Naturally occurring molecules called beta-synucleins (b-synucleins) may have the ability to halt the excessive build-up of plaque-like deposits, called Lewy bodies, that are found in the dying neuron cells of Parkinson's disease patients, according to researchers in the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. In findings published recently in the journal Neuron, investigators in the lab of senior author Eliezer Masliah, M.D., professor of neurosciences and pathology, showed in mice that b-synuclein inhibits the Lewy body-producing activity of a cousin molecule called alpha-synuclein, which has been linked to abnormal accumulation of Lewy bodies characteristically seen in the brain's of Parkinson's patients.

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 928 - Posted: 11.06.2001

by Timothy Lesaca, M.D. Psychiatric Times November 2001 Vol. XVIII Issue 11 Over the past two decades, there has been considerable progress in understanding the functions of the prefrontal cortex of the brain and its regulation of mental activities that allow for self-control and goal-directed behaviors. These mental activities are unified under the term executive functions. Executive functions are thought to enable a person to successfully engage in independent, purposeful and self-serving behaviors. The major executive functions include response inhibition, which permits impulse control, resistance to distraction and delay of gratification; nonverbal working memory, which permits the holding of events in the mind and allows self-awareness across time; verbal working memory, which comprises the internalization of speech and permits self-description, questioning and reading comprehension; and self-regulation of emotion and motivation, which permits motivation, persistence toward a goal and emotional self-control. Copyright 1995-2001 CME, Inc.

Keyword: ADHD
Link ID: 926 - Posted: 11.05.2001

by K. Elan Jung, M.D. Psychiatric Times November 2001 Vol. XVIII Issue 11 The introduction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into psychiatric nosology has brought new insights as well as controversy. It has deepened our understanding of how severe traumas that exceed ordinary coping mechanisms affect the human mind; however, complex clinical manifestations of PTSD have created serious confusion in diagnostic and therapeutic practice. The majority of psychiatric disorders are diagnosed according to symptoms, signs and traits. Posttraumatic stress disorder is unique in that etiology is a primary diagnostic factor; and, in patients with PTSD, etiology and symptoms are not always in harmony. Both DSM-IV and ICD-10 are often impractical in regard to PTSD because many patients exhibit multiple symptoms concomitantly or at different times. In addition, the current categorization of PTSD under the umbrella of anxiety disorders is inadequate and misleading, as the PTSD symptom complex overlaps with psychoses, affective disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders and numerous other psychiatric disorders. Copyright 1995-2001 CME, Inc.

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 924 - Posted: 11.05.2001

by Ileana Berman, M.D. Psychiatric Times November 2001 Vol. XVIII Issue 11 In order to improve the outcome of schizophrenia, we must deepen our understanding of its heterogeneous aspect. At the same time, we must search for homogeneous subtypes characterized by consistent clinical aspects so that we may develop specific and more effective treatments. Researchers have long categorized schizophrenia as a syndrome manifested through a number of distinct subtypes that share the same morbid process but have sufficient differences to warrant distinct subtyping (Berman et al., 1995a; Fenton and McGlashan, 1986; Rosen, 1957; Stengel, 1945). Using genetic, neurological, biochemical and outcome markers, research continues to focus on the search for homogeneous subtypes (Goldstein and Tsuang, 1988). In this article, we will discuss the significance of the obsessive-compulsive (OC) phenomenon in schizophrenia and focus on whether an OC subtype of schizophrenia makes clinical and theoretical sense. One of the yet unanswered questions is whether OC symptoms constitute the expression of schizophrenic psychosis or if they are the manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Copyright 1995-2001 CME, Inc.

Keyword: Schizophrenia; OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Link ID: 923 - Posted: 11.05.2001

By NICHOLAS WADE Plunging into the roiled waters of human intelligence and its heritability, brain scientists say they have found that the size of certain regions of the brain is under tight genetic control and that the larger these regions are the higher is intelligence. The finding is true only on average and cannot be used to assess an individual's intelligence, said Dr. Paul M. Thompson, the leader of the research team and a pioneer in mapping the structure of the brain. The measurement of intelligence has long been a controversial issue, and even more so the efforts to tease out the relative contributions of heredity and environment. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Brain imaging; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 922 - Posted: 11.05.2001

dramatic images shed light on brain diseases, personality differences UCLA brain mapping researchers have created the first images to show how an individual's genes influence their brain structure and intelligence. The findings, published in the Nov. 5 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, offer exciting new insight about how parents pass on personality traits and cognitive abilities, and how brain diseases run in families. The team found that the amount of gray matter in the frontal parts of the brain is determined by the genetic make-up of an individual's parents, and strongly correlates with that individual's cognitive ability, as measured by intelligence test scores.

Keyword: Brain imaging; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 921 - Posted: 11.05.2001

Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu holds more patents than anyone who ever lived, even Thomas Edison. He claims he invented the floppy disk and the digital watch. But he'll be remembered for his latest invention. By Buck Wolf The man who claims he invented the floppy disk is now hoping to revolutionize man's hard drive. Get ready for Love Jet, which proponents are calling "spray-on Viagra." Copyright © 2000 ABC News Internet Ventures.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 917 - Posted: 11.04.2001

One out of four students in special-education classes has a tic-related disorder like Tourette syndrome, and the rate of Tourette's among students in the general population is 50 to 75 times higher than has been traditionally thought by doctors, according to a study published in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Neurology. The neurologists who did the study say that Tourette's comes in many forms, including variations much milder than the profanity-spewing, limb-jerking characters seen on TV shows like Ally McBeal and LA Law. Doctors say the findings should raise awareness among teachers and doctors that children who are performing poorly in school and who have tics may need medical treatment, and that such treatment could ease school difficulties for these students. "Most people view Tourette's as a very rare, unusual disorder with bizarre symptoms, but it's really very common, usually with mild symptoms," says Roger Kurlan, M.D., a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and lead author of the Neurology paper. ©Copyright University of Rochester Medical Center, 1999-2001.

Keyword: Tourettes
Link ID: 913 - Posted: 11.03.2001

Veterinary officials in Colorado are anxiously trying to curtail an outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal condition that afflicts deer and elk and is related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow" disease. After the alarming finding that elk from an infected farm have been shipped to more than a dozen states, some fear that the disease may spread across the United States. Chronic wasting disease leaves deer and elk listless, emaciated, and eventually dead. The cause is thought to be an aberrant protein called a prion, which may spread through direct contact between animals or through soil contamination with the prion protein. There's no evidence that the condition can spread to humans--like BSE, which can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease--or to cattle (Science, 1 June, p. 1641). However, that possibility has not been excluded. Copyright © 2001 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 912 - Posted: 11.03.2001

DALLAS - Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have begun to reveal the cellular mechanisms critical for restoring brain functions after traumatic injuries - a step that could lead to effective treatments of paralysis and other brain and spinal-cord damage. The study indicated that the injured brain's long-observed restorative powers at least partially derive from generating waves of adult-neural stem cells, or specialized precursors, to develop into critically needed replacement neurons and astrocytes. Neurons, the basic building blocks of the nervous system, and astrocytic cells, which provide metabolic functions between neurons and blood vessels, are crucial to restoring or remodeling damaged brain and spinal-cord tissue. Published in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Research, the study involving adult mice showed that following traumatic brain injury, the brain's stem-cell proliferation continues at a rapid pace and persists over a much longer time than expected, both at the injury site and even in the most-distant areas affected by the injury, said Dr. Steven G. Kernie, assistant professor of pediatrics and lead researcher. © 2000 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion; Regeneration
Link ID: 911 - Posted: 11.03.2001

Choline enters the nutritional limelight Janet Raloff Body and mind both benefit from a dietary supplement called choline. Or so say health and nutrition stores and Web sites. They sell drinks, bars, and capsules with claims they'll enhance physical endurance and mental suppleness. Soon, the grocery store may be studded with banner labels extolling products as good, if not excellent, sources of choline. Eggs, red meat, and a variety of fortified foods will probably be among the first to sport such tags. Yang, Y., ... J.K. Blusztajn, and G.L. Holmes. 2000. Protective effects of prenatal choline supplementation of seizure-induced memory impairment. Journal of Neuroscience 20:RC109(1-6). From Science News, Vol. 160, No. 18, Nov. 3, 2001, p. 282. Copyright ©2001 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 910 - Posted: 11.03.2001

Athletes Should Warm the Bench After a Concussion By Michael Smith , MD WebMD Medical News -- A new study offers important information for athletes and parents of children who play sports. Researchers have found that in the first 24 hours after a concussion, another head injury may mean serious damage down the road. "Clearly, we do not always recognize concussions for what they are: brain injuries," says senior researcher Tracy K. McIntosh, PhD, in a news release. "The damage is not always noticeable either. That is, you do not have to fracture your skull to injure your brain," says McIntosh, a professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. © 2001 WebMD Corporation. All rights reserved. © 1996-2001 WebMD Corporation. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 909 - Posted: 11.03.2001

Studies support potential new approach to treating Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases Novato, CA and Bedford, MA, – Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease may be attenuated through the use of certain drugs, known as synthetic catalytic scavengers of reactive oxygen species (SCSs), that powerfully augment natural anti-oxidant systems, scientists reported in the November 2001 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The report details experiments in which treatment with SCSs rescued a severe neurological phenotype in mice engineered to undergo a specific form of oxidative damage. Treatment with the SCSs also resulted in a dramatic enhancement of lifespan of the mice. The research contained in the report was conducted through a collaboration among scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research (Novato, CA), Eukarion, Inc. (Bedford, MA) and others. The studies utilized mice that lack a form of superoxide dismutase (SOD2), a natural anti-oxidant enzyme found in the mitochondria. The mitochondria essentially serve as the powerplant of the cell, utilizing oxygen and nutrients to generate the energy that is critical to cellular functions. As a byproduct to this key process, known as oxidative metabolism, the mitochondria also produce potentially damaging reactive oxygen species and, hence, the mitochondria's own antioxidant defenses are extremely important.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Parkinsons
Link ID: 908 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Emma Young Migrating birds use changing magnetic fields to tell them when to stop and eat, say Swedish researchers. The team exposed eight caged thrush nightingales to a magnetic field simulating a six-day journey from Sweden to northern Egypt, where wild birds stock up on food prior to crossing the Sahara desert. For a further five days, the birds were kept in "magnetic Egypt". Eight control birds were caged in a lab free from artificial magnetic fields. Both sets of birds had free access to food. Thord Fransson of Stockholm University and his colleagues found the experimental birds increased their eating between days six and 11. Journal reference: Nature (vol 414, p 35) © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Animal Migration
Link ID: 906 - Posted: 11.02.2001

Once, leptin seemed like the ultimate fat-shedding drug: a natural appetite-quelling hormone whose absence causes obesity. Boost someone's blood levels of leptin, obesity researchers suspected, and they'd eat less. A clinical trial nixed that idea when obese people didn't respond to leptin treatment. But a new study shows that that low leptin can lead to chubbiness, suggesting that the hormone might help some people shed pounds. In 1994 scientists discovered that mice missing both copies of their leptin gene develop excessive body fat, extreme hunger, and sterility. Soon afterwards, endocrinologist Stephen O'Rahilly of Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., identified two cousins with defects in both copies of their leptin genes. They produce virtually no leptin and show the hallmarks of mouse leptin deficiency. The childrens' parents weren't grossly obese, even though each carried one defective and one normal copy of the leptin gene. Copyright © 2001 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 903 - Posted: 11.02.2001

By Roger Highfield THE seat of temperance has been located by experiments on men watching X-rated films, revealing a region in the front of the brain that can control our most primitive sexual urges. Researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada discovered the areas of the brain that play this inhibitory role by asking a dozen men to watch clips of erotic movies and films that were sexually neutral. In the Journal of Neuroscience, Mario Beauregard, Johanne Levesque and Pierre Bourgouin report that when the men gave free rein to sexual arousal there was activation of a brain centre called the limbic system, or "emotional brain". © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 2000.

Keyword: Attention; Brain imaging
Link ID: 902 - Posted: 11.02.2001

PHILIP BALL Canaries owe their complex songs to good voice control, according to a new mathematical model. By manipulating the air pressure and muscles in their vocal organ, the syrinx, birds can produce a huge repertoire of sound, Tim Gardner of Rockefeller University in New York and colleagues calculate1. The team hopes that uncovering the mechanics of sound generation in birdsong might help to explain how the animals' singing is linked to brain activity, and thus how birds learn their songs. Male canaries and other birds use song as a mating call - a singer's prowess may advertise his fitness and wow females. 1.Gardner, T., Cecchi, G., Magnasco, M., Laje, R. & Mindlin, G. B. Simple motor gestures for birdsongs. Physical Review Letters, 87, 208101 (2001). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Animal Communication; Language
Link ID: 901 - Posted: 11.02.2001

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new approach to improving the detection and removal of tumors has been developed by scientists at the University of Illinois. Similar in operation to ultrasound, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical technique that allows high-resolution imaging of tissue. The technique works by focusing a beam of near-infrared light (like that used in CD players) into tissue and measuring the intensity and position of the resulting reflections. To make OCT work better, UI researchers have developed injectable contrast agents that will help identify tumors early in their growth. "OCT is a relatively new technology that is just beginning to be used in the clinical setting," said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering. "No doubt there will be many instances where we will need to improve the contrast." In collaboration with UI chemistry professor Ken Suslick, Boppart and his students have developed microspheres that enhance the contrast for OCT. The tiny spheres – filled with air or some other light-scattering media – create a stronger signal than the surrounding tissue.

Keyword: Brain imaging
Link ID: 900 - Posted: 06.24.2010

- Researchers have discovered that a gene previously implicated in a variety of forms of cancer is also a key regulator of neural stem cell proliferation. Understanding how the protein expressed by the gene PTEN promotes the proliferation of neural stem cells could aid efforts to use stem cells in treating neurological disorders. Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Hong Wu and colleagues at the UCLA School of Medicine reported on the regulatory role of Pten in the November 1, 2001, Science Express, the online counterpart of the journal Science. ©2001 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Keyword: Stem Cells
Link ID: 899 - Posted: 11.02.2001

By CHRISTOPHER NEWTON, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - When you're asleep, your mind uses dream time to process information for use when you're awake. Or not. New research papers from sleep scientists, featured in the November issue of Science magazine, reach opposite conclusions. Robert Stickgold, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, produced research he believes provides compelling evidence that the mind works hard at night. "The brain is taking information and helping us put it into a form that we can understand," Stickgold said. "Understanding the complexity of the world is one of our brain's most difficult tasks. It needs more than our hours of awake time to get the job done." Across the divide is Jerome Siegel, a researcher at the Center for Sleep Research of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Siegel's analysis, which looks into dozens of studies done on dreams and learning, found no evidence that the sleeping mind does anything important. © 2001 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Keyword: Sleep; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 898 - Posted: 11.02.2001