HOUSTON - A lightweight, imaging cap being designed to assess brain function may go where no MRI has gone before. "On extended space missions, there will be a need to assess brain function as it relates to performance of high-level tasks and in the event of possible illness or injury," said Dr. Jeffrey Sutton, director of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and leader of its smart medical systems team. "This portable technology will be beneficial on Earth for assessing, diagnosing and monitoring treatment in brain disorders, such as strokes and seizures." The device utilizes diffuse optical tomography (DOT), a technique using near-infrared light and detectors to record brain activity. The light shines through the skull into the brain and records regional differences in blood flow and oxygen levels. These differences are then analyzed to reveal areas of brain activity. Copyright © 2000-2002 National Space Biomedical Research Institute

Keyword: Brain imaging
Link ID: 2038 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Radio-controlled rodents could go places that St. Bernards can't. But that's not why they're important BY MICHAEL D. LEMONICK In one sense, the news last week that scientists have created a "roborat" represents an ingenious technical breakthrough. Engineers have tried for years--without success--to build robots smart enough to cross even a railroad track. Now, by combining off-the-shelf technology with a creature whose maneuvering skills have been honed by millions of years of evolution, physiologists at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn have created remotely piloted rodents that navigate complex terrain at the will of controllers who are more than 500 yards away. Wearing tiny backpacks equipped with radio transmitters and miniature TV cameras, the rats could someday be sent into a collapsed building to find survivors, say the scientists, or into a minefield to sniff out danger or off on a spy mission. But look a little deeper, and the accomplishment is both less and more than meets the eye. It's less in part because the technology involved is so simple. Trainers have known for centuries that you can teach animals to perform all sorts of behaviors with a system of rewards or punishments. Neurophysiologists have known for decades that instead of an external reward like food, you can send electric impulses directly into the brain's pleasure center. Copyright © 2002 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Robotics
Link ID: 2037 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By GERALD NADLER The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Iodine deficiency, a major cause of mental disabilities and learning difficulties, will be eliminated globally within three years, U.N. officials and salt industry executives predicted Wednesday. Two billion people -- more than 30 percent of the world's population -- still suffer from a deficiency of the chemical element iodine, a leading cause of brain damage in unborn children. The disorder can be alleviated by consuming salt with iodine. By 2005, the deficiency will be completely erased, culminating a 15-year effort by U.N. agencies, civil organizations, and salt producers -- an achievement likened to eliminating smallpox, the United Nations Children's Fund said. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Intelligence; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2036 - Posted: 05.09.2002

Kathryn Phillips Most textbooks tell you that primates have a lousy sense of smell, but watch a monkey investigate a piece of food, and the first thing it does is have a good sniff - which doesn't seem like the reaction of an animal with a poor sense of smell. Mattias Laska was intrigued by this apparent conundrum, so he set out to test just how sensitive these animals are to different smells. After testing monkeys with a battery of scents, he's added a selection of alcohols to the primates' repertoire of detected smells, proving that monkeys are better `smellers' than anyone had supposed (p. 1633). Laska has spent the last 15 years training animals to detect specific smells, and most of the time, this isn't easy. Even though dogs have some of the sharpest noses on the planet, very few people have successfully trained dogs in order to test their sensitivity to individual scents. Man is probably the easiest animal to train, so more is known about the human sense of smell. Even then, only 300 monomolecular scents have been tested on us. Having successfully trained a variety of creatures from honey bees up to mammals, Laska was confident that he could successfully train primates to tell him when they could detect smells. He decided to test two primate species' responses to a class of chemicals they encounter in the wild. Ripe fruits emit alcohols at different stages of ripeness, so he tested the animals' sensitivity to eleven alcohol molecules that they might experience in their natural environment. The Journal of Experimental Biology 205, i1101-i1101 (2002) © 2002 The Company of Biologists Limited

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 2035 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NewScientist.com news service Secondhand smoke shaves points off kids' IQ, a study of over 4000 American children suggests. Even those exposed to small amounts of cigarette smoke have slightly lower cognitive abilities. "These levels may not be meaningful for an individual child, but they have huge implications for our society because millions of children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke," says Kimberly Yolton of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. Yolton's team looked at levels of a breakdown product of nicotine called cotinine in the blood of 4399 children aged between six and 16. They also examined their scores on a number of intelligence tests, using data from a countrywide survey known as NHANES-III done between 1988 and 1994. To rule out any children who might be smoking themselves, only those with cotinine levels lower than 15 nanograms per millilitre were included. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Intelligence
Link ID: 2034 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer CHICAGO (AP) - Breast-fed babies may grow up to be smarter adults, according to research that bolsters the evidence linking nursing and intelligence. Most previous studies did not measure breast-feeding's effects on IQ into adulthood, and the few that did so ignored factors such as parents' education and social status, said the researchers, who took such variables into account. In their study of 3,253 Danish men and women, the more babies were breast-fed through 9 months of age, the higher they scored on intelligence tests in their late teens and 20s. Breast-feeding past 9 months had no additional effect on scores. Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Intelligence
Link ID: 2031 - Posted: 06.24.2010

CHICAGO --- Researchers have argued for years over whether neurofibrillary tau tangles or beta-amyloid plaques are the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Autopsies show that these hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease are often found in the same brain regions – preferentially in areas responsible for learning and memory -- but investigators previously have been unable to identify a mechanism linking the two types of lesions. Now, a group of Northwestern University neuroscientists have reported the first evidence showing that tau must be present to enable beta-amyloid to induce the degeneration of brain cells that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. Adriana Ferreira, M.D., and co-researchers from The Feinberg School of Medicine and the Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience recently published their findings, which support a key role for tau in the mechanisms leading to beta-amyloid—induced neurodegeneration, in an article in the April 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Copyright © 1995-2002 ScienceDaily Magazine

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 2030 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University researchers say the discovery of the two different mutations for X-linked progressive retinal atrophy (XLPRA1 and XLPRA2) in dogs, as reported in the May 1, 2002, issue ofHuman Molecular Genetics (Vol. 11, No. 9), provides a new animal "model" for studying causes and testing treatments for inherited human blindness. Dogs' health and well-being will benefit, too, according to scientists at the Baker Institute for Animal Health in Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, because new gene-screening tests will help detect disease-prone animals in breeding programs. The journal report, "DifferentRPGR exon ORF15 Mutations inCanids Provide Insights Into Photoreceptor Cell Degeneration," is the work of Qi Zhang, Gregory M. Acland, Wen X. Wu, Jennifer L. Johnson, Sue Pearce-Kelling and Gustavo D. Aguirre, all at Cornell; Brian Tulloch and Alan F. Wright at the MRC Human Genetics Unit of Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland; and Raf Vervoort at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Keyword: Vision; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2029 - Posted: 05.08.2002

By KATY J. VOPAL - Freeman Staff WEST ALLIS - When Karen Sebastian was born 37 years ago, her mother, Rose Sebastian, noticed something - a sizable purplish mark on her daughter’s forehead. The mark wasn’t a bruise, it wasn’t a birthmark. It was called a "port wine stain" and was linked to a rare condition called Sturge-Weber syndrome. But now, things are a little different for Rose. Karen died in August 2001 from acute lymphocytic leukemia, and her mother is speaking out about Sturge-Weber to raise awareness about the condition and campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to raise funds for much needed research about the unknown cause and the undiscovered cure of the syndrome. The Sturge-Weber National Day of Awareness is May 15. "Karen was diagnosed right away at birth," Rose said. "She didn’t start having convulsions until 18 months, and it was explained to us that since the stain was up on her forehead, it was linked to calcium deposits around her brain, and that’s what made her have the seizures."

Keyword: Epilepsy
Link ID: 2028 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Placebos Improve Mood, Change Brain Chemistry in Majority of Trials of Antidepressants By Shankar Vedantam Washington Post Staff Writer After thousands of studies, hundreds of millions of prescriptions and tens of billions of dollars in sales, two things are certain about pills that treat depression: Antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft work. And so do sugar pills. A new analysis has found that in the majority of trials conducted by drug companies in recent decades, sugar pills have done as well as -- or better than -- antidepressants. Companies have had to conduct numerous trials to get two that show a positive result, which is the Food and Drug Administration's minimum for approval. What's more, the sugar pills, or placebos, cause profound changes in the same areas of the brain affected by the medicines, according to research published last week. One researcher has ruefully concluded that a higher percentage of depressed patients get better on placebos today than 20 years ago. © 2002 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2027 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A candlelit dinner, fresh flowers, an unexpected gift -- all the elements of a fine romance? Or are they part of an evolutionary strategy developed by men to keep track of their women and keep them away from other men during fertile periods? Research to be published in the upcoming issue of Proceedings B, a British Royal Society publication, indicates that women tend to be more interested in sex, in particular with men other than their primary romantic partners, when they are ovulating. (Changes in women's sexual interests and their partners' mate retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: evidence for shifting conflicts of interest by Professor Steven W. Gangestad, Professor Randy Thornhill and Ms Christine E. Garver. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY: Biological Sciences - Vol. 269, No. 1494.) Copyright © 1995-2002 UniSci. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Evolution
Link ID: 2026 - Posted: 06.24.2010

© 2002 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved. by Mohamed Fayek, M.D., Steven J. Kingsbury, M.D., Ph.D., and George Simpson, M.D. Psychiatric Times May 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 5 Before deciding that a patient has treatment-resistant schizophrenia, one must first determine that the patient is compliant with medication. Covert noncompliance or partial noncompliance can be missed. A trial with a depot antipsychotic can be helpful in ruling out noncompliance. Similarly, there can be large variations in plasma levels of antipsychotics, even with the same dose. Therapeutic levels of most typical and atypical antipsychotics have not been determined, but blood levels of medications may help determine whether a patient is a rapid metabolizer (or noncompliant). Effective treatment also presupposes an accurate diagnosis. Conditions such as temporal-lobe epilepsy may mimic symptoms of schizophrenia, while comorbid conditions such as endocrinopathies can impact response. Before determining that a patient has treatment-resistant schizophrenia, it is always useful to carefully review the diagnosis.

Keyword: Schizophrenia
Link ID: 2025 - Posted: 06.24.2010

© 2002 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved. by Kenneth J. Bender, Pharm.D., M.A. Psychiatric Times May 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 5 Progress in developing medications and strategies for treating addiction were juxtaposed with the challenges of implementing accessible and effective treatment programs at The State of the Art in Addiction Medicine conference conducted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Nov. 1-3, 2001, in Washington, D.C. The conference, themed "From Molecules to Managed Care," was co-sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAT), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2024 - Posted: 06.24.2010

© 2002 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved. by Adekola O. Alao, M.D., MRCPsych Psychiatric Times May 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 5 Anticonvulsant drugs are gradually gaining ground in psychiatry and present a bewildering range of psychopharmacological possibilities. Anticonvulsants are most commonly and widely used in the treatment of mania in bipolar disorder (BD) (Tables 1, 2 ). The recurrent nature of this illness may have a cumulative detrimental effect on the patient's functioning and may affect treatment. Lithium, olanzapine (Zyprexa), chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and valproic acid (divalproex sodium [Depakote]) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of mania in BD. However, there has been considerable interest in the potential use of antiepileptics other than divalproex as mood stabilizers. The use of anticonvulsants in the treatment of other psychiatric symptoms -- such as impulsivity and aggression -- that cut across various psychiatric diagnoses has been explored.

Keyword: Emotions; Aggression
Link ID: 2023 - Posted: 06.24.2010

© 2002 Psychiatric Times. All rights reserved. by Stefano Erzegovesi, M.D. Psychiatric Times May 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 5 Over the past decade, reports about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have gradually moved from the traditional and somewhat pessimistic points of view to a more defined and optimistic line of research: the "rare and intractable illness" has now become a paradigm for valid hypotheses in neurobiology and clinical psychopharmacology. Data in the literature support the so-called "serotonin (5-HT) hypothesis" of OCD (Barr et al., 1992): peripheral markers of serotonin function (Bastani et al., 1991), pharmacologic challenge studies with serotonin agonists (Erzegovesi et al., 2001b) and, above all, drug-response data from serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) (Greist et al., 1995). According to the serotonin hypothesis, patients with OCD have a dysregulation in the serotonergic system, with a hypersensitivity of postsynaptic 5-HT receptors, which could account for a different mechanism of action of SRIs in OCD (Billett et al., 1997; Zohar et al., 1987). For example, onset of therapeutic action is 10 to 12 weeks in OCD, compared to three to four weeks for mood disorders.

Keyword: OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Link ID: 2022 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Surprising effects triggered deep in neural network Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Brain surgeons are no longer content with mere cutting or burning. Now,they are increasingly turning to implanted electrical devices -- battery- powered pacemakers for the brain -- to tweak faulty neural circuits. Electrical stimulation, or "neuromodulation" as the technique is called, is frequently used for Parkinson's and other movement disorders, and spinal cord stimulation is an accepted option for intractable back and limb pain. Now, the approach is moving into new territory following the discovery that a little electrical stimulation, judiciously applied, can have some surprising effects. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 2021 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By NATALIE ANGIER Midway through a honeybee's fleeting, bittersweet, and, yes, busy little life, a momentous transformation occurs: the 2-week-old worker must abandon her cloistered career as a hive-keeping nurse, and venture out into the world to forage. She must learn to navigate over great distances at 12 miles per hour, select the finest flowers, assemble bits of pollen and droplets of nectar into a load nearly as heavy as she is, and then find her way back home. Once there, she must convey the coordinates of her discovery to her sisters in the classic cartographic waggle, the bee dance. And all this behavioral complexity is packaged in a brain no bigger than the loop of a letter b printed on this page. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Animal Migration; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2020 - Posted: 05.07.2002

You may vividly remember your grade-school playmates or even the first day at kindergarten. But experiences before your third birthday most likely lie under a mist of oblivion. Researchers now provide evidence that language is the key: Children can only describe memories using words they knew at the time those memories were stored. Developmental psychologists have puzzled for centuries over why we forget about our earliest childhood experiences, a phenomenon called childhood amnesia. As children's language develops at about the same time, some researchers suspected a possible link between the two developmental milestones. To test this connection, developmental psychologists Gabrielle Simcock and Harlene Hayne at the University of Otago, New Zealand, exposed children to a unique event at a time when they were barely able to speak. They visited children between 2 and 3 years old at their homes and brought a memorable toy along: the magic shrinking machine. This humongous box featuring handles, knobs, and quirky sounds miraculously shrinks big toys into small ones. After the pull of a lever and turn of a handle, toys such as a teddy bear disappear. Accompanied by flashing lights and bells and whistles, another door opens and a shrunken teddy pops out. On the same visit, Hayne and Simcock carefully tested the toddlers' vocabulary. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Language; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 2019 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists have discovered the gene they believe plays a key role in triggering epilepsy in young people. Dr Guy Rouleau and colleagues at McGill University Health Centre Research Institute in Montreal, found that mutations in the gene GABRA could cause juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). This is one of the 'classical' epilepsy syndromes and typically begins in early adolescence. Classical epilepsies affect an estimated 0.4% of the population and JME accounts for a quarter of those. The researchers identified the gene by carrying out a study on a unique French-Canadian family. (C) BBC

Keyword: Epilepsy; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2018 - Posted: 05.06.2002

Some people's blood contains cells from a sibling. Others are two individuals rolled into one. Yet more carry a distinct mutation in only parts of their bodies. Helen Pearson investigates chimaerism and mosaicism. HELEN PEARSON Eight years ago in Britain, a boy was born who, genetically, was two people. He was formed when two eggs, fertilized by two different sperm, fused into one embryo inside his mother's womb. He was an unremarkable baby. But as a toddler, doctors discovered that he was a hermaphrodite - what was originally diagnosed as an undescended testis turned out to be an ovary, a fallopian tube and part of a uterus. Further investigation revealed that some parts of his body were genetically female but the rest, which contained a different combination of his parents' genes, was male1. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Autism
Link ID: 2017 - Posted: 06.24.2010