30% of depressions do not respond to pills or psychotherapy. A psychiatrist’s idea: treat them with ultrasounds

Depression is a truly complex disorder, which in 30% of cases do not respond to treatment conventional. Neither pharmacotherapy nor psychotherapynor the transcranial magnetic stimulation (used to treat OCD) appear to offer lasting relief to those who become trapped in the more resistant states of the disease. And although at first they can be ‘given up as lost’, the Argentine psychiatrist Salvador Guinjoan He is already working on another avenue of treatment. The idea. The psychiatrist, researcher Laureate Institute for Brain Research from Oklahoma, is working on an alternative that uses more physics than psychiatry for these patients who a priori had no other type of solution. This is based on the low intensity focused ultrasound, what is known as LIFU (Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound). During the recent Conference on Updates on Neuromodulation held in Seville by the Spanish Society of Clinical Psychiatry, Guinjoan explained that the objective is quite ambitious: to modify the electrical activity of the brain circuits involved in psychiatric symptoms without the need to open the skull or implant an electrode as he explained. in an interview to El País. What is LIFU. This technology uses mechanical energy instead of electrical or chemical energy. Its transducer generates ultrasonic waves that are capable of passing through the skull and concentrating the energy at a very specific point in the brain, subtly modulating the mechanosensitive ion channels of the neurons. In practice, this alters neural communication in regions that are involved in emotion, motivation, or decision-making. But the important thing in this case is that unlike traditional deep stimulation (DBS), which requires surgery and permanent implants, LIFU allows completely reversible interventions with high anatomical precision. According to Guinjoan, the method opens the possibility of observing, for the first time, causal relationships between a specific brain circuit and a clinical symptom: “If modifying a circuit changes the symptom, we can begin to understand the cause,” he points out. The bibliography supports it in these cases, since previous research, such as those carried out in the Massachusetts General Hospital and published in Nature Neuroscience (2024), had already shown how LIFU can influence deep regions such as the amygdala or thalamus without visible tissue damage. Now, the challenge is to transfer that precision to the psychiatric field. Key points. Guinjoan and his team focus their trials on two key markers of resistant depression: anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure) and the persistence of negative thoughts. Both phenomena seem to be related to connection circuits between the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia. And it is precisely in this circuit where the psychiatrist wants to intervene with LIFU. The researcher suggests that modulating the subcircuits that connect the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia with ultrasound can alleviate these characteristic symptoms without resorting to surgical interventions and perhaps without more medication in the future. And although at the moment there is still a long way to go, pilot studies in the United States point to sustained symptomatic improvements after several sessions, with mild side effects such as temporary headaches. The ethics. The ability to literally reprogram the brain without invading it opens up questions that go beyond medicine. Guinjoan agrees with neuroscientist Rafael Yuste, promoter of the neurorightsin which it is urgent to regulate the non-therapeutic use of these technologies. Although the border between treating a disease and enhancing mental performance is increasingly blurred. Unlike other home neuromodulation tools, such as transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS) devices that They are already sold for personal useLIFU requires high-precision neuronavigators and a specialized clinical environment. Guinjoan does not believe that it will become a domestic technology, but he does imagine a future where each patient receives a personalized neuromodulation treatment, adjusted to their specific neural map. The future. If ongoing trials confirm efficacy, focused ultrasound could be incorporated in the next decade into the arsenal we have in the treatment of resistant depression, anxiety or even schizophrenia. All this without having to enter an operating room. Something that could also represent a new leap in psychiatry as we know it and a paradigm shift in the therapeutic approach to this type of pathology. Images | Fernando @cferdophotography Robina Weermeijer In Xataka | There are people eating carrots like rabbits because they think it will make them tan. There’s just one little problem

If Europe drums arrive, it will respond with a duplicate nuclear force

At the end of the 1950s, France, in the figure of Charles de Gaulle, promoted the idea that the nation could maintain some strategic dependence by launching the Nuclear deterrence policy Sovereign, a kind of nuclear umbrella arguing that, although the United States was an ally, its interests could Do not match Always with those of Europe. Half a century later, that idea sounds strongly in the old continent with an unpublished Anglo-French alliance. An unprecedented agreement. United Kingdom and France, the only two sovereign nuclear powers of Western Europe, have first announced the decision to coordinate the Use of its atomic arsenals in response to any extreme threat that endangers the safety of the continent. He agreementpresented by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron during a state visit to London, brand A significant turn In strategic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the face of the renewed fear of Russia’s aggressiveness and uncertainty about American commitment to European collective defense under Trump’s leadership. Asterisk. Very important; although the British and French arsenals will continue to be technically independentnow they can be used jointly in case of conflict, an unequivocal signal for both allies and adversaries that any serious aggression against one of the two will be answered by both. Differences overcome by a threat. The pact represents a symbolic overcoming of traditional differences between London and Paris in nuclear doctrine. United Kingdom has integrated its arsenal in the nuclear planning structure of NATO And it depends technically on missiles supplied by the United States, although it operates autonomously. France, on the contrary, has always defended with zeal Total sovereignty About his deterrence, refusing to participate in the NATO nuclear cast system, and maintaining An independent doctrine whose strategic scope (“vital interests with European dimension”) has been deliberately ambiguous. The decision to act coordination does not involve merging capabilities, but synchronizing potential responses and generating a unified front against possible aggressions, especially in a scenario of weakness in transatlantic commitment. Storm Shadow Complement and evolution. Both countries possess Comparatively small arsenals In relation to the great nuclear powers. United Kingdom bases its deterrence In Trident missiles launched from submarines, but has announced plans to incorporate an air capacity by F-35a aircraft of American origin capable of carrying nuclear weapons. France, on the other hand, maintains a completely national force, which combines maritime and aerial vectors. In addition, he works In the ASN4Ga next-generation hypersonic air-earth missile with nuclear capacity (which United Kingdom Study adopt), which would mean having for the first time in decades of an air nuclear system independent of American control. The new coordination will allow, among other options, synchronize underwater patrols or stepped maintenance periods to ensure a continuous presence in the sea. Experts such as Camille Grand and Lawrence Freedman highlighted the transcendence of the ad, since France He had never admitted Publicly no type of nuclear cooperation of this type, which implies an important doctrinal change. TRIDS DIAGRAM The American umbrella. He underlined The New York Times That the decision to move towards an incipient form of coordinated nuclear deterrence responds, in addition to the Russian threat, to the Strategic emptiness that has left Washington’s ambiguous attitude towards European defense. The traditional dependence of the NATO nuclear shield, under American leadership, has It was questioned for Trump’s skepticism regarding the usefulness of protecting the allies of the continent. In this context, Franco-British tandem assumes the responsibility of projecting a credible European alternativealigning their respective defensive doctrines and sending a clear message to Moscow about the consequences of continuing his offensive in Ukraine. The pact is articulated within a greater strategy to revitalize the call “Coalition of the willing”an informal alliance of European countries that seek to sustain the Ukrainian war effort before the American replication. Challenges: Ukraine and coalition. Plus: The agreement comes in a moment especially delicate In the Ukraine conflict, where the promise of a high fire driven by Washington has not been completed and Western military aid, especially from the United States, is He has slowed down. Starmer and Macron, which lead the hard core of the Pro-Ukrainian coalition, seek to recover the impulse through A virtual conference with other allied leaders from a military base on the outskirts of London. However, some countries continue showing reluctance To send material means such as combat airplanes, which underlines the difficulties in maintaining cohesion in a fragmented coalition for divergent interests and national agendas. The joint nuclear initiative is thus enrolled in a broader logic of diplomatic pressure to Hold the commitment European in the face of transatlantic umbrella. Friends after Brexit. The nuclear pact, in addition, symbolizes a significant thaw in the relationships between London and Paris, deteriorated after the referendum Brexit. Starmer and Macron have presented this relaunch of links as a stage of pragmatic understanding, cemented not only in collective safety, but also in thorny areas such as migration. Both governments negotiate A new agreement To stop migrants’ crosses in small boats from the coast of northern France, a growing problem that has generated bilateral tensions. The objective is to reduce flows without giving up humanitarian obligations, in the midst of growing political pressure by populist parties as reform uk. The Lancaster Pact. The Franco-British alliance also extends to the joint development of new conventional capacities. Within the framework of the so -called “Lancaster House 2.0”both powers will sign an update of the Defense Treaty signed in 2010. This new agreement provides for the creation of a new generation of long -range missiles that will replace the Successful Storm Shadow/Scalpused by Ukraine, in addition to an extension of the joint expeditionary force. Likewise, development is contemplated of Air-Aire missiles latest generation, microwave weapons to interfere with drones and missiles, electronic war systems and intensive artificial intelligence use To coordinate attacks with millimeter precision. These initiatives reinforce the projection capacity of both countries and consolidate their role as central safety guarantors in Europe, at a time … Read more

Sending an email to a low employee has cost 1,500 euros to a company: it doesn’t matter if you respond or not

The Superior Court of Xustiza de Galicia (TSXG) has marked a before and after in the protection of the right to digital disconnection of workers in Spain. For the first time, a company has been convicted of sending electronic jobs to an employee who was on a medical leave. The sentence is considered a pioneer because, although other countries Like France and BelgiumThey have already legislated on digital disconnectionGalician justice has taken another step by sanctioning not only the obligation not to respond, but also the duty of the company of Do not send communications Out of working hours. What happened? According to details the sentencethe affected worker was in a situation of temporary disability due to an “anxiety disorder”, apparently “motivated by the emotional wear that implies the current situation of excess work, realization of overtime continuously and labor responsibility, which has led to the appearance of relational insecurity with respect to their environment.” In that context of medical disabilitythe employee continued to receive electronic emails related to her work during the entire low period. The company recognized the facts, but argued that the emails to the complainant were part of a thread created above and whose content was aimed at other people of the team. In addition, he claimed that they were not asked for “an immediate response.” In Xataka 40,000 euros for a croquette: Mercadona dismissed an employee for eating a croquette and must now compensate him The TSXG got serious with disconnection. In its resolution, the Superior Court dismissed the company’s arguments and was overwhelming in its ruling. The magistrates considered that the company not only breached their duty to refrain from communicating with the worker during his temporary disability, but also attempted against his moral integrity. According to the sentence, the Right to digital disconnection “It demands that communications from the company are not received outside the work time”, and warns that “that right is not fulfilled due to the fact that the working person does not have the duty to respond to the communications received outside the work time more or less immediately.” That is, and here the Importance of this resolutionthat the right to digital disconnection does not only refer to the interpretation of the urgency of the communications received, but “carries with it an obligation by the employer, and of dependent or linked persons, of abstention in the communications of labor order or linked to the provision of services outside the working time.” In Xataka Some employees sued their company for cutting the salary. The supreme has responded that being unpunctual is not a job Vulnerability situation. The TSXG highlights the special importance of the right to digital disconnection when the worker is in a situation of temporary disability by A psychic ailment. In the sentence, the Galician Court emphasizes that emails in these circumstances “uneasy the receiver, and also reifted it and undermined their dignity” and places the worker in a state of permanent availability incompatible with her right to recover without pressures. The right to digital disconnection in Spanish law. The right to digital disconnection is included in article 88 of the Organic Law 3/2018 and reinforced with the arrival of the call Distance Labor Law of 2021. According to the regulations, “all workers and public employees will have the right to digital disconnection in order to guarantee, outside the legal or conventionally established work time, respect for their rest time, permits and vacations, as well as their personal and family intimacy.” This right allows workers not to answer mails, calls, video calls or any other digital communication out of work hours. The law does not differentiate between the size of the workforce or the public or private nature of the company, so the protection is universal for all employees in Spain. With the TSXG ruling, the prohibition is not limited to the fact of “not answering” but its interpretation is expanded to “not receive.” {“Videid”: “X919SE0”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “The AI ​​and the future of our work Silvia Rivela | 100 years, 100 visions Ep.3”, “Tag”: “”, “Duration”: “2630”} Symbolic condemnation, but pioneer. The process reached the TSXG as a result of a previous sentence in which, in addition to the violation of the right to digital disconnection of workers, compensation for violations of the right to honor and physical integrity were requested. In this case, the new resolution revokes these last two concepts because it has not been damaged physically or its honorability has been affected. However, it imposes compensation of 1,500 euros “for damages” for violating the right to digital disconnection because the company “was not guaranteed” of this right and points out that “pretending that it is available at any time of its life, including temporary disability, prevents the free development of personality and hinders the exercise of the field of intimacy of personal life of personal life.” In Xataka | 55,245 euros for eating a sandwich and a beer: Mercadona must compensate an employee for unfair dismissal Image | Unspash (Brian J. Tromp), Wikimedia Commons (Caronio) (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news Sending an email to a low employee has cost 1,500 euros to a company: it doesn’t matter if you respond or not It was originally posted in Xataka by Rubén Andrés .

Trudeau asks provinces for “unity” to confront and respond to Trump

After the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau warned that there will be a strong response from his country if Donald Trump imposes 25% tariffs, Now he called for “unity” to the provincial heads of government. The Prime Minister’s Office revealed after the meeting that Trudeau and the provincial heads of government “shared details of recent conversations” they have had with US politicians and senior officials. “The prime minister insisted that a strong unitary approach is the best way to advance Canadian interests and establish a productive relationship with the incoming administration.”noted the Prime Minister’s Office. The prime minister, who will leave office in March, said his Government is prepared to “support and compensate” Canadian citizens and businesses if Trump proceeds with tariffs that harm the economy. But he also promised strong retaliation. The Canadian government has said the tariffs would be “devastating” for the Canadian economy and could destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs in the country. “The possibility of unjustified 25% tariffs, unilaterally imposed by the US against its closest ally, is a matter of serious concern,” the Trudeau government added. Trudeau already met last week with the heads of government of the 10 provinces and three territories of Canada to discuss Trump’s arrival at the White House. During the meeting, it was agreed to hold an annual joint meeting in the face of the crisis caused by the new American president. It is the first time in Canadian history that the prime minister and the provincial heads of government have held weekly meetings. Canada has already announced investments of $900 million to reinforce its border with its neighbor, one of Trump’s initial demands. Canada, the United States and Mexico have had a free trade agreement for years, currently called T-MEC. Keep reading:

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