Carbon Dioxide boost the fear factor everyone has—why cognitive dissonance is at an all time high

Abstract

Background

Frequent bipolar/panic comorbidity implies bipolar individuals may experience CO2-provoked anxiety and changes in respiratory patterns similar to those experienced by individuals with panic disorder.

Methods

16 euthymic bipolar individuals breathed air and air combined with 5% CO2 for 15 minutes each. Respiratory and subjective anxiety measures were collected.

Results

On CO2 subjects were more anxious and breathed more deeply and rapidly than with air; the degree of increase in anxiety attributable to CO2 was directly correlated with the degree of increase in minute ventilation. Five individuals were assessed as having a panic attack. Panic response to CO2 was predicted by the degree of anxiety experienced with air alone.

Conclusions

Comparison with the results of similar panic studies shows bipolar disorder is associated with enhanced respiratory response to CO2. Hypersensitivity to CO2 among bipolar individuals suggests a possible pathological mechanism common to both bipolar and panic disorders. These preliminary data support the expanded application of CO2 challenges in bipolar subjects.

Keywords: Affective disorders, psychophysiology, panic disorder, hypercapnia, hyperventilation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850806/

Co2 inhalation prevents prefrontal executive functions in healthy humans

Acute anxiety and autonomic arousal induced by CO2 inhalation impairs prefrontal executive functions in healthy humans

Abstract

Acute anxiety impacts cognitive performance. Inhalation of air enriched with carbon dioxide (CO2) in healthy humans provides a novel experimental model of generalised anxiety, but has not previously been used to assess cognition. We used inhalation of 7.5% CO2 to induce acute anxiety and autonomic arousal in healthy volunteers during neuropsychological tasks of cognitive flexibility, emotional processing and spatial working memory in a single-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover, within-subjects study. In Experiment 1 (n = 44), participants made significantly more extra-dimensional shift errors on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift task under CO2 inhalation compared with ‘normal’ air. Participants also had slower latencies when responding to positive words and made significantly more omission errors for negative words on the CANTAB Affective Go/No-go task. In Experiment 2 (n = 28), participants made significantly more total errors and had poorer heuristic search strategy on the CANTAB Spatial Working Memory task. In both experiments, CO2 inhalation significantly increased negative affect; state anxiety and fear; symptoms of panic; and systolic blood pressure/heart rate. Overall, CO2 inhalation produced robust anxiogenic effects and impaired fronto-executive functions of cognitive flexibility and working memory. Effects on emotional processing suggested a mood-congruent slowing in processing speed in the absence of a negative attentional bias. State-dependent effects of anxiety on cognitive-emotional interactions in the prefrontal cortex warrant further investigation.

moar:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0634-z/

Another Sabotage nano-wire filters

In the last couple decades, several viral outbreaks resulting in epidemics and pandemics with thousands of human causalities have been witnessed. The current Covid‐19 outbreak represents an unprecedented crisis. In stopping the virus’ spread, it is fundamental to have personal protective equipment and disinfected surfaces. Here, the development of a TiO2 nanowires (TiO2NWs) based filter is reported, which it is believed will work extremely well for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as for a new generation of air conditioners and air purifiers. Its efficiency relies on the photocatalytic generation of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon UV illumination, and on a particularly high dielectric constant of TiO2, which is of paramount importance for enhanced wettability by the water droplets carrying the germs. The filter pore sizes can be tuned by processing TiO2NWs into filter paper. The kilogram‐scale production capability of TiO2NWs gives credibility to its massive application potentials.

moar:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202004615

dew

(This happened in Shenyang, China just after the "Mothership" lightning cloud appeared in Beijing. Not a coincidence.)

#NEIOH This is a Laser that destroyed a contained area where many new viruses were being used in experiments.

https://twitter.com/Kabamur_Taygeta/status/1291224951144366081