Young male elephants produce sweet secretions before starting to stink. JOHN WHITFIELD A male Asian elephant's smell switches from mellifluous to malodorous as he matures, say researchers. A honeyed aroma keeps young males out of trouble; a rank pong signals their readiness for sex and violence. Musth is the pachyderm equivalent of US college students' spring break. From their late teens onwards, male elephants' testosterone levels surge for a month each year, making them sex-crazed and aggressive. For males in their early teens, musth is a much sweeter experience. They smell "like a mixture of flowers", says Bets Rasmussen, who studies chemical communication at Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton. Ancient Hindu poetry describes bees flocking to these secretions, which are produced by a gland just below an elephant's eye. * Rasmussen, L. E. L., Riddle, H. S & Krishnamurthy, V. Mellifluous matures to malodorous in musth. Nature, 415, 975 - 976, (2002). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1607 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Linguists filter languages for sound before meaning. HELEN PEARSON Bilingual people switch off one language to avoid speaking double Dutch. By first sounding out words in their brain's dictionary, they may stop one tongue from interfering with another. Those fluent in two languages rarely mix them up. They switch between language filters that oust foreign words, Thomas Munte of Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany, and his team suggest1. Their studies of brain activity reveal that bilinguals reject words that are not part of the language they are speaking - before working out what the words mean. "They could completely ignore the other language," says Munte, and so prevent the two from merging. * Rodriguez-Fornells, A., Rotte, M., Heinze, H.-J., Nosselt, T. & Munte, T.F. Brain potential and functional MRI evidence for how to handle two languages with one brain. Nature, 415, 1026 - 1029, (2002). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Language; Brain imaging
Link ID: 1606 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Studies establishing the effectiveness of antidepressants are based on highly selective samples of depressed patients. New research by Brown University psychiatrists found as many as 85 percent of depressed patients treated in an outpatient setting would be excluded from the typical study to determine whether an antidepressant works. PROVIDENCE, R.I. — While antidepressants are among the most frequently prescribed medications, most patients treated for major depression in a typical outpatient psychiatric practice would not qualify to take part in a clinical trial for a new antidepressant drug, according to a new Brown University study. Trials to determine the effectiveness of antidepressants have historically evaluated only a small subset of depressed individuals with a very specific clinical profile. People diagnosed with other psychiatric problems and people with mild depression are among those excluded, says the study, which appears in the March 2002 American Journal of Psychiatry.

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 1605 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Study Supports Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) Indications CAMBRIDGE, Mass., (BW HealthWire) --Findings published in Experimental Neurology, a peer review journal, show that the treatment with Sonic Hedgehog protein (Shh), under development by Curis, reduces behavioral impairments and neural loss in a model of Parkinson's disease. These findings demonstrate that Shh and related compounds hold therapeutic promise for Parkinson's disease and other disorders of the nervous system. The current study reported by our collaborators, Drs. Clifford Shults and Kyoko Tsuboi of the University of California, San Diego, utilized the "6-OHDA model," a standard model used to mimic human Parkinson's disease. In this model, dopaminergic neurons (the type of brain cells involved in human Parkinson's disease) and their processes are damaged by administration of a toxin to the brain, resulting in brain damage and behavioral impairments representative of Parkinson's disease. The researchers analyzed behavior for several weeks after the brain injury, and examined the extent of brain damage. Administration of Shh was found to significantly reduce deficits in multiple behavioral tests and to cause preservation of the dopaminergic nerve fibers normally lost in this model. These findings demonstrate the utility of Shh for Parkinson's disease. In addition to studies on Shh protein, Curis has successfully identified and optimized novel small molecule compounds that mimic effects of Shh protein in the brain and also represent candidate therapeutics for Parkinson's. Together, these findings demonstrate the promise of using insights and molecules from developmental biology to identify novel therapeutics for neural disorders. Copyright (C) 2002 Business Wire. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Parkinsons; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1603 - Posted: 02.28.2002

Over the past decade new discoveries in basic human biology have made it increasingly apparent that many normal physiological functions--and in many cases, pathological functions--are influenced either directly or indirectly by sex-based differences in biology. This realization, however, has been slow in coming. Considerable attention has focused on differences and similarities between females and males at the societal level by researchers evaluating how individual behaviors, lifestyles, and surroundings affect one's biological development and health. Similarly, at the level of the whole organism clinicians and applied researchers have investigated the component organs and systems of humans. However, scientists have paid much less attention to the direct study of these differences at the basic cellular and molecular levels. Where data are available, they have often been a by-product of other areas of research. Historically, the research community assumed that beyond the reproductive system, such differences do not exist or are not relevant. Still, scientific evidence of the importance of sex differences throughout the life span abounds. Copyright ©2001 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1602 - Posted: 06.24.2010

The recent general acceptance that new neurons are generated in adult mammalian nervous systems, contrary to long-established dogma, has generated much speculation about possible functions of such neurons and aroused hopes for therapeutic applications, but controversy still surrounds these findings.

Keyword: Newsletter; Neurogenesis
Link ID: 1601 - Posted: 02.28.2002

Early senility in mother's family -- process worries bioethicists Rick Weiss, Washington Post Applying sophisticated genetic tests to batches of human eggs, doctors in Chicago have helped a 30-year-old woman give birth to a baby that is free of her family's curse of early Alzheimer's disease. Doctors said it was the first time genetic screening had been used to cull a form of Alzheimer's from a family line. Some experts praised the feat yesterday as an act of compassion toward the next generation. Without the screening, the newborn would have had 50-50 odds of becoming hopelessly senile by the time it was 40 years old. Others criticized the advance as the latest step down the road toward designer babies. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Alzheimers; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1600 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A gene in the brain which is linked to Alzheimer's Disease may be responsible for some people ageing more rapidly than others, say scientists. Researchers found an association between nerve cell changes associated with ageing and the presence of a variation of the apolipoprotein gene, known as apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4). This form of the gene is carried by 25% of the population and has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease and memory loss after head injury or bypass surgery. Scientists tried to discover why some elderly adults retain strong mental capacity well into their 90s while others fall into progressive decline or dementia. (C) BBC

Keyword: Alzheimers; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1599 - Posted: 02.27.2002

By Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News — If the sight or sound of words or numbers conjure up irresistible sensations of color, you aren't crazy, just wired differently, said a scientist who has spotted strange happenings in the brains of people called synesthetes. About one in 200 people have the benign condition called synesthesia, which causes them to experience vivid sensations of color when they encounter words or numbers, said Vilayanur Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California at San Diego. Now there's strong evidence that there is a physical reason for synesthesia. Using MRI brain imaging of synesthetes and non-synesthetes, researcher Jeffrey Gray of the London Institute of Psychology has shown that the color-processing centers of synesthetes' brains are activated by words and numbers, while other, vision-related areas stay quiet. Copyright © 2002 Discovery Communications Inc.

Keyword: Vision
Link ID: 1598 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By NICHOLAS WADE Pheromones are the mysterious fragrances that govern the primal urge to court and mate in creatures from moths to mice. A Harvard biologist, Dr. Catherine Dulac, has now made a surprising discovery about how pheromones control the behavior of male mice. Male mice are genetically programmed to follow a simple rule when a strange mouse enters their territory. If it's male, attack it; if female, seduce it. Dr. Dulac reports in the current issue of Science that it is pheromones from the intruder that signal whether it is male or female and cue the appropriate behavior in the resident mouse. Mouse pheromones are chemicals emitted in the urine. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1597 - Posted: 02.27.2002

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – It was a warm summer night that Tuesday – a night not unlike many others he had spent working in the lab – when Richard Nass, Ph.D. walked down the empty hallway and entered a small, darkened room. Settling himself onto a stool, he placed a shallow dish on the stage of the microscope before him and peered through the eyepieces. What he saw there – or, rather, didn’t see – took him aback. Nass saw the host of wriggling, transparent worms that he expected, but missing was the distinctive green glow that should have lit up the bodies of the worms like neon. "I almost couldn’t believe it," he said, shaking his head. The loss of green fluorescence that Nass observed in his worms told him that their dopamine neurons, which had been genetically altered to fluoresce green, had been destroyed by exposure to a chemical, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). The results of the study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that this tiny roundworm, named C.elegans, can serve as a powerful model for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying degeneration of dopamine neurons in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 1596 - Posted: 06.24.2010

May be target to prevent or treat obesity and diabetes For mice genetically altered to get fat, knocking out a particular gene keeps them both leaner and healthier, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine scientists report in the March 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. That "lean" gene is the blueprint for myostatin, a protein known to limit muscle growth, they report. Previous Hopkins studies found that mice without myostatin are muscle-bound "mighty mice." Now the scientists show that mice without the protein, even mice that usually become obese, gain much less fat as they age. "This tells me that myostatin might be a useful target for preventing or treating obesity and associated conditions, like diabetes," says Se Jin Lee, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular biology and genetics in the school's Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. "However, we've been studying genetic knock-outs; we don't know yet whether we can block myostatin in adult animals and see similar effects. In fact, myostatin-blocking agents still need to be developed."

Keyword: Obesity; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1595 - Posted: 02.27.2002

Study finds experimental agent calms brain activity [Reuters] — An experimental drug that works to calm brain activity could help patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease just as they lose the ability to care for themselves, researchers said Tuesday. THE DRUG, called Memantine, slows over-excited brain cell signaling that is associated not only with Alzheimer’s but with other brain diseases, including Parkinson’s. In doing so, it slows the progression of the disease, which gradually robs patients of their ability to remember, to find their way around, and to bathe and dress themselves, researchers told a meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry in Orlando, Fla. • MSNBC Terms, Conditions and Privacy © 2002

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1594 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Women who are obese before pregnancy are risking the health of themselves and their unborn child, according to a study. Obese women can develop gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and need to be hospitalised during pregnancy. Their babies can be born prematurely or suffer serious birth defects and other severe problems, says Dr Richard Deckelbaum, professor of nutrition at New York's Columbia University. This has special significance for the UK, where obesity among women of childbearing age is continuing to rise. (C) BBC

Keyword: Obesity; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1591 - Posted: 02.25.2002

By JODI WILGOREN Senator Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who is facing a fierce challenge in his bid for a third term this fall, announced yesterday morning that he has a mild form of multiple sclerosis. Senator Wellstone said he learned about a month ago that a limp in his right leg, which for 15 years he had attributed to an old wrestling injury, was actually caused by primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a form of the disease that affects about 60,000 Americans and for which there is no specific treatment. About 330,000 Americans have some form of multiple sclerosis. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis
Link ID: 1590 - Posted: 02.25.2002

JOHN WHITFIELD Researchers have pinpointed the receptor that allows us to taste proteins' building blocks. The amino-acid receptor triggers the lip-smacking umami taste that flavour enhancers exploit. Its discovery might help the design of new additives. Mice's version of the receptor responds to nearly all of the 20 amino acids found in proteins, Charles Zuker of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues have found1. The human version of the receptor is most sensitive to the chemical glutamate. Glutamate is one of the most common amino acids in our diets. It gives high-protein food its meaty, umami flavour. About 1.5 million tons of monosodium glutamate is used to make food tasty each year. * Nelson, G. et al. An amino-acid taste receptor. Nature advance online publication, DOI: 10.1038/nature726 (2002). * Chaudhari, N., Landin, A. M. & Roper, S. D. A metabotropic glutamate receptor variant functions as a taste receptor. Nature Neuroscience, 3, 113 - 119 , (2002). © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste); Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1589 - Posted: 06.24.2010

It is one of the most difficult diseases I deal with, without question, a neurologist says. By Kathleen O?Dell News-Leader The disease already had its deadly grip on respiratory therapist Jeff Taylor when the first symptom showed up: His right-hand grip was weak. Then his arm. Then his left hand; his left arm. Surgeon Mark Avery began slurring his speech; his tongue felt thick. By the time the Springfield men were diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, it was already too late. The disease gradually took away their strength, then their movement and, finally, their lives. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, is a fatal disease that researchers are scrambling to understand even as the number of cases seem to be growing in Missouri and nationwide, said Kim Goble, with the Springfield ALS chapter. Part of that growth could stem from more accurate diagnoses, said Springfield neurologist Rodney Quinn. (There used to be something called 'creeping paralysis,' Goble observed.) Copyright © 2002, The Springfield News-Leader

Keyword: ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease
Link ID: 1588 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Today patients with cerebral aneurysms face a difficult choice: brain surgery or a less proven alternative BY SANJAY GUPTA, M.D. Think of it as a blood vessel in the brain that weakens like an old inner tube, develops a blister and eventually pops, spilling large quantities of blood into the skull. That, in a nutshell, is what doctors call a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. What it feels like is the worst headache of your life. My patients have described it as a thunderclap in the head followed by blinding pain, nausea and vomiting. They cannot look at bright lights. Their necks get stiff. Confusion sets in. Half the people who suffer through one don't live to describe it. Until quite recently, not much had changed in the treatment of aneurysms, as Ardith Eastlund learned after her twin sister Arlene Erickson died of a ruptured one last fall in Reed City, Mich., at 64. The sisters were identical in so many ways that Eastlund naturally wondered whether she too might be carrying a time bomb in her brain. "I just want to put my mind--and my family--at ease," she told Dr. B. Gregory Thompson, chief of cerebrovascular surgery at the University of Michigan. Copyright © 2002 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Stroke
Link ID: 1587 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By John McKenzie [ABCNEWS.com] C A M B R I D G E, Mass., ? Once you have survived a stroke, the next challenge is to recover from the paralysis ? to regain control of a leg, an arm or a hand. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology thought a newly developed robotic arm could help. "It adds hope to those people who think they've done all that they can, and may be an opportunity to give them further improvements," said Neville Hogan, an MIT professor involved in the project. Copyright © 2002 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures.

Keyword: Stroke; Robotics
Link ID: 1586 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Humans can recognize five distinct tastes: bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami. Of the five, however, umami is the most difficult to describe. It's the flavor associated with monosodium glutamate (MSG). Now, researchers have identified a taste receptor that responds to amino acids, including umami, and they hope to develop a more precise description of the molecular events that allow the brain to perceive the five different tastes. With the discovery of the new receptor, scientists have now identified taste receptors for amino acids, bitter and sweet tastes. Given that many amino acids are essential components of our diet, this work may also aid understanding of how animals, including humans, regulate nutritional intake to achieve a balanced diet. Better understanding of taste receptors may permit scientists in the food industry to formulate new products that have specific tastes. A©2002 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Keyword: Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 1585 - Posted: 06.24.2010