Ben Harder Alcohol doesn’t often get billed as a brain food, but new research suggests that booze offers at least one cerebral benefit. It may reduce aging drinkers’ risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Although extreme alcohol consumption kills brain cells, there’s contradictory evidence about whether long-term drinking has permanent effects on cognitive abilities such as reasoning and memory. Prolonged, excessive drinking can lead to the liver disease cirrhosis and may contribute to breast cancer risk, however. Drinking is also responsible for many accidental injuries and deaths. Nevertheless, alcohol in moderation promotes cardiovascular health by boosting concentrations of good cholesterol and inhibiting the formation of dangerous blood clots (SN: 2/28/98, p. 142: http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc98/2_28_98/bob1.htm). Additional compounds in red wine seem to benefit the heart and blood vessels (SN: 1/5/02, p. 8: http://www.sciencenews.org/20020105/note11.asp). Drinking also appears to guard against macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease. Copyright ©2002 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Alzheimers
Link ID: 1462 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Rockefeller Scientist discovers molecular messengers that rescue cells from death A developing cell in the human body sits on the edge of death. Proteins called Grim, Reaper and Hid stand poised, ready to unleash other toxic proteins. Only if a protein messenger from another cell arrives in time to call off the killing, will the cell then mature into any one of the various types of body cells, such as skin, liver and brain. But how these protein messengers command cells to survive has remained a mystery until now. For the first time, the entire team of molecular messengers responsible for issuing certain brain cells with orders to survive has been identified by a Rockefeller University scientist and his colleagues. They report their results in the Feb 1 issue of Developmental Cell.

Keyword: Apoptosis; Glia
Link ID: 1461 - Posted: 02.02.2002

John F. Abess, MD, Private Practice, Charleston, NC Treatment for depression is on the rise. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of Americans treated for depression rose from 1.7 million to 6.3 million between the years 1987 and 1997. The study, from Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, also found that the proportion of those receiving antidepressant medication doubled in that time. Psychiatrist Dr. John Abess has been instrumental in developing inpatient psychiatric treatment programs at a number of hospitals, and is currently the chief of the division of psychiatry for Bon Secours St. Francis and Roper Hospitals in Charleston, S.C. He maintains a full time private practice and is also the Medical Director for the Day Patient Program at Palmetto Behavioral Health Systems. Below, Dr. Abess shares his own thoughts about the recent growth in treatment numbers, and the changing face of depression care today. What do you think this rise in numbers of people treated for depression means? I believe the increase in numbers has occurred partly because more Americans are dispelling the notion that depression represents a weakness in a person's character. Instead, depression is being thought of, more correctly, as a biochemical disregulation within the brain itself. Therefore, people are more willing to acknowledge they have a depression. Along with this changing sentiment is a heightened awareness within the public of the signs of depression. These two factors together are likely to account for the rise in numbers of people treated for depression. Copyright © 2002 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 1459 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By The Associated Press MEDFORD - A Southern Oregon man who walked into a neighbor's home, took off his pants and crawled into bed with a 29-year-old woman was found guilty Wednesday of stalking. Stephen Henry Smith, 59, of Eagle Point, acknowledged that he waited for the woman's husband to leave because he wanted to have sex with her. His attorney, however, argued that Smith's brain tumor made him do it - a tumor that was removed while Smith was incarcerated. ``He didn't realize the criminal behavior and moral consequences,'' attorney Andrew Vandergaw said. ``He now realizes since he had the tumor removed from his brain it was all wrong.'' Copyright © 2002 The Register-Guard

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1458 - Posted: 06.24.2010

New Haven, Conn. – A neuropeptide whose loss is believed responsible for narcolepsy, a disease characterized by sudden sleep attacks, also appears to play a role in the modulation of pain sensation, a study by a Yale researcher has found. The findings, published as the cover story in the January issue of the Journal of Physiology, offers a new direction in the control of pain, particularly in spinal cord injuries where pain is a substantial problem, said Anthony van den Pol, professor of neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and co-author of the study. Collaborators in the study were Ed Perl and Tim Grudt from the University of North Carolina. The researchers’ findings indicate that hypocretin neurons from the hypothalamus establish direct connections with the spinal cord and hypocretin changes the electrical activity of nerve cells in the dorsal part of the spinal cord that are involved in pain perception. The hypothalamus is generally considered to be an area of the brain that regulates eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, body temperature, chemical balances, heart rate, hormones, sex and emotions.

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Narcolepsy
Link ID: 1457 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A light-sensitive material developed in space could be used to restore the sight of people with damaged retinas. According to Alex Ignatiev, director of the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center (SVEC) at the University of Houston, US, tests show that the ceramic photodetector will be compatible with the human eye, unlike earlier prototypes that were based on silicon. Human trials of the device are set to begin later this year. Rod and cone cells in the retina of the human eye send electrical signals to the brain when they detect light. Certain diseases damage these cells and cause blindness, but do not affect the ‘wiring’ – which means that sight could be restored by implanting suitable artificial cells. Now a photodetector developed at SVEC, which is sponsored by NASA, could fit the bill. The device consists of a thin film of lanthanum-doped lead zirconium titanate (PLZT). The material is grown layer by layer – or ‘epitaxially’ – using a process perfected during research under ultra-high-vacuum conditions in the Wake Shield Facility, a small space-based laboratory launched by the space shuttle into low-Earth orbit. The method produces a uniform crystal structure with optimum optical properties. Copyright © IOP Publishing Ltd 1996-2002. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Vision; Robotics
Link ID: 1456 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By NICHOLAS WADE Researchers say they have taken a step toward developing a novel source of embryonic stem cells, the all-purpose cells that biologists hope to use in repairing human tissues. The new method may avoid the usual controversy over the use of embryos, because the stem cells are derived from embryos that seem to have no chance of going to term. The new source is the unfertilized eggs that can be harvested from ovaries. The idea is to trick an egg into dividing as if it had been fertilized by a sperm. When the egg has developed into an early embryo, scientists derive embryonic stem cells, which could be converted into particular body tissues for use in patients. The embryonic stem cells studied so far have been derived from the leftover embryos generated in fertility clinics. Because the procedure requires killing the embryo, abortion opponents object to the research. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Stem Cells; Regeneration
Link ID: 1454 - Posted: 02.01.2002

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford University Medical Center researchers have discovered a potential treatment for Huntington's disease. By enhancing the brain's natural protective response to the disease, researchers were able to alleviate the uncontrollable tremors and prolong the lives of mice with a neurological disorder that mimics Huntington's. Their finding suggests that a similar treatment strategy may be effective in humans. "This is exciting because it has implications for therapy," said Lawrence Steinman, MD, professor of neurological sciences and pediatrics and senior author of the study, published in the February issue of Nature Medicine. Huntington's disease is a hereditary disorder characterized by memory loss, abnormal movement and premature death. It affects 1 in 10,000 people, and children with an affected parent have a 50 percent chance of developing the disease.

Keyword: Huntingtons
Link ID: 1453 - Posted: 02.01.2002

Pitt study was conducted in collaboration with the Religious Orders Study Based at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center PITTSBURGH, – A study out of the University of Pittsburgh has uncovered a completely different mechanism behind mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an increasingly common memory problem that is thought to be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The results are surprising even to the researchers conducting the study and may explain why current medications don’t improve memory function effectively. Further, the findings may redirect research into many of the newer treatments designed to prevent memory problems. The study, published in today’s Annals of Neurology, found that in older people with MCI, the brain produces more choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), an enzyme that is important in memory and cognitive functions. The researchers believe this is the brain’s attempt to maintain normal function as the neurons that form communication lines to the brain’s memory center die. Strengthening their finding are autopsy results showing more than 60 percent of people who had MCI within a year before they died already had evidence of neurodegeneration that is seen in the early stages of AD.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1452 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Young adults who believe they can adhere to the regimen required to control their Type I diabetes have better blood sugar control than those who don’t, according to a study appearing in the January issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. The study also suggests that their “can do” beliefs achieve this effect by improving self-care practices, such as blood sugar testing and adherence to diet and exercise regimens. Previous researchers have investigated the relationship between various psychosocial factors and diabetic control, or between self-care and diabetic control, among individuals with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, notes lead author Catharine H. Johnston-Brooks, Ph.D. of the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This study, however, is the first to demonstrate the relationship between the belief in one’s capabilities of adhering to a diet and exercise regimen -- what psychologists and sociologists call self-efficacy -- and blood sugar control.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 1451 - Posted: 06.24.2010

— Researchers have found the first molecular clues about how a group of poorly understood chemical signals, called pheromones, enable mice to distinguish male from female. In knocking out a gene for a pheromone receptor in mice, the researchers discovered that pheromones appear important for gender recognition. Not only did the male knockout mice lack aggression toward other males — because they didn't recognize them as being male — they readily attempted to mate with both males and females, said senior author Catherine Dulac, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Harvard University. The findings by Dulac and colleagues at Harvard were published online January 31, 2002, in Science Express, which provides rapid electronic publication of select articles that will appear in the journal Science. ©2002 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1450 - Posted: 06.24.2010

People are highly attracted to images of themselves which have been distorted to make them look more like the opposite sex, a new study has discovered. A psychological experiment at the University of St Andrews in Scotland asked 30 student volunteers how attractive they found a range of pictures. They were not aware that the photos were images of themselves in which the gender had been altered. (C) BBC

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1448 - Posted: 01.31.2002

By JULIE SALAMON You could get insight into your sullen teenager's view of life by rereading "The Catcher in the Rye." Or you could pop her head inside an M.R.I. machine. Either way, what you learn won't stop her mood swings, but it might make you feel better about them — or not. "Inside the Teenage Brain," tonight's "Frontline " investigation on PBS, goes the medical route, connecting adolescent turmoil to the brain's physical development. "Not yet an adult, not quite a child," observes one scientist, paraphrasing Holden Caulfield, the hero of J. D. Salinger's "Catcher." In the novel this emblematic teenager says: "I act quite young for my age sometimes. I was 16 then, and I'm 17 now, and sometimes I act like I'm about 13." This "Frontline" report explains why this happens, connecting snarly teenage forgetfulness and wariness to a growth spurt in the brain similar to the rapid changes of earliest childhood. So now when your 14-year-old acts like a reckless idiot, you'll understand that his prefrontal cortex hasn't adjusted to the onslaught of new cells. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 1446 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Paralysis partly overcome by spinal stimulation. HELEN PEARSON A partially paralysed man has walked to the shops with the help of tiny electric shocks to his spine. With training, doctors hope to help other paraplegics walk again. Richard Herman and his colleagues helped a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic follow a walking rhythm by holding him over a moving treadmill. He paced 50 metres slowly - but the effort was exhausting. Zapping his spine while he was walking, slashed his pace time. The team planted pen-width electrodes in his lower back and gave low-level electrical stimulation1. "He began to walk 100, 200 metres," says Herman, of Arizona State University in Tempe. * Herman, R. et al. Spinal cord stimulation facilitates functional walking in a chronic incomplete spinal cord injured. Spinal Cord, 39, (2002). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Movement Disorders; Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 1445 - Posted: 06.24.2010

MADISON - Using stem cells as a window to the earliest developmental processes in the human brain, scientists have found that a group of genes critical for brain development is selectively disrupted in Down syndrome. Writing in the recent issue (Jan. 26, 2002) of the British medical journal The Lancet, a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge, University College London and the University of Wisconsin-Madison report findings from a genetic study based on stem cells derived from Down syndrome and normal fetal tissue. The results illuminate some of the key cellular and molecular processes that give rise to Down syndrome, one of the most common causes of developmental disability in humans. The study is the first of its kind using human cells. Copyright © 2002 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Stem Cells
Link ID: 1444 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and elsewhere have found the brain's "nose plug" - the switch in the brain that lets us stop smelling something, even though the odor is still there. "The ability to desensitize to odors is important for our well-being," says Randall Reed, Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator and a molecular biologist and neuroscientist in the school's Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. "Odor adaptation is important in telling whether a scent is getting stronger or going away, and it prevents sensory overload. Understanding this process should help us figure out how adaptation affects our perception of odors." Two papers published in the December 7, 2001 issue of Science show that a protein called CNGA4 helps plug the "nose" of odor receptor cells -- neurons whose job is to detect smells and send that information to the brain as an electrical signal. The "nose" is really a channel in the neurons' membrane that opens when an odor is presented and closes as the neuron becomes desensitized to that smell. Copyright © 1992-2002 Bio Online, Inc. All rights reserved

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 1443 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Vietnam veterans who developed the disorder also suffer from specific cognitive problems, a replication of Gulf War vet studies WASHINGTON - Greater intellectual resources may, according to a new study of Vietnam veterans, help buffer soldiers from developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after combat. These findings appear in the January issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The same study confirmed that Vietnam veterans with PTSD, independently of intellectual resources, have more problems in attention, working memory and new learning than veterans without PTSD -- an association also found in Gulf War veterans. PTSD, first diagnosed as "shell shock" during World War I, is a distressing, sometimes disabling anxiety disorder precipitated by exposure to extreme psychological trauma, such as combat, torture, abuse or natural disaster. It is characterized by re-experiencing of the trauma (such as nightmares and intrusive thoughts), behavioral avoidance of reminders of that trauma, emotional numbing, and symptoms of increased arousal (such as sleep disturbance and exaggerated startle response). Article: "Attention, Learning, and Memory Performances and Intellectual Resources in Vietnam Veterans: PTSD and No Disorder Comparisons;" Jennifer J. Vasterling, Lisa M. Duke, Kevin Brailey, Joseph I. Constans, Albert N. Allain Jr., and Patricia B. Sutker, Neuropsychology, Vol 16. No.1.

Keyword: Stress; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1441 - Posted: 01.30.2002

People who unknowingly received blood donations that may have been contaminated with the deadly brain disease vCJD are to be told that they may have been infected. The decision, by the UK Government's vCJD Incident Panel, represents a u-turn in policy. It is thought that 22 people have received potentially contaminated blood. However, it had previously been decided not to inform them unless they tried to donate blood themselves. (C) BBC

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 1440 - Posted: 01.30.2002

By Maggie Shiels in California US scientists are trying to find the gene, or genes, responsible for the rare musical ability known as perfect pitch, which allows a minority of the population to "hear" the world differently from everyone else. It's important for a child to hear music in their environment from the beginning The study team, led by Dr Jane Gitschier, at the University of California at San Francisco, and Nelson Freimer in Los Angeles, is exploring the belief that this is a gift that is passed down from generation to generation. (C) BBC

Keyword: Hearing; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1439 - Posted: 01.30.2002

Modern birds evolved from ground-dwelling reptiles as their increasingly refined parenting skills led them into the trees, where they could better protect their young, proposes a researcher at the University of California, Davis. This new theory, contradicting the two leading theories on the evolution of avian flight, appears this month in the German journal "Archaeopteryx," named after a feathered fossil with both reptilian and birdlike traits. "The evidence indicates that a whole suite of behavioral and physical traits, including feathers and wings, evolved along with improved parenting and brood-care traits," said James Carey, a UC Davis demographer and ecologist. "Once the precursors to birds began to fly, the ecological interplay of flight and parental care may have been mutually reinforced, continuing the evolution of both traits and accelerating the rate at which the physical features of the modern bird were acquired."

Keyword: Evolution; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1436 - Posted: 01.30.2002