PROTEIN STIMULATES KEY LINK BETWEEN NERVE CELLS, SUGGESTING POSSIBLE TARGET FOR MENTAL RETARDATION AND NERVE REGENERATION THERAPIES [UCSF press release] UCSF researchers have exposed a single protein that can stimulate the maturation of the synapses, or junctures, through which nerve cells communicate a key signal to one another. The discovery reveals a mechanism critical for supporting brain development, learning and memory and a possible target for treating mental retardation and nerve damage following stroke and spinal cord injury. The finding, reported in the November 17 issue of Science, indicates that the protein, PSD-95, helps build the physical scaffolding of the synapse that cells use to transmit the chemical messenger, or neurotransmitter, known as glutamate, to a target cell. Copyright 1999 Regents of the University of California. All Rights Reserved.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 98 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Seeds of a sociopath Violence in the brain? By Josh Fischman You wouldn't want your child to date either of the two British teens identified only as Case I and Case II. Perhaps you would blame derelict parents–or a lax society–for the teenagers' school failures, fighting, drug abuse, and arrests. But if you were a neuroscientist like Faraneh Vargha-Khadem, you'd instead blame serious head injuries that in both cases damaged a tiny spot in the brain, just above the eyes. "It turned the boys into walking time bombs, because the trouble didn't show until years after the injuries," says Vargha-Khadem of University College London Medical School. "It's the first time we've seen this." U.S.News & World Report Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Aggression
Link ID: 97 - Posted: 06.24.2010

STUDY INDICATES THAT BRAIN WIRING IS LARGELY INBORN [Duke press release] DURHAM, N.C. - Neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center mapping the developing visual systems of newborn ferrets have discovered evidence challenging the long-held view that the brain's circuitry is largely wired by experience. Rather, they contend, much of the circuitry is inborn, with experience acting merely to preserve and enhance existing connections. The finding, published in the Nov. 17 Science, calls into question a fundamental tenet of brain development - that early sensory stimulation is critical to the basic wiring of the brain.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 96 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor (217) 333-5802; b-james3@uiuc.edu 11/1/2000
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When axons connect with target cells, synapses form - a pivotal brain development stage that allows for such things as muscle coordination, learning and memory. The outward reaching fingers of axons, called filopodia, have been thought to be the driving force for these connections. However, a new view is emerging at the University of Illinois. Using a scanning electron microscope and green fluorescent protein (GFP) to coat target cells, in this case live cell muscle membranes from Drosophila, UI researchers detected similar axon-like fingers. Filopodia extending from axons -- the communicating arms of neurons -- are well documented and thought to be the reaching, seeking fingers that latch on to the receptors of target cells such as muscles.

Keyword: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 95 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Monkey brain wired to control robot arm ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Wednesday, November 15, 2000 Breaking News Sections (11-15) 08:46 PST Researchers have wired the brains of monkeys to control robotic arms -- a feat that could one day allow paralyzed people to move artificial arms and legs merely by thinking. The wires fed electrical impulses from the brains of two monkeys into a computer linked to robotic arms. When the monkeys reached for food or manipulated a joystick, the robotic arms mimicked those motions. For people who are paralyzed because of spinal cord injuries or diseases of the central nervous system, such wiring could one day enable them to bypass the damage and send impulses directly to their muscles. (C) 2000 Associated Press

Keyword: Regeneration
Link ID: 94 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor (217) 333-5802; b-james3@uiuc.edu 11/1/2000
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Studies at the University of Illinois have identified a specific brain pathway in which neurons activate in times of low oxygen (hypoxia) and trigger increased breathing. The findings of the research -- based on studies of electrical currents in rat brains -- have led the scientists to postulate that many newborns don't have enough neurons to respond sufficiently to hypoxia. Such a deficit in response capability, they say, possibly is a factor in sudden infant death syndrome, which each year claims the lives of 3,000 babies under a year old in the United States.

Keyword: Sleep; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 93 - Posted: 11.06.2001

Cold Turkey for a Sweet Tooth? New Orleans--People who consider sweets addictive will sympathize with rats fed sugary meals. The rats suffered withdrawal symptoms when researchers blocked a part of the brain that responds to drugs such as morphine or heroin, suggesting that sugar is acting on the brain in much the same way. People with eating disorders might have similar symptoms of addiction, the researchers say. The brain's opioid system registers the intense pleasure that comes from taking morphine, but it also responds more mildly to the body's own opioids. These substances are released, for instance, when you eat delicious foods. ..... --LAURA HELMUTH Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 92 - Posted: 10.20.2001

A picture worth a thousand notes JESSA NETTING Some blind people may soon be able to hear a landscape or listen to a painting, using a computer system that translates complex visual images into musical tones. The researchers that developed the program envision a time when blind people will navigate through a city by ‘seeing' the landmarks with their ears. The team at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the UK is currently developing a hand-held device that a person could walk around with. Unfortunately, such a device will not help those that are blind from birth, as they do not develop mental imagery for depth perception. 1.Cronly-Dillon, J. & Persaud, K. C. Blind subjects analyze visual images encoded in sound. Journal of Physiology 523P, 68 (2000). 2.Cronly-Dillon, J., Persaud, K.C. & Blore, R. Blind subjects construct conscious mental images of visual scenes encoded in musical form. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 267, 2231-2238 (2000). Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Hearing
Link ID: 91 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By LINDA CARROLL
In a quiet, dark room at the University of Pennsylvania, Edward Coleman, 30, lies back and watches a videotape of addicts like him smoking crack while a PET scanner records each neurochemical nuance of his brain. Normally, the images would spark an irresistible craving for the drug. His heart would start to race; his ears would begin to buzz; and a spot deep inside his brain would flash brightly on the scan. But today it is different. Before starting the videotape, Dr. Anna Rose Childress gave Mr. Coleman a medication that may someday help him, and others, combat the craving that lures so many back to their addictions. Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 90 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Findings presented at annual Society for Neuroscience meeting
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 6, 2000 – Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have uncovered the mechanism by which the brain prepares itself to solve a problem. Their research was presented today at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. The Pitt researchers, led by Cameron Carter, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, conducted a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showing that the part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) becomes active when a person is preparing for a task. The more it activates, the better that person performs a given task. Yet, absent anticipation that a task needs to be performed, the DLPFC does not activate at all. According to Dr. Carter, the data suggest that DLPFC activation is associated with representing and maintaining the attentional demands of a task. (c) 2000 UPMC Health System

Keyword: Attention
Link ID: 89 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Similar sounds help the tongue-tied DAVID ADAM What is the name of the proud race of half-men, half-horses from Greek mythology? How about the writing material favoured by the ancient Egyptians? If the words ‘seldom' and ‘nocturnal' help you remember that the first is ‘centaurs' and the clues ‘pagoda' and ‘amorous' trigger ‘papyrus' for the second then, according to new research, the words were ‘on the tip of your tongue. Actually, for this simple test to match accurately the new results announced by researchers at this week's American Psychological Association meeting in Washington DC, the clue words should be read aloud to you. And hearing them even before the question is posed should also help. 1.James, L. E. & Burke, D. M. Tip of the tongue, phonological priming and aging. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition 26, 1378-1391 (2000). Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Language
Link ID: 88 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Lamprey cyborg sees the light and responds Sid Perkins The $6-million eel it ain't. But researchers who have taken the unprecedented step of connecting a brain, in this case a sea lamprey's brain, to a small mobile robot say they've got a roving fishbot that may someday lead to better prosthetic devices for humans. In the meantime, the two-wheeled robot that scoots about the lab bench in response to light may help scientists better understand how an animal's nervous system and a machine can communicate with each other. From Science News, Vol. 158, No. 20, Nov. 11, 2000, p. 309. Copyright © 2000 Science Service. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Regeneration
Link ID: 87 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Electric shocks can cause motor neurone disease 09:30 19 July 01 Emma Young Lightning strikes and other electric shocks could cause more cases of motor neurone disease than doctors suspect, says a French team. They identified six patients who had suffered electric shocks and gone on to develop a progressive deterioration of nerves controlling movement. In each of the patients, the nerve deterioration started in the part of the body where the electric charge entered or exited.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 86 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Implant makes sight good as new 14:05 29 June 01 Duncan Graham-Rowe A lens implant that can change focus like a natural lens promises to make cataract patients' eyesight almost as good as it was when they were young. The device, which is being developed by Jin-Hui Shen, an ophthalmologist at Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, contains six overlapping lenses. As the muscles in the eye relax, the overlap increases, allowing patients to focus on closer objects.

Keyword: Vision
Link ID: 85 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Too much alcohol dulls your senses, but a study in Japan shows that moderate drinkers have a higher IQ than teetotallers. Researchers at the National Institute for Longevity Sciences in Aichi Prefecture, 250 kilometres west of Tokyo, tested the IQs of 2000 people between the ages of 40 and 79. They found that, on average, men who drank moderately-defined as less than 540 millilitres of sake or wine a day-had an IQ that was 3.3 points higher than men who did not drink at all. Women drinkers scored 2.5 points higher than female teetotallers.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 84 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Scientists studying the origins of aggression have highlighted areas in the brains of mouse mothers that may generate fierce attacks on males who pose a potential threat to their pups. The findings will be presented by Johns Hopkins University postdoctoral researcher Stephen Gammie at this week's annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans. Gammie says the results are an important step towards pinning down the origins of this type of aggressive behavior in the mouse brain, an accomplishment that could help scientists better probe aggression's origins in humans. To prevent strange male mice from harming their offspring, female mice with pups normally attack any such mouse who comes into their area. A few mouse moms, however, fail to show this response. Gammie divided mice into groups based on this distinction, compared the two groups for presence of compounds related to brain activity, and was able to identify four brain areas that were active in the aggressive moms but not in the non-aggressives.

Keyword: Aggression
Link ID: 83 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Brain to Blame for Musicians' Cramp New Orleans--Practice makes perfect--but for some musicians, too much practice cramps their hands so badly that they can no longer play their instrument. The condition, called focal dystonia, can afflict typists or anyone else who makes repetitive, forceful, precise movements. Most treatments focus on fingers, hands, and arms. But a study presented here today at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting shows that the brain may be to blame. Retraining the brain can allow musicians to play again. Over the past decade, neuroscientists have begun to believe that the adult brain is malleable. For instance, in the parts of the brain that register sensations, every finger has its own designated spot; but if you tape an index and middle finger together for a few weeks, these spots converge, and one brain region will start communicating with both fingers. If, after this rewiring, you touch someone on the middle finger when they're not looking, they might claim you touched the index finger. ..... --LAURA HELMUTH Copyright © 2000 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 82 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Noh subtlety for the British HENRY GEE The full-face masks worn by actors in a traditional Japanese Noh drama are rigid and lifeless. They appear to come to life and change expression when worn by a skilled player. But the emotional subtleties of Noh acting are lost on British viewers, researchers suggest in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B1. Most of the time British and Japanese test subjects alike judged a photograph of a forward-tilted antique Noh mask ‘happy (yorokabi) and a backward-tilted one ‘sad (kanashimi), say Michael J. Lyons of Advanced Telecommunications Research International in Kyoto, Japan, and his colleagues in Japan and Britain. 1.Lyons, M. J. et al. The Noh mask effect: vertical viewpoint dependence of facial expression perception. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 267, 2239-2245 (2000). Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Emotions
Link ID: 81 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Animal magnetism JESSA NETTING After much tagging and tracking, an international team of researchers from Italy, Sweden, and Wales have concluded that green sea turtles don't have to use magnetic cues to find their way around. Setting off from the tiny Atlantic island of Ascension for the Brazilian mainland, turtles tagged with six coin-sized magnets to disrupt magnetic fields fared just as well as controls in reaching their destination. The navigational mechanisms used by these turtles, report the researchers in The Journal of Experimental Biology1, "remain enigmatic". .... 1.Papi, F., Luschi, P., Akesson, S., Capogrossi, S. & Hays, G. C. Open-sea migration of magnetically disturbed sea turtles. The Journal of Experimental Biology 203, 3435-3443 (2000). Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2000 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2000 Reg. No. 785998 England.

Keyword: Animal Communication
Link ID: 80 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Gene Study May Help Schizophrenics Brain-signal system appears to be abnormal Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Tuesday, November 7, 2000 New Orleans -- The hidden genetic roots of mental illness, including even complex disorders with varied symptoms, are starting to show themselves in cutting-edge experiments using tools derived from study of the human genome. In one of the first applications of high-powered ``gene chip'' technology to an important psychiatric syndrome, scientists are reporting today the discovery of genes that may prove key to understanding schizophrenia. E-mail Carl T. Hall at carlhall@sfchronicle.com. (c) 2000 San Francisco Chronicle Page A4

Keyword: Schizophrenia
Link ID: 79 - Posted: 10.20.2001