TOM CLARKE You'd have thought that of all creatures, the octopus would keep track of what its arms are up to. But an octopus' arms, it turns out, often function completely independently of its brain. The finding solves the biological conundrum of how the octopus coordinates and controls its eight super-supple arms. Understanding this could help engineers design better robots. 1.Sumbre, G., Gutfreund, Y., Fiorito, G., Flash, T. & Hochner, B.Control of Octopus Arm Extension by a Peripheral Motor Program. Science, 293, 1845 - 1848, (2001). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 554 - Posted: 10.20.2001

TheScientificWorld © Copyright 2001. The Scientist 15[17]:15, Sep. 3, 2001. Used by permission. By Laura DeFrancesco Organisms need to sense their environment. By sensing, they can develop, heal wounds, protect against invaders, and create blood vessels. Chemotaxis, or directional sensing, allows cells to detect chemicals with exquisite sensitivity. Some chemotactic cells can sense chemical gradients that differ by only a few percent from a cell's front to its back. Although discovery of the molecule types involved in chemotaxis, as with other kinds of cell signaling events, has mounted, the details of how this dynamic process works is somewhat shrouded in mystery. But in the last few years, researchers have applied sophisticated imaging technologies to dissect this process, and now the details are coming to light.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 550 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Stare at some sights long enough, and you'll continue to see an afterimage even after you've looked away. Now vision scientists report that the brain can see afterimages of things that weren't even there in the first place, but were created by optical illusions. The cerebral cortex is responsible for the trick. Afterimages come in two basic types: those formed on the eye's retina and those conjured up in the brain. For example, a bright light can bleach pigments in the retina and cause the retina's neurons to adapt; these effects linger after the light disappears, creating an afterimage. But most other aftereffects, such as continuing to hear a sound when it has ceased or seeing color-based patterns after looking away, are formed in the brain's cerebral cortex. Copyright © 2001 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Vision
Link ID: 548 - Posted: 10.20.2001

JOHN WHITFIELD Babies exposed to sign language make babbling gestures - even if they can hear perfectly. The hand-waving mirrors the first vocal efforts of babies exposed to speech. It suggests that children are sensitive to the rhythms underlying all language, regardless of whether it its expressed with the hands or the mouth. Video analysis reveals that hand babbling has a slower rhythm than 'normal' baby gestures, and is made in the 'sign space' in front of the body. 1.Petitto, L.A.. et al. Language rhythms in baby hand movements . Nature, 413, 35 - 36, (2001). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Language; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 546 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Alison Motluk and Duncan Graham-Rowe People destined to suffer the misery of memory loss and senility could learn their fate in advance, thanks to a new technique involving brain scanning. But with no tried and tested cure yet available, would anyone really want to know? There are also fears the results could be used by employers or insurance companies to discriminate against people affected. At the moment, most neurological diseases cannot be diagnosed until behavioural problems start. But Mony de Leon of the New York University School of Medicine and his colleagues have found that several years before the symptoms of Alzheimer's set in, part of the brain starts using less fuel. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Alzheimers; Brain imaging
Link ID: 544 - Posted: 10.20.2001

by Jane Salodof MacNeil Repligen Corporation recently announced progress in developing a drug for children with autism. With no other drugs on the market, Repligen could reap enormous rewards - if it succeeds. On June 18, a biotechnology company in Needham, Massachusetts, announced progress in developing a drug for children with autism, a developmental disorder for which there is no drug or even a known cause. Ordinarily, talk of new treatments mobilizes desperate parents and investigators committed to helping these children. Repligen Corporation's statement on secretin generated more surprise than hosannas, as it was thought that both the company and the drug had already had their day in the sun. © Elsevier Science Limited 2000

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 543 - Posted: 10.20.2001

by Cindy Seiwert Pain - like few other things - unites all humans. We all suffer from it, at least now and then, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, or sexual orientation. Nevertheless, all of us experience pain in solitude, and communicating the actual experience is notoriously difficult. What one person considers a simple touch might be felt as painful by another. Pain can even be felt in parts of the body that no longer exist, as is clear from the perception of aches in phantom limbs, which are "invisible" limbs that often appear following amputation. According to The Pain Web, over 1,200 online sites - containing over 3 million pages - address the topic of pain. Consequently, this WebScan just scratches the surface of available resources. © Elsevier Science Limited 2000

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 542 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Panel says doctors must do more to relieve pain in children
By MAURA KELLY, Associated Press CHICAGO - Infants usually cry when they get circumcised. Children often wince and whimper when they get shots. Some young cancer patients dread giving blood samples. Children feel pain as much as adults, and doctors should do more to relieve their pain from injuries, illnesses and medical procedures, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pain Society declared Tuesday in a new joint policy statement. "Children are needlessly suffering," said Dr. Michael Ashburn, APS president and director of pain programs at the University of Utah. "Poorly treated pain following a procedure can lead to prolonged healing and make children at a higher risk for adverse side affects." Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 539 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Teen Brain Theory - They Have None
Recently scientists concluded a study of brain images of teenagers, finding that adolescents' brains react differently, including the prefrontal cortex, the area critical to judgement, reason, self-control and planning. ©Wethersfield Post 2001

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 538 - Posted: 10.20.2001

by Apoorva Mandavilli, BioMedNet News
Linking head size to disease may smack of ancient phrenology and quack science but there is increasing evidence that head size is a risk factor in neurologic disease, scientists say. Among people who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease (AD), for example, smaller head size carries a significantly higher risk of the disease, claim researchers at the University of South Florida (USF). Scientists have previously shown in independent studies that head size and the E4 allele of the apolipoprotein (Apo) E gene are both risk factors for AD, but the results remain controversial. © Elsevier Science Limited 2000

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 537 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Early trials suggest cannabis spritz may give relief to chronic pain sufferers. ERICA KLARREICH A spray that delivers the active ingredient of cannabis under the tongue may ease chronic pain, preliminary clinical trials suggest. Of the 23 patients who participated in the controlled study, only a few failed to respond to the spray, William Nortcutt of James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, UK told the British Association for the Advancement of Science's Annual Festival of Science on Monday. Seventeen have gone on to use the drug to treat their pain in the long term, he said. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 535 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Cutting calories quickly alters genes. HELEN PEARSON It's never too late to diet. Cutting calories for only a few weeks late in life causes anti-aging changes in mouse genes. Even those averse to weight watching might have their cake and eat it if researchers can find drugs that mimic dieting's effects. Cutting calories is known to increase lifespan and reduce age-related disease in experimental mammals. Stephen Spindler and colleagues of the University of California, Riverside probed how gene activity changes when an elderly mouse diets. 1.Cao, S.X., Dhahbi, J.M., Mote, P.L., & Spindler, S.R.Genomic profiling of short and long-term caloric restriction effects in the liver of aging mice. Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, 98, 10630 - 10635, (2001). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Obesity; Alzheimers
Link ID: 534 - Posted: 10.20.2001

team advancing fight against Alzheimer's
By Marcia Mattson Times-Union staff writer Jacksonville researchers are working toward a cure for Alzheimer's disease with their creation of mice that develop both hallmarks of the human disease -- protein deposits called plaque outside the brain's nerve cells and stringy protein formations called tangles inside the cells. The Aug. 24 issue of Science features an article on the groundbreaking work by a team of Mayo Clinic Jacksonville researchers, including Michael Hutton, Dennis Dickson, Jada Lewis, Shu-Hui Yen and Eileen McGowan. Hutton, a neurobiologist who led the team, now figures a human treatment will be available in three to five years. © The Florida Times-Union

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 532 - Posted: 10.20.2001

A simple test could indicate how big your frontal lobes are By Eric Haseltine Terms like "Highbrow" and "Egghead" suggest that the larger one's forehead, the greater one's intellect. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this notion gained considerable popularity among prominent figures such as Franz-Joseph Gall and Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle via a pseudo-science called Phrenology. Phrenologists claimed to be able to predict an individual's personality and cognitive abilities by assessing the size and shape of their skull, which in turn presumably reflected the size and shape of their underlying brain. © Copyright 2001 The Walt Disney Company.

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 529 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Researchers get first glimpse at disease-causing prions
The Associated Press Researchers have captured the first images of a type of human protein called prions, which pair up in a way that may lead to "mad cow" and other diseases. The proteins are molecules that scientists had thought normally exist alone. Pictures taken by Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University scientists show a pair of prions linked. Several research teams worldwide have been trying to figure out how normal, harmless prions change into the deadly mad cow variety, which destroys brain tissue, and how they accumulate in clumps. The prion-to-prion link, which the Cleveland researchers pictured, may be an intermediate step in the processes. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 526 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Intimidation tactics may have led to speech
James Randerson Men attempting to show off to their rivals in prehistoric times may have led to the evolution of speech. The human voice box or larynx was thought to be unique, but now researchers have found two species of deer with "dropped larynxes" similar to those of humans. For the deer at least, it's all about the advantages of having a deep voice. A newborn baby's larynx resembles that of other mammals. It pokes up into the nasal passage like a snorkel, so babies can drink and breathe at the same time. But at three months old, the larynx descends, opening up a cavity behind the tongue. Journal reference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B (vol 268, p 1669)

Keyword: Language; Evolution
Link ID: 524 - Posted: 10.20.2001

HELEN PEARSON
"It has a touch of science fiction," admit the scientists who have wired up the first conducting nerve chip. The electronic circuit, grown from silicon and nerve cells, brings brain-repair chips, advanced biosensors and biological computers a small step towards reality. Peter Fromherz and Gunther Zeck of the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich placed snail nerve cells on a silicon chip, fencing them in place with microscopic plastic pegs. Neighbouring cells grew connections with each other and with the chip1.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 523 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Emory University researchers have demonstrated that several regions of the adult rat brain have the capacity to acquire new neurons following the introduction of a growth factor into the brain's lateral ventricle, located in the depths of the cerebral cortex. The study is the first to show the presence of numerous new neurons in certain regions of the brain where they previously have not been found, and suggests that the adult brain may be able to replace neurons lost due to injury or disease. The results were published in the September 1 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The research team, headed by Emory Professor of Cell Biology Marla Luskin, Ph.D., also included Emory cell biology fellow Viorica Pencea, M.D., Kimberly Bingaman, M.D. and Stanley Wiegand, Ph.D., of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Trophic Factors
Link ID: 520 - Posted: 10.20.2001

In-the-mouth electrodes give blind people a feel for vision
Peter Weiss
Blind since birth, Marie-Laure Martin had always thought that candle flames were big balls of fire. The 39-year-old woman couldn't see the flames themselves, but she could sense the candle's aura of heat. Last October, she saw a candle flame for the first time. She was stunned by how small it actually was and how it danced. There's a second marvel here: She saw it all with her tongue. The tongue, an organ of taste and touch, may seem like an unlikely substitute for the eyes. After all, it's usually hidden inside the mouth, insensitive to light, and not connected to optic nerves. However, a growing body of research indicates that the tongue may in fact be the second-best place on the body for receiving visual information from the world and transmitting it to the brain. From Science News, Vol. 160, No. 9, Sept. 1, 2001, p. 140. Copyright ©2001 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Vision; Pain & Touch
Link ID: 519 - Posted: 10.20.2001

By Jennifer Huget, Special to The Washington Post
A funny thing happened to me on April 2, kind of a belated April Fool's joke: My neurologist told me I had multiple sclerosis. For weeks I had found myself fervently praying that I had Lyme disease, whose symptoms sometimes mimic those of MS. No such luck. An MRI scan, a spinal tap and blood tests, none of them individually conclusive, together pointed to the fact that my body had decided to start attacking itself. Apparently thinking they are doing the right thing, certain misguided cells have taken it upon themselves to destroy the fatty myelin sheath that coats the nerve cells in my brain, leaving scars that prevent the nerves from doing their jobs. Why, I wonder, couldn't they attack the fatty cells in my thighs instead? © 2001 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis
Link ID: 517 - Posted: 10.20.2001