Could a single trip on a piece of African rootbark help a junkie kick the habit? That was the claim in the 1960s, and now iboga is back in the spotlight. But is it a miracle cure? Daniel Pinchbeck decided to give it a go. And life, he says, will never be the same again... In 1962, Howard Lotsof, a 19-year-old heroin addict in New York, ordered from a chemist iboga, a plant used in West African rituals, and tried it for extra kicks. After consuming the bitter rootbark powder, he experienced a visionary tour of his early memories. Thirty hours later, when the effects had subsided, he found that he had lost all craving for heroin, without withdrawal symptoms of any kind. He said he then gave iboga to seven other addicts and five stopped taking drugs immediately afterwards. In 1985, Lotsof patented the ibogaine molecule for the purposes of addiction treatment, but could not get his treatment approved. In the interim years, ibogaine had been declared, along with LSD and several other psychedelic molecules, an illegal "schedule one" substance, with potential for abuse and no medical value. Although it found dedicated support among a ragtag group of countercultural activists and left-over Yippies, in 1995 the National Institutes of Health discontinued research into the substance, and pharmaceutical companies have since ignored it, perhaps due to low profit potential. © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4503 - Posted: 06.24.2010

What has the virtuous life of a 17th-century philosopher got to do with going out for lunch, the need for a second Enlightenment, basing feeling and emotion in maps of the body - and being furious with your boss? For the past decade, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio has been weaving such strands together in his books, the latest of which, Looking for Spinoza, was published in May. He has provided New Scientist with some fascinating discussions over the past year Your first major book had you tangling with Descartes, now you've taken on Spinoza. Is this an odd thing for a neuroscientist to do? I regard philosophy as very important, both in the past but also in the present. Philosophy incorporated all of the sciences, and as new sciences develop they sort of peel off from philosophy. But that doesn't mean philosophy lost its reasons to exist: first, because the continuity of ideas is very important to preserve; second, because the heart of philosophy today is an attempt to reach conceptual clarity, and that remains a needed commodity in science. Of course, one could say that conceptual clarity is exactly what a scientist should achieve anyway, and so there is no need to bring philosophy into the process. However, I think that a dialogue with colleagues whose business it is to find defects in arguments and scrutinise the interpretations and conclusions of scientists is a good thing to have. The collaboration is needed and could be fruitful, but it requires a certain humility on both sides, and open minds. I also believe that a collaboration between neurobiology and other human sciences is most desirable. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Emotions
Link ID: 4502 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Geneticists have found strong evidence implicating a developmental gene in autism, they announced today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics in Los Angeles. Although it’s not known what the variant of the gene does, the finding backs the idea that something goes wrong with the developing brain. “This is a truly exciting finding,” says Eric Courchesne of the University of California, San Diego. “If replicated, this could lead to some very novel approaches to early detection.” Because symptoms often start to appear at 2 years of age or so, parents have blamed childhood vaccines received at that age. Scientists have learned, however, that something is unusual about these children even before diagnosis. Courchesne, for example, has shown that the autistic brain is already strikingly abnormal by the first months of life. Children with autism usually have an abnormal cerebellum, a region that participates in many processes that go awry in autism, such as the ability to control attention. The cerebellum-autism link intrigued Jim Millonig, a mouse geneticist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Piscataway. He knew that in mice, a gene called ENGRAILED 2 is involved in development of the cerebellum. Moreover, in humans the gene is located on a chromosomal region called 7q, which other studies have linked to autism. Copyright © 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Autism; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 4501 - Posted: 06.24.2010

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Researchers at Brown University and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., have found a physical connection between the herpes simplex virus and amyloid precursor protein, a protein that breaks down to form a major component of the amyloid plaques that are consistently present in the brains of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid precursor protein – or APP – breaks down to form beta-amyloid. There is strong evidence, according to the researchers, that beta-amyloid is the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s. While the scientists caution that no conclusions about Alzheimer’s can be drawn from their findings, Dr. Elaine Bearer, senior research scientist and associate professor in Brown’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, believes the work does in fact link the common herpes virus of cold sores with the neurodegenerative disorder. Bearer is also a summer investigator at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 4500 - Posted: 06.24.2010

STANFORD, Calif. - People with depression are five times more likely to have a breathing-related sleep disorder than non-depressed people, according to a study at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study is the first to show a link between depression and sleep apnea along with its related disorders. Although it remains unclear how the conditions are linked, Maurice Ohayon, MD, PhD, said his study should encourage physicians to test depressed patients for this type of sleep disorder. "Physicians who see people with depression shouldn't stop at the first diagnosis, but instead look into the presence of a breathing-related sleep disorder," said Ohayon, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. His study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Keyword: Depression; Sleep
Link ID: 4499 - Posted: 11.07.2003

Multiple sclerosis patients report some relief in pot trial. HELEN PEARSON Cannabis may soothe symptoms of multiple sclerosis, concludes the first large-scale clinical trial of the drug's perceived benefit to sufferers. Legally, the drug remains largely out of bounds. The British study is the one of the strongest scientific endorsements of patients' anecdotal evidence that cannabis helps to relieve the pain of multiple sclerosis (MS). John Zajicek of the University of Plymouth and his team gave 630 patients either a placebo, cannabis extract, or a synthetic form of marijuana's most active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). After 15 weeks, 60% of patients taking the drugs reported that it helped their pain and muscle stiffness, compared with 46% of those on the placebo. It also helped them to walk more easily. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis; Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4498 - Posted: 06.24.2010

— Researchers have discovered some of the basic control signals that govern the organization of the spinal cord in the developing embryo — findings that quite likely will apply to the brain as well. Insights such as these are yielding new information about an underlying code involving homeobox, or Hox, regulatory genes that orchestrate spinal cord development. The researchers, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Thomas Jessell at Columbia University, published their findings in the October 30, 2003, issue of the journal Nature. Jessell collaborated on the studies with HHMI research associate Jeremy Dasen at Columbia and Jeh-Ping Liu at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The identity and function of the control signals that govern the formation of neuronal columns in the brain and spinal cord are two of the big questions facing developmental neurobiologists. Columns contain bundles of neurons that are grouped according to function. Despite their localized groupings, the influence of columns on connectivity may be felt at quite a distance because the axons extending from neurons innervate other areas of the body. ©2003 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Keyword: Development of the Brain; ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease
Link ID: 4497 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Bill makes it hard to show harassment Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau Washington -- By adding just two words to a bill reauthorizing the 31-year-old Marine Mammal Protection Act, the House Resources Committee waded into a bitter battle Wednesday between the Navy and environmentalists and perhaps gave several industries the ability to operate more freely in the oceans. The committee, chaired by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, inserted "biologically significant'' into the definition of behavior disruptions of such mammals as dolphins, whale and seals that are classified as illegal harassment. Supporters of the change, which passed on a voice vote, said it was necessary to help the Navy experiment with long-range, low-frequency sonar used to detect new quiet diesel-powered submarines. But detractors say the wording will make it harder for prosecutors to prove cases of harassment under the act because they'll find it difficult to show any specific action is "biologically significant'' to a single animal or a group of mammals. ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Hearing
Link ID: 4496 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Men and women's brains respond to pain differently, researchers have found. Scans showed parts of women's brains linked to emotion were stimulated when they felt pain. But the researchers, from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that, in men's brains analytical areas showed greater activity. They say the study of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) could help the development of targeted treatments for the illness. IBS causes discomfort in the abdomen and diarrhoea or constipation. The UCLA researchers carried out positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans of 26 women and 24 men, while they experienced a small amount of pain. (C) BBC

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Pain & Touch
Link ID: 4495 - Posted: 11.06.2003

NewScientist.com news service Copulating cockerels show "unprecedented sophistication" in the way they dole out their sperm, suggests a new study. The findings by Swedish and British researchers challenge the view that males use a straightforward reproduction strategy to simply mate with as many females as possible. Male fowl devote considerably more sperm to their first encounter with a new mate than with a familiar one, the study reveals. They will also increase the sperm delivered if rival males are around. And an attractive hen - with a large comb adorning her head - will receive more sperm than a less attractive female. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Evolution
Link ID: 4494 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Males of the species Gallus gallus are hardly gallant. A male wild chicken scatters his seed among females according to his own sense of the competition, according to new research. The results indicate that the males have evolved a sophisticated way to choose where to put their resources. Hens who mate the rounds end up with sperm from more than one competing rooster. For a rooster to win at this game, he has to contribute more sperm than the other guys. But willy-nilly inseminating is costly and time consuming--a rooster might run out of sperm before the best hen waltzes his way. Evolutionary biologist Tommaso Pizzari at the University of Leeds, U.K., and colleagues wondered if the wild roosters hedge their bets by inseminating some females with more sperm than others. Pizzari and company fitted the hens with films on their cloacas to collect the sperm deposited by roosters. Then the team set up a mating ring in full view of an adjacent pen. The researchers allowed one male at a time to mate with the hen, watched by up to three other males to simulate competition for the mate. When a dominant rooster competed with just one voyeur, he ejaculated less sperm than when competing with three males, indicating that roosters consider how many suitors a female has. Subdominant males, on the other hand, apparently forfeit the most competitive situations and send out the most swimmers when they’re competing against just one other male, the team reports in the 6 November issue of Nature. Copyright © 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Evolution
Link ID: 4493 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A new study cautions that drugs being designed to enhance some forms of memory in the elderly may actually worsen working memory, such as the cognitive ability to hold a phone number in mind long enough to dial it. The research, published online in Neuron on November 5, analyzes the effects of these drugs on multiple brain regions and suggests that the medications may actually have hazardous consequences on higher-order thought processes that are regulated by the prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus has been associated with long-term memory formation, while the prefrontal cortex has been associated with working memory. In a healthy brain, the two brain systems work together to optimize cognitive abilities. Compounds that increase the activity of an enzyme called protein kinase A (PKA) improve long-term hippocampal-dependent memory in aged mice and have been proposed as possible therapeutics for memory deficits in elderly humans.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 4492 - Posted: 11.06.2003

VANCOUVER, CANADA — Millions of HIV patients who suffer from dementia now have hope of a treatment, thanks to a breakthrough discovery by Canadian researchers. Scientists from the University of Calgary in Alberta and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver have found that HIV triggers an enzyme in white blood cells that kills nerve cells in the brain. The enzyme, known as Metalloproteinase-2 or MMP2, changes a molecule required for normal brain growth and function. The altered molecule becomes highly toxic and destroys brain nerve cells, giving rise to symptoms of dementia. It is the first study to unravel the mechanics of how dementia and memory loss is caused in HIV patients. In addition, the researchers also found they could block the toxic effects of MMP2 by using drugs already in clinical trials for cancer treatment. © Copyright The University of British Columbia,

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4491 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Middle-aged men now have a good excuse to go to the pub with their mates - it is good for their brains. Researchers say that social activities, such as evening classes, chess and even going to the pub can help maintain mental agility. Middle-aged women appeared to benefit slightly less from the same activities. The team from University College London say their work shows that people should not simply resign themselves to losing cognitive skills as they age. Researchers questioned about 5,350 civil servants aged between 35 and 55 about their leisure habits. They were asked if they participated in any of 13 activities, ranging from those which required a low cognitive effort - such as DIY and housework - to those which required high cognitive effort - such as cultural visits and evening classes. (C) BBC

Keyword: Alzheimers; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 4490 - Posted: 11.05.2003

Are teenage girls more stressed than boys? As this ScienCentral News video reports, researchers are examining the relationship between their sex hormones and their brains for clues. Some adults may think youth is wasted on the young, but teenagers actually face a multitude of stressful situations on a daily basis. "As adults we like to think that we have the most stress, but that's probably not true," says Elizabeth Young, professor of psychiatry and research scientist at the University of Michigan Mental Health Research Institute . "Not doing well in school, having problems with your friends, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, those are all things that are well known to have big effects on causing depression." Teenagers, Young says, "have a lot more of these life changes than those of us who are in stable relationships and are raising a family." © ScienCentral, 2000-2003.

Keyword: Stress; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 4489 - Posted: 06.24.2010

New research into depression is showing that antidepressants are not only changing the chemicals inside the brain, they actually make the brain grow new cells. As this ScienCentral News video reports, the new findings may lead to improved treatments against depression. One in ten adults suffers from depression in any given year. Many of them get relief from antidepressants, but they usually take a long time to work and often have troubling side effects. Now a study at Columbia University shows that these drugs don't work the way scientists have thought. Neuroscientists have long believed that a shortage of a brain chemical called serotonin causes depression, so most antidepressants were tailored to raise serotonin levels in the brain. But some researchers have suspected that antidepressants do more than that. Together with his coworkers, René Hen, professor of pharmacology at Columbia, has now proven that antidepressants actually stimulate the growth of new brain cells, which turns out to be necessary for recovery from depression. © ScienCentral, 2000-2003.

Keyword: Depression; Neurogenesis
Link ID: 4488 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Babies born to women who suffer post-natal depression are more likely to become violent and aggressive children, research suggests. Cardiff University researchers followed children up to the age of 11 from 122 families in urban south London. They found boys with mothers who were depressed three months after birth were more likely to get into fights and be suspended from school. The research is published in the journal Developmental Psychology. The Cardiff team found that children were most likely to be badly behaved if their mothers had suffered repeated bouts of depression. They interviewed mothers during pregnancy, three months after the birth, and when the child was one, four and 11 years old. (C) BBC

Keyword: Depression; Aggression
Link ID: 4487 - Posted: 11.04.2003

Daniel W. McShea Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose? Michael Ruse. x + 371 pp. Harvard University Press, 2003. $29.95. Eyes are for seeing; leaves are for capturing sunlight; the plates on the back of Stegosaurus may have been for radiating heat. For at least 2,000 years, from Plato until Darwin, these contrivances of organisms were considered strong evidence for the existence of a higher power. They are functional, seeming to exist because they serve a purpose, like human artifacts, especially machines. Before Darwin, the only way imaginable for a purposeful device to arise was by design—that is, for it to be produced intentionally, by a mind like ours. And thus it seemed reasonable to conclude that such functional features of organisms must be the product of a divine designing mind. In 1802, this argument was proffered compellingly by one of the foremost exponents of natural theology, William Paley. He argued that if one stumbles on a stone in a field, one can say very little about its origins; but if one finds a watch, it is immediately clear that "its several parts are framed and put together for a purpose." Paley went on to argue that a purposeful watch requires a watchmaker, and that the equivalent functional complexity of organisms likewise requires a higher power, a designing mind. A half-century later Charles Darwin demolished this 2,000-year-old argument, showing that an unthinking process, natural selection, could produce function and therefore the appearance of design. In the Darwinian view, of course, function arises iteratively, beginning with chance modification, followed by preservation of those modifications that promote survival and reproduction, further chance modification, and so on. Thus, in effect, the functional structures of an organism exist because of their past contributions to reproductive success. No intentionality, no designing mind, is required.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4486 - Posted: 06.24.2010

As pharmaceutical companies push their products, more and more kids are being treated with powerful -- and untested -- adult drugs. By Helen Cordes For Dr. Stephen Borowitz, the most frustrating office visits are with parents of kids suffering from stomachaches and infants prone to spitting up. Often, he says, the parents already know what they want -- adult heartburn drugs such as the "purple pill," Prilosec. "I tell them about nondrug tactics that often help the symptoms," says Borowitz, a professor of pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Virginia. "But they want their kids to have the pills they've seen on TV." Borowitz and other experts worry about the safety of using potent adult drugs to ease common childhood ailments. But their warnings are unlikely to be heeded by most doctors and parents -- thanks, in large part, to an aggressive marketing campaign by pharmaceutical companies. Nearly a quarter million children took Prilosec in 2000, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration documents, and nearly 100,000 were prescribed similar "proton pump inhibitor" (PPI) heartburn drugs such as Prevacid, Nexium, Protonix, and Aciphex. None of these PPIs were approved for pediatric use at the time (Prevacid finally secured approval in 2002), and the FDA had warned that children taking Prilosec could face risks of pancreatitis and liver problems. Yet drugmakers have continued to fund medical conference presentations, publications, and tutorials touting PPIs as "highly effective and safe" for children. And this January, tap Pharmaceuticals (which makes a strawberry-flavored version of Prevacid) sponsored a nationwide campaign featuring best-selling baby-book author Dr. Bill Sears to publicize what it calls "one of the most common esophageal disorders in children" -- gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. It's a claim that angers Borowitz, who says there is no evidence of a GERD epidemic. PPIs may be useful in a few "relatively rare" conditions, he says; but too often, "ordinary childhood problems are pathologized into a disease." © 2003 The Foundation for National Progress

Keyword: Depression; ADHD
Link ID: 4485 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR For many, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can mean life in a dreary nursing home and a treatment centered on powerful antipsychotics to combat the onset of memory loss, dementia and other signs of a mind that is slowly unraveling. But now, some scientists say the best way to treat Alzheimer's is with a broader approach — one that emphasizes regular exercise and a healthy environment. Even encouraging participation in an activity as simple as gardening, one researcher noted, can reduce depression and ease anxiety in some Alzheimer's patients. The findings were detailed in two studies released last month. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 4484 - Posted: 06.24.2010