DALLAS – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have shown that insulin family signaling is important for male sex determination, a discovery that furthers the understanding of testes formation and eventually could lead to treatments for reproductive disorders. Their findings appear in the current issue of Nature and are available online. "We are excited by this research for two reasons," said Dr. Luis Parada, senior author of the Nature study and director of the Center for Developmental Biology. "First, the intracellular signaling pathways that mediate male sexual differentiation have remained elusive despite the fact that the controlling gene that unleashes the process was identified almost 15 years ago. Second, our experience with studying receptors and signaling in development provides us with the skills and tools to tackle this problem, which has tremendous implications in newborn disorders."

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 4566 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Repeat injury likely if they return too soon By Delthia Ricks, STAFF WRITER; The Associated Press Football players who suffer a concussion are likely to have another if they return to the game too soon, increasing the likelihood of permanent brain injury, say researchers who are taking the first steps toward a clinical understanding of athletic head injuries. In two analyses appearing in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers say for decades coaches have been convening expert panels on head injuries in an effort to produce guidelines. The new research is directed at understanding head injuries and determining when a player can return to the game. The two studies, partly funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, emphasize waiting until all symptoms have subsided - a period as short as a week or as long as 10 days, for players of any contact sport from middle school to the professional level. Players do not have to be knocked unconscious to have suffered a concussion, the studies showed. Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 4565 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By JANE GROSS Propelled by the skyrocketing number of diagnoses of the perplexing brain disorder autism in children, federal officials have for the first time mapped out a long-term, interagency plan to deal with the problem. The plan includes objectives like the development of teaching methods that will allow 90 percent of autistic children to speak; the identification of genetic and nongenetic causes of the condition; and adequate services for all afflicted children in the next 7 to 10 years. The plan, which is to be unveiled at a major autism conference in Washington that begins today, signals the start of the push-pull process over financing. Such a plan was required by the Congressional appropriations committee that controls the budget for scientific and medical research and education programs of all kinds. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 4564 - Posted: 11.19.2003

NEW ORLEANS-- Sheep may all look alike to you, but not to another sheep. A few years ago, researchers led by Keith Kendrick of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, U.K., reported that sheep, like humans, have specialized neurons that focus on faces, and that they can remember faces for years. Now Kendrick and colleagues suggest that sheep's mighty powers of recollection might rest in part on the ability to form mental images in the absence of visual input. Copyright © 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4563 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Fly's clipped wing signals power of survival. BETSY MASON A newly discovered fly with a chunk missing from one of its wings evolved that way to impress the females, a new report suggests. The disability may advertise the fly's ability to survive in the face of adversity. Entomologist Justin Runyon of Pennsylvania State University in University Park discovered the new species of long-legged fly, called Erebomyia exallopatra, while collecting insects in southern Arizona. Under the microscope, he noticed that males' right wings were notched and smaller than their rounded left wings. Researchers had documented a few cases of wing-size difference in butterflies and other flies before, but none as marked as that in E. exallopatra. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Evolution; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4562 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ORLANDO -- A University of Central Florida speech expert has diagnosed an extremely rare disorder in a Sarasota woman that caused her to speak with a British accent after she suffered a stroke. The case of Foreign Accent Syndrome -- a disorder linked to stroke-related or other internal brain injuries that leaves affected people with a foreign-sounding accent -- is one of fewer than 20 reported worldwide since 1919, according to Jack Ryalls, professor of communicative disorders at UCF. In November 1999, 57-year-old Tiffany Noell of Sarasota suffered a stroke that left the right side of her body paralyzed. She was also unable to speak. After months of physical therapy, she was no longer paralyzed and was able to speak with some difficulty. Her speech gradually improved during the next year until she was speaking with the same fluency as she had before the stroke. However, instead of the familiar New York accent she once had, she spoke with a British accent.

Keyword: Language
Link ID: 4561 - Posted: 11.19.2003

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A study led by a University at Buffalo researcher has shown that combining medication and family treatment leads to improved outcomes in male heroin abusers. A key to the success was family support of the heroin abusers' use of naltrexone, which, while it blocks the "high" associated with heroin use, is prescribed rarely because few patients who abuse heroine have been willing to take it, said William Fals-Stewart, Ph.D., lead researcher on the study. A clinical psychologist, he is a senior research scientist in UB's Research Institute on Addictions and research associate professor in the Department of Psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. His co-investigator was Timothy J. O'Farrell, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System in Brockton, Mass. The study was the first to combine family counseling and naltrexone as a treatment for heroin dependence. Heroin abuse is the primary drug problem of people entering treatment programs in the U.S. Results of the National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study were reported in the August issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4560 - Posted: 11.19.2003

By Jamie Talan, STAFF WRITER Just around the corner looms a brave new world where people of all ages could reach for a pill that would strengthen the brain, enabling it to learn faster and make the lessons last. Swallowing pills to make learning easier or to make memories stick is no longer pie-in-the-sky thinking. Scientists have learned so much about the way the human brain learns and remembers that they are fashioning the first generation of memory enhancers. "It's no longer just about correcting an abnormality," said Steven Ferris, executive director of the Silberstein Aging and Dementia Research Center at New York University School of Medicine. "The idea that we only use drugs to treat disease is changing." Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.

Keyword: Learning & Memory; Alzheimers
Link ID: 4559 - Posted: 06.24.2010

by Steven P. James, M.D., M.B.A., and Wallace B. Mendelson, M.D., Psychiatric Times A significant number of Americans are looking at alternatives to mainstream medicine for treating various ills, and lifetime use of complementary and alternative medicine is steadily increasing (Kessler et al., 2001). In 1997, 42.1% of participants in a national survey said they had used at least one of 16 alternative treatments in the preceding 12 months, up from 33.8% in 1990 (Eisenberg et al., 1998). In addition, 12.1% were using herbal medicines in 1997, up from 2.5% in 1990. Alternative therapies were used most frequently for such conditions as fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression and headaches. Despite the popularity of alternative approaches, efficacy data are often lacking or are negative. A meta-analysis of more than 500 studies of acupuncture, for instance, found that although it may have benefits in some specialized situations such as controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea, efficacy data for its most widespread applications, including back pain and headaches, are "equivocal and contradictory" (Kaptchuk, 2002). The use of largely untested alternatives may have significant health consequences. Last May, the World Health Organization (WHO) created a special program to track unconventional medicine. This action followed warnings about liver damage resulting from use of the herb Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) to treat, among other things, anxiety, sleeplessness and menopausal symptoms (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002) and reports of heart attacks and strokes following administration of the ephedrine-containing herb Ma-Huang (Ephedra sinica) (McNeil, 2002). © 2003 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 4558 - Posted: 06.24.2010

by Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., and Yaakov Stern, Ph.D., Psychiatric Times The cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis suggests that there are individual differences in the ability to cope with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology (Stern, 2002). For example, Katzman et al. (1989) described cases of cognitively normal, elderly women who were discovered to have advanced AD pathology in their brains at death. About 25% of subjects who fulfilled pathologic criteria for AD and were assessed and followed in well-characterized cohorts were clinically intact during life (Neuropathology Group, 2001). Factors thought to mediate CR have included education, occupation and IQ. Epidemiological data supporting the cognitive reserve hypothesis include observations that lower educational and occupational attainment is associated with increased risk for incident dementia (Stern et al., 1994). Similarly, lower linguistic ability in early life and childhood mental ability scores are strong predictors of poor cognitive function and dementia in late life (Whalley et al., 2000). Factors other than IQ, education and occupation might also provide reserve and influence the incidence of AD. It has been theorized that changes in everyday experiences and activity patterns may result in disuse and consequent atrophy of cognitive processes and skills. Does the stimulation provided by typical everyday activities facilitate the maintenance and improvement of general cognitive skills in a manner that is analogous to exposure to cognitive training? © 2003 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved

Keyword: Alzheimers; Intelligence
Link ID: 4557 - Posted: 06.24.2010

by Janet Munro, M.B.B.S., M.R.C.Psych., Psychiatric Times In the late 19th century, German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin, M.D., described dementia praecox, an illness of organic origin that began during puberty (praecox) and led to a progressive deterioration of intellectual functioning (dementia). Eugen Bleuler, M.D., coined the term schizophrenia to replace dementia praecox, as he observed that some patients recovered without serious intellectual decline and others developed the illness beyond their adolescent years. The DSM-IV subtypes are defined by the predominant symptomology, and intellectual function is not a feature of current classifications. However, an argument exists that cognitive dysfunction is the core of the disorder and thus, schizophrenia is better characterized by cognitive deficits than by symptoms (Elvevag and Goldberg, 2000). Kraepelin and Bleuler recognized that schizophrenia often is preceded by non-psychotic behavioral abnormalities. Despite this recognition of premorbid abnormalities, the relationship between the child and adult illness received scant attention until much later. The concept of neurodevelopmental schizophrenia proposes that some abnormality in brain development, possibly occurring in utero, causes delay or deviance in the development of childhood skills, later cognitive deficits, and behavioral and social deviance, and--at some critical developmental point--major psychopathology and psychosis (Murray, 1994). Critical review and evidence support this neurodevelopmental hypothesis at all life stages (Marenco and Weinberger, 2000). © 2003 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Intelligence
Link ID: 4556 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NEW ORLEANS --Glial cells once had a reputation as the support staff for neurons, the real movers and shakers in the nervous system. In recent years, however, researchers have gleaned hints that glia, which comprise about 90% of the cells in the brain, do more than just maintenance work. New findings presented here last week at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience suggest that in the crucial task of building synapses--the contact points that allow neurons to talk to one another--glia may even run the show. The study firms up earlier evidence that glial cells called astrocytes instruct neurons to make synapses and identifies the first extracellular signal known to spur synapse formation in the brain. "That's a pretty big deal," says Michael Ehlers, a neuroscientist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A clue that glia might be the source of the signal to build synapses came in 2001, when Ben Barres and colleagues at Stanford University reported that lab-grown rat neurons make more synapses in the presence of astrocytes (Science , 26 January 2001, p. 657). To hunt for the chemical messenger, postdocs Karen Christopherson and Erik Ullian in Barres's lab grew astrocytes in culture and filtered the solution bathing the cells before adding it to neurons. To their surprise, these experiments indicated that the chemical that spurs synapse building was a whopper--more than 300 kilodaltons. Copyright © 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Glia
Link ID: 4555 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Proteomic signature for ALS identified MILAN, Italy, – Detection of protein abnormalities in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may allow physicians to more rapidly diagnose and better monitor drug efficacy in clinical trials for the disease, according to a novel study presented by a University of Pittsburgh researcher in Milan, Italy, today. These findings may lead to the first test for early stage ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig's disease. The study, presented by Robert Bowser, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine at the 11th annual meeting of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations and 14th International Symposium on ALS/MND, identified ALS-specific biomarkers by protein profiling of cerebrospinal fluid from 25 ALS patients and 35 control subjects.

Keyword: ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease
Link ID: 4554 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists have known for many years that auditory cues such as song can influence hormone release and the growth of gonads in songbirds, but how the brain picks out specific sounds, interprets them correctly and translates them into hormonal and behavioral signals has remained a mystery. New evidence suggests a third form of a key reproduction hormone could be a link between song and enhanced procreation in songbirds. It's a long-held tenet of avian biology that songbirds have just two types of a key reproduction hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and only one actually triggers a seasonal "puberty" each spring in preparation for reproduction. But the new research shows a third form of the hormone, called lamprey GnRH-III-like hormone because it was first identified in lampreys, is also present in songbird brains. The work by scientists from the University of Washington and the University of New Hampshire shows GnRH-III can trigger the release of luteinizing hormone from the pituitary gland and influence gonad growth, something only one of the other forms of GnRH does under normal conditions.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 4553 - Posted: 11.18.2003

CHICAGO – Three mutations in genes associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) are described by researchers in the November issue of The Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder often affecting the elderly and characterized by gradual loss of memory and cognitive decline, according to the article. AD is often accompanied by a buildup of certain proteins or plaques in the brain. Since 1991, the results of genetic studies have led to the identification of gene mutations and variations that can either cause AD or increase the risk for developing the disease. Familial Alzheimer disease (FAD), which accounts for approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of all cases of AD, has been found to influenced by mutations on genes coding for presenilin. Presenilin is a protein that has been associated with plaque formation. Sandro Sorbi, M.D., of the University of Florence, Italy and colleagues obtained DNA samples from 45 individuals with FAD. Participants were outpatients from the neurology departments at the Universities of Florence and Parma, and the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The authors conducted genetic studies to screen certain genes for mutations associated with FAD.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 4552 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By TOM SIEGFRIED / The Dallas Morning News NEW ORLEANS – Eating a spinach salad for lunch every day might be smarter than you think – it could make you think smarter. If you don't like spinach, try a cup of blueberries instead. Unless you plan on flying to Mars – or otherwise exposing yourself to cosmic rays. In that case forget the blueberries – snarf down a daily pint of strawberries. OK, this all sounds a little suspiciously like the dietary advice you get from those paid TV or radio shows pushing "miracle" medicines that supposedly maintain your mind in a perpetually youthful condition. But actually it's what real brain scientists are finding out about food for thought. If you want to keep your brain healthy and wise as you age, you don't need to be making the health-food-fad industry wealthy. ©2003 Belo Interactive

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4551 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A new study has for the first time identified differences in brain metabolism of heterosexual and homosexual men. University of Chicago researchers gave Prozac to a group of eight exclusively gay males and seven exclusively straight men. Then they measured how the Prozac, which increases brain levels of serotonin, affected glucose metabolism in the hypothalamus, which controls sexual behavior. Presented at last week's annual meeting of the Society For Neuroscience, the study found that the heterosexual group showed a larger decrease in glucose metabolism than the homosexual group. The researchers are not sure whether the difference contributes to sexual orientation or is somehow caused by it. Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4550 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Some doctors concerned about growing 'off-label' use of drug Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer Six times a week, before her morning workout and her hot cup of oatmeal, 56-year-old Hanneke Hops starts her day with a shot of recombinant human growth hormone, fresh from the refrigerator, injected into her thigh. She said the needle never hurts. The tiny dose of genetically engineered protein, slipped just under the skin, causes no sensation of pleasure or pain. But after only two months on the drug, which costs about $23 a day, the Hayward woman said she is feeling stronger, healthier and happier. "It makes me feel good,'' said Hops, who has lost 16 pounds since she started the regime of diet, exercise and human growth hormone. "I don't smoke and I seldom drink. The addictions I have in life are running, riding a horse and flying.'' ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Muscles
Link ID: 4549 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists say they have successfully restored feeling to patients paralysed for at least two years. A team from the University of San Paulo in Brazil said 12 out of 30 spinal cord patients responded to electrical stimulation of their paralysed limbs. The researchers harvested stem cells from the patients' blood, and reintroduced them into the artery supplying the area which was damaged. The results raise hopes that paralysed people could one day walk again. Lead researcher Professor Tarciscio Barros said: "Two to six months after treatment, we found that patients were showing signs of responding to tests. "We still hope we may yet see improvements in the other patients too but already this is a real breakthrough." Stem cells - immature "master" cells which have the ability to turn into many different types of tissue - are thought by scientists to a potent source of potential new treatments for many diseases. (C) BBC

Keyword: Regeneration; Stem Cells
Link ID: 4548 - Posted: 11.17.2003

HIV may still be able to attack the brains of patients even if they are taking a powerful cocktail of drugs, claim researchers. However, experts in the UK say that there is no evidence that patients on long-term treatment are falling prey to brain illnesses linked to HIV. US researchers described, in the journal NeuroReport, finding signs of damage in patients on anti-HIV drugs. It is not clear if this damage happened before or after treatment started. Many antiretroviral drugs - designed to suppress levels of HIV in the body - do not work in the brain, because they cannot get past the "blood brain barrier", a filter designed to protect the organ from large, potentially toxic molecules. This theoretically means there is more chance that HIV might be found at higher levels in the brains of patients, even though the virus has been reduced to undetectable levels in the rest of the body. (C) BBC

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4547 - Posted: 11.17.2003