By NICHOLAS WADE Few relationships are so laden with mutual benefit as that between man and dog. Much of the credit for this unusual state of affairs, it now turns out, may lie on the canine side of the equation. Three studies in today's issue of Science shed light on the questions of when, where and how dogs were first domesticated from wolves. One suggests that a few wolves, perhaps from the same population somewhere in east Asia, are the mothers of almost all dogs alive today. Despite some researchers' belief that dogs were domesticated independently in the Old World and in the New, domestication may have happened only once, probably around 15,000 years ago. Dogs seem quickly to have become highly prized and were brought along by the settlers who reached North America via the land bridge across the Bering Strait until the last ice age. This is the conclusion of a second study, based on DNA retrieved from ancient dog bones from Mexico, Bolivia and Peru, which found that all the pre-Columbian dogs belonged to Eurasian dog lineages. Copyright The New York Times Company

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 3064 - Posted: 11.22.2002

Obesity and diabetes appear to go hand-in-hand, but the molecular details of the relationship have been unclear. Now, researchers have shown that a key enzyme rises up in obese mice and prevents cells from using insulin properly. The results provide a link between fat and glucose metabolism, as well as a potential target in the fight against the disease. More than half of the adults in the United States are obese and face the risk of diabetes, which results when the body loses its ability to respond to insulin, the molecule that escorts glucose from blood into cells. Insulin resistance is thought to be triggered by free fatty acids and other molecules given off by certain kinds of fat. These molecules boost the activity of several enzymes, including one called JNK1. In test tube experiments, JNK1 turns off yet another molecule, called IRS-1, that normally assures that cells can take up insulin. So in principle, too much JNK1 could render cells unable to use glucose. To determine if JNK1 is the enzyme ultimately responsible for insulin resistance caused by weight gain, geneticist Gokhan Hotamisligil at the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues deleted the gene for JNK1 in mice. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 3063 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Douglas Fox Low fertility and frequent pregnancy complications may be the price that humans have paid for evolving a large brain. For the fetus to get enough nutrients to grow a hefty brain the placenta has to aggressively invade a mother's uterus, says a new theory. But that can also provoke her immune system, causing dangerous complications. However, recent research suggests that exposure to a man's semen helps a women's immune system prepare for pregnancy (New Scientist print edition, 9 February, p 32). So low rates of conception in humans reduce complications during pregnancy by giving a woman's immune system more time to adapt. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Newsletter
Link ID: 3062 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Amy Wahle Iowa State Daily (Iowa State U.) (U-WIRE) AMES, Iowa -- Stem cell research is being conducted in the Iowa State University zoology and genetics department regarding human eye diseases. Stem cells are undifferentiated, young cells with the ability both to multiply and to change into specific kinds of cells, said Donald Sakaguchi, associate professor of zoology and genetics. His research is working to develop "effective strategies to repair the damaged human brain," he said. Sakaguchi said his research looks specifically at glaucoma -- a human eye disease that can lead to blindness.

Keyword: Vision; Stem Cells
Link ID: 3061 - Posted: 11.22.2002

Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition Millions of people worldwide may have worse eyesight and even be more likely to go blind because of a long-held but misguided idea about how to correct short-sightedness. A study intended to confirm the theory has instead been stopped because the children's eyesight was getting worse, New Scientist has learned. For decades, many optometrists have been routinely "undercorrecting" short-sightedness, or myopia, when prescribing glasses or contact lenses. "What was done was done with the best of intentions," says optometrist Daniel O'Leary of Anglia Polytechnic University in Cambridge, England. Indeed, his study of 94 children in Malaysia sought to prove the value of undercorrection. Instead, it showed the opposite. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Vision; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 3060 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NewScientist.com news service The link between regular cannabis use and later depression and schizophrenia has been significantly strengthened by three new studies. The studies provide "little support" for an alternative explanation - that people with mental illnesses self-medicate with marijuana - according to Joseph Rey and Christopher Tennant of the University of Sydney, who have written an editorial on the papers in the British Medical Journal. One of the key conclusions of the research is that people who start smoking cannabis as adolescents are at the greatest risk of later developing mental health problems. Another team calculates that eliminating cannabis use in the UK population could reduce cases of schizophrenia by 13 per cent. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Depression
Link ID: 3059 - Posted: 06.24.2010

DALLAS – – A researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has helped uncover key information in the treatment of sleep disorders by identifying a gene that controls the rhythmic behavior of animals. Dr. Jin Jiang, assistant professor in the Center for Developmental Biology and of pharmacology at UT Southwestern, and researchers from Rutgers University have learned through studying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) that the gene slimb is a vital component in the regulation of the circadian clock – the brain's day-night mechanism that allows humans and other organisms to anticipate daily environmental changes and then tailor behavior like sleeping, waking and eating to the appropriate time of day. "Slimb is one of the newest clock genes being identified, and we believe it is also involved in human clock regulation," said Jiang, co-author of the study, published today in Nature. "We've only demonstrated the clock regulation in insects so far, but given the conservation in core clock mechanisms between insects and humans, I'm confident this gene is important in human clock regulation."

Keyword: Sleep; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 3058 - Posted: 06.24.2010

UCLA scientists have discovered that infants possessing a cell protein called Rhesus (Rh) factor that their mothers lack are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia in young adulthood. Reported in the December issue of the peer-reviewed American Journal of Human Genetics, the study suggests that the gene that codes for Rh factor is to blame for the higher risk. "Previous studies reported a link between mothers and infants who are Rh-incompatible and a higher rate of schizophrenia in the children later in life," said Dr. Christina Palmer, a research scientist at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. "Our research is the first to take a genetic approach to examining this increased risk." Rh factor is a protein that sits on the surface of each red blood cell. A person is Rh-positive when Rh factor is present and Rh-negative when Rh factor is not. The gene that codes for the Rh protein is called Rhesus D factor (RHD).

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 3057 - Posted: 11.22.2002

PHILADELPHIA -- When the human brain is presented with conflicting information about an object from different senses, it finds a remarkably efficient way to sort out the discrepancies, according to findings reported in the Nov. 22 issue of the journal Science. Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania; the University of California, Berkeley; New York University; and the Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics found that when sensory cues from the hands and eyes differ from one another, the brain effectively splits the difference to produce a single percept. The researchers describe the middle ground as a "weighted average" because in any given individual one sense may have more influence than the other. When the discrepancy is too large, however, the brain reverts to information from a single cue -- from the eyes, for instance -- to make a judgment about what is true. "We rely upon our senses to tell us about the surrounding environment, including an object's size, shape and location," said lead author Jamie M. Hillis, a postdoctoral researcher in Penn's Department of Psychology and former graduate student at UC Berkeley. "But sensory measurements are subject to error, and frequently one sensory measurement will differ from another."

Keyword: Vision; Pain & Touch
Link ID: 3056 - Posted: 11.22.2002

Eye contact shown to affect conversation patterns, group problem-solving ability (Kingston, ON) -- Noting that the eyes have long been described as mirrors of the soul, a Queen's computer scientist is studying the effect of eye gaze on conversation and the implications for new-age technologies, ranging from video conferencing to speech recognition systems. Dr. Roel Vertegaal, who is presenting a paper on eye gaze at an international conference in New Orleans this week, has found evidence to suggest a strong link between the amount of eye contact people receive and their degree of participation in group communications. Eye contact is known to increase the number of turns a person will take when part of a group conversation. The goal of this study was to determine what type of “gaze” (looking at a person’s eyes and face) is required to have this effect.

Keyword: Language; Vision
Link ID: 3055 - Posted: 06.24.2010

From Rusty Dornin CNN SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- Russell Rollens was a picture-perfect baby. Then at 15 months -- just like every other baby -- he got his measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, or MMR. "He had a physical reaction to those vaccines, including a high-pitched scream and days of high pitched crying and listlessness," said Russell's father, Rick Rollens. Ten years later, those problems continue. Russell is now autistic. © 2002 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.

Keyword: Autism
Link ID: 3054 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A consciousness-raising study of the many minds of David Lodge By Nick Groom Craig Raine, in the interview that concludes this collection, asks if David Lodge thinks he has a distinctive style and if it could be parodied. Lodge does not know: "I think I'm rather a ventriloqual kind of novelist. I imitate a lot of different voices rather than having an obvious distinctive one of my own." Lodge's fiction is famous for pastiches of other writers, but he could as easily be talking about his criticism. Consciousness and the Novel consists of recent lectures, essays, introductions and reviews, in which several Lodges emerge: the dapper professor lecturing on the latest fashionable ideas; the meticulous teacher outlining the fascination of Howards End ; the impatient dilettante carelessly taking quotations from the web and video sleeves; and the chatty, urbane champion of Evelyn Waugh. By writing differently on each subject, be becomes a different writer for each – the most striking thing about this collection. At one level, then, this is simply the latest "best of", showing Lodge's range as a critical impressionist. The blurb, however, makes the claim that the book is about how the latest theories of the mind help us to understand how the novel represents human consciousness. So Lodge is interested in literature and "consciousness studies": artificial intelligence, evolutionary biology and so forth. All this boils down to the question of how the brain is "hardwired" and how competing "software" programmes for, say, "identity" or "soul" are run on the biological system. But by writing in so many styles, Lodge presents a powerful argument against the new maps of consciousness proposed by trendy polemicists such as Steven Pinker. © 2002 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

Keyword: Intelligence; Attention
Link ID: 3053 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A tiny wasp no bigger than a flea can change the chemistry of plants to help it land a mate, according to a new study. Results published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggest that the gall wasp (Antistrophus rufus) alters the ratio of compounds within a plant's stem to attract members of the opposite sex. © 1996-2002 Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Newsletter
Link ID: 3052 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NewScientist.com news service People with sleep apnoea are much more likely to have stuttered as children - and early brain damage could explain the link. The new finding represents a shift in understanding of what causes the devastating sleep disorder, the team says. Brain scans conducted by a team led by Ronald Harper at the University of California, Los Angeles, showed that patients with obstructive sleep apnoea also had damage in regions that regulate breathing and speech. The researchers also found that almost 40 per cent of the sufferers stuttered as children, compared with an average of just seven per cent of the general population. "For decades, we have blamed sleep apnoea solely on a narrowed airway caused by enlarged tonsils, a small jaw or excess fat in the throat," says Harper. "Our findings show that sleep apnoea patients also suffer disordered wiring in brain regions that control muscles of the airway. These glitches may lead to the syndrome, which is exacerbated by a small airway." © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Language; Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 3051 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Maverick neuroscientists do colorful studies on gray matter Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Most of the 13,296 abstracts, 28 symposia and 22 lectures at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Orlando delved into the meat-and-potatoes business of the brain: mechanisms of memory, what might be done to treat Parkinson's disease, how various neurotransmitters work. And then there was the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll: studies of the male orgasm and the cerebellum, how marijuana affects users of ecstasy, how the nervous system perceives music. As brain-imaging becomes more and more sophisticated, researchers are ranging further and further afield, stretching the bounds of serious scientific inquiry with some decidedly unusual, if not titillating, investigations. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 3050 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By ERICA GOODE The number of Americans who received psychotherapy increased slightly from 1987 to 1997, according to a large national study, and rose significantly for two groups: older adults and the unemployed. But the average length of time patients spent in the consulting room dropped precipitously over the same period, the study found, and the percentage of patients who combined psychotherapy with psychiatric medication nearly doubled. The researchers said the findings reflected the impact of managed care and the growing popularity of brief forms of psychotherapy, as well as the wider use of antidepressants and other drugs to treat many mental disorders. But the study's results, they said, also indicated that despite these changes, access to psychotherapy had increased for some groups, and that talk therapy remained, for many people, an important component of mental health treatment. Copyright The New York Times Company

Keyword: Depression; Stress
Link ID: 3049 - Posted: 11.20.2002

Pheromones are nature's messengers of love: chemicals that help animals identify mates and get them in the mood for romance, even over long distances. But how pheromones act on the brain remains vague. Now, neuroscientists have directly spotted the first receptor to bind a known pheromone. This major step will help scientists dissect the molecular machinery involved in complex behaviors like courtship and aggression. The mouse vomeronasal organ--a cavity tucked inside the nostrils--features a dense network of neurons that sense pheromones. These neurons are directly wired to brain areas driving sexual appetite, aggression, and stress, but they bypass those involved in voluntary actions. Earlier this year, researchers analyzing the sequenced mouse genome brought to light a family of 150 genes that might code for pheromone receptors. All the genes are expressed only in vomeronasal sensory neurons. Consistent with a role as pheromone sensor, each neuron expresses only one of these genes. But subsequent studies pointed to other functions for these genes, and their role as receptors remained unclear. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 3048 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Documents reveal tobacco industry influence on African American groups Previously secret documents show that tobacco companies provided money, cultivated social and political ties, and aggressively offered free cigarettes to African American leadership groups – even as the evidence grew that African Americans bear a disproportionate share of the tobacco-related disease burden. UCSF researchers will present findings from a new study of the internal tobacco industry documents at a press conference to be held at 11 a.m. (PST), Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at the Hilton Hotel, 333 O'Farrell Street, SF, Union Square, Room 14 (Building 3, 4th floor). The research appears in the December 2002 issue of the journal Tobacco Control, published by the British Medical Association. Recipients of tobacco money included more than 60 African American organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the congressional Black Caucus, the National Black Police Association, and the National Urban League, said UCSF researchers.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 3047 - Posted: 06.24.2010

- Bethesda, MD -- We know quite a bit about the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). It is part of the frontal lobe that lies superior to the orbit of the eyes. This area of the brain plays an important role in emotional behavior, receives direct inputs from the dorsomedial thalamus, temporal cortex, ventral tegmental area, olfactory system, and the amygdala (illustration). Its outputs go to several brain regions, including the cingulate cortex, hippocampal formation, temporal cortex, lateral hypothalamus, and amygdala. Finally, it communicates with other regions of the frontal cortex. Thus its inputs provide it with information about what is happening in the environment and what plans are being made by the rest of the frontal lobes. Its outputs permit it to affect a variety of behaviors and physiological responses, including emotional responses organized by the amygdala. However, there is still much that we do not know about this important part of the brain. Research has shown that three inferior prefrontal regions of the monkey's brain (OFC, ventral area of the principal sulcus, and the anterior frontal operculum) all receive somatosensory stimuli (indirect sensations to the body as opposed to specific stimuli such as light). Now a groundbreaking research effort has incorporated two studies, combining positron emission tomography with neutral tactile (touch) stimulation to determine if these same regions in the human brain respond accordingly.

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Cerebral Cortex
Link ID: 3046 - Posted: 11.20.2002

Report available by contacting Society for Women’s Health Research New discoveries on the interplay between genes and biological sex were the topic of discussions at the Third Annual Conference on Sex and Gene Expression (SAGE III), hosted by the Society for Women's Health Research, in San Jose, CA, April 4-7, 2002. The annual conference is a unique interdisciplinary forum for basic research scientists to share data and explore the frontiers of how biological sex influences the expression of genetic information throughout life, from embryonic development through adulthood. Leading established researchers and outstanding new researchers in biochemistry, genetics and molecular, developmental and cellular biology attended the by-invitation-only meeting. A report from SAGE III is available by contacting Jennifer Brindise at (202) 496-5015 or Jen@womens-health.org. Highlights of the first panel, which covered model systems for understanding sex differences in development, included a discussion of the genetic regulation of sex determination in fruit flies and nematodes as well as the contributions of genes on the X and Y chromosomes to brain development in birds and rodents. To order a copy of the SAGE report, contact Jennifer Brindise at Jen@womens-health.org

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 3045 - Posted: 06.24.2010