Teaching Old Pains New Tricks Links with Learning And Memory Provide Clues Why Pain Persists
Some people just learn about pain all too well. That's the growing notion among neuroscientists and anesthesiologists, who are finding evidence that chronic, persistent pain, including the phantom pain experienced by many amputees and people with spinal cord injuries, is learned, much like our own memories. Such pain is very real and oftentimes severe. Approximately 60 percent of patients with spinal cord injuries suffer phantom pain - though they have no sensation or ability to move their arms or legs, they still feel pain from those limbs. Within weeks or months of the initial injury, more patients than not report tingling, pins-and-needles pain, and burning and stabbing pain that may never go away. The same can be true with other profound injuries, such as bullet or stab wounds, or from conditions like cancer, diabetes or arthritis. ©Copyright University of Rochester Medical Center, 1999-2001.

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 381 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Races' face discrimination The brain lights up in race recognition.
HELEN PEARSON Recognizing a face is easier when its owner's race matches our own. An imaging study now shows that greater activity in the brain's expert face-discrimination area may explain this phenomenon - one of the first times that a social group's effects on behaviour have been pinned on a brain centre. "We were able to pinpoint where and when race matters at a neural level," says Jennifer Eberhardt of Stanford University, California. She and her colleagues recorded activity in the fusiform face area (FFA) of the brain as African- or European-Americans studied pictures of faces from different races. The FFA was more active when either group was learning and recognizing faces of the same race, they found1. References 1.Golby, A. J., Gabrieli, J. D. E., Chiao, J. Y. & Eberhardt, J. L. Differential responses in the fusiform region to same-race and other-race faces. Nature Neuroscience, 4, 845 - 850, (2001). 2.Gauthier, I., Skudlarski, P., Gore, J. C., & Anderson, A. W. Expertise for cars and birds recruits brain areas involved in face recognition. Nature Neuroscience, 3, 191 - 197, (2000). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2001

Keyword: Learning & Memory; Brain imaging
Link ID: 380 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, working with yeast, have made the startling finding that the presence of one prion protein can spark the formation of other unrelated prions similar to the protein thought to cause "mad cow" and other diseases of mammals and man. The researchers also devised a screening test that can be used to pinpoint unidentified prions, making it the first such genetic assay for these mysterious biological agents. The findings are reported in the July 27 issue of the journal Cell by UIC biology professor Susan Liebman and three co-workers. A prion, the causative agent of "mad cow" disease and human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is an improperly folded protein molecule that clumps together and corrupts other, healthy molecules of the same protein to do likewise, in domino fashion.

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 379 - Posted: 10.20.2001

For peppers, ‘hot' quite literally the spice of life
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- It adds the fire to chili and the hot to salsa, but what does the zing do for the pepper? As it turns out, quite a lot. Working with the ancestor of most varieties of chili pepper plants, a University of Florida researcher has shown that the plant relies on its spiciness to ensure the very survival of its species. In an article set to appear in Nature on Thursday, Josh Tewksbury, a UF postdoctoral researcher in zoology, and co-author Gary Nabhan, an ethnobotanist at Northern Arizona University, conclude that mammals, sensitive to the chemical that makes peppers taste hot, avoid the Capsicum annuum pepper. Birds, however, are unaffected by the chemical, known as capsaicin, and they happily eat the peppers. This is essential for the plant, since birds release the seeds in their droppings ready to germinate -- whereas if mammals ate the seeds, they would crunch them up or render them infertile, the researchers report.

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Evolution
Link ID: 378 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Poor reading skills have both physical, environmental causes
Reading problems in young children may be influenced by a combination of both neurological and environmental factors, according to a new study. "Children may fail to develop adequate reading skills because of their environment, abnormal brain structure, or both," says lead study author Mark A. Eckert, Ph.D., of the McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida. The researchers found that reading skill and verbal ability were predicted by asymmetry of the temporal plane, a brain area that processes auditory information. Poorly performing children had more symmetrical temporal planes, compared with a left-weighted asymmetry which is more commonly seen.

Keyword: Dyslexia; Laterality
Link ID: 377 - Posted: 10.20.2001

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has launched a new study of women ages 21 to 45 who are suffering from major depression to find out whether low bone mass is related to depression or stress hormones, such as cortisol. During a 12-month period, researchers will monitor bone loss and the effects of depression and stress on physical health. The trial involves 6 visits to NIMH, where participants will receive a psychological evaluation, a bone mineral density test, and measurements of stress hormones. In a review of published research, NIMH-funded scientists report a strong association between depression and osteoporosis. The literature suggests that depression may be a significant risk factor for osteoporosis, a progressive decrease in bone density that makes bones fragile and more likely to break. Low bone mineral density (BMD), a major risk factor for fracture, is more common in depressed people than in the general population.

Keyword: Depression; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 373 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Manipulating A Single Gene Dramatically Improves Regeneration in Adult Neurons:
Finding May Lead to New Approaches for Treating Brain and Spinal Cord Damage Overview Increasing the expression of a single gene that is important during development dramatically improves the ability of adult neurons to regenerate, a new study shows. The finding suggests that intrinsic properties of neurons play an important role in controlling neuronal regeneration and may lead to new approaches for treating damage from stroke, spinal cord injury, and other neurological conditions. The study examined how genetically engineering adult neurons to produce larger amounts of a type of protein called integrin affects nerve fiber growth. This approach is one of the first to examine "the critical missing half of the regeneration equation: the properties of adult neurons, rather than the environment of the adult brain," says study investigator Maureen L. Condic, Ph.D., of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. The work was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and will appear in the July 1, 2001, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.1

Keyword: Regeneration; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 372 - Posted: 10.20.2001

New Tool Allows Early Prediction of Patient's Stroke Outcome
Overview Scientists have developed a new tool that may help physicians predict, during the first several hours a stroke patient is in the hospital, the degree of recovery the patient will eventually experience. The tool uses three factors for the accurate prediction of stroke outcome: measurement of brain injury using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); the patient's score on the NIH stroke scale; and the time in hours from the onset of symptoms until the MRI brain scan is performed. Baird, A.E., Dambrosia, J., Janket, S., Eichbaum, Q., Chaves, C., Silver, B., Barber, P.A., Parsons, M., Darby, D., Davis, S., Caplan, L.R., Edelman, R.R., Warach, S. "A Three-Item Scale for the Early Prediction of Stroke Recovery." Lancet, June 30, 2001, Vol. 357, No. 9274, pp. 2095-2099.

Keyword: Stroke; Regeneration
Link ID: 371 - Posted: 10.20.2001

May lead to improved treatment for spinal cord injury In a series of animal experiments, scientists show for the first time that damage to the central nervous system causes the body to mount an immune reaction against itself that actually protects neurons from further damage. The findings may lead to a vaccine to improve functional recovery following spinal cord injury. The findings also challenge accepted dogma that immune activity in the central nervous system is harmful, and that immune response against the body's own tissue, known as an autoimmune response, is destructive. "We show that this autoimmune response can help the individual to cope with stress caused by the injury," says lead author Michal Schwartz, PhD, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. The study, funded in part by Proneuron, Ltd., an Israeli biotechnology company, appears in the June 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Schwartz has an equity position in Proneuron.

Keyword: Regeneration
Link ID: 370 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Taste Detectors
For years, the molecular underpinnings of taste have been elusive. But now several studies are helping shed new light on this sense. Most recently, researchers uncovered evidence of certain proteins that recognize some of the flavor-producing chemicals in food and launch the taste signals that head to the brain for interpretation. The research is helping scientists understand how the brain interprets taste signals and may lead to methods that can enhance or block flavors of foods, beverages and medications.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 369 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Violent Brains
Clearly, many factors lead a person to commit a violent act. Researchers are now finding out how biology may enter into the equation. Accumulating studies on animals and humans, for one, suggest that certain brain regions may sometimes contribute to violent behavior. The research is providing new insights into the biology behind violence and may lead to new ways to control it.

Keyword: Aggression
Link ID: 368 - Posted: 10.20.2001

For years, researchers have successfully battled disease-breeding germs by using vaccines to pump up defending troops of antibody proteins in the body. Researchers now hope to spread some of the wealth. An increasing amount of new evidence, culled from animal work, indicates that antibody strategies can attack and bind up or destroy targeted drugs such as cocaine, PCP, methamphetamine and the nicotine in cigarettes. The techniques may provide new medicines to help keep abusers off drugs as well as treat an overdose.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 367 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Parental Care and The Brain
Many researchers have suspected that infants must benefit from the close physical attention of their caregivers, but the extent and nature of the benefit was unclear. Now an increasing amount of biological research on animals is determining that while a number of factors are vital for proper brain development, physical attention appears to play a role in maintaing brain chemistry, brain architecture and possibly some mental functioning. Researchers hope that the insights will lead to new strategies that can boost the effects of human parenting in normal situations, as well as treat neglected children.

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 366 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Dyslexia and Language Brain Areas
The learning disability dyslexia, which centers on difficulties in reading, once stumped scientists. Since dyslexics often have good intelligence and even may be gifted in some areas, it was thought that a little motivation could get them on the right track. Now researchers not only know that dyslexia is born of biology, but they also are getting closer to confirming the key brain areas that are affected. New insights will help pinpoint therapies and improve treatment.

Keyword: Dyslexia
Link ID: 365 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Alzheimer's Disease and Plaques
For years researchers have known that the brains of those with the memory-robbing disorder, Alzheimer's disease, are mottled with deposits or plaques, which are formed mainly of a fiber-like substance termed amyloid. While the plaques clearly are a sign of the disease, their exact role has been unclear. Some scientists believe that the deposits are merely the consequence of other, more important factors. Other researchers believe that the plaques are central to the disease. Now new research efforts that are finding ways to reduce the burden of amyloid plaques in the brain may clarify the role plaques and, more importantly, may lead to ways to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 364 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Narcolepsy
The incurable sleep disorder, narcolepsy, has long mystified scientists. But recently, several discoveries culled from animal research indicate that molecular brain malfunctions may participate in the development of the ailment. The new insights are focusing the search for targeted human treatments for narcolepsy as well as other types of sleeping problems. Dramatically drowsy during calculus class? Maybe it's the monotone teacher, an overdose of David Letterman or, perhaps, narcolepsy. This brain disorder, which afflicts an estimated 200,000 Americans, is marked by an uncontrollable, overwhelming desire to sleep during the day. The attacks can occur at any time, even in the middle of a conversation about yesterday's homework.

Keyword: Narcolepsy
Link ID: 363 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Brain-development timeline for mammalian species
ITHACA, N.Y. -- A team of Cornell University neurobiologists has modeled key milestones in brain development across nine mammalian species, from hamsters to humans. They have, for example, pinpointed the date after conception when the cells that make up the retina of the eye are formed. The neurobiologists found pretty much what they expected -- an evolutionarily conserved pattern of sequence and timing. But they also found a few curious exceptions, such as the discovery that the human brain is relatively developed at birth. Knowing precisely how development in rodent brains can be translated to other species, the researchers hope, might reduce the number of higher animals required for research and should make transgenic mice an even more valuable animal model in biomedical research. And because brain (neural) development milestones are remarkably consistent in mammals, the researchers' mathematical model is able to fill in the blanks in one species, Homo sapiens , where experimentation is unthinkable.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 361 - Posted: 10.20.2001

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The birth control pill can have significant adverse effects on sexuality and mood in some women, increasing the likelihood of early discontinuation, according to a study by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University. Results of the study will be reported in the July issue of the journal Contraception. Stephanie Sanders, associate director of the Kinsey Institute and an IU faculty member in gender studies, directed the study of 80 women. The research team included John Bancroft and Jennifer Bass of the Kinsey Institute and Cynthia Graham of the IU Department of Psychology.

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 360 - Posted: 10.20.2001

The Stammering Brain
For the first time, researchers have spotted unique features of the brain anatomy of stutterers. The findings could help predict who is at risk for stuttering and perhaps lead to treatments based on the particular features of a stutterer's brain. A team led by neurologist Anne Foundas at Tulane University Health Science Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the volume of speech-related brain regions in 13 men and three women who had stuttered since childhood, and in a control group of 16 nonstutterers. The controls were matched for sex (male stutterers outnumber females 4 to 1) and handedness (stutterers are about twice as likely to be lefties), as well as age and education. The researchers then compared two brain areas associated with speech and language--Broca's area in the front of the brain, and parts of Wernicke's area in the back. --ALKA AGRAWAL Copyright © 2001 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 359 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Early Success Seen With 2nd Type of Stem Cell
By NICHOLAS WADE A second kind of human embryonic stem cell appears to have demonstrated promise in repairing damaged tissues by helping paralyzed mice regain some powers of movement. Dr. John D. Gearhart, a biologist at Johns Hopkins University, said the mice, whose spinal nerve cells had been destroyed by a virus, managed to move again, though not perfectly, after receiving injections of human embryonic cells. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Stem Cells
Link ID: 358 - Posted: 10.20.2001