Newsline — Monday, December 16, 2013 9:47
Treatment to Help People with Spine Injuries Walk Better
Meat, Egg and Dairy Nutrient Essential for Brain Development
Friday, December 13, 2013 8:55
Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. However, researchers at the University of Montreal found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development. “The cells of the body can do without it because they use asparagine provided through diet. Asparagine, however, is not well transported to the brain via the blood-brain barrier,” said senior co-author of the study Dr. Jacques Michaud, who found that brain cells depend on the local synthesis of asparagine to function properly. Moreover, the team discovered that those who the lack the enzyme, asparagine synthetase, responsible for synthesizing asparagine, suffer from a genetic abnormality that results in a rare disease, the symptoms of which can range from intellectual disability to cerebral atrophy. The study is the first to associate a specific genetic variant with a deficiency of this enzyme. Click here to read the full article.
Breaking the Brain Clock Leads to Neurodegeneration
Thursday, December 12, 2013 13:00
Studies on mice have demonstrated that genetically disrupting a core gene, Bmal1, breaks their body clocks and accelerates aging, causing arthritis, hair loss, cataracts and premature death. New research now reveals that the nerve cells of these mice show signs of deterioration before the externally visible signs of aging are apparent, raising the possibility of staving off or delaying neurodegeneration. The research team further found that the expression of certain clock genes, Clock and Npas2, in addition to Bmal1, play a fundamental role in delaying emergence of age-related signs of decay in the brain. Click here to read the full article.
Differences Shown in Brains of Pre-term Infants
Thursday, December 12, 2013 9:00
According to a new study, pre-term infants, those born 23 to 36 weeks after conception, face an increased risk of a range of behavioral problems as a result of premature birth, which appears to trigger developmental processes in the white matter of the brain. In this study, the researchers compared the concentrations of certain chemicals associated with mature white matter and gray matter in 51 full-term and 30 pre-term infants. The findings, based on magnetic resonance imaging, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, suggest a disruption in the timing and synchronization of white and gray matter maturation. Click here to read the full article.
Do Sports Concussions Cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 13:00
Football and other contact sports are said to increase the risk of the debilitating neurological condition, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is often linked to concussions and characterized by the build-up of abnormal substances in the brain called tau proteins. But according to a new study published in Neuropsychology Review, researchers are reporting only limited evidence showing a link between sports concussions and an increased risk of late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairments: “One cannot deny that boxing and other contact sports can potentially result in some type of injury to the brain. There currently are no carefully controlled data, however, to indicate a definitive association between sport-related concussion and increased risk for late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment of any form.” Click here to read the full article.
Big Brains Are All in the Genes
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:07
Researchers at the University of Lincoln, UK, have found a clear link between increased brain size and the expansion of gene families related to certain biological functions, furthering the understanding of genetic changes that permitted humans and other mammals to develop such big brains. According to Dr. Humberto Gutierrez, who led the study, “Our results suggest that changes in gene family size may have contributed to the evolution of larger brains in mammals.” Click here to read the full article.
Brain Reward Gene Influences Childhood Food Choices
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 13:16
Weight problems may be all in our heads — or at least start there. Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain’s reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults, and now a new study links the same variant to to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls. These findings, published in the journal, Appetite, shed light on why some children may be predisposed to obesity, and could provide a step towards prevention and treatment. “We found that a variation in a gene that regulates the activity of dopamine … predicted the amount of ‘comfort’ foods — highly palatable foods, such as ice cream, candy or calorie-laden snacks — selected and eaten by the children,” said Dr. Patricia Silveira of McGill University. Click here to read the full article.
Brain Connectivity Study Reveals Striking Differences Between the Sexes
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 9:00
A new study may lend credence to common beliefs about differences between the sexes. According to a report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that females displayed greater connectivity in the supratentorial region between the left and right hemispheres, while males displayed greater connectivity within each hemisphere. In males, there appears to be greater neural connectivity from front to back and within one hemisphere, suggesting their brains are structured to facilitate connectivity between perception and coordinated action. In contrast, in females, the wiring goes between the left and right hemispheres, suggesting that they facilitate communication between the analytical and intuition. “These maps show us a stark difference — and complementarity — in the architecture of the human brain that helps provide a potential neural basis as to why men excel at certain tasks, and women at others,” explained Ragini Verma, PhD. Click here to read the full article.
Method to Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Within Two Years of Screening
Monday, December 9, 2013 9:00
A major goal in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has been to provide earlier diagnoses so that patients can receive treatment as early as possible. That goal may have been achieved: A new study has shown an accurate way to predict within two years of screening who would and who would not go on to develop the disease. Researchers affiliated with the Université de Montréal combined brain imaging analysis with neuropsychological assessment, and in doing so, were able – with a 90-percent rate of accuracy – to determine which research subjects with mild cognitive impairment would receive a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease within the following two years and which subjects would not develop it. Click here to read the full article.
Study: Low Vitamin D Levels Cause Brain Damage
Monday, December 9, 2013 8:50
Low levels of vitamin D have already been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and also linked to the development of certain cancers and heart disease. A new report published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggests another reason to ensure sufficient intake of this essential nutrient: Vitamin D deficiency can cause damage to the brain. In the study led by University of Kentucky researchers, rats that were fed a diet low in vitamin D for several months developed free radical damage to the brain, and many different brain proteins were damaged. Moreover, the rats demonstrated significant decreases in cognitive performance on tests of learning and memory. Click here to read the full article.