BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in childhood show that pediatric onset multiple sclerosis is more aggressive, and causes more brain lesions, than MS diagnosed in adulthood, researchers at the University at Buffalo have reported.
Interestingly, however, patients with pediatric-onset MS -- which comprise up to 5 percent of total MS cases -- develop disabilities at a slower pace than patients with adult-onset MS, the data showed.
The team used two different chemicals, one of which attracted the cells and another that repelled them, to demonstrate how they could direct the neutrophils into moving along a path, either toward or away from the microparticles. They could also examine how the cells responded when there were conflicting signals sent by several of the artificial bacteria.
AUSTIN, Texas—Sleep deprivation adversely affects automatic, accurate responses and can lead to potentially devastating errors, a finding of particular concern among firefighters, police officers, soldiers and others who work in a sleep-deprived state, University of Texas at Austin researchers say.
PHILADELPHIA – November 16, 2009 – Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced new study results on INTUNIV™ (guanfacine) Extended-Release Tablets published in the October Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. In this open-label safety study, there was no evidence of unique adverse effects with the combination of INTUNIV and amphetamine or methylphenidate relative to what was observed with either medication alone.
A study of 145 preschool children reports, for the first time, that when the concentrations of two common phthalates in mothers' prenatal urine are elevated their sons are less likely to play with male-typical toys and games, such as trucks and play fighting.
The University of Rochester Medical Center-led study is published in the International Journal of Andrology.
Rapidly cooling a person in cardiac arrest may improve their chance of survival without brain damage, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.
"We now have a method that is safe and can be started within minutes of cardiac arrest to minimize damage during this very critical period," said Maaret Castrén, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of emergency medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.
NFL players and other athletes who suffer serious or multiple concussions may benefit from ground-breaking research being conducted by scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. The scientists are developing a surgical technique that involves hypothermia in specific regions of the brain.
Brandy Frazier, assistant professor of psychology at UH Manoa, recently published a paper in Child Development titled, "Preschoolers' Search for Explanatory Information Within Adult-Child Conversation." The article examines curiosity in preschool-aged children, focusing on their "how and why" questions.
Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.
"Previous research has shown that couples who are hostile to each other show health impairments and are at greater risk of disease," said Jennifer Graham, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, Penn State. "We wanted to know if couples who use thoughtfulness and reasoning in the midst of a fight incur potential health benefits."
Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study.
The findings, published online this week in Psychological Science, suggested that the brain's ability to understand shapes develops without the influence of immersion in simple, manufactured objects.
"The very thought of you … the mere idea of you"—from the song "The Very Thought of You" by Ray Noble
Can the mere thought of your loved one reduce your pain?
Yes, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists that underscores the importance of social relationships and staying socially connected.
The study, which asked whether simply looking at a photograph of your significant other can reduce pain, involved 25 women, mostly UCLA students, who had boyfriends with whom they had been in a good relationship for more than six months.
KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 6, 2009 – Using four simple questions to generate client-directed feedback can greatly increase the chances that struggling couples will stay together, according to a recently published study.
According to the largest clinical trial with couples to date – which was co-authored by University of Rhode Island Human Development and Family Studies Professor Jacqueline Sparks – couples that had systematic client feedback incorporated into their sessions were 46.2 percent less likely to wind up divorced or separated.
Martha Wadsworth, associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver, says during the holidays families should focus on what has been proven to matter most in psychological research -- quality family time.
(Photo Credit: DU videographer Jeff Haessler)
Source: University of Denver
Removing the PKCI/HINT1 gene from mice has an anti-depressant-like and anxiolytic-like effect. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience applied a battery of behavioral tests to the PKCI/HINT1 knockout animals, concluding that the deleted gene may have an important role in mood regulation.