Alderley Park, UK - Results from a clinical trial presented for the first time today at Europe's largest Conference on Bipolar Disorder, reveal that Seroquel (quetiapine), a medication currently used to treat patients with schizophrenia, could offer a more effective therapy for the millions of people worldwide suffering from bipolar disorder. The results show that quetiapine, a new generation antipsychotic made by AstraZeneca, when taken in combination with mood stabilizers (lithium or divalproex), is significantly more effective at treating the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder than mood stabilizers alone. Critically, the results also show that quetiapine is well tolerated – a major consideration in the treatment of this disorder1. "Current treatment options for patients with bipolar disorder are limited. Commonly used therapies involving mood stabilizers are not effective for all patients and can be associated with troublesome side effects, such as distressing movement disorder side effects known as EPS, as well as weight gain and sexual dysfunction," commented Professor Gary Sachs, from Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, and study leader.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2639 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By NICHOLAS WADE A rare natural experiment has given researchers hope of using stem cells to treat muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic diseases that cause progressive wasting of the muscles. The subject of the experiment is a boy who at age 1 received a bone marrow transplant for an immune deficiency disease and at 12 was found to have a second serious genetic disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Cells from the donor of the marrow have now been detected in the boy's muscle fibers by Dr. Louis M. Kunkel, a dystrophy expert at Children's Hospital in Boston, and Dr. Kenneth Weinberg of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, a bone marrow transplant surgeon who is the boy's physician. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Stem Cells; Muscles
Link ID: 2638 - Posted: 09.13.2002

Gene screen hints at what makes stem cells special. KENDALL POWELL Two teams have found the genes that distinguish stem cells from ordinary cells1,2. The list might help scientists find new types of stem cell, and coax them to grow into replacement tissues and organs. It might also resolve arguments about the merits of different types of stem cell. "People who want to battle out which stem cell can do what, can do so by manipulating some of these genes," says developmental biologist Miguel Ramalho-Santos of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. About 200 genes are at least two to three times more active in mouse stem cells than in mature brain or blood cells, the studies found. The researchers looked at embryonic stem cells, which can give rise to all types of cell, and adult nerve and blood stem cells, which are dedicated to repairing specific tissues. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Stem Cells; Regeneration
Link ID: 2637 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By MIKE FREEMAN Professional boxers who fight in New York will now be required to submit to regular steroid testing, making New York the first state in the nation to test for the substance routinely, boxing officials said yesterday. "The main thing we are trying to do is protect the health of our fighters since numerous tests have shown that steroid use can damage the body," said Barry Jordan, a neurologist and the chief medical officer for the New York State Athletic Commission. "This is a significant step in that direction." Some states already test boxers for steroids but not regularly, said Jordan, who believes it is possible that other states might follow New York's lead. The rule will not apply to amateurs. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion; Brain imaging
Link ID: 2636 - Posted: 09.13.2002

By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News — A British geneticist has proposed a theory, which is gaining ground, as to why humans are conscious and aware. If proven correct, the theory not only would explain one of science's greatest mysteries, the "hard problem" of awareness, but it may also, in future, allow for the development of artificially intelligent, conscious computers. In a paper published in the latest issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, awareness is said to be generated by the brain's electromagnetic field, which is a product of the over 100 billion electrically active neurons in the brain. Copyright © 2002 Discovery Communications Inc.

Keyword: Intelligence
Link ID: 2635 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By SANDRA BLAKESLEE Christopher Reeve, the actor who was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995, has regained the ability to wiggle his fingers, move all his joints and sense touch all over his body by tenaciously following a grueling therapy that uses exercise and electricity to activate muscle groups, his doctor says. "He did what everybody thought was not possible," said the doctor, John W. McDonald, an assistant professor of neurology and director of the spinal cord injury program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who designed the therapy for Mr. Reeve and described it in an article in the current issue of The Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. "He had the highest level of injury and no recovery for five years. Now he's improving every day." The treatment is not a panacea, Dr. McDonald said. Mr. Reeve, 49, still must use a wheelchair and a respirator, and there is no way to predict whether he will ever walk or breathe independently. But, the doctor said, his muscles and bones are stronger, he has fewer infections and sensations of spasticity, and his quality of life has greatly improved. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Regeneration; Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 2634 - Posted: 09.12.2002

DALLAS – The lasting effects of Sept. 11 on everyday citizens caused Dr. Vicki Nejtek, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, to wonder how terrorism’s aftermath impacts her vulnerable research population — patients suffering from dual diagnosis. Dual-diagnosis psychiatric patients suffer from both mental illness and drug abuse or dependence, Nejtek explained. The UT Southwestern researcher is studying bipolar disorder coupled with stimulant abuse. “Bipolar disorder, which has alternating cycles of depression and mania and/or extreme irritability, may well be associated with the highest rates of substance abuse of any psychiatric illness,” she said. © 2002 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Keyword: Depression; Stress
Link ID: 2633 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Fern Shen The Washington Post Why do humans use only 14 percent of their brains? Actually, that's not true. Pretty much, your whole brain is functioning, all the time, even when you're asleep. But there's a popular myth that the average person uses just 10 percent — or some small fraction — of his or her brain. People who say this are usually trying to make the point that if only we used more of our brain, we could solve complex problems or perform amazing psychic feats. But that big gray blob in your skull actually is doing some amazing things already. Think of it as a complex network that's always powered-up. Different areas may be especially active at certain times, but it's always "on" — and busier than you think. Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company

Keyword: Intelligence
Link ID: 2632 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Bethesda, Maryland — Elias Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the appointment of Thomas R. Insel, M.D., as director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Insel, who is currently Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, is expected to begin his appointment in mid-November. "I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Insel to NIH," said Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). "His distinguished scientific research career, and his leadership roles in shaping research in the academic arena make him well-suited to lead the NIMH." "After a thorough and careful search process, it became clear that Dr. Insel's ability to communicate a compelling vision for mental health research, his outstanding scientific record and proven leadership skills made him the natural choice for this important directorship," added Dr. Zerhouni.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 2631 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Actor Christopher Reeve, best known for his Superman films, can now move some fingers and toes after being paralysed in a horseriding accident in 1995. The star can feel a pin prick over most of his body and can distinguish between hot and cold, and sharp and dull sensations. His doctors said the progress could one day lead to a full recovery, something Reeve has always said would happen. The actor, 49, told People magazine, in the US, that he could feel the hugs of his wife, Dana and his three children again. "To be able to feel just the lightest touch is really a gift," he told the magazine. His doctors said Reeve had already made great progress. (C) BBC

Keyword: Regeneration; Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 2630 - Posted: 09.11.2002

By ROBERT KLITZMAN, M.D. At 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, from her office on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center, my sister Karen talked to her best friend. No one ever heard from Karen again. Since then, her identical twin, Donna, my older sister, Sue, my mother and I have struggled with feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt and unfairness, as we seek to find understanding and "closure." I thought my training as a psychiatrist would help, but it has been quite the opposite. The past year has forced me to cross the border from provider to patient, and it taught me how much I did not know. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Depression; Stress
Link ID: 2629 - Posted: 09.11.2002

GENEVA, N.Y. -- Cornell University entomologists have unlocked an evolutionary secret to how insects evolve into new species. The discovery has major implications for the control of insect populations through disruption of mating, suggesting that over time current eradication methods could become ineffective, similar to the way insects develop pesticide resistance. The researchers, led by Wendell L. Roelofs, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Insect Biochemistry at Cornell, made the discovery while examining ways to keep European corn borers from mating, multiplying and then chewing up farmers' fields. They discovered the existence of a previously undetected gene, the delta-14, that can regulate the attractant chemicals produced in sex-pheromone glands of female borers. The gene can be suddenly switched on, changing the pheromone components that females use to attract males for mating. The entomologists have demonstrated that insects evolve chemical systems in leaps rather than in minute stages, as had been previously assumed. The researchers also discovered that there are rare males in the corn borer population -- about 1 in 200 -- capable of responding to chemicals produced by the delta-14 gene.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 2628 - Posted: 09.11.2002

DURHAM, N.C. -- Researchers have found that how well a male songbird learns his song affects the female's mating response - the first evidence that female birds use song-learning ability as an indicator of male quality. The study goes beyond previous such studies, which have only demonstrated that very poor or absent male songs affect female mating response. According to the scientists, the finding offers broader insight into the role that traits learned by males play in sexual success. In an article in the September 22, 2002, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences (now online), biologists led by Duke University Professor of Biology Stephen Nowicki reported studies in which they tested the mating response of female song sparrows to songs of captive-raised males. Importantly, the scientists had analyzed the males' songs in detail to determine the degree of accuracy with which the males copied songs they attempted to learn. They found that the females preferred those songs that came closest to wild-type songs they heard when young and presumably learned as models. The scientists' research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 2627 - Posted: 09.11.2002

Scientists from Imperial College London and King's College London have identified a molecule that helps to wire up the neural circuitry responsible for controlling the movement of muscle. Writing today in the journal Neuron, the researchers describe how the signalling protein named WNT-3 directs specific neurons during embryonic development to make the correct connections in the spine to form a neural pathway that controls muscle. Using mice, which offer the closest model to human neurobiology, the scientists found that WNT-3 is only produced by motor neurons in the spinal cord at a crucial stage when sensory neurons come close to them.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Trophic Factors
Link ID: 2626 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Moores UCSD Cancer Center study Cancer researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine report in the September 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) such as the nicotine patch and nicotine gum are no longer effective in helping smokers quit for the long term. They cite over-the-counter availability of these products starting in mid-1996 as the turning point. At the same time, they report, the number of people trying to quit has gone up dramatically as has the use of NRTs. Further, more than a third of the most recent NRT users are considered light smokers – those who smoke fewer than 15 cigarettes a day – a group for whom these products are known to be ineffective. "Since becoming available without prescription in mid-1996, these products have been heavily promoted to the public," said the report's co-author John P. Pierce, Ph.D., director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center. "Unfortunately, advertising does not distinguish between light smokers and those in the medium-to-heavy smoking category."

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2625 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By STEPHANIE V. SIEK, Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio - An influx of immigrants from Somalia and other African and Middle Eastern countries has led to increased use in some U.S. cities of the illegal drug khat, a leaf that is chewed for its amphetamine-like high, authorities say. Khat has been seen in cities such as Detroit and New York since the 1980s. But it was virtually unknown in Columbus and Minneapolis until the late 1990s, law enforcement authorities say. Use of the drug appears to be confined largely to immigrant communities, police in Columbus and Minneapolis say. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2624 - Posted: 06.24.2010

by Sanjida O'Connell Coffee increases alertness and athletic performance, and may even help to fight cancer and Alzheimer's. But don't overdose on it Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love, runs a Turkish proverb. But few imbibers realise that the caffeine within is also the world’s most popular drug. “Caffeine is the most frequently self-administered drug in use worldwide today,” says James Bibb, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, Texas. Bibb is one of the authors of a study, just published in the science journal Nature, which shows that coffee affects the brain in a similar way to cocaine. Copyright 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2623 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Gretchen Parker ASSOCIATED PRESS BALTIMORE — In what could bolster an $800 million (U.S.) lawsuit against Motorola Inc. and major cellphone carriers, a new study found a possible link between older cellphones and brain tumours. Although many studies have found no cancer risk from cellphone use, the research published in the latest European Journal of Cancer Prevention said long-term users of analogue phones are at least 30 per cent more likely than non-users to develop brain tumours. Newer digital phones emit less radiation than analogue models of the sort studied. Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 2622 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Whether from a charging lion, or a pending deadline, the body’s response to stress can be both helpful and harmful. The stress response gives us the strength and speed to ward off or flee from an impending threat. But when it persists, stress can put us at risk for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and a variety of other illnesses. A threat to your life or safety triggers a primal physical response from the body, leaving you breathless, heart pounding, and mind racing. From deep within your brain, a chemical signal speeds stress hormones through the bloodstream, priming your body to be alert and ready to escape danger. Concentration becomes more focused, reaction time faster, and strength and agility increase. When the stressful situation ends, hormonal signals switch off the stress response and the body returns to normal. But in our modern society, stress doesn’t always let up. Many of us now harbor anxiety and worry about daily events and relationships. Stress hormones continue to wash through the system in high levels, never leaving the blood and tissues. And so, the stress response that once gave ancient people the speed and endurance to escape life-threatening dangers runs constantly in many modern people and never shuts down.

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 2621 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Chris Hogg BBC Health Correspondent New guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia are likely to be at best unaffordable and at worst unworkable, say experts. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the body which advises the government on the appropriate NHS treatment and care of patients in England and Wales, has spent months drawing up clinical guidelines for the treatment of the condition. But there is growing concern that the NHS just won't be able to deliver. Schizophrenia affects more than 400,000 people in the UK. Among them is John Taylor, who has struggled with the condition for almost a decade. It has taken years to get appropriate drugs which allow him to live a normal life. "It's still a lottery people don't get the kind of hope and recovery stuff as early as they should." John helps to plant trees at a mental health project in Derbyshire as part of his therapy. (C) BBC

Keyword: Schizophrenia
Link ID: 2620 - Posted: 09.10.2002