Humans possess a unique capacity to contemplate our mortality and imagine a world that continues without us. However, in contemporary Western culture, the prospect of our own or a loved one's death, however inevitable, is often perceived as a traumatic loss that instills fear and dread. We avoid discussing death with loved ones. We have few rituals or practices aimed at preparing us emotionally, during life, for our own or a loved one's death. Since our brains are hard-wired for survival, this aversion is a natural consequence of our innate drive to safeguard our existence.

Neural organoids (also termed brain organoids) are a revolutionary development in the fields of developmental biology and neuroscience. They are three-dimensional, miniaturized versions of the brain that have been simplified and created from pluripotent stem cells which can differentiate into any type of cell (Romito et al., 2016, Zhu et al., 2013). In contrast to more traditional 2D cell cultures and animal models, creating neural organoids represents a major technological shift towards more physiologically relevant approaches that consider human brain development as well as pathology in an ethical manner (Lee et al, 2022). Per se, studying neural organoids can give us the opportunity to recreate numerous features of the brain structure and functioning such as network formation among neurons and synapse establishment (Li et al., 2023). Furthermore, neural organoids can also provide useful information related to numerous neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder (Kim et al., 2023). However, there are some challenges of using neural organoids that should be considered while studying them.

One day, you find yourself on the field, track, rink, or court, listening to others applaud your ability, performance, and physical strength as an athlete. The next day, you find yourself exerting ten times as much effort in the hope of regaining just a fraction of your former strength. This unfortunate scenario is similar to what many survivors face in their daily lives following the  event of a stroke. A stroke, also known as a "brain attack," is a condition in which the blood  supply to the brain is blocked, resulting in a lack of oxygen.

As I prepared to begin my investigation on this neurological condition, I felt a pulsating pain start in my left temple and my vision blurred, immersing me into the reality of this disabling condition. Migraines are a neurological disorder that result in intense headaches that last from four hours to up to three days, affecting about 12% of the population (Burch et. al. 2019). One hypothesis of the cause of migraines is an increase in the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone released by the adrenal gland, increases stress levels particularly in the morning and affects the body’s metabolism, causing an increase in blood pressure and migraine attacks. There is strong evidence of sleep disruptions and disorders being associated with the frequency and severity of migraines in sufferers. Data shows that migraine-sufferers are three times more likely to have insomnia and sleep-related disorders than a non-migraine sufferer, indicating a bidirectional relationship between the two (Amiri et. al. 2022).

The standing overhead press (OHP) is largely regarded as one of the most effective strength and hypertrophy muscle-building exercises; due to the exercise having the longest kinetic chain of any lift as well as its compound nature incorporating muscle groups from the chest, shoulders, upper back, neck, and core. Standing OHP is trained by athletes, recreational lifters, and even in the military. While the standing overhead press may be an excellent exercise there is reason to believe there are potential downsides to the participant's long-term disc health.

Studies have shown that meditation has numerous health benefits, including consistent correlations with decreases in pain and anxiety, which has more recently been investigated with regard to patients undergoing surgery.  Preoperative anxiety can have deleterious effects on patient experience and surgical outcomes including impaired wound healing and increases in postoperative complications. To learn more about the recent research into the applications of mediation for enhancement of patient operative experience, you can view our anthology post on the topic.  Do you have your own meditation or mindfulness practices? 

Moyamoya disease is a rare cerebrovascular condition characterized by progressive stenosis of the internal carotid artery. The stenosis and resulting hypoplasia of the internal carotid artery lead to the dilation of proximal blood vessels as a consequence of the body's attempt to compensate for the reduced blood flow. The enlargement of the minor vasculature can be seen on   an   angiogram and   is   often   compared   toもやもや (moyamoya), which is Japanese for a "puff of smoke"

Horner's syndrome is characterized as a rare condition best identified by three main symptoms: miosis (pupil constriction), ptosis (upper eyelid sagging), and anhidrosis (inability to secrete sweat). It may also present with symptoms such as the inability to completely shut or open the eyes, flushing of one half of the face, frequent headaches, and sharp pains. Horner’s occurs as a result of damage of the sympathetic nerves that supply blood to the face. Root causes of Horner's syndrome vary greatly, however most stem from damage to the sympathetic nerves via a tumor, stroke, injury, etc.