By THOM SHANKER with WILLIAM J. BROAD WASHINGTON, — The Defense Department sprayed live nerve and biological agents on ships and sailors in cold war-era experiments to test the Navy's vulnerability to toxic warfare, the Pentagon revealed today. The Pentagon documents made public today showed that six tests were carried out in the Pacific Ocean from 1964 to 1968. In the experiments, nerve or chemical agents were sprayed on a variety of ships and their crews to gauge how quickly the poisons could be detected and how rapidly they would disperse, as well as to test the effectiveness of protective gear and decontamination procedures in use at the time. Hundreds of sailors exposed to the poisons in tests conducted in the 1960's could be eligible for health care benefits, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has already begun contacting those who participated in some of the experiments, known as Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense, or SHAD. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Neurotoxins
Link ID: 2129 - Posted: 06.24.2010

From The Economist print edition Genetics may yet threaten privacy, kill autonomy, make society homogeneous and gut the concept of human nature. But neuroscience could do all of these things first IN THE genetically engineered world portrayed in “Gattaca”, a movie made in 1997, the hero and heroine attend a concert in which a pianist performs a concerto that can be played only by a person with six fingers on each hand. This is a society in which genetic perfectionists have had their way. The concert-goers have been altered before birth to be free of such ailments as baldness, obesity and diabetes, and to be tall, good-looking and intelligent. In that room, improbable as it may seem, only Ethan Hawke has lived a life free of genetic enhancement; he alone has had to take his chances with the genetic lottery of natural conception. Compare this scene to one in which the effects of neurotechnology (technology that makes it possible to manipulate the brain) are pervasive. The old man on the left of the aisle is being saved from Alzheimer's disease by an implant that bathes his brain cells in a healthy broth of chemicals. The little girl in the circle, vows her doctor, has a cortex that will one day win her a Nobel prize in physics—if she keeps up the correct regime of “cogniceuticals”, of course. As a condition of their employment, the security guards posted at the entrance had to undergo brain scans to demonstrate that they were free of propensities to uncontrollable rage. The musicians on stage are on drugs that speed their reflexes, heighten their hearing and assuage their performance anxiety. Not that different from “Gattaca”, is it? Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2002. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Brain imaging
Link ID: 2128 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Research on a tiny worm is yielding clues about dystonia, a disabling neurological disease of humans. University of California, Davis, researchers have found a gene in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans that matches a gene altered in one form of dystonia. By studying the worm gene, they hope to find out more about how the human dystonia gene works. People with dystonia have sudden muscle contractions that force the body into abnormal and painful postures. It is the second most common neurological movement disorder, after Parkinson's Disease, affecting about half a million people in the U.S. and Canada. Scientists think that defects in parts of the brain that control movement cause the disease, but the exact causes are not known. Some milder types of dystonia can be treated with botulinum toxin injections, but there is no cure. Lesilee Rose, an assistant professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Davis, discovered the gene, called OOC-5, while looking for genes that control cell division in Caenorhabditis embryos.

Keyword: Movement Disorders; Muscles
Link ID: 2127 - Posted: 05.24.2002

Children’s brains process words differently than adults’s St. Louis,— It turns out children are not just miniature adults, at least not when it comes to processing words. Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis used a variety of innovative research methods to identify similarities and differences between adult and pediatric brains when performing certain language exercises. The research is published in the May 24 issue of the journal Science. “A fundamental objective of neuroscience research is to understand how the human brain develops,” explains lead investigator Bradley L. Schlaggar, M.D., Ph.D., instructor of neurology and pediatrics. “We need such knowledge to understand how normal brains develop and to learn what goes wrong in pediatric neurology-related disorders. Only then can we develop clinical interventions to treat these children.” Most studies of this kind are unable to distinguish whether variations between age groups reflect developmental differences or whether they simply reflect the fact that children don’t perform as well overall as their adult counterparts.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Language
Link ID: 2126 - Posted: 06.24.2010

PHILADELPHIA – A new study indicates that cognitive therapy is at least as effective as medication for long-term treatment of severe depression, and it is less expensive. The findings, by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University, undercut opinions now held by many in the psychiatric profession. Principal investigators Robert J. DeRubeis of Penn and Steven D. Hollon of Vanderbilt and their colleagues will present the work Thursday, May 23 at the annual conference of the American Psychiatric Association in Philadelphia. "This will be a surprising, controversial finding for many psychiatric professionals," said DeRubeis, professor and chair of psychology at Penn. "Most believe quite strongly in the efficacy of medication, and psychiatric treatment guidelines call unequivocally for medication in cases of severe depression."

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2125 - Posted: 06.24.2010

MADISON - University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Ruth Litovsky has developed a hearing test that simulates the noisy real world, and the results could improve our understanding not only of hearing but also of developmental and learning disabilities among children. Everyday and everywhere, a cacophony of sounds compete for children's attention. Because humans have binaural hearing - hearing with two ears - children usually can determine which sounds are more important: student chatter in the back of the classroom or the teacher's lesson on multiplication, for example. "Binaural hearing enables us to understand and engage in the world around us," says Litovsky, a UW-Madison communicative disorders professor and an investigator at the Waisman Center, a facility devoted to advancing the knowledge of human development. Copyright © 2002 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Keyword: Hearing
Link ID: 2124 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online The Associated Press ATLANTA - Nearly half of all deaths from stroke happen before the victim can get to a hospital, the government said Thursday, urging Americans to brush up on warning signs. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. About 500,000 Americans suffer their first stroke each year. Still, surveys show many Americans are unaware of the five most common warning signs of stroke - sudden numbness or weakness, dim vision, dizziness, severe headache and confusion or difficulty speaking. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 2123 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON - "Cuuutie piiiie, youuu are sooooo sweeeet." That may sound syrupy to the adult ear, but to babies it is an important lecture from the infant's most important teacher: Mommy. Australian researchers who analyzed the sounds mothers make when they talk with adults, with animals and with their babies found that the parents slipped automatically into a different speech pattern for each audience. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Language; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 2122 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON - A band of chimpanzees in West Africa routinely swing crude stone hammers to crack open nuts, a sophisticated use of tools the apes have been teaching to each new generation for more than a century. Using carefully selected stones weighing up to 33 pounds, the chimps pound the tough shell of the panda nut to extract a high-energy kernel that is an important part of the animal's diet, researchers report Friday in the journal Science. "It is a very skillful behavior that takes up to seven years for them to learn," said Melissa Panger, a George Washington University researcher and co-author of the study. "It looks easy, but if you sit down and try it is a very difficult task." Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 2121 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Anti-depressants being used for a number of disorders THURSDAY, (HealthScoutNews) -- Women who suffer from a particularly severe form of PMS now have another prescription drug available to them -- the well-known anti-depressant Zoloft. Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) joins another popular prescription mood-elevator, Prozac (fluoxetine), as U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to treat a number of conditions. These include depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a condition that can be particularly damaging to some women. Zoloft and Prozac specifically have been approved to treat a more severe form of PMS known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Copyright © 2002 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Depression
Link ID: 2120 - Posted: 06.24.2010

An altered mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, developed to have high levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), has shown increases in muscle mass of at least 40 percent and other changes that could herald a possible treatment for secondary symptoms of the disease in humans. The new mouse, developed with support from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, has also resulted in reduced amounts of muscle-replacing fibrous tissue and enhanced biological pathways associated with muscle regeneration. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle-wasting disease caused by mutations in the gene for the protein dystrophin, results in repeated cycles of muscle damage and insufficient muscle regeneration, leading to gradual replacement of muscle by fibrous tissue. Since IGF-I is known to help regenerate muscle and enhance biological pathways for making proteins, the University of Pennsylvania's H. Lee Sweeney, M.D., and his colleagues tested its effects by creating a new mouse model – a cross between a strain with muscular dystrophy symptoms and another with high levels of IGF-I. The hybrid mouse showed not only increases in muscle mass and muscle force generation, but also reduced muscle cell death, a combination that could have significant treatment implications.

Keyword: Movement Disorders; Muscles
Link ID: 2119 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By DENISE GRADY Scientists say they may have found out why people get hungry at mealtime, why dieters who lose weight often gain it back and why a certain type of stomach surgery helps severely obese people lose a great deal of weight. The reason may be a hormone called ghrelin, which makes people hungry, slows metabolism and decreases the body's ability to burn fat. Ghrelin levels in the blood spike before meals and drop afterward. People given ghrelin injections feel voraciously hungry, and, turned loose at a buffet, eat 30 percent more than they normally would, studies have shown. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Obesity; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2118 - Posted: 05.23.2002

Women are likely to experience a dramatic loss of sexual function as a consequence of menopause, an Australian university study has concluded. Women approaching menopause, however, can relax as the study, one of the first to accurately document what happens to a woman's sexual functioning during menopause, also identified factors that help protect against this sexual dysfunction. The findings are part of the University of Melbourne's Women's Midlife Health Project being conducted by the University's Office for Gender and Health that has been following a large group of Melbourne women for over ten years.

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 2117 - Posted: 05.23.2002

By Hannah Cleaver and David Derbyshire A girl of seven who had half her brain removed, including its speech centre, has astonished doctors by becoming fluent in two languages. Her doctor said her recovery highlighted the flexibility of the brain, even after the most traumatic surgery. Busra was diagnosed with Rasmussen syndrome, a rare, progressive disorder that affects just one side of the brain, at the age of three. © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002. Terms & Conditions of reading.

Keyword: Language; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 2116 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By: Tim Irr, WSAZ NewsChannel 3 HUNTINGTON, WV, May 22 - Can we use brain power to help our bodies heal? New research suggests the best medicine may not come in a pill. A recent study on the some of the most commonly prescribed anti-depressants shows placebos, which are basically sugar pills made to look like the real thing, work like the real thing. But, how is that possible? We talk with local psychiatrists who do believe in the so-called placebo effect, but they're not about to throw away their prescription pads. "I struggled with the depression for several months. I mean really serious depression. I was hospitalized in River Park for nine days." Deanna Syrus is a firm believer in the anti-depressant prescription Zoloft. She is one of the 14 million Americans who each year suffer from depression. Deanna says the medication helped save her life. "I mean I was at the end of my rope. My family was pretty sure that if I had not been treated, I would not be here." MSNBC Terms, Conditions and Privacy © 2002

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2115 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Study suggests why it’s so hard for us to resist junk food By Maggie Fox [Reuters] — The very sight of food causes the brain to react with pleasure, scientists said on Wednesday in a report they say shows why so many people can’t resist temptation when it comes to food. THE REACTION looks very different from the way the brain lights up when people actually eat — and explains the phenomenal success of advertisements for junk food and snacks, the team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory found. “This shows us why all the advertisements about food are so powerful and why we are having problems with obesity in this country — because we are constantly being bombarded with food stimuli,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, a psychiatrist who led the study. © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 2114 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Lidia Wasowicz Researchers have identified a tiny time teller in the brain's central clock that ticks off signals to let the body know when it should be eating, sleeping and performing other critical functions. The finding of the missing messenger molecule may lead to treatments for jet lag, shift-work syndrome, sleep and eating disorders, seasonal depression and other diseases affected by circadian or daily rhythms, the University of California at Irvine scientists said. An account of their discovery -- the first of a biological mechanism that regulates night and day cycles -- will be published Thursday in the British journal Nature. Copyright © 2002 United Press International. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 2113 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Married men who spend time with their wives and kids have lower testosterone levels than bachelors. The discovery suggests that having less of the hormone could play a part in encouraging men to devote their energies to the family rather than looking for another partner. In male birds from monogamous species, testosterone levels fall after they form a pair and start taking care of their young. Artificially raising levels of testosterone is known to cause the males to play the field at the expense of parenting. This suggests that testosterone boosts competition for mates while lower levels encourage fatherly conduct. So anthropologist Peter Gray and a team from Harvard University decided to see whether the same happens in men. They measured testosterone in the saliva of 58 men who were either single, married or married with children. In all the men hormone levels fell over the course of the day as part of a natural daily cycle that peaks in the morning. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2112 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Parents have been advised that it is safe to feed soya infant formula to their babies despite evidence suggesting it may affect the ability to fight off infection and disease. In the UK, soya milk is used by parents for whom breast feeding or use of cow's milk is not an option. In the US, it is more widely used by parents who do have other options. The research, from the US, shows that chemicals contained in soya can suppress the immune system of rats. The US scientists say that those parents who have no medical reason for feeding their infants soya formula should consider changing to cow milk or breast feeding. However, the UK Food Standards Agency has said that parents should continue to give their children the soya product if advised to do so by their doctor. (C) BBC

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Neuroimmunology
Link ID: 2111 - Posted: 05.22.2002

ITHACA, N.Y. -- After more than 5,000 years of human-feline cohabitation and enough elaborations on "meow!" to fill a dictionary, cats still haven't mastered language. But a Cornell University evolutionary psychology study ---- analyzing people's reactions to feline vocalizations ---- shows that cats know how to get what they want. "No matter what we like to believe, cats are probably not using language," says Nicholas Nicastro, a self-described cat person who has documented hundreds of different feline vocalizations in the common house cat (Felis catus ) and its ancestor, the African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica ). His study, which he will describe June 5, 2002, at the 143rd meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, in Pittsburgh, "shows that some very effective cat-to-human communication is going on," he says. "Though they lack language, cats have become very skilled at managing humans to get what they want ---- basically food, shelter and a little human affection." The communication study began when Nicastro, a graduate student, compiled a sample of 100 different vocalizations from 12 cats. No cats were harmed in the experiment, although a few human eardrums were stretched by what came next: He played back the recorded cat calls to 26 human volunteers and asked them to rate each sound for pleasantness and appeal, on a scale of 1 to 7. Nicastro played the same 100 sounds to a second set of 28 volunteers and asked them to indicate how urgent and demanding the sounds were, also on a 1-to-7 scale. He then analyzed the calls to see which acoustic features tended to go with pleasant or urgent meows.

Keyword: Language; Evolution
Link ID: 2109 - Posted: 05.22.2002