ORLANDO, Fla., — Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have identified a set of compounds that appear to overcome an important barrier to regenerating damaged nerves. Their findings could lead to new treatments for spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. Targeting a newly discovered mechanism that inhibits the growth of damaged nerves, the researchers found that these compounds caused dissected rat nerves to regenerate under controlled laboratory conditions. Findings were described today at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The results add to a growing body of evidence that repairing spinal cord injury — once thought impossible — may one day occur, says Ronald L. Schnaar, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the university, located in Baltimore, Md., and lead investigator in the study.

Keyword: Regeneration; Glia
Link ID: 1830 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ORLANDO, Fla., — Pregnant or nursing women may be able to reduce their chances of developing postpartum depression and improve the neurological development of their babies by increasing their consumption of the essential fatty acid DHA, according to David Kyle, Ph.D., the U.S. director of the Mother and Child Foundation. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 fatty acid mostly found in fish like tuna and salmon and in algae. Approximately 15-20 percent of women who give birth in the United States develop postpartum depression, according to Kyle, who spoke today at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. “We believe that the high incidence of postpartum depression in the United States may be triggered by a low dietary intake of DHA,” he said. Kyle’s organization studies nutrition for mothers and its effect on their babies. While DHA has been recognized as beneficial to infants, there has been less public awareness of the apparent link between DHA and postpartum depression, according to Kyle.

Keyword: Depression; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1829 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Tampa, FL — A gene implicated in Alzheimer’s disease makes it harder for the brain to recover memory functions after brain injury, according to a new study by researchers at the University of South Florida and the Veteran’s Administration Defense and Veterans Head Injury Program. The study is published in the April 9 issue of the journal Neurology. This is the first study in humans to show that recovering memory after brain injury is harder for people who have the E4 type of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene – which is already known to influence Alzheimer’s disease. "Although APOE has been implicated in traumatic brain injury recovery before, this is the first time that is has been associated with a specific deficit," said lead author Fiona Crawford, PhD, of the Roskamp Institute at USF.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 1828 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Tiny Australian biotech Prana has an experimental drug that shows preliminary promise in altering the disease's progression Inside the recesses of the brain, neurons carry a protein called amyloid, which researchers believe may play a crucial role in the onset of Alzheimer's. For reasons still not completely understood, the protein builds into a plaque in people who have the disease, amassing in certain regions of the brain and possibly disrupting signals between brain cells. Researchers are studying whether this may lead to symptoms of the degenerative brain disease that afflicts 4 million Americans -- more than 12% of the population over age 60. Now, a tiny Australian company headed by one of the world's leading Alzheimer's researchers -- Colin Masters, medical professor at University of Western Australia -- believes it may have accomplished something that a dozen of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have been unable to do. On Apr. 4, Melbourne-based Prana Biotechnology (PRNAF ) announced clinical-trial results for its experimental compound, PBT-1, suggesting that the drug appears to lower the level of amyloid in patients' blood and slows the progression of the disease. Prana's trials involved just 32 patients (16 actually took PBT-1), so it's way too early to be calling its results a major breakthrough. But the results are encouraging. Copyright 2002 , by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1826 - Posted: 04.09.2002

A form of Mad Cow Disease, which effects Elk and Deer is spreading westwards across North America and Canada. Officials have reported cases in captive herds, which will now have to be culled. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), or as it is more commonly known, Mad Elk Disease, has been found before in wild deer as well as wild and captive elk. There are also reports of the first case of the disease in mules. Cases of Mad Elk Disease have been found for the first time on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, indicating that CWD had crossed the US continental divide. (C) BBC

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 1825 - Posted: 04.08.2002

By REUTERS WASHINGTON, (Reuters) — A single dose of an antibody that cleans up brain-clogging proteins improves memory in mice and could be a step toward an Alzheimer's disease vaccine for people, researchers reported today. The experiment, reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience, also sheds new light on the causes of Alzheimer's, which affects four million Americans. A team at Lilly Research Laboratories in Indianapolis, owned by Eli Lilly; Washington University in St. Louis; and Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, has been reporting steady progress in mice with an antibody called m266. In the mice, which are genetically engineered to develop a syndrome similar to Alzheimer's, the antibody homes in on the beta amyloid peptide, which forms the brain-clogging "plaques" seen in the disease. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1824 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Protein regulates how neurons relay signals through brain cells, UCI team finds Irvine, Calif., — UC Irvine researchers have found a novel role for a protein linked to another known protein that causes the brain plaques in Alzheimer's disease. The findings provide a greater understanding of the molecular events that underlie this degenerative brain disease, and could affect the way researchers are currently looking for treatments for Alzheimer's. The study appears in the April 2 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. UCI neurobiologists Frank LaFerla and Malcolm Leissring identified an important function for this protein, called AICD, whose normal activity was previously unknown. The researchers found that AICD is involved in regulating calcium signaling, which nerve cells in the brain use to communicate and relay chemical "messages" through a cell and is vital in maintaining cell health. © copyright 2001 UC Regents

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1823 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Mobility, not muscle, might be the secret of arachnid male success. JOHN WHITFIELD For a male spider, bigger isn't necessarily better. In many species, smaller males win the mating game by being nimbler climbers, say researchers. Spiders show some of the most extreme size differences between the sexes in nature. A female black widow, for example, is 100 times heavier than a male. Female spiders generally stay put and let males come to them. For the male, this often involves a perilous vertical ascent. * Moya-Larano, J., Halaj, J. & Wise, D.H. Climbing to reach females: Romeo should be small. Evolution, 56, 420 - 425, (2002). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1822 - Posted: 06.24.2010

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered the brain region that automatically watches for patterns in sequences of events, even when the pattern emerges by random happenstance. According to the scientists, such compulsive pattern-perception evolved to enable humans in the natural world to escape danger, for example by recognizing that a nearby twig snap and a growl signaled a looming predator. However, they said, in today's artificial world such pattern perception also gives rise to maladaptive superstitions such as the gambler's belief that a pair of dice is "due" to roll a seven. In an article posted online April 8, 2002, in Nature Neuroscience, researchers Scott Huettel, Beau Mack and Gregory McCarthy reported experiments in which they asked subjects to watch simple random sequences of a circle or a square flash onto a screen. During the experiments, the scientists imaged the subjects' brains using a high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) machine in the medical center's Brain Imaging and Analysis Center. The center is a joint facility of Duke and the University of North Carolina.

Keyword: Attention; Vision
Link ID: 1821 - Posted: 04.08.2002

Jay Ingram One of the challenges to understanding Alzheimer's disease is to be able to assemble all the signs of the disease into a sensible picture. There are several: the deposits of junk proteins in brain cells; the death of the cells themselves; actual shrinkage of parts of the brain; and, most obvious, the all-too-familiar symptoms. Now some dramatic brain imaging studies are providing clues to how this all comes together. The most recent study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a group in England. It produced images of the progress of the disease in people, some of whom hadn't actually begun to exhibit any symptoms but were known to have a familial predisposition to Alzheimer's. Brain imaging cannot reveal events inside brain cells, or even the death of individual cells, but it can show where the brain is shrinking. In this study, the first signs of trouble appear in the part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is known to be important for memory. There is a dramatic loss of tissue in this relatively small part of the brain early in the disease process. Dramatic, in that the amount of brain tissue loss can range up to 80 per cent or more. Early, because it is already underway before any symptoms of the disease are apparent. Copyright 1996-2002.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Brain imaging
Link ID: 1820 - Posted: 04.08.2002

The male hormone, testosterone, does more than you think. Its claim to fame once was its effect on a man's reproductive system. Now, new research indicates that it also can influence the brain. It aids memory and protects the brain from the memory-impairing disorder, Alzheimer's disease, according to the studies. The findings may lead to new therapies, particularly for older men. For a while it seemed that women had a leg up in the battle of the sexes. Over the years, much research on estrogen indicated that, in addition to influencing a woman's reproductive functions, this "female" hormone also helps a variety of brain functions, including memory. Now, recent studies find evidence that evens the playing field. The "male" hormone, testosterone, known for its role in maintaining a man's reproductive system, shares estrogen's double duty. The research is leading to: * Possible new brain-aiding therapies, particularly for older men who, like older women, appear to experience a hormone decrease as they age. * A better understanding of how testosterone interacts with other players in the brain to carry out many tasks. Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Apoptosis
Link ID: 1819 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Earlier risk assessment -- by examining the balance of cognitive abilities -- may allow for intervention that forestalls or minimizes brain damage WASHINGTON - New research points toward the use of neuro-psychological testing to identify people at risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), well ahead of the onset of clinical signs. Understanding heredity's role in cognitive abilities, and its link to Alzheimer's-type attention deficits, may also aid early diagnosis. The sooner, the better: Early detection could allow doctors to intervene with drugs that have the potential to protect against significant brain damage. Currently, there are no reliable ways to detect and treat the disease before the brain has been significantly damaged by AD, a form of dementia that is believed to afflict up to four million Americans. Two different studies that attack the problem from the standpoint of both cognitive abilities and genetics appear in the April issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1818 - Posted: 04.07.2002

By C. CLAIBORNE RAY Q. What goes wrong in progressive supranuclear palsy, the disease that led to the death of the comedian Dudley Moore? A. Progressive supranuclear palsy, or P.S.P., which affects about 20,000 Americans, is of unknown cause. It destroys cells in many areas of the brain, leading to poor coordination, stiffness, weakness of certain muscle groups and slowed thought, explained Dr. Lawrence I. Golbe, professor of neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J. P.S.P. typically begins with loss of balance. Nearly all sufferers eventually develop the characteristic difficulty in moving the eyes up and down, the sign that often arouses a doctor's suspicion of the correct diagnosis. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Movement Disorders
Link ID: 1817 - Posted: 04.07.2002

By BARBARA STEWART Once, the animals at the Bronx Zoo spent their days in idleness and boredom, pacing their small cages, eating meals handed to them on a platter. But that made for some listless animals. "They'd put primates alone in cages," Dr. Diana Reiss, a senior scientist at the New York Aquarium, which is affiliated with the zoo, said of the old zookeepers, "and the keeper would say: `That gorilla's O.K.,' when any pet owner could tell it was terribly bored." But nowadays, the animals stave off boredom by working for their supper. Vultures, once simply tossed dead rats, now get them wrapped in brown paper, which they must shred apart before dining. Dolphins press a symbol on an underwater keyboard to choose a particular snack or toy and will soon be able to watch film clips of other dolphins at play. In the spring, Wyoming toads are encouraged to become romantic, with piped-in mating songs and mist showers that simulate seasonal rain. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1816 - Posted: 04.06.2002

Researchers have identified an Australian poison frog that makes its own toxin rather than getting it from food sources. It is the first documented case of a vertebrate that generates its own poison alkaloids, complex chemicals that are usually associated with plants, the researchers said. Poison frogs release alkaloids from their skin to defend against predators. Until now, the researchers believed that all obtained their alkaloids from eating insects. The discovery was reported in the April 3 Web edition of the Journal of Natural Products, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The discovery will also be described April 8 in Orlando, Fla., at the Society’s 223rd national meeting.

Keyword: Neurotoxins
Link ID: 1815 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By MATT SLAGLE, Associated Press DALLAS - Implanting minute pellets of medicine into the brain may prevent a potentially dangerous complication that often affects victims of a certain type of stroke. Patients who undergo surgery to repair a ruptured blood vessel after a kind of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, or SAH, often develop a vasospasm, in which arteries in the head shrink, starving the brain of blood. A vasospasm is most likely to cause brain damage but can sometimes be deadly. In a study of 20 SAH patients, Japanese researchers inserted two to 10 pellets the size of a grain of rice next to arteries they suspected would develop vasospasms. The pellets contained nicardipine, a type of medicine called a calcium channel blocker often used to treat high blood pressure. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 1814 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Toni Clarke and Ben Hirschler NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - An experimental drug derived from the saliva of the venomous Gila monster is one of a growing crop of new drugs that are being developed to improve memory and learning. The bite of the Gila monster -- a native lizard to the southwest United States and Mexico -- can be deadly, but its saliva also contains a chemical which acts on a previously unknown receptor pathway in the brain that affects memory. The findings were presented on Thursday at the 7th International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on Advances in Alzheimer Therapy in Switzerland. Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1813 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Stammering may be a physical, rather than a psychological condition, US researchers suggest. The finding could lead to the development of drugs to treat the condition. Professor Gerald Maguire of the University of California believes a stammer is like epilepsy or schizophrenia, and that is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. "Our research with brain scans, which measures brain activity, shows that stuttering may be related to an area deep within the brain, the striatum, an area of the brain that may allow us to time, and properly allow, or initiate or start our speech. "We also believe this area might be too high in dopamine, a brain chemical, in people who stutter." Professor Maguire hopes his research will lead to drugs to treat stammering. Research in the 1970s showed a drug called Haloperidol, used for serious brain disorders such as schizophrenia, was able to reduce symptoms in people who stammered. (C) BBC

Keyword: Language
Link ID: 1812 - Posted: 04.05.2002

BOSTON -— Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found that a pair of recently discovered genes enables the brain of vertebrate animals, including humans, to grow large and complex. The findings, published in the April 5 issue of Cell, shed light on how the Olig 1 and Olig 2 genes direct the formation of a key type of supporting cell required by nerve cells to transmit their signals efficiently over long distances. (Cell selected the study for early publication and has already posted the paper on its Web site.) Called oligodendrocytes, these cells wrap a kind of biological insulation around nerve cells. By learning how oligodendrocytes normally develop, scientists say they may uncover clues to diseases ranging from multiple sclerosis to mental retardation to brain tumors. The earliest fruits of the work may include more accurate diagnosis of certain brain tumors, say the researchers. “We reason that some of the genes required to develop a normal, functioning brain may contribute to cancer of the brain if their expression is perturbed by mutation,” says Charles Stiles, PhD, co-chair of the Cancer Biology Department at Dana-Farber and one of two senior authors on the paper. “With the discovery of new cancer-causing genes comes the opportunity to develop ‘smart drugs’ that can now be directed towards cells that express these mutant genes.” Copyright © 1995-2002 ScienceDaily Magazine

Keyword: Evolution; Glia
Link ID: 1809 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Missile-tracking technology may spot symptoms of learning impairment. VIRGINIA GEWIN Eye-tracking glasses developed to reduce fighter pilots' workload by enabling their eyes to direct weapons could help to diagnose dyslexia. Qinetiq, part of the British government's former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, has just received a grant to create child-size prototype glasses. Some scientists think that eye movements offer clues as to why dyslexics struggle to read and write. Dyslexia affects between five and ten per cent of the world's population. "Many of the problems are due to failure of the eyes to remain steady when they're trying to take in the visual form of words," says dyslexia researcher John Stein of the University of Oxford, who is working with Qinetiq. Until now, he says, "we've lacked a means of measuring eye movements accurately". © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Dyslexia
Link ID: 1808 - Posted: 06.24.2010