STANFORD, Calif. - Researchers in the Baxter Laboratory at Stanford University Medical Center have published new evidence showing that cells from the bone marrow might help repair or maintain cells in other tissues. In a paper in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe finding chromosomes from a bone marrow transplant in the brain cells of transplant recipients. When people receive a bone marrow transplant after high-dose chemotherapy, some of the transplanted cells regenerate the blood-making cells that were destroyed. In past experiments in mice, Helen Blau, PhD, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Professor of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, found that cells from the transplant could also relocate to tissues throughout the body rather than being restricted to the bone marrow and blood. "Now we know that it can also happen in humans," said James Weimann, PhD, first author on the paper and a senior research scientist in Blau's lab.

Keyword: Stem Cells
Link ID: 3405 - Posted: 02.05.2003

Study is first link 'compensatory prefrontal network' to better performance on memory tests Toronto, CANADA -- A group of Canadian researchers has found the most direct evidence to date that people with early-stage Alzheimer Disease can engage additional areas in the brain to perform successfully on memory tests. Led by Dr. Cheryl Grady, a senior scientist with The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, the study is published in the February 1, 2003 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Alzheimer's is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects an individual's ability to think, remember, understand and make decisions. People with early-stage Alzheimer's begin to experience problems with their episodic and semantic memory. Semantic refers to the accumulation of general world knowledge gained over a lifetime (for example, names of countries, famous people, major historical events). Episodic refers to events that one experiences throughout his/her life (for example, having visited the dentist yesterday, or graduating from college back in 1950).

Keyword: Alzheimers; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 3404 - Posted: 02.05.2003

While many individuals experiment with drugs, only some people become addicted to them, according to Wayne Brake, assistant professor of Neuroscience at the University of California Santa Barbara, and his colleagues Michael Meaney and Alain Gratton at McGill University in Canada. They also report that previous studies have attributed drug abuse to an abnormal dopamine system in the brain. Dopamine is a brain chemical that is released by certain nerve cells and is associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. Brake says that if the dopamine system is compromised in humans, “it could lead to greater susceptibility for drug dependence and perhaps greater vulnerability to develop certain psychiatric illnesses.” He also says that studies published in research journals report that those who are abused or neglected as children tend to abuse drugs more often as adults. So in a study published in the journal Pscyhoneuroendocrinology, Wayne and his colleagues speculated that a trauma early in childhood, such as being separated from one’s mother, would affect the dopamine system in the brain. © ScienCentral, 2000-2002.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 3403 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Aggression and anxiety are normal behaviors that help us respond appropriately and cope in a challenging or threatening environment, according to Dr. Evan Deneris, professor of neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University. However, he says, "if anxiety and aggression become excessive, then that will be fairly counter-productive and prevent normal social interactions." Deneris and his team report that they have found a gene that is essential for regulating normal levels of anxiety and aggression. In a study published in the journal Neuron, the researchers say that when the gene called, PET-1, is removed or "knocked-out" in mice, the mice display a greater level of anxiety and aggression than do normal animals when they become adults. In an earlier study, Deneris and colleagues found that the PET-1 gene was active only in a certain kind of nerve cell, or neuron, in the brain that produced serotonin, a brain chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger between nerve cells. Serotonin is also important for influencing many neural circuits that control behaviors such as anxiety, aggression, perception, learning, memory, sleep-wake patterns, and other emotions and moods. People who do not produce enough serotonin can suffer from mood disorders like depression and anxiety. © ScienCentral, 2000-2002.

Keyword: Aggression; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 3402 - Posted: 06.24.2010

MEN with low levels of testosterone may be at risk of developing brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's in later life. Alzheimer's usually occurs after the age of 65, causing serious damage to neurons in the brain. It is heralded by progressive memory loss, confusion and ebbing of higher brain functions. © Advertiser Newspapers Ltd

Keyword: Alzheimers; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 3401 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Matthew Hill BBC Newsnight Health Correspondent Doctors are failing to diagnose children who suffer developmental problems because their mothers drank whilst pregnant. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - caused by binge drinking during pregnancy - can lead to behavioural problems and learning difficulties. But Newsnight has uncovered evidence that often only the clearest cut cases are being diagnosed. Many children born with less pronounced neurological damage are almost certainly going unnoticed. As more and more women are struggling with the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, it is a problem that is likely to get worse. The percentage of women drinking above recommended levels has almost doubled in recent years. (C) BBC

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 3400 - Posted: 02.04.2003

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHILADELPHIA, (AP) — Ephedra, an herb found in weight-loss and bodybuilding supplements, is unsafe even when taken in recommended doses and should be restricted, doctors plan to report on Tuesday. American poison control centers reported 1,178 adverse reactions to ephedra dietary supplements in 2001, said the study, which is to be posted on The Annals of Internal Medicine's Web site and published in the journal next month. Ephedra accounted for 64 percent of all adverse reactions involving herbs, even though it is found in fewer than 1 percent of all herbal products sold. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 3399 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By DANIEL GOLEMAN All too many years ago, while I was still a psychology graduate student, I ran an experiment to assess how well meditation might work as an antidote to stress. My professors were skeptical, my measures were weak, and my subjects were mainly college sophomores. Not surprisingly, my results were inconclusive. But today I feel vindicated. To be sure, over the years there have been scores of studies that have looked at meditation, some suggesting its powers to alleviate the adverse effects of stress. But only last month did what I see as a definitive study confirm my once-shaky hypothesis, by revealing the brain mechanism that may account for meditation's singular ability to soothe. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Emotions; Neuroimmunology
Link ID: 3398 - Posted: 02.04.2003

An inability to quickly bring down high levels of sugar in the blood is associated with poor memory and may help explain some of the memory loss that occurs as we age, according to a new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers. The study raises the possibility that exercise and weight loss, which help control blood sugar levels, may be able to reverse some of the memory loss that accompanies aging. The study, published the first week of February in the online edition of the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show an association between the size of the hippocampus, a key brain structure for learning and memory, and the ability to control blood sugar levels in the body, according to the researchers. The study assessed non-diabetic middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom had an impaired ability to use sugar (glucose) effectively. Those with impaired glucose tolerance (a pre-diabetic condition characterized by higher than normal blood sugar levels) had a smaller hippocampus and scored worse on tests for recent memory.

Keyword: Learning & Memory; Obesity
Link ID: 3397 - Posted: 02.04.2003

By JAMES HAGENGRUBER Of The Gazette Staff It could be a backcountry fall from a horse, a rough tumble on a distant ski slope or a car wreck on a remote stretch of Eastern Montana highway. Maybe the head injury doesn't seem so bad at first. But maybe a small blood vessel has been ruptured. The skull fills with blood - even a few extra spoonfuls - and the brain is squeezed. The victim drifts into a coma. By the time the person makes it to a Billings brain surgeon, it's too late. This happens too often, said Dr. John Schneider a brain surgeon with the Northern Rockies Brain and Spine Center in Billings. Copyright © The Billings Gazette,

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 3396 - Posted: 06.24.2010

LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON - Scientists have found yet another reason to slim down: The high blood sugar so common among the overweight may contribute to the fogged memory of old age. A small study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that middle-aged and elderly people with high blood sugar actually had a smaller hippocampus, the brain region so crucial for recent memory. The good news: If the findings are confirmed, simple diet and exercise could help many people protect their brains. Maybe the threat of memory loss will provide the final push for aging baby boomers to take those steps, said lead researcher Dr. Antonio Convit of New York University.

Keyword: Learning & Memory; Obesity
Link ID: 3395 - Posted: 02.04.2003

The discovery of genes that control the development of muscles in the fruit fly could help unravel the secrets of a devasting human disease. Cachexia is a severe wasting disorder normally linked to advanced cancer, Aids and a variety of chronic infections. It causes not just the loss of fat, but also of bone and muscle, and happens regardless of the amount the patient manages to eat. The patient's metabolism speeds up, burning more calories. The condition further robs patients of the ability to fight the disease which triggered the cachexia. It is believed that chemicals called cytokines released by the body in response to the underlying illness are responsible for the wasting illness. (C) BBC

Keyword: Muscles; Obesity
Link ID: 3394 - Posted: 02.03.2003

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has joined forces with three national African American Women's organizations in a year-long program to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among African American infants. The leadership and members of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Women in the NAACP, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., will work with the NICHD to conduct SIDS risk reduction training and outreach activities in communities around the country. Each organization will hold a regional summit meeting to launch its activity. At the summits, members of the organizations and community leaders will be equipped with educational techniques, strategies, and promotional materials to conduct outreach activities on reducing infants' risk for SIDS. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women will sponsor the first of the three summits on January 31 and February 1 at the Kellogg Conference Center, Tuskegee University, in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Women of the NAACP will conduct the second summit in Los Angeles, California. on March 14-15. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will sponsor the third summit in Detroit, Michigan on May 30-31.

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 3393 - Posted: 02.03.2003

New approaches and technologies for drug discovery help reveal disease mechanisms for treating neurological disorders Tanuja Koppal, PhD Senior Editor The working of a human brain—a complex, fascinating organ—has continued to baffle scientists for centuries. Understanding a functioning, healthy brain is challenging enough but studying disease mechanisms to treat various neurological disorders adds a whole new layer of complexity to the problem. Neurological disorders, diseases afflicting the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system, affect a large population worldwide. These disorders broadly cover three main areas: psychiatric disorders, neurological diseases and conditions like pain and insomnia. Psychiatric disorders include anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and others. Neurological disorders include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis, ischemic stroke, and spinal cord injury, to name a few. There exists a large unmet medical need for the treatment of neurological conditions and the drugs currently available on the market are not very effective. “Drugs entering the neurological market can impact not only the quality of life and improve patient health, but also have huge commercial opportunities that are sure to bring in revenues in the $5 billion to 10 billion range,” says Franz Hefti, PhD, senior vice president at Merck and head of the Merck Neuroscience Research Laboratory, San Diego. Because there exists an enormous potential for developing blockbuster drugs in this market, many companies are actively involved in the search to find effective cures. “Thirty percent of basic research done worldwide at Merck focuses on neuroscience, and this number is up 9% from 2000,” says Hefti.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 3392 - Posted: 06.24.2010

WASHINGTON,(AP) Scientists working with mice have found that a compound used to fight severe blood infections may be useful in preventing stroke damage. Activated protein C was found to reduce the likelihood that brain cells would self-destruct after a stroke, the researchers report in Monday's online issue of the journal Nature Medicine. Strokes occur when the blood supply is cut off to part of the brain, by a blood clot for example. Some cells die right away; others are damaged and self-destruct later in a process called apoptosis. ©MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 3391 - Posted: 06.24.2010

University Counseling Center Study Shows More Students Seeking Help for Depression, Thoughts of Suicide and Sexual Assault WASHINGTON - College students frequently have more complex problems today than they did over a decade ago, including both the typical or expected college student problems -- difficulties in relationships and developmental issues -- as well as the more severe problems, such as depression, sexual assault and thoughts of suicide. That is the finding of a study involving 13,257 students seeking help at a large Midwestern university counseling center over a 13-year period. Some of these increases were dramatic. The number of students seen each year with depression doubled, while the number of suicidal students tripled and the number of students seen after a sexual assault quadrupled. The findings are reported on in the February issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, a journal of the American Psychological Association (APA). © 2003 American Psychological Association

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Depression
Link ID: 3390 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By BARBARA SMUTS While studying wild baboons in Kenya, I once stumbled upon an infant baboon huddled in the corner of a cage at the local research station. A colleague had rescued him after his mother was strangled by a poacher's snare. Although he was kept in a warm, dry spot and fed milk from an eyedropper, within a few hours his eyes had glazed over; he was cold to the touch and seemed barely alive. We concluded he was beyond help. Reluctant to let him die alone, I took his tiny body to bed with me. A few hours later I was awakened by a bright-eyed infant bouncing on my stomach. My colleague pronounced a miracle. ''No,'' Harry Harlow would have said, ''he just needed a little contact comfort.'' The phrase ''contact comfort'' was made famous through Harlow's experiments with baby rhesus monkeys at the University of Wisconsin in the 1950's and 60's. In her well-researched account of Harlow's life and work, ''Love at Goon Park,'' Deborah Blum describes how Harlow removed newborn infants from their mothers and housed them with surrogate mothers, some made of terry cloth and some of wire. When exposed to a moving toy or a strange room, babies with cloth mothers rushed to them, buried their faces in the soft fabric and relaxed. Their peers, with only wire mothers, shook in terror against the wall. Left alone for months with only wire mothers, they pined away, staring at the world with lifeless eyes, like my orphaned baboon. The series of Harlow's experiments that followed revolutionized psychology in the middle of the 20th century. Until then, as Blum vividly documents, the dominant thinking in psychology was very different. An extreme position, made popular by psychologists like John Watson, held that young children should never be caressed, held or physically comforted by parents. Watson and later behaviorists like B. F. Skinner claimed that a baby reaching for Mom is simply reflecting an association between Mom and food. Early psychologists said that mothers who responded warmly to a baby's cries would produce excessively dependent adults, unable to function in American society. Despite the absence of supporting evidence, this view profoundly influenced not only parental behavior but national institutions like orphanages, which minimized contact between caregivers and children, and hospitals, which denied parents the opportunity to comfort their sick and frightened children. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 3389 - Posted: 02.02.2003

By CHIP BROWN It takes a while to figure out why Dr. Mark Mahowald's grainy sleep-lab videos are so spooky. One immediate reason is the phenomena on the footage -- a class of disorders called ''parasomnias,'' which are defined as unwanted and involuntary behaviors during sleep and are by definition occult, because they appear when most people are unable to witness them. But even the scientists who stay up late by profession never quite get used to what they see. Mahowald, a neurology professor at the University of Minnesota and director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, likes to say to his students, ''We study the strange and the beautiful.'' To judge from the tapes, that's the understatement of the semester. Here's a bearded elder man bolting up at 4:30 a.m. He clutches his left leg, waves his right arm and brays at the top of his lungs -- "HO! HO! HO!" -- dementedly jolly cries that also evoke something bestial and wounded. In the morning he remembers nothing of this ''confusional arousal'' triggered by obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which a constriction of the throat causes you to gasp for breath. Inevitably the man came to be known at the lab as Santa Claus. Mahowald said that when the patient saw himself on tape he was ''horrified'' but finally understood why he'd been kicked out of so many hotels. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 3388 - Posted: 02.02.2003

By Shari Roan Health Correspondent High-tech medicine can now save the lives of people injured in accidents that a generation ago would have proved fatal. But it still can do little to heal a severe brain injury. "We've looked at dozens of drugs and treatments over the years, and we've never found one that's effective," said Dr. Kenneth Smith, director of neurosurgery at St. Louis University. "We're kind of stuck." So Smith and other researchers are trying a different approach. As part of a new, unusual study, they will put people with severe blunt-force brain injuries in a state of hypothermia, lowering body temperature to as low as 93 degrees. Patients will spend 48 hours wrapped in cooling blankets before being gradually warmed to the standard 98.6 degrees. Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 3387 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Can bone marrow seed the brain with fresh neurons? BY EMILY SOHN The healing promise of stem cells is one of medicine's bright hopes. But the field needs some healing itself. It is beset by controversy because stem cells able to develop into every kind of tissue come from discarded embryos. What if adults had their own reserves of universal cells? Now comes the latest hint that they do: evidence that stem cells from adult bone marrow can turn into brain cells. If it holds up, the finding might lead to new techniques for treating brain injury and diseases like Alzheimer's, without the ethical baggage of embryo cells. But the study has also inflamed a debate over what adult stem cells can and cannot do. In test tubes, mice, and even some human studies, bone marrow stem cells have seemed to turn into tissues including liver, heart, skin, and lung, although other groups have often failed to replicate the findings. Two years ago, researchers also showed that in mice, marrow stem cells could become brain cells. Copyright © 2003 U.S. News & World Report

Keyword: Regeneration; Stem Cells
Link ID: 3386 - Posted: 06.24.2010