Neuroscience

Children who talk on cell phones while crossing streets are at a higher risk for injuries or death in a pedestrian accident, said psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in a new Pediatrics journal study.  Cell phones are quickly becoming ubiquitous among American schoolchildren, according to the UAB psychologists; "Commercial interests actively market cell phones for children, and marketing research firms estimate that 54 percent of children 8-12 will have cell phones by the end of [this year,] double the 2006 rate."  Just as drivers should limit cell phone…

When thinking of a child with ADD, most people will picture an easily-distracted hyperactive child... long on energy, and short on attention span.  And although that is sometimes the case, that description accurately describes only a portion of children diagnosed with ADD - and very rarely describes the behavior of girls with the condition. In fact, many people think Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a boy's disease. It is commonly believed that it occurs at least twice as often in boys as in girls.  Although it is true that boys are more often diagnosed,  the rates are…

Headache sufferers either benefit from acupuncture or they mentally fool themselves into thinking acupuncture helps, according to two separate systematic reviews by Cochrane Researchers which show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for prevention of headaches and migraines, but faked procedures, in which needles are incorrectly inserted, can be just as effective. In each study, the researchers tried to establish whether acupuncture could reduce the occurrence of headaches. One study focused on mild to moderate but frequent 'tension-type' headaches, whilst the other focused on more…

As explained in the previous post, Aβ catabolic pathway may offer an effective way to prevent as well as treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). The enzymes involved in Aβ degradation and clearance are- Neprilysin (NEP), Insulin Degrading Enzyme (IDE), various matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade Aβ and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) located on Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), which causes efflux of Aβ from brain to blood. There is an ample evidence that all these enzymes are down-regulated in AD patients as compared to healthy individuals. In this context, up-…

The extracellular deposits of of the amyloid beta (Aβ) protein are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease(AD) brain. These Aβ deposits are result of- 1) increased production of Aβ (anabolism)- High activity and levels of β-secretase (BACE1) and γ-secretase(presenilins) increase the amyloidogenic processing of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), leading to the increased production of Aβ AND/OR 2) decreased clearance of Aβ (catabolism)- Low activity and levels of various Aβ-degrading enzymes such as Neprilysin (NEP), Insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), MMPs etc. and also of Aβ transporters on blood…

Writing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a group of researchers found that nutrient deprivation of neurons produced sex-dependent effects. Male neurons more readily withered up and died, while female neurons did their best to conserve energy and stay alive. That's right, nature has declared female brains should survive with a lot less than males.   Take that, glass ceiling! The idea that the sexes respond differently to nutrient deprivation is not new and revolves around the male preferences to conserve protein and female preferences to conserve fat. However, these metabolic…

Pain clinics and physiotherapists have been using large, complex pieces of equipment with cables to relieve back or joint pain but a company says they have developed a breakthrough in anti-pain treatments. They claim people suffering from headaches will soon be able to use this technique to treat them at home rather than depend on drugs with numerous side-effects. The technique is called CEFALY(R) and was demonstrated for the first time at the international medical fair MEDICA in Düsseldorf last November. A polish company (Medic-Mar http://www.medicmar.com.pl) has made Poland the first…

Adelaide researchers say they have made a world breakthrough in treating premature babies at risk of developmental disorders.  A six-year study led by Dr Maria Makrides from the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute and Professor Bob Gibson from the University of Adelaide has demonstrated that high doses of fatty acids administered to pre-term infants via their mother's breast milk or infant formula can help their mental development. The findings were published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers found that a major lipid in the brain –…

A genetic variation involving the brain chemical serotonin has been found to shape the social behavior of rhesus macaque monkeys, which could provide researchers with a new model for studying autism, social anxiety and schizophrenia. Humans and macaques are the only members of the primate family to have this particular genetic trait.  "We have found very similar gene-based disruptions in social rewards shared by monkeys and by humans," said Michael Platt, Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center and author of the study in PLoS One. Platt's research…

Never underestimate the ability of companies to let you believe you're doing a good thing if they can make a buck.   It was once said classical music was good for kids - in a bizarre, isolated 'correlation is causation' way - so a company decided that a TV show with classical music in the background would make infants smarter and the "Baby Einstein" juggernaut was born.    Was there any evidence for it?   No, but there is evidence against it, and a child expert is warning parents to limit the amount of television children watch before the age of two, after an extensive…