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Last Updated: May 11, 2008 - 1:28:10 AM |
Latest Research
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Neurosciences
Researchers have discovered how an antibiotic works to modulate the activity of a neurotransmitter that regulates brain functions
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have discovered how an antibiotic works to modulate the activity of a neurotransmitter that regulates brain functions, which eventually could lead to therapies to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy, stroke, dementia and malignant gliomas.
May 11, 2008 - 1:12:56 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
High blood urate slows progrssion of Parkinson's Disease
Higher blood levels of the compound urate, a salt derived from uric acid that is associated with gout, may be associated with a slower progression of Parkinson’s disease, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the June 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Apr 14, 2008 - 1:47:49 PM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
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Brain Diseases
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Epilepsy
Glutamate- involved in blocking response to anti-epileptic medication
Using a rodent model of epilepsy, researchers found one of the body’s own neurotransmitters released during seizures, glutamate, turns on a signaling pathway in the brain that increases production of a protein that could reduce medication entry into the brain. Researchers say this may explain why approximately 30 percent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiepileptic medications. The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy and Medical School, in collaboration with Heidrun Potschka’s laboratory at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, is available online and will appear in the May 2008, issue of Molecular Pharmacology.
Apr 14, 2008 - 1:41:38 PM
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Latest Research
Insects evolved radically different strategy to smell
Darwin's tree of life represents the path and estimates the time evolution took to get to the current diversity of life. Now, new findings suggest that this tree, an icon of evolution, may need to be redrawn. In research to be published in the April 13 advance online issue of Nature, researchers at Rockefeller University and the University of Tokyo have joined forces to reveal that insects have adopted a strategy to detect odors that is radically different from those of other organisms -- an unexpected and controversial finding that may dissolve a dominant ideology in the field.
Apr 13, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Repeated methamphetamine use causes long-term adaptations in brains of mice, researchers find
Repeatedly stimulating the mouse brain with methamphetamine depresses important areas of the brain, and those changes can only be undone by re-introducing the drug, according to research at the University of Washington and other institutions. The study, which appears in the April 10 issue of the journal Neuron, provides one of the most in-depth views of the mechanisms of methamphetamine addiction, and suggests that withdrawal from the drug may not undo the changes the stimulant can cause in the brain.
Apr 9, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Surgeons announce advance in atrial fibrillation surgery
Heart surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that by adding a simple 10-20 second step to an operative procedure they achieved a significant improvement in the outcome for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF).
Apr 7, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
Short and long duration sleepers gain weight
Both short and long sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Apr 1, 2008 - 2:22:27 PM
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Latest Research
Scientists find a key culprit in stroke brain cell damage
Researchers have identified a key player in the killing of brain cells after a stroke or a seizure. The protein asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) unleashes enzymes that break down brain cells' DNA, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.
Mar 27, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
Recurrence high - Cerebral aneurysm in Smokers treated by Coil Embolization
Cigarette smokers who were treated for cerebral aneurysms with coil embolization (blocking of a blood vessel) are at greater risk of developing another aneurysm, say neurological surgeons at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia in the first-known study of its kind.
Mar 21, 2008 - 11:55:30 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
Second depth-perception method in brain
It’s common knowledge that humans and other animals are able to visually judge depth because we have two eyes and the brain compares the images from each. But we can also judge depth with only one eye, and scientists have been searching for how the brain accomplishes that feat.
Mar 17, 2008 - 5:01:40 AM
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Latest Research
WHI follow-up study: Risks of long-term hormone therapy continue to outweigh benefits
New results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that the health risks of long-term use of combination (estrogen plus progestin) hormone therapy in healthy, postmenopausal women persist even a few years after stopping the drugs and clearly outweigh the benefits. Researchers report that about three years after women stopped taking combination hormone therapy, many of the health effects of hormones such as increased risk of heart disease are diminished, but overall risks, including risks of stroke, blood clots, and cancer, remain high. The WHI is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Mar 4, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
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Stroke
Reduction of stroke risk with aerobic fitness
A moderate level of aerobic fitness can significantly reduce stroke risk for men and women, according to a large, long-running study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2008.
Feb 22, 2008 - 6:27:29 AM
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Latest Research
Cocaine's effects on brain metabolism may contribute to abuse
UPTON, NY - Many studies on cocaine addiction - and attempts to block its addictiveness - have focused on dopamine transporters, proteins that reabsorb the brain's reward chemical once its signal is sent. Since cocaine blocks dopamine transporters from doing their recycling job, it leaves the feel-good chemical around to keep sending the pleasure signal. Now a new study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory suggests that cocaine's effects go beyond the dopamine system. In the study, cocaine had significant effects on brain metabolism, even in mice that lack the gene for dopamine transporters.
Feb 18, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Research shows a daily dose of beetroot juice can beat high blood pressure
Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published online today in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Feb 6, 2008 - 5:40:00 AM
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Latest Research
New devices to boost nematode research on neurons and drugs
A pair of new thin, transparent devices, constructed with soft lithography, should boost research in which nematodes are studied to explore brain-behavior connections and to screen new pharmaceuticals for potential treatment of parasitic infections in humans, report 10 scientists at three institutions.
Feb 5, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Gene protects adults abused as children from depression
Some forms of a gene that controls the body's response to stress hormones appear to protect adults who were abused in childhood from depression, psychiatrists have found.
Feb 4, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Naked mole-rats bear chili pepper heat
Pity the tiny naked mole-rat. The buck-toothed, sausage-like rodent lives by the hundreds in packed, oxygen-starved burrows some six feet under ground. It is even cold-blooded -- which, as far as we know, is unique among mammals.
Jan 28, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
Human brain has impressive auditory memory
The results of the study, which appear in the January 2008 issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, indicate that the brain uses more efficient mechanisms in auditory memory than in visual memory.
Jan 20, 2008 - 10:10:09 AM
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Latest Research
Weill Cornell team discovers how brain's own tPA helps regulate blood flow to neurons
NEW YORK (Jan. 17, 2008) -- The human brain contains its own store of a powerful enzyme (and stroke drug) called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which appears to be a key regulator of blood flow to brain cells, a team at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City reports.
Jan 17, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Neurosciences
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Stroke
Carotid artery stenting- questions still remain
A procedure called carotid artery stenting (CAS) has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to surgery, called carotid endarterectomy (CEA), for patients with dangerous narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to the brain. However, questions remain about the best uses of this procedure—especially whether it is an appropriate alternative to surgery for "low-risk" patients, according to a special article in the January/February issue of Annals of Vascular Surgery.
Jan 16, 2008 - 1:34:52 PM
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Latest Research
Overweight people may not know when they've had enough
UPTON, NY - Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found new clues to why some people overeat and gain weight while others don't. Examining how the human brain responds to satiety messages delivered when the stomach is in various stages of fullness, the scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat. Treatments that target these circuits may prove useful in controlling chronic overeating, according to the authors. The study is published online and will appear in the February 15, 2008 issue of NeuroImage.
Jan 9, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Cognitive, genetic clues identified in imaging study of alcohol addiction
People with clinical addictions know first-hand the ravages the disease can take on almost every aspect of their lives. So why do they continue addictive behaviors, even after a period of peaceable abstinence
Dec 25, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Biocapture surfaces produced for study of brain chemistry
A research team at Penn State has developed a novel method for attaching small molecules, such as neurotransmitters, to surfaces, which then are used to capture large biomolecules. By varying the identity and spacing of the tethered molecules, researchers can make the technique applicable to a wide range of bait molecules including drugs, chemical warfare agents, and environmental pollutants. Ultimately, the researchers also hope to identify synthetic biomolecules that recognize neurotransmitters so that they can fabricate extremely small biosensors to study neurotransmission in the living brain.
Dec 13, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Dr. Nicholas Schiff receives research award for Innovation in Neuroscience
NEW YORK (Dec. 13, 2007) -- A leading authority on neurological disorders of consciousness, Dr. Nicholas Schiff of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has received a prestigious Research Award for Innovation in Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience, the world's largest organization of physicians and scientists who study the brain and nervous system.
Dec 13, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Breakthrough technology observes synapse in real time, supporting theory of vesicular recycling
NEW YORK (Dec. 13, 2007) -- For the first time, scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have observed in real time a cellular mechanism that's crucial to how brain cells communicate.
Dec 13, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
In fruit flies, homosexuality is biological but not hard-wired
While the biological basis for homosexuality remains a mystery, a team of neurobiologists reports they may have closed in on an answer -- by a nose.
Dec 9, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Smell experience during critical period alters brain
Unlike the circuitry of the visual system, that of the olfactory system was thought to be hardwired: Once the neurons had formed, no amount of sensory input could change their arrangement. Now researchers at Rockefeller University and their collaborators have upturned this scientific dogma by showing that there is a sensitive period during which the external environment can alter a circuit in the fly brain that detects carbon dioxide, a gas that alerts flies to food and mates. This research, to be published in the December 6 issue of Neuron, may suggest that this brain plasticity isn't limited to the carbon dioxide detection circuit. Rather, it may be a general feature of the olfactory system itself.
Dec 5, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Pheromones identified that trigger aggression between male mice
A family of proteins commonly found in mouse urine is able to trigger fighting between male mice, a study in the Dec. 6, 2007, issue of Nature has found. The study, which is the first to identify protein pheromones responsible for the aggression response in mice, was funded in part by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health. Pheromones are chemical cues that are released into the air, secreted from glands, or excreted in urine and picked up by animals of the same species, initiating various social and reproductive behaviors.
Dec 5, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Robotics lab helps stroke patients with recovery
HOUSTON, Dec. 4, 2007 -- Robotics engineers at Rice University are teaming with doctors from Memorial Hermann|TIRR to develop a PC-based system for physical rehabilitation.
Dec 4, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Women aren't men
CHICAGO --- Women's bodies and medical needs are vastly different than men's way beyond their reproductive systems. Women wake sooner from anesthesia, have less familiar symptoms of cardiovascular disease and are more likely to suffer from depression and sleep problems-- just to name a few of the differences.
Nov 19, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Effects of social isolation traced to brain hormone
The anxiety and aggression that result from social isolation have been traced to altered levels of an enzyme that controls production of a brain hormone.
Nov 14, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Hearing changes how we perceive gender
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Think about the confused feelings that occur when you meet someone whose tone of voice doesn’t seem to quite fit with his or her gender.
Oct 24, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
2 carotid artery stenting studies show results comparable to AHA guidelines
Washington D.C., October 23, 2007 - Two carotid stenting trials examining patient outcomes demonstrated results that are comparable to guidelines established by the American Heart Association (AHA) for patients treated with carotid artery surgery. The results of these studies were presented today at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation's 19th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium by William A. Gray, M.D., FACC, associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of Endovascular Services at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Dr. Gray is the director of Endovascular Services at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.
Oct 23, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study explains how exercise lowers cardiovascular risk
DALLAS, Oct. 23 ¡ª It¡¯s well known that physical activity can improve cardiovascular health. But it¡¯s the impact exercise has on specific known risk factors that accounts for about 60 percent of that improvement, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Oct 22, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Stress: Brain yields clues about why some succumb while others prevail
Results of a new study may one day help scientists learn how to enhance a naturally occurring mechanism in the brain that promotes resilience to psychological stress. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that, in a mouse model, the ability to adapt to stress is driven by a distinctly different molecular mechanism than is the tendency to be overwhelmed by stress. The researchers mapped out the mechanisms – components of which also are present in the human brain – that govern both kinds of responses.
Oct 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Horizons AMI trial data to be presented at TCT 2007
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 15, 2007 -- The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) will release results of its landmark research study, HORIZONS AMI (Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction) at the nineteenth annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Washington, D.C. The study is designed to examine the safety and effectiveness of stents and anticoagulants in heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty.
Oct 15, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Genes may make some people more motivated to eat, perhaps overeat
WASHINGTON — Science has found one likely contributor to the way that some folks eat to live and others live to eat. Researchers at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, have found that people with genetically lower dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps make behaviors and substances more rewarding, find food to be more reinforcing than people without that genotype. In short, they are more motivated to eat and they eat more.
Oct 14, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Scientists identify brain circuits used in sensation of touch
The ability to tactually recognize fine spatial details, such as the raised dots used in braille, is especially important to those who are blind. With that in mind, a team of researchers has identified the neural circuitry that facilitates spatial discrimination through touch. Understanding this circuitry may lead to the creation of sensory-substitution devices, such as tactile maps for the visually impaired.
Oct 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Chronic job strain doubles the risk of a second heart attack
Quebec City, October 9, 2007—People who experience chronic job strain after a first heart attack double their risk of suffering from a second one, reports a research team from Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine in the October 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Oct 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Evil genes made me do it
While there have been numerous medical studies investigating the physiological and biochemical basis for behavioral disorders such as antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, there have been virtually no comprehensive studies aimed at providing a physiological explanation of malignant narcissism—a term that characterizes individuals who exhibit malevolent behavior but are still able to function effectively in society.
Oct 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
USC biomedical team to participate in $6 million low vision project
An interdisciplinary team of biomedical researchers from the USC Viterbi School, the College and the Keck School of Medicine of USC has received a $6-million Bioengineering Research Partnership grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to begin designing visual aids for millions of older adults who suffer from significant vision loss.
Oct 5, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Vanderbilt nets brain gene research center
Neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University are stepping into the national limelight with the establishment of a Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research.
Oct 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Chemical compound found in tree bark stimulates growth, survival of brain cells
Researchers have identified a compound in tree bark that mimics the chemical reactions of a naturally occurring molecule in the brain responsible for stimulating neuronal cell signaling. Neuronal cell signaling plays a crucial role in the growth, plasticity and survival of brain cells.
Oct 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Treating obstructive sleep apnea, preventing heart attacks and strokes
Researchers in Brazil have found that treating patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) dramatically reduces early indications of atherosclerosis in just months, linking OSA directly to the hardening or narrowing of the arteries. Until now, no study has demonstrated such a direct relationship between the two.
Sep 28, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Loss of gene leads to protein splicing and buildup of toxic proteins in neurons
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville have discovered how loss of a gene can lead to accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, resulting in a common dementia, and they say this mechanism may be important in a number of age-related neurological disorders.
Sep 27, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Genes linked to suicidal thinking during antidepressant treatment
Specific variations in two genes are linked to suicidal thinking that sometimes occurs in people taking the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants, according to a large study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Depending on the particular mix inherited, these versions increased the likelihood of such thoughts from 2- to15-fold, the study found. About 1 percent of adult patients were deemed to be at high genetic risk, 41 percent at elevated risk and 58 percent at lower risk.
Sep 27, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Possible safer target for anti-clotting drugs found
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have identified a new molecular target in blood clot formation, which seems to reduce clotting without excessive bleeding, the common side-effect of anti-clotting agents.
Sep 26, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Murder mystery solved
CHICAGO --- It was a murder mystery playing out in major cities across the country and perplexing scientists. Thousands of people were dying from strokes and heart attacks within 24 hours of a spike in microscopic pollution -- tiny particles that spew from the exhaust of diesel trucks, buses and coal-burning factories.
Sep 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New research shows ACTOS is associated with a 38 percent lower risk of heart attack
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Sept. 19, 2007 -- New research, including two studies presented this week at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), further support the cardiovascular safety of ACTOS (pioglitazone HCI) and its benefits regarding improved blood glucose and blood lipid levels for patients with type 2 diabetes. The unique outcomes, including some clinical practice results, reinforce the consistency of pioglitazone data and underscore that ACTOS has different effects from the other thiazolidinedione rosiglitazone due to differences in molecular structure.
Sep 19, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Sweet smell
What makes one smell pleasant and another odious? Is there something in the chemistry of a substance that can serve to predict how we will perceive its smell? Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California at Berkeley have now discovered that there is, indeed, such a link, and knowing the molecular structure of a substance can help predict whether we will find its smell heavenly or malodorous.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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