Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neurotransmitter that is integral to neurobiological functions such as anxiety, pain, memory and feeding behaviors. Researchers have found that a compound that blocks NPY activity decreases both the onset as well as the repetition of alcohol consumption. These findings have important implications for the treatment of both alcohol abuse and dependence. Peptides are a class of neurotransmitters, chemicals used by brain cells to communicate with each other. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is the most abundant and widely distributed peptide, and is involved in a variety of neurobiological functions, including anxiety, pain, memory, and feeding behavior. Although previous animal research has implicated NPY systems in alcohol abuse and alcoholism, findings published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research are the first to show that a compound that blocks NPY activity may be useful for alcohol treatment.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4695 - Posted: 12.15.2003

By Steve Connor, Science Editor The relationship between people and their shadows extends beyond merely feeling alone and blue together. Two Italian psychologists have found the shadow acts like an extension of the body by becoming a distant reference point that helps people perform dextrous tasks. They sayshadows cast by the body have a profound effect on visual perception, which can be easily distracted by a nearby shadow. Francesco Pavani and Umberto Castiello, of Trento University, investigated the influence of shadows by testing 10 volunteers in an experiment that measured the time it takes to react to an electrical stimulus to the forefinger or the thumb. When the volunteers felt a tingle in their forefinger they had to release a pedal under their toe, and when they felt a tingle in their thumb they had to release pressure on a pedal under their heel. © 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4694 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By WARREN ST. JOHN CHRIS LONDON remembers the first time an impotence drug came to his emotional rescue. A 41-year-old lawyer and executive recruiter in Manhattan, Mr. London had been on a few dates with a lawyer who told him she couldn't judge a man without first having sex with him. The two made plans to meet after work, and Mr. London said he felt pretty certain about what was going to happen. He also felt not a little anxious. "She was very wired — a Samantha on `Sex and the City'-type thing," he said. "She made it like it was this test — like passing the bar. I'm thinking to myself, I haven't had this sort of performance anxiety since I was 17." Thanks to a doctor friend, Mr. London happened to have a tablet of Viagra on hand, and he darted into the bathroom and gulped the blue pill. It worked as billed, and later that evening, Mr. London said, he overheard his date giving his performance a rave in a phone call to a friend. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4693 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists may be able to use simple baker's yeast to recreate the destruction wreaked by Parkinson's disease in a test tube. It is hoped that the experiments will help them devise ways to halt the disease in its tracks. US researchers overloaded yeast cells with a body chemical implicated in the human disease - then watched as Parkinson-like damage emerged. The yeast model could now be used for early tests of promising treatments. Scientists believe that Parkinson's patients have a problem in the brain caused by a "protein" called alpha-synuclein (aSyn). Even in small amounts, this protein can persuade nearby brain proteins to lose their normal shape and form irregular clusters. The shape of a protein is vital to its proper function, and the clusters appear eventually to cause brain cell death, leading to the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson's - progressively worsening tremor and muscle rigidity. (C) BBC

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 4692 - Posted: 12.14.2003

Interview by WILLIAM SPEED WEED [Q] In 1977, you made the first human body scan with magnetic resonance imaging, and the Supreme Court considers you its patent holder. Yet this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield for their discoveries in M.R.I. You've run ads in newspapers, demanding this wrong be corrected. Why? Initially, I was overwhelmed. It was just beyond my comprehension that having started it all I got left out. The Nobel committee says they do not discuss any of their findings for 50 years so they don't have to answer for their crimes until 50 years after everybody's dead. If they're going to rewrite history and they're not going to be accountable to anyone, at the bare minimum, we should try to make them accountable to world opinion. What do you think it means to be the author of an idea? Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Brain imaging
Link ID: 4691 - Posted: 12.14.2003

Past failures push investigators to be more innovative in their treatment approaches By Jill U. Adams When patients complain of pain, doctors reach for remedies on a rather dusty shelf. Opium and salicylic acid, discovered centuries ago, have fundamentally shaped practically every pain reliever on the market. Though treatment options for pain have not changed much since the ancient Greeks, an understanding of pain's basic mechanisms has progressed rapidly in the last decade. The optimism among researchers is palpable. "I think it's been unbelievable," says Frank Porreca, professor of pharmacology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "We've had tremendous breakthroughs." Yet none of these breakthroughs has translated to new clinical treatments. "The findings add to the burgeoning body of disparate facts pertaining to pain, but are unlikely to trigger new analgesics any time soon," writes pharmacologist Alan Cowan of Temple University in Philadelphia, in an E-mail. Not a single novel class of drugs has emerged from nearly 25 years of bench work, he adds. It's not an uncommon lament among pain researchers, both basic scientists and clinicians. "It's depressing," says Jeff Mogil, professor of pain studies at McGill University in Montreal. He recounts the high-profile failures of "drugs that worked really well in animals, really ought to have worked, and didn't have any efficacy in humans at all." He cites the neurokinin antagonists that block receptors for substance P, a neuropeptide believed to alert neurons to tissue damage. The drugs weren't effective in humans. "We're still living that one down," he says. "Was it the fault of the basic science? Was it the fault of the clinical trials? What went wrong?" ©2003, The Scientist Inc.

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 4690 - Posted: 06.24.2010

The government is being urged to run a national Christmas campaign about the dangers of drinks being spiked. The number of people who claim to have been sexually assaulted after drugs were put in their drinks rose to 1,000 this year, the Roofie Foundation said. The group, which helps victims, said a media campaign should be run alongside the annual drink-drive messages. Out of 30 police forces contacted by the BBC, two-thirds said they were running their own Christmas campaigns. Many forces have been issuing leaflets and posters in attempts to raise awareness of the issue. Pub and club-goers have been warned not to leave drinks unattended, and not to accept drinks from strangers. Date-rape drugs include GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), valium, tamazepan and rohypnol. (C) BBC

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4689 - Posted: 12.13.2003

Bruce Bower Some animals shy away from novel settings all their lives, preferring the predictability of familiar surroundings. Although this can be a safe strategy in the short run, it may have a fatal drawback down the line. A new study finds that novelty-averse laboratory rats, after reaching maturity, died at markedly younger ages than did their more adventurous comrades. Heightened hormone responses to mildly stressful events throughout life ultimately undermined the capacity of the inhibited rats to resist tumors and other health threats, contend Sonia A. Cavigelli and Martha K. McClintock, both psychologists at the University of Chicago. In essence, stress responses cause the inhibited rats to age prematurely, the researchers conclude in an upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These animals exhibit a 20 percent reduction in maximum life span compared with that of their bolder brethren. Copyright ©2003 Science Service.

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 4688 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Variations hint at how our lifestyle is reflected in our genes. JOHN WHITFIELD Genes involved in smell and hearing are significantly different between humans and chimpanzees, researchers have discovered. The finding could be a starting point for understanding what separates us from our closest relative. "This tells us the types of genes that are important for our differences," says Michele Cargill of the biotech company behind the comparison, Celera Diagnostics in Alameda, California. But the list does not tell us what makes us human, she cautions: "Just finding a change in one protein gives us no idea of how it affects the whole animal." The human and chimp genomes are about 99.2% identical. In the most important bits of the genome, this figure rises to 99.5%. Yet Cargill and her colleagues believe that they have seen the fingerprint of evolution in these small DNA differences. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Evolution; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 4687 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News — Confirming dog owner suspicions, a new study reveals that dogs have personalities, and that these character traits can be identified as accurately as similar personality attributes in humans. The paper, published in the current Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, is the first cross-species personality study between a human and another animal. Dogs (Canis familiaris ) were chosen because of their wide availability, the fact that they safely and naturally exhibit a wide variety of behaviors, are understood well by many humans, and can travel to research sites with ease. Experts, however, suspect that many other animals also possess unique personalities. Copyright © 2003 Discovery Communications Inc.

Keyword: Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 4686 - Posted: 06.24.2010

— A comparison of genomes in humans and chimpanzees suggests that a genetic divergence in hearing may have allowed humans to develop speech while leaving our close cousins verbally challenged, said a study published Thursday. The comparative study of the genetic makeups of people and chimps, which are genetically almost 99 percent identical, showed that some processes such as hearing and smell evolved more rapidly in humans, according to the research published in the magazine Science. Genes related to these processes could explain in part why chimps and humans are as different as they are, according to researcher Andrew Clark of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. His team sequenced more than 7,000 chimpanzee genes before comparing them to the same genes in humans and in monkeys.

Keyword: Evolution; Hearing
Link ID: 4685 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By IVER PETERSON TRENTON, — New Jersey will propose new controls to limit emissions of mercury, a toxic substance that is particularly harmful to fetuses and young children. The new rules on power plants and other sources would cut emissions by 75 percent in three years. Bradley M. Campbell, the commissioner of environmental protection, announced here on Wednesday that if the department adopts the proposal after a hearing period, 24 coal-fired power plants, municipal waste incinerators and iron smelters will have to adopt measures to cut the state's current mercury emissions of 2,000 pounds per year to 500 pounds. "New Jersey's largest sources of mercury air pollution must use today's technology wherever possible to protect our children and families," Mr. Campbell said at a news conference. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Neurotoxins; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4684 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Single gene linked to alcohol tolerance. HELEN R. PILCHER Some worms can really hold their drink. A genetic twist of fate renders them immune to alcohol, new research reveals. The study may explain why a small sherry sends some people slurry but leaves others sober. It may also aid the development of therapies for alcoholism. Give a normal nematode alcohol and it gets drunk, explains Steve McIntire from the University of California, San Francisco. Wasted worms wiggle less, move more slowly and lay fewer eggs. "Eventually they fall into a state of profound sedation," says McIntire. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 4683 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) are common disorders of childhood that often co-occur. About 20-25% of children and adolescents with ADHD have a reading disability but the cause of this association is unknown. Twin and family studies suggest that genes, strongly indicated for both conditions, may underlie their association. In a systematic genome-wide investigation of reading ability in a sample of 233 siblings diagnosed with ADHD, four chromosomal regions emerged as potential locations for genes underlying reading ability. Reading ability was measured by three types of reading tests including a spelling task, a reading recognition task, and a reading comprehension task. Because performance on all three measures was highly correlated, a reading factor representing performance on all three was used in the analysis, as well as the individual test scores.

Keyword: ADHD; Language
Link ID: 4682 - Posted: 12.12.2003

A research team at the University of Chicago has discovered a crucial signaling pathway that controls the growth of nascent nerves within the spinal cord, guiding them toward the brain during development. The study, published in the Dec. 12, 2003, issue of the journal Science, solves a long-standing scientific mystery. It may also help restore function to people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries. "This is the first guidance mechanism that regulates growth of nerve cells up and down the spinal cord," said Yimin Zou, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology, pharmacology and physiology at the University of Chicago.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4681 - Posted: 12.12.2003

Scientists at UCSF's Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center have identified a single brain protein that can account for most of the intoxicating effects of alcohol. The finding pinpoints perhaps the best target yet for a drug to block alcohol's effect and potentially treat alcoholism, the scientists say. The mechanisms by which alcohol acts on the brain are thought to be similar throughout the animal kingdom, since species from worms and fruit flies to mice and humans all become intoxicated at similar alcohol concentrations. But although studies have identified a number of genes that can partially influence how alcohol affects behavior, this is the first finding that a single gene and the brain protein it codes for - known as an ion channel - are responsible for the intoxicating effects of alcohol in a living organism, according to the researchers. The discovery was made in a six-year research effort focusing on Caenorhabditis elegans, the roundworm widely studied because about half of its approximately 20,000 genes have counterparts in the human genome.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4680 - Posted: 12.12.2003

Sheep horns downsized by hunters' taste for trophies. JOHN WHITFIELD The horns of some bighorn sheep are getting smaller, because hunters are picking off the most impressive rams before they reach their breeding peak. A study of one sheep population in Canada shows that hunting can harm the gene pool of a species over just a few years. That means there should be tougher restrictions on what animals can be taken, says David Coltman of the University of Sheffield, UK. "For selection to be having this effect is of fundamental importance," he says. Biologists have long suspected that hunting can affect animal evolution. Elephant poaching, for example, is thought to have led to an increase in the number of tuskless animals in Africa. And in Canada, the hunting of moose seems to have resulted in animals with smaller antlers. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4679 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By ERICA GOODE British drug regulators yesterday recommended against the use of all but one of a new generation of antidepressants in the treatment of depressed children under 18. In a letter sent to doctors and other health professionals, the government regulators said a review of data on the safety and effectiveness of the drugs, known as S.S.R.I.'s, indicated that their benefits did not outweigh their potential risks. Their effectiveness in treating depression in children, they said, has not been sufficiently demonstrated, and some drugs have been linked with suicidal thoughts and self-harm in children and adolescents. A summary of the findings was published on the Web site of the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk). Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Depression; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4678 - Posted: 12.11.2003

A new computer vision system for automated analysis of animal movement -- honey bee activities, in particular -- is expected to accelerate animal behavior research, which also has implications for biologically inspired design of robots and computers. The animal movement analysis system is part of the BioTracking Project, an effort conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology robotics researchers led by Tucker Balch, an assistant professor of computing. "We believe the language of behavior is common between robots and animals," Balch said. "That means, potentially, that we could videotape ants for a long period of time, learn their 'program' and run it on a robot."

Keyword: Robotics
Link ID: 4677 - Posted: 12.11.2003

The controversial Atkins diet may help reduce seizures in children with epilepsy, scientists have claimed. The high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet has been criticised by doctors who say it may be linked to illnesses including kidney disease. But experts told the American Society of Epilepsy that it could help control the condition. Some child epilepsy patients are currently on an even more restrictive diet which cuts out seizures. Both the Atkins diet and the ketogenic diet used by epilepsy patients are high in fat and low in carbohydrates and alter the body's glucose chemistry. The ketogenic diet mimics some of the effects of starvation, in which the body first uses up glucose and glycogen before burning stored body fat. (C) BBC

Keyword: Epilepsy
Link ID: 4676 - Posted: 12.10.2003