Brain

Scientists have discovered a compound that restores the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain's memory hub. The research, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, has turned up clues to a neuroprotective mechanism that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists have identified a chemical that makes new neurons grow. The substance works specifically in a part of the brain that is integral to learning and memory.

The discovery, made after researchers systematically and painstakingly infused each of 1,000 different chemicals into the brains of live mice, could point the way to a new type of neuroprotective drug for people with Alzheimer's or other neurodegenerative diseases, according to the report in the July 9th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

The mammalian fucose mutarotase enzyme is known to be involved in incorporating the sugar fucose into protein. Female mice that lack the fucose mutarotase (FucM) gene refuse to let males mount them, and will attempt copulation with other female mice. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Genetics created the FucM mouse mutants in order to investigate the role of this enzyme in vivo.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Living in an environment rich with physical, mental and social stimulation – a setting that causes mild stress – might by itself curb cancer growth, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

The animal study, published in the July 9 issue of the journal Cell, also shows how this effect happens and that it might have therapeutic use.

DALLAS – July 8, 2010 – UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found a compound that preserves newly created brain cells and boosts learning and memory in an animal study.

The study of this compound, which appears in the July 9 issue of Cell, springs from a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award to Dr. Steven McKnight, chairman of biochemistry at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study.

When mice with cancer get a boost in their social life and an upgrade in living conditions, their tumors shrink, and their cancers more often go into spontaneous remission Reported in the July 9th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, these findings offer powerful new evidence of the critical role that social connection and an individual's mental state, may play in cancer.

"Animals' interaction with the environment has a profound influence on the growth of cancer – more than we knew was possible," said Matthew During of The Ohio State University.

"Based on the monitoring records of spongiform encephalopathy in two Nordic countries, we studied the possibility of transmission of the sporadic form of CJD through general surgery", explains Jesús de Pedro, main author of the study and head of prion monitoring in patients at the National Epidemiology Centre of the Carlos III Health Institute.

JUPITER, FL, July 6, 2010 – Embargoed by the journal Nature until July 7, 2010, 1 PM, Eastern time – Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found that a particular type of genetic material plays a key role in determining vulnerability to cocaine addiction and may offer an entirely new direction for the development of anti-addiction therapies. In animal studies, the scientists found that a molecule called microRNA-212 was increased in the brains of test animals that had extended access to cocaine. MicroRNA-212 controlled how much cocaine the animals consumed.

AUSTIN, Texas—As more women wait until their 30s and 40s to have children, they are more willing to engage in a variety of sexual activities to capitalize on their remaining childbearing years, according to new research by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

Such "reproduction expediting" includes one-night stands and adventurous bedroom behavior, the research shows.

(PHOENIX, AZ) -- A scientist at Barrow Neurological Institute is leading the global discussion and research on a hidden lobe of the brain called the insula. A.D. "Bud" Craig, PhD, who began studying the often-ignored lobe more than two decades ago, has organized and edited a special edition of the journal Brain Structure and Function dedicated to the emerging medical and scientific interest in the insula.

KINGSTON, R.I. --July 7, 2010--Summertime and the living is easy. But not too easy for parents whose children will head to college in the fall.

University of Rhode Island Psychology Professor Mark Wood, a nationally recognized alcohol researcher, wants parents to be aware that this is a time when teens tend to increase their alcohol consumption.

The URI expert advises parents to monitor their children--know where they are, whom they are with and what they are doing.

TORONTO, July 7, 2010 − A York University study has shown for the first time how the drug misoprostol, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental defects associated with autism, interferes with neuronal cell function.

It is an important finding because misoprostol is similar in structure to naturally-occurring prostaglandins, which are the key signaling molecules produced by fatty acids in the brain.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer's disease can be a painful process, but for the patient, the experience may be a muted one.

Alzheimer's patients can appear withdrawn and apathetic, symptoms often attributed to memory problems or difficulty finding the words to communicate.

July 6, 2010 – (BRONX, NY) – Researchers have linked rejection by a romantic partner to brain activity associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology.

If someone is rude to you at work or if you witness rudeness you are more likely to make mistakes, says Rhona Flin, Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, in an editorial published in this week's BMJ.

Professor Flin believes that the link between rudeness and mistakes is particularly concerning in healthcare settings, where it can pose a threat to patient safety and quality of care.