Odours baffle booze connoisseurs. HELEN PEARSON Lines like 'spicy, buttery and hints of coriander' may be a pile of plonk. The man on the street is just as good at naming a smell as a wine expert, say New Zealand researchers. Wine connoisseurs are renowned for their elaborate descriptions of bouquet. But Wendy Parr of Lincoln University in Canterbury, New Zealand and her colleagues may have burst their pretentious babble. 11 buffs did no better than beginners at identifying single aromas typically found in wine, such as cinnamon, liquorice and melon, Parr found1, after subjects sniffed individual chemical odours. When an expert smelled vanilla, they were no better at naming it 'vanilla' than a novice. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 2865 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A landmark clinical trial led by UK researchers has shown that patients who suffer a brain haemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm[1] have a significantly better chance of surviving without disability if they are treated through the blood vessels than if the aneurysm is clipped by surgery. The findings are published today (Friday 25 October) in the Lancet[2]. Inserting special platinum coils via an artery and blocking off the aneurysm reduced the relative risk of dependency or death by nearly a quarter and the absolute risk by nearly seven per cent compared with surgery. Recruitment to the trial was stopped early when it became clear to the independent data monitoring committee that the difference in outcome was so striking. The International Subacrachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT), funded by the UK's Medical Research Council, is the first large multi-centre randomised study in the world to compare the two methods. It therefore provides doctors with the first clear evidence on which to base treatment decisions.

Keyword: Miscellaneous; Stroke
Link ID: 2864 - Posted: 10.25.2002

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – There is a serious under-recognition of stroke in the neonate and child, and risk factors and appropriate treatment strategies remain largely unidentified, according to Donna Ferriero, MD, chief neurologist at the University of California-San Francisco Department of Neurology. Ferriero discusses risk factors leading to stroke in neonates and children as part of an October 24 briefing for science and health care writers. "Child Neurology: Discoveries and Practice" includes seven prominent child neurologists speaking on neurological disorders affecting children. Ferriero will present two papers recently published in Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, which outline an 11-year study of sinovenous thrombosis (stroke) in neonates, and stroke mortality data in children. Stroke in infancy and childhood occurs in one per 4000 live births and at least seven per 100,000 children a year, making these disorders more than twice as frequent as brain tumors in children, said Ferriero.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Stroke
Link ID: 2863 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists believe they may have discovered why the immune system attacks the body triggering diseases like Alzheimer's. The immune system protects the body by attacking and hopefully killing viruses and diseases. However, in certain circumstances it can also turn on the body killing vital cells. Researchers in the United States believe that damage to just a few brain cells can cause this to happen. Dr Zhi-Qi Xiong and Dr James McNamara of Duke University, North Carolina, examined the effects of glutamate on brain cells. Glutamate is a chemical which is released in the brain following many kind of injuries. This includes a seizure or a trauma to the head. It can also occur when blood flow to the brain is reduced as a result of a stroke, for instance. (C) BBC

Keyword: Alzheimers; Neuroimmunology
Link ID: 2862 - Posted: 10.24.2002

Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition California sea lions may have the best memory of all non-human creatures. A female called Rio that learned a trick involving letters and numbers could still perform it 10 years later - even though she hadn't performed the trick in the intervening period. Learning concepts such as "sameness" - when one letter or number matches another, for example - is thought to require sophisticated brain processing. So scientists expect animals to have trouble retaining the ability over long periods unless they are given repeated reminders of the rules. Primates like the rhesus macaque have been found to have impressive long-term memories, but Rio trumped them all. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 2861 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NewScientist.com news service Brain cell membranes contain fixed "doorways" that control the entry of molecules into the cell, new research shows. The realisation represents a fundamental shift in the understanding of how neurons work. "We have found that the nerve cell is in a way like a room with only certain entry points, or doorways. Before, it had been thought that substances could move through the cell membrane at any point," says lead researcher Michael Ehlers at Duke University, North Carolina. To enter a brain cell, molecules such as receptors or pathogens must first be transported to the doorway sites. Understanding this process, and how to control it, could one day lead to an entirely new class of treatments for depression, epilepsy, addiction and other neurological disorders, Ehlers says. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Epilepsy
Link ID: 2860 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that neurons take in receptors and other molecules from their surface membranes through discrete "doorways" -- specialized domains on the surface of nerve cells that regulate such entry. The discovery of such entry points drastically revises a long-held theory that surface molecules such as receptors are enveloped right where they rest in the fatty membrane, to be drawn into the cell’s interior. This uptake process, called endocytosis, is part of the constant cycling of receptors to and from the membrane surface. The balance of this cycling is the principal means by which neurons regulate the number of surface receptors for such chemical triggers as neurotransmitters and drugs -- thereby controlling neuronal sensitivity to such external chemical triggers. The newly discovered "endocytic zones" are also entry points for nutrients and pathogens such as viruses. © 2002 Duke News Service

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 2859 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Berkeley - Any wine connoisseur knows the nose can learn to recognize subtle new aromas, but where does that learning take place? A new study by a team of neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, has determined that we learn new smells in an area of our brains, not just in our noses, which have neural receptors previously thought to be solely responsible for a person's ability to detect new odors. This finding has prompted the team, led by graduate student Joel Mainland and Noam Sobel, assistant professor of psychology, to conclude that the adult brain has more capabilities to change than previously thought. The study appears in the Oct. 24 issue of Nature.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 2858 - Posted: 10.24.2002

Rob Carson; The News Tribune The debate over whether homosexuals should be given legal protection from discrimination often gets hung up on one difficult question: What makes people homosexual? Is one born that way? Or is it a matter of choice? Many of those opposed to protection for gays and lesbians rely on the belief that homosexuals choose their lifestyle. Therefore, the argument goes, they deserve no special legal protection. © 2002 Tacoma News, Inc.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2857 - Posted: 06.24.2010

It really is contagious, say psychologists If you meet someone who looks angry or happy, it is often hard to remain expressionless yourself - and now scientists believe they know why. Researchers in Sweden believe your unconscious mind exerts direct control of your facial muscles. However much you struggle to keep a blank face, your brain may be letting you down. It is well known that emotions can find their way into your facial expression, body language, and gestures, but researchers at Uppsala University are trying to work out to what extent we are in control of these movements. Dr Ulf Dimberg told volunteers to react to a series of pictures of expressionless, happy or angry faces. They were told to make frowning, smiling or expressionless faces in return. (C) BBC

Keyword: Emotions
Link ID: 2856 - Posted: 10.23.2002

Tests reveal clear diversity in cognitive and brain measures,which may aid diagnosis and treatment strategies WASHINTON - Schizophrenia may not be one single disease but rather an array of disorders whose psychiatric and cognitive symptoms vary according to which part of the brain is affected and to what degree. That's the conclusion of a study published in the October issue of Neuropsychology, in which a seven-neuroscientist team linked schizophrenic subtypes with different memory problems and different brain anatomies. The scientists say this is a "first step in our efforts to uncover the specific biological mechanisms of the disorder," which they hope will lead to better diagnosis and treatment of people with schizophrenia. Neuropsychology is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Bruce Turetsky, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, led the study, which examined 116 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 129 normal control participants. The researchers used the California Verbal Learning Test to assess different aspects of learning and memory, including overall recall ability, rate of learning over repeated trials, ability to retain learned material over time, and subsequent item recognition. Using MRI and PET scan images, they also studied the brain anatomy and metabolism of participants.

Keyword: Schizophrenia
Link ID: 2855 - Posted: 10.23.2002

By GINA KOLATA When a large study of hormone replacement therapy was abruptly halted last summer because of risks from the drugs, scientists immediately began a reassessment of all other studies that involved the drugs. Now, one additional study has been halted, and participants in studies that are continuing have had to give their consent again. Researchers say the ripples from the hormone replacement study will spread for years, making them think carefully about when, if ever, to subject healthy women to estrogen therapy in scientific studies. "The Women's Health Initiative has given us an understanding of the risks," said Dr. Richard Hodes, the director of the National Institute on Aging, referring to the first study that was stopped. "We have to ask whether despite that knowledge, there is reason to continue a study." Copyright The New York Times Company

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2854 - Posted: 10.23.2002

Hormones have long been considered the solo act that molds brains along gender lines. But in recent years, hints that certain genes on the sex chromosomes might also play a role have been emerging. Now, new research points to the first structural brain difference between male and female mammals attributed to genetics alone. Sex hormones, in particular testosterone, help shape the developing brain of fetuses and newborns. Testosterone, secreted by the gonads, makes male brains distinct from female ones, and it is thought to account for difference in behavior and brain structure. A group of scientists, though, has wondered for years whether genes on the X and Y chromosomes have a hand in shaping brain differences. To find out, neuroendocrinologist Arthur Arnold at the University of California, Los Angeles, collaborated with colleagues in the United Kingdom who had genetically altered mice. Robin Lovell-Badge and Paul Burgoyne, developmental geneticists at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research in London, performed a genetic sex change. By using mice with a deletion in their Y chromosome for a gene called Sry, which kick-starts testes development, they ended up with XY “females” that had ovaries; adding Sry to the genomes of females generated XX "males" with testes. Although these mice had fully developed sex organs, both groups had fertility problems due to the gene manipulations. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 2853 - Posted: 06.24.2010

UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researchers have localized a region on chromosome 16 that is likely to contain a risk gene for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the most prevalent childhood-onset psychiatric disorder. Their research, published in the October edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, suggests that the suspected risk gene may contribute as much as 30 percent of the underlying genetic cause of ADHD and may also be involved in a separate childhood onset disorder, autism. Pinpointing a gene with a major role in ADHD will help researchers and clinicians better understand the biology of this disorder and likely lead to the development of improved diagnosis, treatment and early intervention.

Keyword: ADHD; Autism
Link ID: 2852 - Posted: 10.23.2002

ANN ARBOR-Talking with friends helps keep the mind sharp, a University of Michigan study suggests. "As the population ages, interest has been growing about how to maintain healthy brains and minds," U-M psychologist Oscar Ybarra said. "Most advice for preserving and enhancing mental function emphasizes intellectual activities such as reading, doing crossword puzzles, and learning how to use a computer. But my research suggests that just getting together and chatting with friends and family may also be effective." In a series of studies with older and younger adults, Ybarra examined the degree to which social engagement predicted cognitive, or mental, function. In one study, he analyzed data on 3,617 Americans between the ages of 24 and 96, including measures of how often participants reported talking on the phone with friends, neighbors and relatives; how often they reported getting together with them; and how many people they identified with whom they could share their most private feelings and concerns.

Keyword: Language; Intelligence
Link ID: 2851 - Posted: 10.23.2002

Research shows link to reduced neurogenesis Associated Press NEW YORK - It was one of the most startling brain discoveries in recent history: the finding, announced in 1998, that people keep making new brain cells well into adulthood. Now, scientists are looking into another surprising idea, that waning and waxing of this brain cell birthing contributes to depression and the effects of antidepressants. If true, it could help unlock the riddle of what goes wrong in the brain to bring on the mood disease. And it could help lead to better treatments, such as faster-acting antidepressants. Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

Keyword: Depression; Neurogenesis
Link ID: 2850 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Increasing the amount of vitamin E in the diet may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, research suggests. Previous studies have suggested that the degenerative brain disorder may in some way be linked to cell damage caused by oxidation, the process by which oxygen is converted into energy. Vitamins E and C and the carotenoids are known to help minimise this effect by mopping up free radicals, the particles released by oxidation which cause damage. Researchers from three US centres tested whether the use of these so-called anti-oxidants could have any positive impact on the development of Parkinson's. They could find no positive effect from taking dietary supplements, but their work does suggest that upping the amount of vitamin E in the diet may have some protective effect. (C) BBC

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 2849 - Posted: 10.22.2002

By LAURIE TARKAN No one has found a cure for autism, the neurological disorder that leads to lifelong impairments in a child's ability to speak, respond to others, share affection and learn. But there is a growing consensus that intensive early intervention is both effective and essential — the sooner after diagnosis, the better. Early intervention, which involves many hours of therapy with one or more specialists, does not help every autistic child to the same degree. It is best started no later than age 2 or 3, and for reasons that are unclear, it does not help some children at all. But for those who are helped, their parents say, the changes are miraculous. Yet the success of early intervention is posing a painful predicament for schools and families — a predicament made more immediate by a rising tide of diagnoses of autism. Last week, researchers reported that the number of austistic children in California had risen more than sixfold since 1987, and other states and the federal government have also noted sharp increases. Copyright The New York Times Company

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 2848 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON ( - As premature babies fight for life, another battle is raging behind their tiny eyelids - an eye disease that ultimately blinds up to 2,000 of these infants a year. Now scientists are exploring two promising new ways to save preemies' eyesight: strictly maintaining the babies' oxygen levels at a constant but slightly lower level than usual - which apparently slashed blindness at one major hospital - and giving the smallest babies an eye-important growth hormone they lack. Preventing the blinding disease - called retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP - is a major goal because once it hits there's no sure way to save vision. Today's best treatment, laser therapy, decreases the chance of blindness by only a quarter, and many babies who don't go blind still will never see well enough as adults to drive. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Vision; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 2847 - Posted: 06.24.2010

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Dogs' quirky, unexplainable repetitive behaviors can be part of an anxiety condition known as canine compulsive disorder. Andrew Luescher, director of Purdue's Animal Behavior Clinic and one of about 30 board certified animal behaviorists in the country, estimates that 2 percent of the dog population has canine compulsive disorder. Dogs with the disease often display compulsive behaviors such as tail chasing, snapping the air, licking excessively, chewing with an empty mouth and barking monotonously without any change in volume or intonation. Luescher has seen animals with severe stereotypical behaviors that affect their daily living. For example, one dog stopped drinking water because its shadow was a distraction.

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 2846 - Posted: 06.24.2010