By SUSAN FREINKEL Like millions of Americans, Caroline Polk, a freelance editor in Washington, was left deeply unnerved by the Sept. 11 attacks. She could not sleep and felt tense and nervous all the time. Unable to calm herself, she decided to go for counseling, paying out of her own pocket. After four months, her anxiety had subsided, and she quit. Ms. Polk did not give the therapy another thought until a few months later, when she decided to switch her health insurance. She applied for an individual plan through a Maryland company, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. When the application asked about recent medical treatments, she duly noted the counseling, as well as some visits to the doctor for minor back pain. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Depression; Schizophrenia
Link ID: 2397 - Posted: 07.30.2002

PAUL RECER AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A bile acid the body produces in small amounts is able in laboratory studies to slow the progress of Huntington's disease, a fatal, inherited brain disorder that destroys the mind and has affected about 30,000 Americans. "We found in mouse studies that this compound protects the animals' neurons (brain cells) from the effects of the Huntington's disease gene," said C. Dirk Keene, first author of a study appearing this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Keene, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, said many more laboratory studies are needed before the drug could be considered for testing in humans, but he said the research is important because it offers the hint of a future treatment for a lethal disorder that now has no treatment.

Keyword: Huntingtons
Link ID: 2396 - Posted: 07.30.2002

A new technology that allows physicians and researchers to make detailed, three-dimensional maps of nerve pathways in the brain, heart muscle fibers, and other soft tissues has been licensed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new imaging technology, called Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) was invented by researchers now at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). DT-MRI may allow physicians and researchers to better understand and diagnose a wide range of medical conditions such as stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), multiple sclerosis (MS), autism, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and schizophrenia. NIH has signed an agreement with GE Medical Systems, licensing them to produce and market the product. “NIH’s mission is to support research that improves the health of the public,” said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of NICHD. “The recent licensing of DT-MRI ensures that the technology produced as a result of NIH research is further developed and marketed to medical institutions where patients can benefit from its use.”

Keyword: Brain imaging
Link ID: 2395 - Posted: 06.24.2010

WASHINGTON - Even if we are not aware of them, negative thoughts about aging that we pick up from society may be cutting years off our lives, according to Becca Levy, Ph.D., the lead researcher of a study conducted at Yale University's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. The study found that older people with more positive self-perceptions of aging, measured up to 23 years earlier, lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions of aging. The findings appear in the August issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The 7.5 year higher longevity for those with the more positive attitudes toward aging remained even after other factors were taken into account, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness and overall health. "The effect of more positive self-perceptions of aging on survival is greater than the physiological measures of low systolic blood pressure and cholesterol, each of which is associated with a longer lifespan of four years or less," said the study authors. "It is also greater than the independent contributions of lower body mass index, no history of smoking, and a tendency to exercise, each of these factors has been found to contribute between one and three years of added life." Using information from 660 participants aged 50 and older from a small town in Ohio who were part of the Ohio Longitudinal Study of Aging and Retirement (OLSAR), Dr. Levy and her co-authors, Martin D. Slade, MPH and Stanislav V. Kasl, Ph.D., of Yale University and Suzanne Kunkel, Ph.D., of Miami University of Ohio, compared mortality rates to responses made 23 years earlier by the participants (338 men and 322 women). The responses included agreeing or disagreeing with such statements as "As you get older, you are less useful." © PsycNET 2002 American Psychological Association

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 2394 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By ANN PATCHETT I am quite sure I am not the only one who has noticed this, but those low, snug jeans that Britney Spears wears with such authority do not flatter anyone else. Still, that is the style of the day, and there is nothing to do but watch the parade of hips and stomachs and wait for them to pass. Whatever is awful in fashion will eventually go away (fashion writers are heralding high-waisted pants for fall), and then, just as reliably, it will return. Now we must ask whether it is time to bid farewell to Prempro, a drug we had thought was part of the permanent pharmaceutical landscape but may instead have been only passing through. With its attendant risks suddenly brought to light (higher rates of breast cancer, strokes, blood clots) there is not only fear but also a sense of betrayal. This combination of estrogen and progestin had been tested, approved, recommended. We had been convinced that we needed it, and in that belief we came to need it. Now we are left to battle out the hot flashes and mood swings, to find different ways of preventing osteoporosis, to worry about heart attacks. In short, we are back where we started. What we want is for medicine to be a science. We want competent, well-informed doctors to give us consistent answers based on exhaustive research. We want them to be right. But medicine is a peculiar combination of science and fashion, half penicillin, half shoulder pads. It takes what is known at the moment, combines the knowledge with what the consuming public wants and comes up with a product. One doctor endorses the product, and while you can always go for a second opinion, it's hard to stop at just two, especially when the opinions turn out to be in direct conflict with one another. Read the papers. One doctor says to discontinue Prempro immediately. Another says more studies are needed and what we're facing is a massive overreaction. In the end it will be up to you, who never went to medical school, to make the decision your life may depend on, and while there might not be one definitive right answer, you can bet on the fact there are plenty of wrong ones. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2393 - Posted: 07.29.2002

Bone marrow could save eyesight. KENDALL POWELL Bone marrow stem cells might one day deliver drugs to the eye, halting age- and diabetes-related blindness. The cells can treat a genetic condition that causes mouse retinas to degenerate1. When the stem cells - that usually make blood vessels - were injected into the fluid-filled space of the eye they became part of developing blood vessels in the retina. Faulty capillary formation is central to both the leading causes of adult blindness in the US: diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Stem Cells; Vision
Link ID: 2392 - Posted: 06.24.2010

In a Study of the Brain, Special Nerves Registered the Emotional Context of a Pleasurable Touch By Shankar Vedantam Washington Post Staff Writer Neuroscientists have discovered what romantics have always known: The touch of a lover's hand is special. Scientists announced a study today that shows humans have a special set of nerves for feeling pleasure at a mother's caress or a lover's embrace. These nerves are sensitive to the soft touch of fingers gliding over a forearm or a parent's soothing hand, but not to rough touches, jabs or pinches. Scientists speculate that the nerves might be designed to guide humans toward tenderness and nurturing -- a theory bolstered by the fact that the nerves are wired to the same brain areas activated by romantic love and sexual arousal. © 2002 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 2391 - Posted: 06.24.2010

NewScientist.com news service Scientists have discovered why being cuddled feels so good - human skin has a special network of nerves that stimulate a pleasurable response to stroking. The revelation came after doctors realised that a woman with no sense of touch still felt a "pleasant" sensation when her skin was caressed. Normal touch is transmitted to the brain through a network of fast-conducting nerves, called myelinated fibres, which carry signals at 60 metres per second. But there is a second slow-conducting nerve network of unmyelinated fibres, called C-tactile (CT), the role of which was unknown. The CT network carries signals at just one metre per second. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 2390 - Posted: 06.24.2010

British doctors believe they may have found a way of helping patients with conditions which seriously damage their nervous system. Doctors at St George's Hospital Medical School in South London have identified a gene which they believe plays a key role in certain neuro-degenerative disorders. These include patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), which can cause people to lose the use of their legs and suffer from muscle spasms. There is currently no cure for this disorder. However, the London doctors believe their discovery could help in the development of future treatments. Dr Andrew Crosby and colleagues examined the genetic make-up of a particular form of HSP called Troyer syndrome. (C) BBC

Keyword: Movement Disorders; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2389 - Posted: 07.27.2002

By Oona Mashta Dora Marshall was so crippled with arthritic pain in her arms and legs she would lie crying in bed at night unable to move. Mrs Marshall, 97, from Bradford, has suffered from arthritis for more than 10 years. She used to take pain killers daily to ease the pain, but last summer her pain killers seemed to lose their effect. She said: "I was in agony. I could hardly move. It would take me hours to get in and out of bed the pain was so bad. "When I did get into bed, I would just lie there awake unable to move or turnover on my side the arthritis was so painful. "I love playing the piano, but last June my fingers were so crippled with arthritis I couldn't move them to play. I was devastated." (C) BBC

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 2388 - Posted: 07.27.2002

Smoking during early pregnancy could increase a child's risk of developing autism. Swedish researchers studied over 2,000 children and found that those mothers who smoked regularly were 40% more likely to have autistic children. Researcher Dr Christina Hultman from the Department of Medical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, said there was already thought to be a link between the growth of the foetus in the womb and autism. She said that because smoking also restricts growth it could have a similar effect. "We have tested the hypothesis of reduced growth in utero related to other psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa and there might be similar early risk factors. (C) BBC

Keyword: Autism; Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2387 - Posted: 07.27.2002

Scientists peer into the dark world of sex offenders Bruce Bower From inner-city mean streets to serene suburban cul-de-sacs, from bar stools to pulpits, and from state houses to the state prisons, sex offenders uniformly inspire fear and loathing. On occasion, rapists, child molesters, and their ilk also stir up unexpected irony. Consider this turn of events. On June 9, scientists and clinicians from throughout North America ended a 3-day meeting in Washington, D.C., where they discussed the state of knowledge about sexually coercive acts. Although intriguing lines of research were described, conference participants readily admitted their ignorance about crucial issues. There was no consensus on what causes individuals to become sexual criminals, how best to predict which of them will offend again after release from prison, or even whether current treatment programs for sex offenders are effective. Fair enough. On June 10, however, the Supreme Court begged to differ. Prison-based rehabilitation programs for sex offenders work so well, the high court ruled, that states can impose penalties on convicts who refuse such treatment. The 5-to-4 decision addressed the case of Robert G. Lile, a convicted rapist who wouldn't enter treatment in a Kansas prison because the program, which has served as a model for prisons in more than a dozen other states, requires men to admit in writing to past offenses. Lile sued prison officials, citing his constitutional right against self-incrimination. From Science News, Vol. 162, No. 4, July 27, 2002, p. 59. Copyright ©2002 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Aggression
Link ID: 2386 - Posted: 06.24.2010

BOSTON – Scientists have identified the molecular pathway in the brain that helps explain how the once-popular diet drug d-Fenfluramine (d-FEN) works to promote weight loss, a discovery reported in the July 26 issue of Science that could provide an opportunity to develop a new anti-obesity treatment without d-FEN’s cardiac side effects. The study, led by a team of researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), also suggests this same brain pathway – the melanocortin system – is responsible for regulation of body weight at either end of the weight spectrum from obesity at one extreme to anorexia nervosa at the other. D-FEN, used in combination with phenteramine and known as fen-phen, was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 after a subset of patients taking the drug developed cardiac complications.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 2385 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Syndrome mimics otosclerosis, but may require different treatment ANN ARBOR, MI - If hearing loss runs in your family and the doctor says it's otosclerosis, it may be important to see a genetic counselor before you see a surgeon, according to new research from the University of Michigan Medical School. Otosclerosis is a form of progressive conductive hearing loss, which usually begins in young adulthood. It occurs when a bone in the middle ear called the stapes becomes immobilized or fixed, which prevents it from transmitting sound vibrations from the outside world to the inner ear and brain. "About 1 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with otosclerosis, but it may affect up to 10 percent of the total population," says Marci Lesperance, M.D., an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in the U-M Medical School. (c) copyright 2002 University of Michigan Health System

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 2384 - Posted: 07.27.2002

Smoke-free workplaces not only protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking - they can also encourage smokers to think twice about their habit. Researchers in San Francisco, California, found that smokers who worked in companies with a no-smoking policy tended to either cut back on their consumption, or give up smoking completely. On average, the introduction of a smoke-free policy led to a cut in cigarette consumption of 29%, and a 4% drop in the total number of people who smoked. The researchers, from the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, based their findings on a review of 26 studies from across the world which examined the effects of smoke-free workplaces. (C) BBC

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2383 - Posted: 07.26.2002

How do you get a low-fat ice cream that tastes like a full-fat ice cream? This is the challenge facing a PhD student at the University of Missouri Columbia, US, who is using a mechanical "mouth" to help her find the perfect flavour. Ice cream sales are now in their summer boom months - but attempts to promote a low-fat variety to health-conscious consumers are struggling. While sales of full-fat ice cream are rising in the United States, the low-fat variety has seen a decline in sales. For those who see ice cream as a science rather than a pleasure, this is because the flavour is carried in the fat. And the university is receiving over $100,000 from the US Government to carry out research into finding a strawberry-flavoured low-fat ice cream that will taste more like the high-calorie variety. (C) BBC

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 2382 - Posted: 07.26.2002

Claire Bowles New Scientist WHETHER or not you believe in the paranormal may depend entirely on your brain chemistry. People with high levels of dopamine are more likely to find significance in coincidences, and pick out meaning and patterns where there are none. Peter Brugger, a neurologist from the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, has suggested before that people who believe in the paranormal often seem to be more willing to see patterns or relationships between events where sceptics perceive nothing. To find out what could be triggering these thoughts, Brugger persuaded 20 self-confessed believers and 20 sceptics to take part in an experiment. Brugger and his colleagues asked the two groups to distinguish real faces from scrambled faces as the images were flashed up briefly on a screen. The volunteers then did a similar task, this time identifying real words from made-up ones. copyright of Reed Business Information Limited

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 2381 - Posted: 07.26.2002

Questions raised over leg light resetting body clock. HELEN PEARSON A quirky cure for jet lag may have been shot down. Scientists have challenged the idea that light shone behind the knees can reset the body's clock. Four years ago, a pair of US researchers announced that exposing the backs of a person's knees to blue light can re-train their body's 24-hour clock, which times when they sleep and wake1. The idea caught media and public imagination, and skin-lighting treatments for sleep disorders were planned. But some scientists were sceptical. There is little evidence that light signals on the skin can travel through the blood to the central clock in the brain, says sleep researcher Kenneth Wright of Harvard Medical School in Boston: "It went against everything we knew". © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 2380 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A report in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry presents a new hypothesis that may explain the causes of the psychiatric disease, schizophrenia. The hypothesis hinges on glia, a special type of cell, which is important for the maintenance of the connections between brain cells. By re-examining previously published research the authors suggest that schizophrenia may be caused by a combination of defective genes, which result in deficiencies of a variety of growth factors in glia, and infection by viruses, which may further weaken the glia. They conclude that this "weakening" of glia may result in the breakdown of connections between different brain cells leading to the development of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a severe disabling psychiatric disease, which affects approximately 1 percent of the population. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices, feelings of extreme paranoia and an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy. It is clear that schizophrenia has a strong genetic component, however analysis of individual genes alone will not give us a full understanding the causes of schizophrenia. rving Gottesman, one of the authors of this paper and originator of the now widely accepted polygenic model of schizophrenia explains, "The investigation of individual genes in isolation has its limitations since virtually all important biological phenomena, from normal brain functioning to schizophrenia, are the result of complex systems. What is needed is a systems approach for understanding the development of schizophrenia." © 1999-2002 BioMed Central Ltd

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Glia
Link ID: 2379 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Research conducted in animals has revealed that an appetite suppressant drug, D-fenfluramine (D-FEN), activates brain pathways that regulate food intake and body weight. The NIH-funded study suggests that drugs targeting central nervous system pathways affecting appetite, obesity, and anorexia may lead to selective, effective treatments for weight control. Results appear in the July 26, 2002, Science. A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) found that anorexia induced by d-FEN in rodents activates melanocortin neurons in the central nervous system. The drug, once prescribed for losing weight and known as fen-phen when used with phentermine, was withdrawn by the Food and Drug Administration after reports of cardiac complications. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) supported the research. The scientists set out to identify ways that d-FEN, which increases the brain's release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relays nerve impulses and curbs appetite, boosts this effect. Using a dose of d-FEN that reduced feeding behavior, they correlated anorexic effects with activity patterns in a network of neurons in the brain. Researchers targeted the arcuate nucleus (ARC) region of the hypothalamus, where pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons receive serotonin directly and signal to regions associated with regulating energy.

Keyword: Obesity
Link ID: 2378 - Posted: 07.26.2002