Newsline — Tuesday, March 4, 2014 13:00
Overactive Immune System in Pregnant Women Puts Male Offspring at Risk
Protein Controlling Blood Pressure May Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 9:00
Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found in a recent study that by genetically targeting certain immune blood cells to overproduce the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), defective proteins in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease can be broken down, preventing cognitive decline. The study, conducted with laboratory mice, demonstrates for the first time that ACE — which is largely known for its effects outside the central nervous system — can induce a protective immune response in the brain and affect cognition. The study used a combination strategy that delivered the enzyme to attack and destroy beta-amyloid proteins in the brain in order to enhance the immune system’s ability to clear uncontrolled inflammation, both of which are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. To read more about this study, click here.
Study Finds Connection in Pathogenesis of Neurological Diseases, HIV
Monday, March 3, 2014 13:00
A recent study conducted by George Washington University found similarities in the pathogenesis of prion disease (misfolded proteins that can lead to neurological diseases and the HIV virus). The research looks at the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and prion infection as a follow-up to a previous study related to the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and HIV. The researchers found that while prions and viruses are different, they appear to target the same cellular mechanism of cholesterol metabolism, which could be the key to controlling many different diseases. To read more about this study, click here.
Adding Chemotherapy to Radiation Treatment Improves Adult Survival of Slow Growing Brain Tumor
Monday, March 3, 2014 9:00
A long-term analysis conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group found significantly longer survival rates for adults with low-grade gliomas (a slow-growing glioblastoma) who underwent a chemotherapy regimen following completion of radiation therapy. All patients started treatment with surgery followed by radiation therapy. By random assignment, half of the patients stopped treatment after radiation therapy and the other half received six cycles of chemotherapy after completing radiation. A significant improvement in overall survival was noted for study participants who received chemotherapy plus radiation therapy (13.3 median survival time) compared to those who received radiation alone (7.8 years median survival time). To read more about this study, click here.
Simulated Blindness Can Help Revive Hearing
Friday, February 28, 2014 13:00
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland have found in a recent study that minimizing a person’s sight for as little as one week may help improve the brain’s ability to process hearing. Using mouse-model experiments, researchers were able to uncover how the neural connections in the area of the brain that manages vision and hearing work together to support each sense. Findings from this study could help those experiencing hearing loss regain more use of that sense. In the experiment, researchers placed adult mice in a darkened environment to simulate blindness for about one week, and monitored their response to certain sounds. Those responses were then compared to a second group of mice that were placed in a naturally-lit environment. The researchers found a change in brain circuitry of the mice that experienced simulated blindness, specifically in the primary auditory cortex, which allows for conscious perception of pitch and loudness. To read more about this study, click here.
Brain Scans Show We Take Risks Due to Underactive Self-control Systems
Friday, February 28, 2014 9:00
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin correlated brain activity with how people make decisions and found that when individuals engage in risky behavior, such as drunk driving, it’s due to underactive self-control systems in the brain. The researchers used specialized software to look for patterns of activity across the entire brain that preceded a person’s risky choice, or a person’s safe choice, all while playing a video game that simulated risk taking. Past research has shown the game to correlate well with self-reported risk taking such as drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, and gambling, etc. The software accurately predicted volunteers’ choices 71 percent of the time when programmed to predict what types of choices volunteers would make during the course of the game (based solely on their brain activity). Researchers also found that when the game software analyzed smaller parts of the brain, such as those involved in executive functions — particularly self-control, working memory, and attention — those small areas were enough to predict a person’s future…
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Biostatistics Approach to Genetics Yields New Clues to Roots of Autism
Thursday, February 27, 2014 13:00
Researchers at The Rockefeller University have recently developed a new statistical method for genetic screening, which takes advantage of recent increases in technology. Applying the technology to autism, the researchers identified several genetic variations likely linked to autism that were not previously considered to be related to the underlying pathology of neuronal development that may be at the root of the disorder. Researchers used a multivariate approach to analyze the data from one of the largest studies of autism in the country, containing genome sequences of approximately 2,700 individuals. Findings suggest that beginning treatment in infants when the first symptoms arise (around the age of 12 months), could change the course of the disorder. This has the potential to prevent permanent symptoms of autism from cementing in the brain — which occurs during the first two years of life. To read more about this study, click here.
The Quality of Memories Matter More Than Quantity, Study Shows
Thursday, February 27, 2014 9:00
An analysis published in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Review found that the capacity of our working memory is better explained by the quality of the memories we can store rather than by their quantity. The lead author of the study explained the findings show that humans don’t store a set number of items in their minds with the ability to recall them perfectly. Rather, we try to memorize all relevant objects, with the quality of the recollections declining over time as we have more to remember. Examining data from 10 experiments across six different laboratories, consisting of more than 130,000 subject responses, volunteers were asked to recall one of up to eight colors they had seen a few seconds ago — a well-established measurement for gauging memory. The results showed that the quality of memories diminished after volunteers were asked to recall more and more colors. To read more about this study, click here.
Radiation Treatment Decreases Long-term Survival in Most Common Pediatric Brain Tumor
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 13:00
A recent large-scale cohort study conducted by the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center found that almost 90 percent of children treated for low-grade gliomas (the most common pediatric brain tumor) are alive 20 years later, with few dying from the tumor as adults. However, children who received radiation treatment had significantly lower long-term survival rates compared to children who did not receive radiation. This is the first comprehensive study to analyze the long-term survival rate of children treated for low-grade gliomas. To read more about this study, click here.
NFL Concussion Study Shows Higher Altitudes Reduce Risk Significantly
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 9:00
A recent study analyzing concussion data for NFL players (during the 16-game regular-season schedules for 2012 and 2013) may provide insight that could lead to better concussion-prevention strategies. The study found that football players are 30-percent less likely to sustain concussions when playing at higher altitudes. The combined odds of concussion during a game in nine NFL cities (with altitudes ranging from 644 to 5,192 feet above sea level) were 30-percent less than in the 23 other cities with NFL teams. Many football-related concussions are suspected to be caused by “brain slosh,” because the brain doesn’t fit tightly inside the skull and rapid acceleration/deceleration of the head puts the brain at risk for a “slosh-induced” injury. Because cerebral blood flow rises at higher altitudes, causing the brain to fit tighter inside the skull, the risk of concussion decreases. To find out more about this study, click here.