Brain
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -- Marine snails, sea urchins, and other animals from the sea are teaching researchers in UC Riversides Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering how to make the world a better place.
Consider, for example, the possibilities of designing a lightweight armor that would protect U.S. soldiers in Iraq from Improvised Explosive Devices. Or, what flexible ceramics might offer industry. Or, how everyone could benefit from new ways of producing and storing energy.
New Haven, Conn. — Research by Yale scientists shows that males and females have essentially unisex brains — at least in flies — according to a recent report in Cell designed to identify factors that are responsible for sex differences in behavior.
The risks of developing Alzheimers disease differ between the sexes, with stroke in men, and depression in women, critical factors, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The French researchers base their findings on almost 7000 people over the age of 65, drawn from the general population in three French cities.
None had dementia, but around four out of 10 were deemed to have mildly impaired mental agility (mild cognitive impairment) at the start of the study.
The antidepressant Prozac may help to curb disease activity in the relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS), reveals preliminary research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The research team randomly allocated 40 patients with the relapsing remitting form of MS to treatment with either 20 mg daily of fluoxetine (Prozac) or an inactive substance (placebo) for a period of 24 weeks.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Older nursing home residents who took medications for dementia and incontinence at the same time had a 50 percent faster decline in function than those who were being treated only for dementia, according to a study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
LA JOLLA, CA Diabetic individuals have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimers disease but the molecular connection between the two remains unexplained. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies identified the probable molecular basis for the diabetes Alzheimers interaction.
A common component of the contraceptive pill (progesterone) could improve the neurologic outcome for patients with severe head injuries, according to a study published in BioMed Centrals open access journal Critical Care.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida scientists writing in a recent issue of Developmental Cell.
Scientists studying fruit fly cells discovered that slight changes in the protein scaffolds that support the genes reaper and hid — aptly named for their roles in triggering cell death — cause the cells to become naturally resistant to X-rays during early development.
Troy, N.Y. The latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary boasts 22,000 pages of definitions. While that may seem far from succinct, new research suggests the reference manual is meticulously organized to be as concise as possible — a format that mirrors the way our brains make sense of and categorize the countless words in our vast vocabulary.
The brain is no longer a mysterious black box. Elucidation of the human genome is having a profound impact on the understanding of brain function in health and disease. However, genes cannot be systematically manipulated in humans, and this is why animal models of human functions are being developed.
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