Researchers have found that they can enhance memory in fruit flies by boosting the level of a protein called PKM. The scientists could trigger memory enhancement in the flies by using either a fly or a mouse version of PKM. The study, published in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, provides an important new clue about a fundamental mechanism of memory common to flies, humans, and most other animals. It is widely believed that memories are stored as changes in the number and strength of the connections between brain neurons, called synapses. A typical brain neuron makes thousands of synapses with other neurons. However, only a subset of those synapses is involved in a particular memory or learned skill. Neuroscientists are interested in determining how molecules that strengthen synapses are targeted to some synapses but not to others.

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1775 - Posted: 03.27.2002

The adipose-derived hormone leptin is well known for its influence on feeding behavior. Animals with genetic defects in leptin signaling become obese when supplied unlimited food. However, even when food supply is limited to prevent obesity, leptin still exerts profound effects on various organs, including the bones. These effects are mediated by the central nervous system, specifically hypothalamic neurons that respond to signals from neuropeptide Y (NPY), and, as Baldock and colleagues now show, they can be mimicked by defects in the NPY receptor Y2. The accelerated bone deposition in animals lacking leptin signaling might be thought to occur as a consequence of hormonal imbalance, possibly mediated by changes in corticosteroids or plasma calcium levels. However, Baldock et al. find no evidence for such a mechanism, and they suggest instead that rapid bone deposition and high trabecular bone volume result from direct neural control of bone growth.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 1774 - Posted: 03.27.2002

STANFORD, Calif. - In a new study, Stanford researchers describe a treatable medical condition which causes people to commit violent sexual acts in their sleep. Referred to as "sleep sex," the nocturnal activities cited in the study range from disruptive moaning to rape-like behavior toward bed partners. The researchers believe this condition stems from glitches in brain waves during sleep. By bringing attention to the disorder, they hope the health-care community will recognize the problem as medical in origin rather than psychological. "Now doctors might know to ask patients about how they're sleeping," said Christian Guilleminault, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford School of Medicine. Guilleminault's study, released in the March/April issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, outlined 11 patients with symptoms that included loud, disruptive moaning on one end of the scale and sexual assault on the other. Regardless of how unusual or violent the behavior, patients had no memory of the events the next morning.

Keyword: Sleep; Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1773 - Posted: 03.27.2002

BY BEN HIRSCHLER, EUROPEAN PHARMACEUTICALS CORRESPONDENT LONDON - (Reuters) - Prozac and related antidepressants could in theory pose a cancer threat by blocking the body's innate ability to kill tumor cells, British scientists said on Tuesday. But Professor John Gordon of the University of Birmingham, who led the research, said patients should keep taking their drugs since there was no evidence of any link in practice. Working in the test-tube, Gordon and others found that the brain's mood-regulating chemical serotonin caused some cancer cells to self-destruct.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 1771 - Posted: 03.27.2002

Pheromones Enhance Females' Sexual Attractiveness to Males By Melinda T. Willis [ABCNEWS.com] — When it comes to sexual attraction, new research provides evidence that the nose knows. Women who wore perfume with synthesized female pheromone were more attractive to their male partners, conclude scientists at San Francisco State University. Pheromones are odorless chemicals excreted from the body that affect reproductive interactions among both animals and humans. They are picked up by a special organs or tissues in the nose, and then conveyed to regions higher up in the brain. Copyright © 2002 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1770 - Posted: 06.24.2010

An "exceptional" RAF cadet who suffered massive and irreversible brain damage during surgery has won £4.4m damages. Christopher Lynham, 27, was admitted to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary after a motorcycle accident in May 1998. But in the operating theatre he suffered a cardiac arrest. On Monday the High Court judge Mr Justice Garland said there was a better than 95% chance the cadet would have made a complete recovery if he had received appropriate treatment. Mr Lynham, of Westfield Road, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, was left with almost complete amnesia and now lives "largely in the moment", say experts. He can still speak, and read and write, but is said to be easily frustrated. He is totally incapable of looking after himself and will require 24-hour care for the remainder of his life. (C) BBC

Keyword: Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1768 - Posted: 03.26.2002

Arsenic poisoning through contaminated drinking water can lead to diseased arteries, which in turn can cause heart attacks and strokes, research shows. Scientists say they have identified a link between long-term exposure to arsenic and the accelerated development of atherosclerosis or progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries leading to the brain. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, strongly point to arsenic and possibly other pollutants, as risk factors for blood vessel disease throughout the body. Arsenic is naturally occurring in rocks in many parts of the world, including Bangladesh and China, and contaminates underground artesian well water.

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 1767 - Posted: 03.26.2002

Scientists have found strong evidence that mental stress can be deadly for people who suffer from heart disease. They found that the death rate was nearly three times higher for heart patients who suffered from mental stress. Although stress is essentially a mental condition, it does have a profound impact on the body too. It constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure and heart beat rate, increasing the heart's demand for oxygen. The result is that the heart muscle may not get enough blood - a condition known as ischaemia. (C) BBC

Keyword: Stress
Link ID: 1766 - Posted: 03.26.2002

By ERICA GOODE Psychologists are adept at diagnosing and treating mental illness. But unlike psychiatrists, who are medically trained, they have never been able to prescribe drugs for their suffering patients. As of July 1, however, psychologists in one state, New Mexico, will be authorized to pull out the prescription pad. A new law will grant prescribing privileges to licensed, doctoral-level psychologists who have completed an additional training and certification program. And though the specifics of the plan remain to be worked out, the law is already the focus of a bitter national debate. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 1763 - Posted: 03.26.2002

The personality of railroad foreman Phineas Gage took a turn for the worse when an accidental explosion shot a tamping iron through the frontal lobe of his brain. Once a model of responsibility, Gage became so rude and impulsive that he never worked as a foreman again. Now researchers report that damage to a brain region called the orbital prefrontal cortex (OPFC) brings out impulsive behavior in rats as well, causing impulsive behavior. The study suggests the OPFC contributes to decision-making by evaluating the trade-off between small, immediate rewards and large, delayed rewards. Previous studies in humans and a variety of animals have shown that the OPFC is part of a network of brain regions that respond to food, sex, and other rewards. In brain imaging studies, the OPFC is highly active when people deliberate between actions with uncertain risks and rewards, and clinical reports describe patients, such as Gage, whose inability to consider long-term consequences can lead to tragic outcomes. But no one knew exactly what role the OPFC played in decision-making. S. MOBINI ET AL., PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 160, 290 (2002) Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Emotions; Attention
Link ID: 1762 - Posted: 06.24.2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Researchers here in collaboration with a group in California have discovered that a protein normally thought only to be a component in the immune system actually plays a key role in regulating neurotransmission in the central nervous system -- the CNS -- as well. The protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha, or TNF-alpha, has long been known to be a key player in controlling cell death but this new finding offers new insights into how cells interact within the human nervous system. Understanding this new role of TNF-alpha may provide researchers with possible new approaches to treating illnesses such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, epilepsy and spinal cord injury. The report was published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

Keyword: Trophic Factors; Neuroimmunology
Link ID: 1761 - Posted: 03.26.2002

DALLAS – A common drug given to multiple sclerosis patients appears to stimulate weakened immune system cells, according to a study published by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. While Copaxone, or glatiramer acetate, has long been known to slow or stop the progression of attacks in MS patients, researchers have not known exactly how the drug treated the disease. In the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, lead author Dr. Nitin Karandikar, UT Southwestern assistant professor of pathology and neurology, and colleagues report that Copaxone appears to stimulate a certain type of T cell in MS patients. Produced by the thymus gland, T cells are white blood cells that fight infection and, in healthy people, coordinate the body’s immune response. There are two types of T cells, CD4 and CD8 cells. Both are involved in the immune process that underlies MS and, in MS patients, the cells function abnormally to give rise to this disease. The researchers used flow cytometry to analyze cells taken from MS patients and were able to see the T cells rallying under the effect of Copaxone.

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis; Neuroimmunology
Link ID: 1760 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The tiny Belding's ground squirrels appear to be "kissing". Instead, they are sniffing to analyze secretions from facial scent glands, hoping to learn from the complex odor bouquet who is family and who's not. More remarkably, they are determining in a matter of seconds precisely who is close-enough kin to risk their lives helping -- and perhaps even whether they are too closely related to for mating. "It's as if these squirrels are reading DNA fingerprints and drawing the family tree with their noses," says Cornell University psychology researcher Jill M. Mateo. Her five years of field studies in the California mountains, as reported in the Proceedings: Biological Sciences (April 7), a journal of The Royal Society, Britain's national academy of science, are the first to show how recognition odors allow precise estimates of kinship, even among distant relatives.

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1759 - Posted: 03.26.2002

Less than 7% of all Parkinson Disease (PD) patients across Europe that could benefit from deep brain stimulation have benefited from the Activa® Parkinson’s Control Therapy, despite it being the most significant advance in the treatment of Parkinson’s in more than 30 years. The European Parkinson’s Disease Association (EPDA) announced today new evidence on the current uptake of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease patients and despite its success there are still large numbers of patients waiting or denied access to the therapy. Deep brain stimulation uses Medtronic’s Activa® Parkinson’s Control Therapy which is a pioneering treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease. It was launched by Medtronic with the support of the EPDA to great acclaim in Europe four years ago in 1998, however considerably low numbers of patients with Parkinson’s disease have received the treatment since that period.

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 1758 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Steve Connor Science Editor Scientists have discovered that Prozac, the antidepressant taken by millions of people around the world, may stimulate the growth of brain tumours by blocking the body's natural ability to kill cancer cells. An international team of researchers led by John Gordon, professor of immunology at Birmingham University, found evidence to suggest cancer cells can be killed by "positive thinking", which could be blocked when people take Prozac. The study, to be published in the journal Blood next week, examined the effects of Prozac and other antidepressants on a group of tumour cells growing in a test tube. The researchers found that the drug prevented the cancer cells from committing "suicide", thereby leading to a more vigorous growth of the tumours.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 1756 - Posted: 03.26.2002

LONDON By health-newswire.com reporters The effectiveness of a simple “breath test” that may be able to identify children with dyslexia and determine whether they are benefiting from treatment is to be studied by UK researchers. The breath test, developed by scientists from the University of Oxford, works by measuring biochemical imbalances in the body that are thought to underlie some behavioural and learning difficulties. The development of the test follows research by Dr Alexandra Richardson, of the university’s Department of Physiology, who found that some people with conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder can be treated with a simple nutritional supplement. © Health Media Group 2002 Terms and Conditions

Keyword: Dyslexia
Link ID: 1755 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Eating bat meat may be to blame for mystery illness ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON, — Scientists have long sought to understand a horrific brain disease that once devastated the native people of Guam — Lou Gehrig’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s symptoms rolled into one. Now two researchers have uncovered clues that suggest a Chamorro dietary tradition — eating a type of bat that feeds on neurotoxic plants — might be behind the mystery illness. IT’S CIRCUMSTANTIAL evidence so far. But if the new theory is proved right, it could be more than another dismal discovery that diet can wreck the human brain. Understanding the Guam disease may help uncover novel ways to treat regular Lou Gehrig’s, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases. The theory, published Monday in the journal Neurology, turns on the principle that changing economies can impact disease. The brain disease peaked after World War II brought guns and cash to Guam, spurring commercial hunting until the bats neared extinction — and then the human disease in turn rapidly waned, said ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, who studies how indigenous people relate to their environment. • MSNBC Terms, Conditions and Privacy © 2002

Keyword: ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease ; Neurotoxins
Link ID: 1754 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Development of the anterior pituitary gland, from a common primordium in the roof of the embryonic mouth into an organ comprising multiple distinct endocrine cell types, is described by two University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine researchers in a review published March 22, 2002 in the journal Science. M. Geoffrey Rosenfeld, M.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and UCSD professor, and Kathleen M. Scully, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, UCSD Department of Medicine, provide a step-by-step description of the intricate cell signaling and nuclear events that take place during key steps in pituitary gland development. Lying at the base of the brain, the pituitary is a pea-sized gland that secretes hormones involved in growth, reproduction, lactation, thyroid gland function, and the maintenance of homeostasis (i.e. a constant internal environment). The gland is a complex organ regulating a combination of neural signals from the hypothalamus as well as feedback from target organs. Copyright ©2001 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Development of the Brain; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 1753 - Posted: 06.24.2010

VENICE, Florida (AP) -- Emiliano Valdez, a boxer from the Dominican Republic who was knocked unconscious during a match two years ago, has died of complications from blows to the head. He was 28. Valdez had been in a coma since suffering serious brain damage during a professional welterweight fight with Teddy Reid at the Venice Arena on Jan. 23, 2000. Reid knocked Valdez unconscious with successive blows in the 10th and final round. He died Wednesday at Bon Secours-Venice Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Venice. Copyright © 2002 CNN/Sports Illustrated.

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion
Link ID: 1750 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Points to Need for Blood Sugar Control in Diabetic and Obese Women Boston--March, 2002--Diabetic mothers could have a surprising culprit to blame for their high risk of having babies with neural tube defects. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center working with mice report in the March 15 Genes and Development that a protein normally involved in programmed cell death may, as a consequence of high blood sugar levels, mistakenly tell the cells of the early developing neural tube to die. It is not clear whether the protein, p53, plays a similar role in human neural tube defects, which include spina bifida (where the spinal cord is not completely enclosed) and exencephaly (where the brain is exposed and the skull is not fully formed). But the report provides a possible explanation for a class defects that appears to be on the rise. Even with good control of diabetes, the risk for neural tube and other birth defects is two to five times higher than normal if a mother has diabetes. That risk could increase as diabetes and obesity, both of which can cause high blood sugar, makes inroads into younger populations. "I think there is a very large population of women at risk for having a baby with a neural tube defect who are not being looked at aggressively because they have not been diagnosed as having diabetes, and yet, their blood glucose may be higher than normal" said Mary Loeken, PhD, who is a researcher at Joslin and assistant professor of medicine (physiology) at Harvard Medical School.

Keyword: Apoptosis; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1749 - Posted: 03.24.2002