Premature babies are much more likely to become hyperactive children than full-term infants, research suggests. Danish researchers found babies born at between 34 and 36 weeks were 70% more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Those born at less than 34 weeks were three times more likely to have ADHD. The study of 30,000 children in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood also found an increased incidence of ADHD in children with a low birth weight. Previous small studies have shown a link between prematurity and increased risk of ADHD but have only looked at babies born very prematurely - at less than 28 weeks gestation. Researchers used data from Danish national registers to compare the risk of ADHD or the related hyperkinetic disorder and preterm birth in 834 children with the conditions and 20,100 controls. Babies born at term but weighing between 3lb 3oz and 5lb 5oz (1.5kg to 2.5kg) at birth were 90% more likely to develop hyperactivity disorder and ADHD than those of normal weight. A birth weight of 5lb 6oz to 6lb 6oz was associated with a 50% increased risk. Around 90% of the children with hyperkinetic disorder or ADHD were boys. Writing in the journal, Dr Karen Linnet said: "Previous research shows that children born below 28 weeks have an increased risk of ADHD. However, most preterm children are born with higher gestational ages of 28 to 36 weeks. This large population-based study showed that preterm delivery near term and proxy measures of intrauterine growth in children born at or above term increase the risk of hyperkinetic disorder." Charlotte Davies, spokesperson for baby charity Tommy's, said: "Although the correlation between babies who are born prematurely and the increased risk of developing learning difficulties and behavioural problems is well-documented, this study is of particular significance because it has massive implications for the UK. (C)BBC

Keyword: ADHD; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 9006 - Posted: 06.05.2006

Review by ELIZABETH MARSHALL THOMAS Amy Sutherland's title will draw the eyes of animal lovers. We have been kicked, bitten and scratched by the animals who fascinate us, but our interest does not flag, nor do we hold our injuries against those who inflicted them. Far from it — we are eager for more. Sutherland writes of those who are kicked, bitten and scratched under circumstances that many of us might dream of —as students of the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (EATM) at Moorpark College in Ventura County, Calif. EATM produces specialists who train animals for television and film and hold jobs at aquariums and zoos. Thousands of young people, especially women (who make up an overwhelming majority of students at EATM), long for such careers and wonder how to achieve them. Some will be applying to Moorpark before they finish Sutherland's last chapter. Before they send the application, though, they should read this account of a year at EATM through to the end. Not only do aspiring trainers risk being injured or even killed by animals. They also have to pull the heads off pigeons and put rats in gas chambers — not nice at all, especially for an animal lover, but the captive raptors and reptiles eat the rats and pigeons, and someone has to kill them first. Furthermore, EATM is like boot camp. Roll call is at 6:30 a.m., and students are penalized for every minute they are late. They must clean cages and shovel dung as well as maintain good grades in an academic program. Students must also adhere to a dress code and, if so ordered, let a mandrill pinch them as a safe way of venting his rage. Many will not be able to maintain the pace or tolerate the strict atmosphere and will drop out or be kicked out. But those who complete the program will be ready for meaningful, important jobs. They will not make much money but they will be doing what they love — working with animals. Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 9005 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Clear summer skies may cloud our thoughts of air pollution. But however clear the day might be, pollution from cars, trucks and the burning of fossil fuels still abounds. And it doesn't just affect those of us who breathe it. A new study suggests that those who can't breathe yet are also at risk. "Children who had had more exposure in the womb to these combustion-related air pollutants scored significantly lower on the tests for mental development, and were more than twice, almost three times as likely to be developmentally delayed compared to the less exposed children," says environmental health scientist and molecular epidemiologist Frederica Perera. Her research team tested the mental development of 183 New York City kids at ages one, two and three. Their mothers wore air monitors during the final month of pregnancy to measure their exposure to pollutants. "The pollutants we're looking at are extremely widespread, really everywhere, not only in the urban areas but, in the suburban areas as well," she says. "We generate a lot of these pollutants locally, right here out on our streets and highways, we also have pollution from smoke stacks and power plants." © ScienCentral, 2000-2006.

Keyword: Neurotoxins; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 9004 - Posted: 06.24.2010

WASHINGTON -- As part of the effort to develop effective behavioral and medical sleep therapies, scientists consider the potential for dependence and abuse associated with prescription sleep drugs. This line of research has produced findings showing [news] that a recently approved prescription sleep drug may spare users the potential for dependence and abuse found with other sleep aids. Laboratory studies of the effects of ramelteon suggest that the drug's targeting of the brain's melatonin receptors rather than its benzodiazepine receptors make its subjective side effects different from those of old and new sedative hypnotics. The research is reported in the June issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). At the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, pharmacology researchers led by Charles P. France, PhD, assessed whether ramelteon instigated the same kinds of broad cognitive effects as other, more commonly prescribed sleep aids. That other group includes traditional hypnotics and newer drugs such as zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien), all of which bind to the brain's benzodiazepine receptors and may result in impaired thinking, hangover, withdrawal symptoms and rebound insomnia. Laboratory tests and clinical studies also show that even low-dose benzodiazepines, especially in long-term use, create the potential for dependence and abuse. Says Dr. France, "Although medication might not always be indicated for insomnia, when they are prescribed, it is essential to limit the adverse side effects as much as possible."

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 9003 - Posted: 06.05.2006

A cannabis plant extract provides pain relief for patients after major surgery, research has shown. An Imperial College London team tested the extract - Cannador - on 65 patients after surgery such as knee replacements and found it helped manage pain. The researchers believe the results could lead to new pain relief drugs, even though the chance of side effects increased with stronger doses. The research appears in the US journal Anesthesiology. Lead researcher Dr Anita Holdcroft said: "Pain after surgery continues to be a problem because many of the commonly used drugs are either ineffective or have too many side effects. "These results show that cannabinoids are effective and may lead to the development of a wider range of drugs to manage post-operative pain." The researchers tested Cannador in different doses on 65 patients who had previously undergone surgery. While all 11 patients who received a 5mg dose of the drug requested additional pain relief, only 15 of the 30 who received the 10mg dose and 6 of the 24 on the 15mg dose did so. However as the dose increased some patients reported increased side effects such as nausea and increased heart rate. Professor Mervyn Maze from Imperial College London, who also worked on the study, said: "We thought cannabis might be beneficial in helping manage pain following surgery, as previous research indicated cannabinoids help 'top up' the body's natural system for reducing pain sensation. "This research proves it can be effective, with minimal side effects at low doses." GW Pharmaceuticals, a Salisbury-based firm, is developing cannabis-based medicines under licence from the UK government. (C)BBC

Keyword: Parkinsons; Drug Abuse
Link ID: 9002 - Posted: 06.03.2006

By Katherine Unger We all know that sinking feeling that comes when we just can't remember someone who clearly recognizes us. So imagine how uncomfortable life might be for a person incapable of recognizing anyone--even a close friend or relative--by face alone. Preliminary results from a recent survey suggest that up to 2% of the general population may be afflicted by this condition, known as prosopagnosia or face blindness. Developmental prosopagnosia, in which an individual has face blindness apparently from birth, was thought to be extremely rare. The first case, in fact, wasn't diagnosed until 1976. But cognitive neuroscientists Bradley Duchaine of University College London and Ken Nakayama of Harvard University say the condition may be far more common than believed. Duchaine and Nakayama decided to use the Internet to measure the prevalence of the condition. They recruited individuals for a barrage of psychological tests, including an online facial recognition survey. Some 1600 participants were first given a relatively easy task. They were "introduced" to an individual's face with pictures flashed on screen for 3 seconds, then presented with three additional photos--one of the prior person and two of other people--and asked to choose the person they had seen before. More difficult tests followed, in which participants were introduced to more faces and then presented with pictures of the same individuals but in different poses in different lighting. © 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 9001 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Claire Ainsworth A simple vitamin supplement in a pregnant mouse's diet can make her offspring fatter, according to research presented on 1 June at the Human Genome Organisation meeting in Helsinki, Finland. The effect is thought to be due to chemical changes made to the mother's DNA, which can be passed down the generations. The study adds to the debate over whether it's a good idea for expectant mothers to up their dietary intake of folic acid, a common supplement used to help lower the incidence of spina bifida. Rob Waterland and his team at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas studied the effects of certain compounds in food, including folic acid and vitamin B12. These compounds are known to add chemical constituents called methyl groups to DNA, which affects the activity of genes: part of a phenomenon called 'epigenetics'. Other researchers had already shown that adding methyl donors to a female mouse's diet can influence gene activity in her pups. In mice with a mutation in a coat-colour gene called agouti (the mutation is called agouti variable yellow, or Avy), supplementing the diet of pregnant females turns their pup's coats from yellow to brown. Waterland's team later showed that the supplements did this by methylating a bit of DNA that regulates the agouti gene, which effectively turns off the abnormal gene activity caused by the mutation. ©2006 Nature Publishing Group

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 9000 - Posted: 06.24.2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Theories about what causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, are many and varied, with experts speculating on a wide range of probable causes – genetics, environmental pollutants, food allergies and challenging home environments. In his new book, “What Causes ADHD? Understanding What Goes Wrong and Why,” Michigan State University psychologist Joel Nigg brings together the most recent neuropsychological research in an attempt to answer this challenging question. “Essentially there are multiple causes,” said Nigg. “Some we already know of, others have been suggested and disproved, still others deserve more study.” Nigg, an associate professor of psychology, said that while his book was written mainly for professionals and is a bit technical in places, parents longing for more ADHD information may find it useful, too. “It’s the kind of book that if you want to look something up, it has a specific section on those topics that we know about, such as television watching, diet and so on,” he said. © 2006 Michigan State University Division of University Relations

Keyword: ADHD
Link ID: 8999 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Andy Coghlan Experiments on non-human primates are the only option for some areas of medicine, according to a report published by the UK’s Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust on Friday. The report lists medical advances that they claim would have been impossible without experiments on monkeys. The publication of the report looks set to aggravate a bitter propaganda war between pro- and anti-vivisectionists trying to win public support on the issue of primate experiments. On Monday, a report is expected to be launched by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection calling for a complete ban on monkey experiments in the UK on moral as well as scientific grounds. At the heart of the debate is a controversial animal testing laboratory under construction at the University of Oxford, which will be used to investigate neurological diseases through experiments on monkeys. It has been the focus of ongoing protests by animal rights campaigners and more recently by pro-vivisection groups such as ProTest. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Wellcome Trust director Mark Walport told journalists: “No one likes doing primate experiments, but some research can only be done on monkeys.” © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Animal Rights
Link ID: 8998 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ELECTRICITY has long been used to treat medical disorders. As early as the second century AD, Galen, a Greek physician, recommended the use of electric eels for treating headaches and facial pain. In the 1930s Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini, two Italian psychiatrists, used electroconvulsive therapy to treat schizophrenia. These days, such rigorous techniques are practised less widely. But researchers are still investigating how a gentler electric therapy appears to treat depression. Vagus-nerve stimulation, to give it its proper name, was originally developed to treat severe epilepsy. It requires a pacemaker-like device to be implanted in a patient's chest and wires from it threaded up to the vagus nerve on the left side of his neck. In the normal course of events, this provides an electrical pulse to the vagus nerve for 30 seconds every five minutes. This treatment does not always work, but in some cases where it failed (the number of epileptic seizures experienced by a patient remaining the same), that patient nevertheless reported feeling much better after receiving the implant. This secondary effect led to trials for treating depression and, in 2005, America's Food and Drug Administration approved the therapy for depression that fails to respond to all conventional treatments, including drugs and psychotherapy. Not only does the treatment work, but its effects appear to be long lasting. A study led by Charles Conway of Saint Louis University in Missouri, and presented to a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, has found that 70% of patients who are better after one year stay better after two years as well. © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2006.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 8997 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Early detection of autism is critical for early intervention, yet autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are typically not diagnosed until after three years of age. However, a study published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found differences between typically developing children and those with ASD are detectable by two years of age. Because there are currently no medical diagnostic tests for autism, identifying developmental disruptions in infants and very young children with ASD may allow for earlier detection and critical intervention. The study examined development in 87 infants at 6, 14 and 24 months of age using a standardized development test. Based on data and clinical judgment at 24 months, participants were classified as: unaffected, language delayed (LD) or ASD. Researchers compared development across groups at the three target ages and observed statistically significant differences between the ASD group and the unaffected group at 14 months. By 24 months, significant differences were detectable between the ASD group and both the unaffected and LD groups. This study and previous research studies conducted by Dr. Landa found that developmental red flags for parents and physicians to watch for include: poor eye contact; reduced responsive smiling; diminished babbling; reduced social responsivity; and difficulty with language development, play and initiating or sustaining social interaction.

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 8996 - Posted: 06.03.2006

By Katherine Unger The proteins that, when mangled, cause "Mad Cow" and similar diseases also help regulate how yeast cells metabolize metals, biochemists report. Exposure to high levels of metals can coax proteins called prions to adopt an abnormal disease-causing conformation, the researchers found. That could explain why outbreaks of prion diseases have popped up in Iceland, Slovakia, and Colorado--regions with soils high in manganese. Mad Cow disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans are all deadly and transmissible conditions in which the brain degenerates. All seemed to be caused by prion proteins that have changed shape so that enzymes can no longer break them down. This altered conformation is widely thought to be responsible for the diseases, because the tangled and essentially indestructible proteins collect in brain tissue (ScienceNOW, July 29 2004). Studies have shown that some metals bind to prion proteins, leading some scientists to wonder whether metals are involved in the shape shift. Now, biochemist Gerd Multhaup of the Free University of Berlin and colleagues have shown that prions alter metal metabolism in yeast. As a first step, they took a species of yeast that does not normally make prions and added prions that don't cause disease. Copper levels increased 1.6-fold inside these cells while manganese decreased by half compared to yeast without prion proteins, the researchers report in a paper to be published 13 June in Biochemistry. The researchers then added copper or manganese to the growth medium to form 1 to 5 millimolar concentrations; both additions transformed the prions to the indestructible form. © 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 8995 - Posted: 06.24.2010

PHILADELPHIA -- Memory tests performed with amnesiacs have enabled researchers to refute a long-held belief in an essential difference between long-and short-term memories. In the study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania determined that the hippocampus -- a seahorse shaped structure in the middle of the brain -- was just as important for retrieving certain types of short-term memories as it is for long-term memories. Their findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, overturn the established view of the hippocampus and offers insight on how the brain forms and recalls memories by piecing together related bits of experiences. "For over 40 years, the chief paradigm has been that the hippocampus was important for creating long-term memory but not short-term or working memory," said Ingrid Olson, a member of Penn's Department of Psychology and researcher at Penn's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. "However, our data show that one type of working memory, working memory for the relationship between bits of information, is dependent on the hippocampus. Copyright © 2006, University of Pennsylvania

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 8994 - Posted: 06.24.2010

COLUMBUS , Ohio – Researchers found that they could eliminate the rewarding effect of cocaine on mice by genetically manipulating a key target of the drug in the animal's brain. While the researchers aren't suggesting that these genetic modifications be made in humans, the work brings to light the key protein that controls cocaine's effects in the body, which may help scientists develop medications that achieve the same results and therefore help addicts overcome their dependence. Right now there are no such treatments on the market, said Howard Gu, the study's lead author and an associate professor of pharmacology and psychiatry at Ohio State University . The study confirms that the dopamine transporter – a protein that moves the neurotransmitter dopamine from outside of a neuron into the inside of the cell – is a prime target for developing drugs to fight cocaine addiction. “Cocaine blocks dopamine transporters, and this action ultimately is what makes a person feel high,” Gu said. “We found that cocaine would not produce a high if it could not block the transporters.” He and his colleagues reported their findings the week of May 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 8993 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Helen Pearson Scientists in Israel have pinpointed a common genetic trait that could make some of us hungrier for sex than others. The team looked at a gene known as the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4), which partly controls the brain's response to dopamine, a chemical often associated with the body's 'pleasure system'. Scientists know that this neurotransmitter can control sexual behaviour in animals and humans, and that dopamine circuits help to create the drive for things such as sex, drugs and food. Richard Ebstein at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was prompted to examine the DRD4 gene after a 2004 study showed that a drug blocking this gene's function helped to trigger erections in rats. Ebstein and his colleagues asked 148 male and female college students to fill in a sex questionnaire that posed questions such as 'How important is sex in your life?' and 'How often do you have sexual fantasies?' They used the answers to tot up scores showing how much each student desired sex, how much they were aroused by sex and how good they were at performing the deed: effectively a measure of their 'horniness', Ebstein says. Then the team matched up these scores with the genetic make-up of each student's DRD4 gene. ©2006 Nature Publishing Group

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 8992 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Rob Stein The words "It's frustrating," shaped to look like a pair of legs, float across the screen. A voice intones: "It's frustrating. Just when you're ready to relax, you feel the compelling urge to move." Eventually, the legs morph into those of a woman, draped lazily across a recliner. The television ad, and similar ones appearing in magazines and on the Internet, are hawking the first pill approved to treat a once-obscure condition known as restless legs syndrome, or RLS, which causes an irresistible, sometimes debilitating urge to move. Praised by some neurologists and patients advocates for raising the profile of an under-diagnosed, under-treated condition, the ads are also raising concerns. Although RLS is a bona fide condition that can make victims miserable, skeptics fear that fidgety people who simply have a hard time sitting still, or twitch a little in their sleep, will receive the inappropriate diagnosis of a serious neurological condition requiring treatment with a powerful prescription medication. The debate has focused attention on what some have dubbed "disease-mongering" -- taking something that is within normal bounds and labeling it a disease needing pharmaceutical treatment. © 2006 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 8991 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Dan Ferber EDMONTON, ALBERTA--Researchers have identified a key cellular pathway by which the herbal medicine ginkgo biloba may protect brain cells. If the results are confirmed in people, ginkgo biloba might one day be used to lessen the effects of stroke. For centuries, traditional Chinese physicians have used extracts from leaves of the maidenhair tree, Ginkgo biloba, to treat asthma, bronchitis, and brain disorders. Although many of ginkgo biloba's purported benefits remain unproven, doctors in the United States are studying the herb's potential to slow memory loss and ease confusion in patients with Alzheimer's disease. No one knows for sure how the herbal extract affects the brain. Neuroscientist Sylvain Doré of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, found one mechanism while studying how to combat the delayed effects of stroke. A stroke quickly decimates a small area of the brain, but surrounding brain tissue continues to die over several weeks. Doré's team had discovered that mice lacking an enzyme called heme oxygenase recovered poorly from stroke. The enzyme converts heme, a cellular compound that produces damaging oxygen radicals, to less harmful compounds, some of which neutralize oxygen radicals. Doré's team suspected that ginkgo biloba might activate heme oxygenase, thereby protecting brain cells. © 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science

Keyword: Alzheimers; Stroke
Link ID: 8990 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News — Just one cigarette can leave children hooked for life, according to a new study of teenage smoking behavior. Published in the current issue of the journal Tobacco Control, the research has found that the desire to smoke can lie dormant in children for three years or more after their first cigarette. Jennifer Fidler, of the Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Unit at University College London and colleagues, tracked the smoking behavior of over 2,000 London school children. The researchers started the survey when the students were 11 years old and ended it when they were 16. The students provided saliva samples which were tested for cotinine, a chemical marker of nicotine. The survey found that children who smoked just one cigarette by age 11 were more than twice as likely to start smoking regularly by age 14 as those who had never tried smoking. © 2006 Discovery Communications Inc.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 8989 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ATLANTA - The severe neurodegeneration associated with Huntington's disease may result from molecular mutations that block the transport of nutrients within cells. Findings from the Emory University School of Medicine indicate that the mutant huntingtin protein limits the efforts of the huntingtin-associated protein-1 (HAP1) to provide nutrients to growing neurons, or neurites. Without those nutrients, neurites fail to develop and mature neurons degenerate. Huntington's disease was first identified more than 125 years ago, and often inhibits speech, movement, reasoning and memory. The result of an abnormal Huntington gene, the hereditary disorder is estimated to affect one out of every 10,000 people. Though some current pharmacological treatments do address symptoms, scientists have been unable to stop the disease's progression. However, scientists at Emory are making headway in the search for a cure. The findings that appear in the May 31 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience are the latest of more than a decade of Huntington's disease-related discoveries led by Xiao-Jiang Li, PhD, professor of human genetics at Emory University School of Medicine. Juan Rong, doctoral student in the neuroscience graduate program at the Emory University School of Medicine, is the lead author of the article. The senior author, Dr. Li, first discovered the protein HAP1 as a postdoctoral fellow in 1995. In previous articles, he has identified the importance of HAP1 to the normal functioning of the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that acts as a central switchboard to regulate feeding and other body functions.

Keyword: Huntingtons
Link ID: 8988 - Posted: 05.31.2006

Roxanne Khamsi Teens diagnosed with the bipolar disorder are more likely to interpret neutral facial expressions as hostile and react with fear, a new study shows. Brain scans also showed that the brain centre that processes fear – the amygdala – shows more activity in these youngsters than in those free of the disorder. The researchers say the findings provide insight into how bipolar individuals process emotions differently to their peers. Bipolar disorder affects about 5.7 million American adults, and is one of the most common psychiatric disorders diagnosed among children. It is characterised by moods that swing between manic ‘highs’ and serious depression. Melissa DelBello, who researches mood disorders at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, US, says adolescents with bipolar disorder may have a suicidal reaction to something as simple as a friend not calling them back on the phone. She adds that patients with the disorder also show inappropriate reactions during their manic phases: “A teacher will be yelling at them and they might think this is the funniest thing.” In the past, scientists have found that the amygdala, which processes fear and anxiety in the brain, is smaller in young adults with bipolar disorder. “But we didn’t know whether this structural abnormality translates into a functional abnormality,” says DelBello. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Emotions
Link ID: 8987 - Posted: 06.24.2010