. Researchers say they observed shortages in the brain's reward system in patients with A. D. H. D. The study found that levels of some proteins were lower than normal. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says the lack of attention and self-control that mark A. D. H. D. could be caused by problem in the flow of dopamine (多巴胺) . She says people might have difficulty completing an activity if they cannot expect some kind of reward in return. Researchers studied the pathways on which dopamine travels in 53 adults with A. D. H. D. Doctor Volkow says the researchers then compared the pathways to those of 44 adults without the disorder. "There was a lower concentration of dopamine markers in the brain of individuals with A. D. H. D., specifically in the areas of the brain that are involved with reward and motivation. And the dopamine levels were directly linked to the severity, of the patient's inattention" she says.
The study used brain images taken at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York State. Gene -Jack Wing is chairman of the Brookhaven medical department. He says the finding might also help explain why people with A. D. H. D. are mere likely to abuse drugs or overeat. He says they might be attempting to increase their dopamine levels to make up for the deficits in their reward system.
Title | The finding of |
The | They are lacking in, Perhaps they don’t seem to listen.Perhaps they are Perhaps they can’t sit for They might talk too much and act and speak without |
The | Patients with A. D. H. D are Levels of some proteins are lower than normal. Levels dopamine are |
Reasons of abusing Drugs | They are trying to |
During the teenage years, hormonal (荷尔蒙的) changes lead to physical changes like rapid muscle growth, burst in height, and weight gain in both boys and girls. Take a look at the information and height and weight charts for teens presented in this article if the question “How much should I weigh for my age and height” is bothering you.
Average Height and weight Charts for TeensFaster growth in kids usually can be noticed at age 8. Genetic factors also determine the physical growth of a child. So, it is perfectly normal for two kids of the same age to have different weights and heights. The following figures should be used as guidelines only.
Ideal Body Fat Percentage
Fit men have 14% -17% body fat. Fit women have 21% - 24% body fat.
Male athletes have 6% - 13% body fat. Female athletes have 14% - 20% body fat.
The ideal body fat percentage varies mainly according to age, sex and the physical activity of the individual. But it is a fact that some female athletes have body fat as low as 10% and some male athletes had lower than 4% body fat. So, it can be observed that other than the above mentioned factors, genetic factors also influence the body-fat ratio (比率).
Body Mass Index (BMI)
You may use the following formula to calculate our BMI:
As per SI Units (国际单位)
BMI= mass (kg)/[height(meters)]2
Following conclusions can be derived from (得到) calculating the BMI:
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2023/12/8/3384983762509824/3386152286183424/STEM/600537de59a14881a3a31dfa86ea1bfc.png?resizew=309)
【小题1】All the factors (that determine the physical growth of a child) are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _______.
A.nutrition | B.gene | C.sex | D.age |
A.girls keep on growing taller during the teenage years |
B.girls grow faster at the end of teenager years than boys |
C.girls grow faster at the beginning of teenager years than boys |
D.boys’average weight is always heavier than girls’during the teenage years |
A.normal | B.obese | C.extremely obese | D.underweight |
While faking and fierce looks are among animals great defenses, many species know that everyone runs from a big stink(臭气)too.
Vulture(秃鸳)
Vultures, are street sweepers that feast on the rotting flesh of dead animals, which benefits us by ridding our highways and landscapes of animal bodies and the bacteria they might carry. When vultures feel threatened they vomit, and the smell of vomited-on dead bodies puts of most predators. Throwing up allows the vulture to fly away more quickly-and the vomit can hurt the aggressor's eyes and face.
Opossum(负鼠)
In some ways opossums have it easy. In order to become “dead", they don’t have to fax anyone a death certificate. They just lie there with their tongues hanging out with the smell of dead flesh, sometimes for hours, effectively convincing potential predators they can find a much fresher meal elsewhere. Even if they keep getting attacked, they won't move any more than a human statue until the threat has passed.
Hoatzin(磨雉)
Hold your nose and meet the hoatzin, a bird of distinctions, not the least of which is that it smells like fresh cow shit. The animal mostly eats leaves and it's the only bird known to digest by fermentation, like a cow. This process is what causes its smell and has earned it the nickname the “stink bird
Millipedes (千足虫)
Millipedes are tricky. For starters they look wormy. Their name is deceptive, too: Their legs number about 750. Their major defense is to curl up into a ball. They, though, also release a harm eyes, and leave a horrible smell on their attackers.
Sea Hare(海兔)
The graceful sea hare is plain in taste in the first place, so it's not the most popular dish in the seafood chain. Nonetheless this type of sea creature has a pretty creative smell-related defense that is almost the opposite of its smelly companions on this list. The sea hare gives out a slimy, purple ink, the substance which makes food less palatable to predators.
Researchers using lobsters(2-f)as model predators found that the sea blocks the lobsters receptive mechanism. In other words, the sea hare gives its attacker the equivalent of a stuffy nose so they don't know how appealing it is.
【小题1】The sea hare defends itself from predators by ____.A.becoming plain in taste at the discovery of a predator |
B.giving out purple ink to make itself invisible to predators |
C.releasing substance to make predators unable to smell it |
D.giving off smelly gas to try to drive predators away. |
A.The vulture carries bacteria so that predators dare not get close to it. |
B.The opossum fakes its death to avoid being targeted by predators. |
C.The hoatzin eats cow shit so that it is nick-named as “stink bird |
D.The gas released by millipede was basically harmless |
A.vulture |
B.opossum |
C.millipede |
D.sea hare |
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