Bruce Bower Power has its perks, even for laboratory-housed monkeys. When moved from individual to group cages, socially dominant male monkeys exhibit a brain-chemistry change that fosters resistance to using drugs such as cocaine, a new study finds. This alteration increases the amount of so-called dopamine D2 receptors, a molecular gateway on brain cells controlled by the chemical messenger dopamine. Earlier studies implicated these receptors in pleasurable responses to drugs and other stimuli. In contrast, male monkeys at the bottom of the social pecking order display no boost in the D2 receptors when housed with other monkeys, say neuroscientist Michael A. Nader of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., and his colleagues. Unlike their more dominant cage mates, the low-ranking monkeys readily self-administer large amounts of cocaine. Morgan, D., . . . and M.A. Nader. 2002. Social dominance in monkeys: Dopamine D2 receptors and cocaine self-administration. Nature Neuroscience (Jan. 22). Abstract. From Science News, Vol. 161, No. 4, Jan. 26, 2002, p. 53. Copyright (c) 2002 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Drug Abuse; Aggression
Link ID: 1418 - Posted: 01.26.2002

A new study reported in today's issue of Science suggests that a cluster of genes maintains a worm's nervous system even after the animal reaches the larval stage. The genes help keep the wiring of the nervous system tangle free, contradicting conventional wisdom that such guidance ends early in development. Scientists have spent decades teasing apart the complex signals that guide axons--the long extensions that allow neurons to communicate with distant cells--to their correct destinations and help them make the right connections. But most developmental biologists assumed that the signaling was complete once the worm reached the larval stage. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 1416 - Posted: 06.24.2010

According to Study of Seasonal Affective Disorder New Haven, Conn. -- A Yale School of Medicine and Veteran's Affairs Administration study finding that patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) have lower nighttime levels of bilirubin, a bile pigment found in the blood and known by ancient Greek physicians as a "humor," lends support to the humoral theories of mood they espoused. The study is the first-ever scientific investigation of cyclical, or circadian levels of bilirubin in the blood of people with depression. An abstract of the article is published on the journal Biological Psychiatry's Web site http://www-east.elsevier.com/bps . The investigators found that nighttime bilirubin levels were lower in nine patients with SAD compared to a group of seven age- and gender-matched, healthy volunteers. The patient group was also found to have increased levels of bilirubin following treatment with exposure to a light source, a standard form of therapy for the disorder. Principal investigator of the study Dan A. Oren, M.D., Yale associate professor of psychiatry , said, "Humoral theories of mood depending upon bile pigments date back to the dawn of Western medicine. We know of no other studies of circadian bilirubin measurement in seasonal or other forms of depression. Low nocturnal levels of bilirubin may be a clue to understanding the causes and treatment of winter depression."

Keyword: Depression; Biological Rhythms
Link ID: 1415 - Posted: 01.26.2002

Brain researchers in Amsterdam have observed a double control system in the hippocampus. This double control system contributes to the memory and ensures that the brain does not 'crash', as is the case during an epileptic seizure. The neurobiologists from the University of Amsterdam carried out their observations on the hippocampus of rats. The hippocampus probably plays an important role in converting the short-term memory to the long-term memory. The hippocampus contains two sorts of brain cells: pyramidal cells and interneurons. Pyramidal cells are the most important cells in the hippocampus. They process incoming information and pass on information to pyramidal cells in other areas of the brain. The interneurons can control the activity of the pyramidal cells.

Keyword: Epilepsy; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1413 - Posted: 01.25.2002

Challenging a decades-old understanding of why morphine-like drugs lose effectiveness with increased use, UCSF scientists have demonstrated in animals how morphine’s potent painkilling powers can be easily sustained without increasing dosages. If confirmed in further studies, the discovery could lead directly to more effective relief using the powerful pain reliever. Morphine is prescribed to control severe, chronic pain, including pain from advanced cancers. Researchers at UCSF’s Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center have shown that a natural cellular process known as endocytosis that had been thought to weaken the effect of most opiates actually serves a protective function. They showed that when boosted, the process can arrest the pattern whereby morphine’s pain-killing benefits tend to wear off unless dosages are increased. The research is published in the January 25 issue of the journal Cell.

Keyword: Pain & Touch
Link ID: 1412 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Close Relatives of People With MS Are at Greater Risk for the Disease By Liza Jane Maltin -- There's new evidence to support the notion that multiple sclerosis is hereditary. When Polish researchers used a powerful imaging device to examine the brains of MS patients' close relatives, they found that even seemingly healthy individuals had subtle signs of possibly impending disease. Malgorzata Siger-Zajdel, MD, and colleagues from the Medical Academy of Lodz, Poland, looked at 30 first-degree relatives (parents, children, and siblings) of people with MS. None of the relatives showed any signs of nerve problems. Another 15 healthy volunteers served as a comparison group. Of the diagnosed MS patients, 15 had what's known as familial MS -- that is, at least two other family members also had been diagnosed with MS. The other 15 had what's known as sporadic MS -- when the study began, they were the sole family member with the disease. Medically Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD © 2002 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 1411 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Emma Ross AP Medical Writer LONDON –– A new study indicates that daily moderate consumption of alcohol, which has already been shown to help prevent heart disease and strokes, may also ward off Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. The study, published this week in The Lancet medical journal, also found that it doesn't seem to matter what people drink – the effect is the same. The finding adds to a growing body of evidence for the health benefits of moderate drinking. © 2002 The Associated Press

Keyword: Alzheimers; Drug Abuse
Link ID: 1410 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Are Brains Wired for Music Better Built to Last? By Lee Dye Special to ABCNEWS.com — As Christo Pantev prowled the halls of Toronto's Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care he was struck, over and over, by the vitality of many of the elderly patients who played a musical instrument. "I saw much more activity in these people than in the others," says Pantev, a neuroscientist at the center's Rotman Research Institute. He saw a difference even among those who were slipping over the edge into dementia. Memory begins to fade as the patients slide toward that dark abyss, but the last thing that goes — the last bit of memory — he says, is their ability to remember music. Copyright © 2002 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures.

Keyword: Hearing; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1408 - Posted: 06.24.2010

For years, researchers have debated how to classify the world's bats. Although the majority of those that use echolocation--emitting sound waves that bounce off objects--to hunt are usually lumped into one group, a new study suggests that some belong in a separate category. But evolutionary biologists are quick to note that the work will likely fuel an already fierce classification controversy in the bat world. Originally, bats were classified based on similarities in their appearance and behavior. But in the mid 1990s, several evolutionary biologists began to assess kinship by analyzing degrees of genetic difference among species. Microbats, the group of bats that emit echolocation signals from the larynx, came under close scrutiny because, surprisingly, some molecular studies divided them into two groups that diverged long ago, suggesting that echolocation evolved twice. Meanwhile, longstanding questions remained about where bats fit in the larger scheme of mammalian evolution. Evolutionary biologists Emma Teeling and Mark Springer from the University of California, Riverside, and their colleagues sought to resolve this controversy by studying a broad range of bats and examining more genes in each than did previous studies. Their genetic analysis encompassed 20 species of bats and nine other mammals. In each animal, the team studied 7100 bases, the letters that define genes. Copyright © 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Hearing; Evolution
Link ID: 1405 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Genetically and physically, male babies born with a condition called "micropenis" are more likely to achieve psychological and sexual well-being in adulthood if raised male, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other centers. Their report in this month's Hormone Research is the first comprehensive, long-term study examining psychological and sexual outcomes for both men and women. People born with a micropenis and raised as girls said they identified solidly with their female gender, but only 20 percent of the women said they were satisfied with their genitalia. In contrast, 50 percent of men, some of whom had attained normal penis length with the help of testosterone replacement, said they were satisfied with their genitalia. Like the women, men said they identified with their male gender. "Raising the baby either male or female presents parents with challenges," says Johns Hopkins Children's Center psychologist Amy Wisniewski, Ph.D., lead author of the study. "But we were pleased with the successful outcome of some of the males. All men who were compliant with their testosterone replacement attained a final penile length within the normal range." "Congenital Micropenis: Long-Term Medical, Surgical, and Psychosexual Follow-Up of Individuals Raised Male or Female" Hormone Research 2001; v.56, pp.3-11

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 1404 - Posted: 01.24.2002

Copyright © 2002 Scripps Howard News Service By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service - Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders seem to be able to enter the brain more readily when coupled with a vitamin C molecule, according to a new study by researchers in Italy. "We've opened the door for a promising new way to improve delivery of drugs into the brain using a natural nutrient, ascorbic acid," said Stefano Manfredini, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Ferrara in Italy, the lead investigator for the study. The researchers say their finding could have implications for treating a variety of disorders in the central nervous system, including viral infections, brain lesions and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 1403 - Posted: 06.24.2010

INSERM In a pair of pioneering studies, a French (INSERM) and American team of social-cognitive neuroscientists have identified a network of brain regions that are involved in human imitation and specific brain areas that enable a person to distinguish the self from others. The research is part of a larger effort to find the neurological basis of social interaction, particularly empathy, a basic part of human nature that allows most, but not all, people to care about others. The team is headed by neuroscientist Jean Decety of France`s Institut de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and a visiting scientist at the University of Washington`s Center for Mind, Brain & Learning, and developmental psychologist Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of the center. "This work is important because imitation is a natural procedure. We don`t learn to imitate. It is part of our biological nature and we are born to imitate," said Decety. © AlphaGalileo 2001

Keyword: Emotions
Link ID: 1402 - Posted: 06.24.2010

James Randerson Sleep scientists have discovered an alarming fact - counting sheep does not help you drop off after all. But there is consolation for insomniacs, as they also found that conjuring up a pleasant and relaxing scene will have you nodding off in no time. Those finding hard to sleep often seek distraction and some distractions work better than others, a team at Oxford University has found. "Picturing an engaging scene takes up more brain space than the same dirty old sheep," says Allison Harvey. "Plus it's easier to stay with it because it's more interesting," she adds. Harvey and her colleague Suzanna Payne asked 50 insomniacs to try different distraction techniques on certain nights, to see which helped them fall asleep more quickly. One group conjured up a tranquil and relaxing scene such as a waterfall or being on holiday, while a second were asked to think of a distraction such as counting sheep. A third group were left to their own devices. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Sleep
Link ID: 1401 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Sylvia Pagán Westphal, Boston A stem cell has been found in adults that can turn into every single tissue in the body. It might turn out to be the most important cell ever discovered. Until now, only stem cells from early embryos were thought to have such properties. If the finding is confirmed, it will mean cells from your own body could one day be turned into all sorts of perfectly matched replacement tissues and even organs. If so, there would be no need to resort to therapeutic cloning - cloning people to get matching stem cells from the resulting embryos. Nor would you have to genetically engineer embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to create a "one cell fits all" line that does not trigger immune rejection. The discovery of such versatile adult stem cells will also fan the debate about whether embryonic stem cell research is justified. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Stem Cells
Link ID: 1400 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Emma Young Trials of an experimental vaccine against Alzheimer's disease have been suspended, after four patients showed signs of what might be serious side-effects. Safety trials on more than 80 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in 2000 suggested Elan Pharmaceuticals' vaccine, known as AN-1792, is safe. But four of 97 patients given the drug as part of Phase II trials in France have developed symptoms of inflammation of the central nervous system. Traces of an unspecified virus have been found in the cerebrospinal fluid of "some" of the patients, Elan says. Viral infection of the cerebrospinal fluid can cause CNS inflammation. Elan is refusing to release further details until it has completed its investigation. But it say the investigation should be completed by the date the patients' next vaccine doses are due. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 1399 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Results Hold Possibilities For Treating Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s Disease HOUSTON, Jan. 18, 2002 – New research from University of Houston scientists may lead to techniques for jump-starting the faulty "wiring" in damaged nerve cells, and suggests possible avenues for treating spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. University of Houston scientists studying how spinal nerve cells in chicken embryos develop and function have found that chemicals called growth factors play a key role in regulating how embryonic nerve cells acquire the ability to start processing information. "In some cases, when nerves are damaged or succumb to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson’s, they don’t die, but they quit working and may actually revert to an immature embryonic-like state," says Stuart Dryer, a neuroscientist in the department of biology and biochemistry at UH.

Keyword: Trophic Factors; ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease
Link ID: 1397 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Cochlear implant beats expectations for many By Robert Bazell NBC NEWS — Susan Wesald can hear the sounds of her twins again. She started going deaf a decade ago, when she was in her 30s. Finally it got so bad she decided to undergo surgery to get a cochlear implant — sometimes called the bionic ear — last May. The results, she says, have been fantastic. “IT’S ALLOWED me to reclaim my life,” Wesald said. MSNBC Terms, Conditions and Privacy © 2001

Keyword: Hearing; Biomechanics
Link ID: 1396 - Posted: 06.24.2010

A French and American team of social-cognitive neuroscientists have identified a network of brain regions that are involved in human imitation and specific brain areas that enable a person to distinguish the self from others. The research is part of a larger effort to find the neurological basis of social interaction, particularly empathy, a basic part of human nature that allows most, but not all, people to care about others. The team is headed by neuroscientist Jean Decety of France’s Institut de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale and a visiting scientist at the University of Washington’s Center for Mind, Brain & Learning, and developmental psychologist Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of the center. “This work is important because imitation is a natural procedure. We don’t learn to imitate. It is part of our biological nature and we are born to imitate,” said Decety. Copyright © 1992-2002 Bio Online, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Emotions; Brain imaging
Link ID: 1395 - Posted: 06.24.2010

New Research Gives Hope For Innovative Rehabilitation WASHINGTON - Severe closed-head injury (CHI), like that caused in a car accident, can impair the ability for purposeful learning, for example in school or on the job. However, there is cause for hope: Psychologists have evidence that severe-CHI survivors may still be able to learn without awareness that they're learning. This kind of learning, called "implicit," may be supported by a separate, earlier-evolving brain mechanism than the "explicit" type. These findings, which are reported in the January issue of Neuropsychology, may aid the effort to remediate the cognitive abilities of CHI survivors, who often are impaired during young adulthood. The Centers for Disease Control have estimated that 5.3 million Americans, a little more than two percent of the U.S. population, currently live with disabilities resulting from CHI. Neuropsychology is published by the American Psychological Association (APA). "Perceptually Based Implicit Learning in Severe Closed-Head Injury Patients," Heather M. Nissley, M.S., and Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, Ph.D., Washington State University; Neuropsychology, Vol. 16, No. 1.

Keyword: Brain Injury/Concussion; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 1394 - Posted: 01.23.2002

by Bruce D. Miller, M.D. Psychiatric Times January 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 1 Nemo Psychologus Nisi Physiologus -- Johannes Mueller Recognition of the relationship between psyche and soma dates back to antiquity and is captured in written records and historical accounts. Galen, in the first century CE, was reported to have written that the condition of intermittent obstruction of breathing (now called asthma) was secondary to secretions dripping into the lung from the brain. This was arguably among the earliest accounts of the important link between mind and body in medical illness. Indeed, asthma is considered by many to be the prototype of psychosomatic illness. Maimonides, circa 1190 CE, wrote in his Book of Asthma: When in mental anguish, fear, mourning or distress…his agitation affects the respiratory organs and he can not exercise them at will…The cure of such conditions lies not in food recipes, neither in drugs alone, nor in regular medical advice…psychological methods are a greater help. (C) 1995-2002, CME, Inc.

Keyword: Stress; Emotions
Link ID: 1393 - Posted: 01.23.2002