By BENEDICT CAREY Some people are attracted to women; some are attracted to men. And some, if Sigmund Freud, Dr. Alfred Kinsey and millions of self-described bisexuals are to be believed, are drawn to both sexes. But a new study casts doubt on whether true bisexuality exists, at least in men. The study, by a team of psychologists in Chicago and Toronto, lends support to those who have long been skeptical that bisexuality is a distinct and stable sexual orientation. People who claim bisexuality, according to these critics, are usually homosexual, but are ambivalent about their homosexuality or simply closeted. "You're either gay, straight or lying," as some gay men have put it. In the new study, a team of psychologists directly measured genital arousal patterns in response to images of men and women. The psychologists found that men who identified themselves as bisexual were in fact exclusively aroused by either one sex or the other, usually by other men. The study is the largest of several small reports suggesting that the estimated 1.7 percent of men who identify themselves as bisexual show physical attraction patterns that differ substantially from their professed desires. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 7593 - Posted: 07.05.2005

By Krishna Ramanujan ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University researchers have learned how a common fish found along the West Coast can hum and hear outside sounds at the same time. The study marks the first time that scientists have found a direct line of communication between the part of a vertebrate's brain that controls the vocal muscle system and the part of the ear that hears sound. The researchers believe that understanding the auditory system of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus ) -- a 6- to 10-inch fish found along the coastline from Alaska to California -- will offer insights into how other vertebrates -- including humans -- hear. The general pattern of connections between neurons in the auditory system is the same in all vertebrates, including mammals. While humans hear with the cochlea of the inner ear, the midshipman uses the sacculus, a part of the ear that in humans detects acceleration or linear movement. Because the study indicates a relationship between the ear and the auditory and vocalization systems of the brain, it could help scientists understand some of the mechanisms that contribute to deafness.

Keyword: Hearing; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 7592 - Posted: 07.05.2005

At first glance identical twins seem, well, identical. In fact many of these sibling pairs show minor physical variations and differences in characteristics such as susceptibility to disease. Just what causes these dissimilarities is unclear. But a new report suggests that epigenetic factors--that is, differences in how the genome is expressed--could responsible. Mario F. Fraga of the Spanish National Cancer Center and his colleagues studied 160 monozygous twins ranging from three to 74 years of age. They analyzed two epigenetic traits, DNA methylation and histone acetylation, along the entire genome and compared the results for each set of twins. They determined that early in life, twins were indistinguishable in the manner in which their genes were expressed. Among older sets of twins, however, significant differences in the gene-expression portraits were apparent for 35 percent of the study group. (The image above shows methylation patterns for three-year-old twins (left) and 50-year-old twins (right), with the differences highlighted in red.) In addition, twins who had spent the most time apart and had more divergent medical histories exhibited the greatest epigenetic differences. Environmental factors, including smoking habits, physical activity levels and diet, can influence epigenetic patterns and may help explain how the same genotype can be translated in different ways, the scientists say. They suggest that future studies should investigate specific mechanisms that cause this so-called epigenetic drift in identical twins. A report describing the work is published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. --Sarah Graham © 1996-2005 Scientific American, Inc.

Keyword: Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 7591 - Posted: 06.24.2010

CHICAGO — Individuals with problem gambling behavior have personality profiles similar to the profiles of those with alcohol, marijuana and nicotine-associated addictive disorders, according to an article in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. It has been difficult to identify personality traits associated with problem gambling because most previous studies have drawn subjects from those seeking treatment for a gambling disorder, who are unlikely to be representative of the majority of individuals in the community with gambling problems, according to background information in the article. Previous studies have also shown problem gambling associated with alcohol dependence and suggested an association with drug and nicotine dependence as well. Wendy S. Slutske, Ph.D., of the University of Missouri-Columbia, and colleagues compared personality assessments obtained in 1991-1992 for 939 young adults (475 men and 464 women) from Dunedin, New Zealand, who were 18 years old, with diagnoses of problem gambling and alcohol, cannabis [marijuana] and nicotine dependence in the previous year based on structured interviews conducted when the individuals were 21 years old in 1993-1994. The researchers conducted two analyses of the data. In the first, the researchers examined the associations between problem gambling and each of three substance abuse disorders (alcohol, cannabis and nicotine). In the second, the researchers examined the independent association of 10 basic aspects of personality variation with problem gambling and each of the three substance addictive disorders.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 7590 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A new classification tool may allow healthcare professionals treating children with autism and autism-related disorders to more systematically sort out the combination of traits in the condition, and to better predict how children may improve over time. If the model holds up to further study, it may also allow researchers to gauge the effectiveness of different autism treatments. Developmental pediatrician James Coplan, M.D., reports on a study of 91 children he saw between 1997 and 2002 at the Regional Autism Center of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Most patients were pre-schoolers or of elementary school age, and predominantly boys. The study appears in the July 2005 issue of Pediatrics. The children in the study had autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), a group of neurodevelopmental disorders of impaired social communication. Those disorders include classic autism, pervasive developmental disorder and Asperger's syndrome. Dr. Coplan studied the relationship among three variables: the severity of the disorder (called atypicality), general intelligence (measured as IQ or developmental quotient) and time. "These disorders are dynamic and change over time," says Dr. Coplan. "Although they are traditionally classified into mutually exclusive diagnostic boxes, they tend to blend into each other, and this model provides a way to look continuously at ASD, as the symptoms occur and develop along the autistic spectrum, and as the symptoms change over time."

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 7589 - Posted: 07.05.2005

Women are bigger wimps than men when it comes to pain, research suggests, contrary to the popular notion that the reverse is true. Not only do they feel pain more easily, women are less able to cope with it, believe scientists at Bath University. Women focus on the emotional aspects of their pain, which makes it worse, while men tend to focus on the physicality. Their findings are based on a series of pain tests on 50 men and women using triggers such as ice cold water. Volunteers were asked to put their arm in a warm water bath for two minutes before plunging the same arm into a vat of icy water for a further two minutes or until they could stand the pain no longer. The women felt pain much sooner than the men and were able to endure it for far less time. Furthermore, when men were asked to think about the sensory aspects of the pain rather than the emotions related to it, the pain decreased. This strategy did nothing to help the women. Lead researcher Dr Ed Keogh, a psychologist at the Pain Management Unit at the university, said: "Our research has shown that whilst the sensory-focused strategies used by men helped increase their pain threshold and tolerance of pain, it was unlikely to have any benefit for women. "Women who concentrate on the emotional aspects of their pain may actually experience more pain as a result, possibly because the emotions associated with pain are negative." (C)BBC

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 7588 - Posted: 07.05.2005

Obese people can be fitted with a device that fools their brain into thinking they have eaten to help them lose weight. The technology, by Transneuronix, comprises a matchbox-sized pacemaker implanted into the abdomen, linked to electrodes in the stomach wall. Experts said it could be a new tool to fight the UK's obesity problem. However, it would not work miracles and the user must still eat a healthy diet and do exercise, they cautioned. The device works by triggering the nerves in the stomach that are involved in digestion. These tell the brain that the stomach is full so the individual feels as though they have already eaten even though they have not. Similar devices are available on the market and some have already been fitted in private clinics in the UK. A spokesman from Transneuronix said a physician at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary would be trained in the technology at the end of the month. However, Transneuronix tells potential patients: "Surgery is not a cure for the chronic disease of morbid obesity, but it can be an effective tool to fight the disease. Having surgery does not excuse you from a personal responsibility for your health. If you snack between meals, do not exercise regularly, and do not participate in ongoing post-surgical therapeutic support programs, you can regain weight." (C)BBC

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 7587 - Posted: 07.05.2005

A multi-site study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) finds children with autism characterized by tantrums, aggression, and/or self-injury respond favorably to the antipsychotic medication risperidone for up to six months. Published in the July edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study found the medication not only decreased aggression but also reduced repetitive behaviors and increased social interaction – all with limited side effects. The two-part study also found discontinuation after six months prompted rapid return of disruptive and aggressive behavior in most cases. Atypical antipsychotic medications such as risperidone are of interest to doctors who treat children with autism because studies show the newer medications benefit adults with schizophrenia with fewer neurological side effects than older options. "A variety of treatments, including medication, are used to manage aggressive behaviors in autistic children, but controlled medication trials are limited," said Dr. James McCracken, lead author and site investigator at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "Our findings support adding risperidone to the small arsenal of intermediate-term medication options for the tens of thousands of children with autism who display aggressive and destructive behaviors.

Keyword: Autism; Schizophrenia
Link ID: 7586 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A drug that relieves the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – but was controversially withdrawn over toxicity fears – has now been shown to stimulate growth of the nerve fibres damaged by the disease. When delivered directly to the brain, glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) had been shown to stimulate regrowth of cells in animal models of Parkinson’s. But this is the first time regrowth has been seen in the human brain, says Steven Gill, a neurosurgeon at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK. Gill was running a trial study where five patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease were fitted with a tiny catheter that delivered GDNF direct to the putamen, part of the basal ganglia in the centre of the brain. In the putamen of Parkinson’s patients the chemical messenger dopamine is lost. The symptoms of Parkinson’s - which include uncontrollable shaking and trembling - were reduced in all five patients. They showed dramatic improvements with respect to their motor skills, verbal memory, facial expressions and motivation. However, Amgen, the company that makes GDNF, withdrew the drug after fears over its toxicity and a second trial of 34 patients was halted. That was despite the fact that the toxicity trials involved testing far higher doses of GDNF on animal models, and that none of the human subjects had showed any ill-effects. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Parkinsons; Trophic Factors
Link ID: 7585 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Bruce Bower It's bad enough that some rhesus monkey mothers regularly kick, hit, bite, and otherwise brutalize their babies. But to make things worse, females exposed to such abuse as infants often grow up to become abusive parents themselves, perpetuating a primate cycle of family violence, a new study finds. Being abused as an infant outweighs any primarily genetic trait, such as an anxious temperament, in fostering abusive parenting by female monkeys, says primatologist Dario Maestripieri of the University of Chicago. His argument rests on two central observations. First, rhesus moms frequently mistreated their babies after having themselves been raised by abusive mothers, either biological or adoptive. Second, females born to abusive mothers uniformly became caring parents after having been raised by nonabusive adoptive mothers. "Rhesus monkeys are an excellent animal model of human child abuse," Maestripieri asserts. The ways in which these behaviors get transmitted across generations in monkeys and people "may be very similar," he adds. In people, roughly 30 percent of abused children become abusive parents. Maestripieri's team worked with a population of rhesus monkeys living at an outdoor research facility in Georgia. The population included some females who had been observed to abuse their offspring. The researchers transferred some newborns between mothers to create four groups of female infants: six infants born to physically abusive mothers and given as newborns to unrelated, nonabusive mothers; eight infants born to nonabusive mothers and adopted as newborns by abusive mothers; eight infants born to abusive mothers and raised by them; and nine infants born to nonabusive mothers and raised by them. Copyright ©2005 Science Service.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Aggression
Link ID: 7584 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Naila Moreira Orca-whale and dolphin mothers and their newborns appear not to sleep for a month after the pups' birth, researchers report. Neither parent nor offspring shows any ill effects from the long waking stint, and the animals don't later compensate with extra sleep. No previously studied mammal stays awake for so long, says Jerry Siegel of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an investigator in the study. In the months following their wakeful period, baby whales and dolphins—and their mothers—ramped up slowly to sleep amounts typical of normal adults, Siegel and his colleagues report. The infants' sleep pattern contrasts with that of other mammals, which need extra sleep during infancy and gradually sleep less as they age. Oleg Lyamin, also of UCLA, started observing an orca mother and her baby just after it was born at SeaWorld, San Diego. Orcas usually snooze for 5 to 8 hours a night, closing both eyes and floating motionlessly. The SeaWorld orca mother and baby, Lyamin found, neither shut their eyes nor remained motionless. Instead, the animals were constantly active, with the infant surfacing for a breath every 30 seconds. The researchers made similar observations of another SeaWorld orca mom and baby. Copyright ©2005 Science Service.

Keyword: Sleep; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 7583 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Babies with small birthweights are at an increased risk of depression in later life, research suggests. Newborns weighing less than 5.5lbs were 50% more likely to have anxiety and depression as adults, a British Journal of Psychiatry study found. Small babies are known to be prone to certain diseases and learning difficulties, and mounting evidence now suggests they risk mood disorders too. The Bristol University team believe harm while in the womb may be a factor. Taking factors such as the individual's IQ, and whether or not they had behavioural problems as a child into account did not alter the findings. Nor did factors such as social class, or how old their mother had been when they had given birth to them. Lead researcher Dr Nicola Wiles said: "It was a direct effect, so we think early factors happening before birth might be important." Her team at Bristol, working with colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, used information from over 5,572 participants from the Aberdeen 'Children of the 1950s' study. They compared rates of depression when the participants had reached the ages of 45 to 51 with birthweight, plus their mental and behavioural development as children. Dr Wiles said that the trend between low birth rate and depression in adulthood might be down to restricted growth in the womb impairing brain development in some way. She said: "What we need to do is understand what is going on in terms of the biological mechanism. (C)BBC

Keyword: Depression; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 7582 - Posted: 07.01.2005

By GARDINER HARRIS ROCKVILLE, Md., - Federal health officials said Thursday that they were looking into a suggestion by a small Texas study that Ritalin and other stimulant drugs given to children might increase their risk of cancer later in life. A team of experts from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency went to Texas on May 23 to examine the methods used by the researchers, who found damage to the chromosomes of 12 children who took Ritalin for three months. Ritalin, which entered the market in 1955, has been used for decades to treat children for attention or hyperactivity problems. Dr. David Jacobson-Kram of the Office of New Drugs at the food and drug agency said that the study, by researchers at the University of Texas and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, had flaws in its methodology but that its results could not be dismissed. Drugs that are known to cause cancer cause similar chromosomal changes, Dr. Jacobson-Kram said. But other scientists cautioned that the study was far too small and its finding far too preliminary to cause alarm. The study did not include a comparison group of children who had not taken Ritalin. And federal officials said there was no reason for children currently taking Ritalin or other stimulants to stop taking them. Dr. Lawrence Greenhill of Columbia University, an expert on Ritalin and other stimulant drugs used for children, questioned why the government was devoting so many resources to following up on the study's findings. Dr. Greenhill, like many other academic researchers, serves as a consultant for companies that make the drugs. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Keyword: ADHD
Link ID: 7581 - Posted: 07.01.2005

Who amongst us doesn't partake of a little risky behavior now and then? If you're saying, "Not me," think about how you navigate the road. That's one place where you've probably put yourselves in occasional peril. "You see the stop light turning yellow and you're going kind of fast and so you suddenly find yourself conflicted about whether you should press on the accelerator and try to make it through that yellow light or whether you should hit the brake and try to stop," psychologist Joshua Brown of Washington University in Saint Louis offers as one example of a risk-loaded dilemma. This should-I-stay-or-should-I-go conundrum plays out deep in our brains where scientists reporting in the journal Science say they've now located a region — the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), housed near the top of the frontal lobes and along the division of the right and left hemispheres — that seems to trigger our early warning system. Researchers say it's the ACC — where we store long-term memories — that recognizes conflict, jolts our brain to problem-solve and trains us to adjust behavior to avoid dangerous mistakes. "It seemed to detect these subtle cues in the environment and this is a kind of sensitivity of that area that we haven't previously observed," says Brown, the study's lead author. © ScienCentral, 2000-2005.

Keyword: Emotions
Link ID: 7580 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises. Addicts are misusing a clear patch that transfers a controlled dose of fentanyl through the skin into the bloodstream over the course of a few days, UF experts say. The adhesive patch is typically prescribed to treat postoperative pain or chronic pain conditions, but in some cases is being misused, often with deadly consequences. "Because the patch is a sustained release form of the drug, if one withdraws the 72 hours' worth of drug and uses it in a form that it wasn't designed to be used for, then it can rapidly result in death," said the study's lead researcher, Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D., director of toxicology and an associate professor in the departments of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine and psychiatry in UF's College of Medicine. Patients who are prescribed the patch must be made aware of the potential dangers of misuse, Goldberger added. Florida Department of Law Enforcement records cited in the UF study, presented this month in Orlando at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, show abuse of the patch resulted in the death of 115 people in Florida last year.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Pain & Touch
Link ID: 7579 - Posted: 07.01.2005

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Several years ago, University of Michigan researchers published some of the strongest evidence yet that children who snore when they sleep are far more likely to have attention and hyperactivity problems than their non-snoring peers. Today, that link takes on a new long-term dimension with the publication in the journal Sleep of follow-up data from some of the same children who took part in the earlier study. Indeed, children in the original study who snored regularly, in comparison to those who did not, were about four times more likely to have developed new hyperactivity by the time the U-M team contacted their families four years later. In other words, snoring early in life predicted new or worsened behavior problems four years later. Similar behavior was seen among children who had had other symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, in which repeated pauses in breathing disrupt sleep and can reduce blood oxygen levels. For example, children with daytime sleepiness in the original study were also more likely to have developed hyperactivity four years later. The findings held true even after the researchers took into account which children already had been identified as hyperactive during the first study, and which ones were taking prescription behavior medicines during the follow-up survey. In fact says lead author and U-M sleep researcher Ronald D. Chervin, M.D., M.S., inattention and hyperactivity at follow-up were usually predicted better by snoring and other sleep apnea symptoms four years earlier than by those same symptoms at follow-up.

Keyword: Sleep; ADHD
Link ID: 7578 - Posted: 07.01.2005

NEW YORK - Brooke Shields took aim at Tom Cruise's "Today" show diatribe against antidepressants, saying the drugs helped her survive feelings of hopelessness after the birth of her first child. In an op-ed piece published Friday in The New York Times, Shields criticized what she called Cruise's "ridiculous rant." Cruise had criticized the actress for taking the drugs, and became particularly passionate about the issue in an interview on "Today" last week. "You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do," Cruise told Matt Lauer. He went on to say there was no such thing as chemical imbalances that need to be corrected with drugs, and that depression could be treated with exercise and vitamins. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression," Shields wrote. She added that Cruise's comments "are a disservice to mothers everywhere. To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general." Shields said she considered swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window at the lowest point of her depression following the birth of her daughter, Rowan Francis, in 2003. A doctor later attributed her feelings to a plunge in her estrogen and progesterone levels and prescribed the antidepressant Paxil. Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo!

Keyword: Depression; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 7577 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Marc Kaufman, Washington Post Staff Writer More than 13 months before a scientific journal reported that Viagra had been linked to a rare form of blindness in some men, a Food and Drug Administration safety officer made the same observation from monitoring adverse event reports and told her supervisors that doctors and patients should be warned of the findings. Her recommendation was well received, she told congressional investigators, but nothing happened. The FDA issued no public notice or proposed changes to the Viagra label. That came only following widespread publicity last month about the journal article and public concerns about the possible blindness-Viagra link. The safety officer's experience was outlined in a letter last week to FDA Acting Commissioner Lester M. Crawford from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who said the agency had moved far too slowly on an emerging safety concern. Criticism of the FDA's response to potentially harmful drug side effects has been frequent and sharp since Merck & Co. took its popular arthritis painkiller, Vioxx, off the market last fall after studies indicated that it increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The FDA has sought to tighten its drug safety oversight since then, but some critics say the agency is doing too little and still puts more emphasis on reviewing and approving new drugs than on safety concerns. "I am troubled by the FDA's action, or lack thereof, relating to the updating of Viagra's product label," Grassley wrote. He said the agency's Office of New Drugs (OND) had done nothing "despite OND's knowledge of the blindness risks since January 2004 and general agreement among FDA staff last spring that the label should be updated." © 2005 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Vision
Link ID: 7576 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Montreal, A study published today in the prestigious journal Nature by Dr. Michael Petrides and colleagues at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) at McGill University, challenges current thinking that speech developed as a result of new structures that evolved in the human brain. Dr. Petrides and colleagues have identified a distinct brain region that controls jaw movements in macaque monkeys that is comparable to Broca’s area - the region in the human brain critical for speech production. This discovery is important as it suggests that this area of the brain evolved originally to perform high-order control over the mouth and the jaw, and that as humans evolved this area came to control the movements necessary for speech. “Our study shows that nonlinguistic monkeys possess an area comparable to Broca’s area – it is located in the same region and has the same anatomical characteristics as Broca’s area in the human brain“, explained Dr. Michael Petrides, Coordinator of the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the MNI and Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University. "The researchers performed quantitative microscopic analysis of the cytoarchitecture of the region of interest and electrophysiological stimulation and recording within this region. When this area in the monkey was electrically stimulated, oral and facial motor responses were evoked – such as jaw movement sequences, as well as respiratory responses. In addition, Broca’s area is connected with a region of the brain immediately in front of it that is involved in the retrieval of information from memory.

Keyword: Language; Evolution
Link ID: 7575 - Posted: 06.24.2010

It isn't uncommon for us to pop open a bottle of Champagne on a happy occasion or break out a beer when watching our favorite team play an important game. Alcohol has been a part of our celebrations for over 10,000 years. Side by side however, alcohol abuse has also been around, with references to it in ancient Egyptian writings and the Old Testament. Up until the 18th century, drunkenness was believed to be a result of weak will power, not thought of as an illness. But today, with growing evidence of its ill effects, excessive drinking has been deemed a disease. Magnus Huss, a Swedish researcher, coined the term alcoholism in the mid 19th century. When scientists began to think of ways to deal with such strong addictions they turned to a basic question — what makes people get hooked on alcohol? Researchers found that alcohol increases the amount of certain brain chemicals including dopamine, often associated with pleasure and addiction. These chemicals impact us by attaching to proteins called receptors, creating what is often referred to "reward circuit," sending out the pleasure signals. Dopamine has five receptors in the brain, of which the D2 receptor has an established role in alcoholism. Neuroscientist Panayotis Thanos of Brookhaven National Laboratory has now added another of its receptors, D3, to the band of culprits in this disease. A new drug that blocks D3 without affecting any of the other receptors, allowed the researchers "for the very first time," says Thanos, "to look at specifically the dopamine D3 receptor and its role in alcohol abuse." He hypothesized that "treating with this drug would also lead to decrease of alcohol drinking." © ScienCentral, 2000-2005.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 7574 - Posted: 06.24.2010