Brain

Philadelphia, PA, October 27, 2008 – Many of the structural and neurochemical features of schizophrenia are present long before the full syndrome of schizophrenia develops. What processes tip the balance between the ultra-high risk states and the development of schizophrenia? One candidate mechanism is cerebral inflammation, studied by Dr. Bart van Berckel and colleagues in the November 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) October 27, 2008— Elderly people who have a positive outlook, lower stress levels, moderate alcohol consumption, abstention from tobacco, moderate to higher income and no chronic health conditions are more likely to thrive in their old age, according to a study in the October issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

Jerusalem, October 27, 2008 – Stress during pregnancy can have unfortunate consequences for children born under those conditions – slower development, learning and attention difficulties, anxiety and depressive symptoms and possibly even autism.

The first known case of someone born without the ability to recognise voices has been reported in a paper by UCL (University College London) researchers, in a study of a rare condition known as phonagnosia. The UCL team are calling for other people to come forward if they think they have also grown up with the condition.

A team of Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists has discovered patterns of brain activity that may underlie our remarkable ability to see and understand the three-dimensional structure of objects.

A universal bias in the way people perceive moving objects means that tennis referees are more likely to make mistakes when they call balls "out" than when they call them "in," according to a new report in the October 28th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Because recent rule changes allow professional tennis players to challenge the refs' calls, athletes could exploit the new findings to their advantage, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis.

By manipulating the brain noninvasively in a new way with magnetic stimulation, researchers have shown that they can restore some experience of color where before there was no visual awareness whatsoever. They report their findings in the October 28th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A new gene responsible for some puberty disorders has been identified by Medical College of Georgia researchers.

Philadelphia, PA, October 27, 2008 – Complications during pregnancy and birth, such as birth hypoxia - the shortage of oxygen in the body - are associated with an increased risk for schizophrenia. However, it is not clear why hypoxia increases the risk for schizophrenia. The November 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry includes an article by researchers who show that the presence of a specific indicator of fetal distress following hypoxia was more likely to be present among people who later develop schizophrenia.

Statins, the class of drugs commonly used for lowering cholesterol, are now showing promise at preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots, an affliction that occurs in nearly 2 million Americans each year.

People who take bisphosphonates for osteoporosis may be at risk for serious atrial fibrillation (AF), or irregular heartbeats, according to a new study. The research, presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that people taking alendronate or zoledronic acid, two common medications to prevent or slow the occurrence of osteoporosis, were significantly more likely to experience serious AF, including hospitalization or death, compared with placebo.

A popular epilepsy drug may also be beneficial in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a new study to be published on October 27 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The anti-seizure drug valproic acid improved memory and reduced brain lesions in mice with an AD-like disease.

Construction of the brain's border fence is supervised by Wnt/b-catenin signaling, report Liebner et al. in The Journal of Cell Biology.

The global financial crisis could seriously delay the discovery and production of many new life-saving medicines, warns a major international conference today (Monday).

Investment into research for new drugs - which globally runs into the billions – is now seriously at threat as former investors in the drug companies shy away as a result of the economic meltdown.

DENVER―Researchers at the University of Denver (DU) Morgridge College of Education are conducting a groundbreaking study that will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome. The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund is funding the study, which hopes to improve teaching methods for children with the condition.