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The brain strengthens memories by distributing them across networks, may be key to reducing forgetting
Date: Sep-03-2013A team of neuroscientists has found a key to the reduction of forgetting. Their findings, which appear in the journal Neuron, show that the better the coordination between two regions of the brain, the less likely we are to forget newly obtained information. The study was conducted at New York University by Lila Davachi, an associate professor in NYU's Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, and Kaia Vilberg, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas' Center for Vital Longevity and School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences in Dallas...
'Remove public veil of ignorance' around state of US health: Creation of a national commission on the health of Americans suggested
Date: Sep-03-2013In a call to action on the sorry comparative state of U.S. health, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health are urging President Obama to "remove the public veil of ignorance" and confront a pressing question: Why is America at the bottom? The report, published in the journal Science, appeals to the President to mobilize government to create a National Commission on the Health of Americans. The researchers underscore the importance of this effort in order for the country to begin reversing the decline in the comparative status of U.S...
Valuable conditional mouse models generated by CRISPR/Cas genome engineering system
Date: Sep-03-2013Whitehead Institute researchers have used the gene regulation system CRISPR/Cas to engineer mouse genomes containing reporter and conditional alleles in one step. Animals containing such sophisticated engineered alleles can now be made in a matter of weeks rather than years and could be used to model diseases and study gene function. "We've used CRISPR/Cas to mutate genes before, but the nature of the targeted mutations has been unpredictable," says Whitehead Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch. "Now we can make specific deletions defined by two cuts...
Multiple genetic adaptations for digesting milk: 'Soft selective sweep' described in the population of Ethiopia
Date: Sep-03-2013A genetic phenomenon that allows for the selection of multiple genetic mutations that all lead to a similar outcome -- for instance the ability to digest milk -- has been characterised for the first time in humans. The phenomenon, known as a 'soft selective sweep', was described in the population of Ethiopia and reveals that individuals from the Eastern African population have adapted to be able to digest milk, but via different mutations in their genetic material...
How the brain takes out its trash may help decode neurological diseases
Date: Sep-03-2013Imagine that garbage haulers don't exist. Slowly, the trash accumulates in our offices, our homes, it clogs the streets and damages our cars, causes illness and renders normal life impossible. Garbage in the brain, in the form of dead cells, must also be removed before it accumulates, because it can cause both rare and common neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's...
New secret of spider venom
Date: Sep-03-2013Once injected into a bite wound, venom of the brown recluse spider causes a reaction in the body that is different from what researchers previously thought University of Arizona researchers led a team that has discovered that venom of spiders in the genus Loxosceles, which contains about 100 spider species including the brown recluse, produces a different chemical product in the human body than scientists believed. The finding has implications for understanding how these spider bites affect humans and development of possible treatments for the bites...
Researchers develop specific tests to identify cancer biomarkers in dermatomyositis
Date: Sep-03-2013Researchers from major universities in the U.S. have developed specific tests to identify cancer biomarkers in patients with dermatomyositis - a systemic inflammatory disease associated with increased risk of malignancy. According to study findings published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis & Rheumatism, the assays detect antibodies against anti-transcriptional intermediary factor-1 (TIF-1gamma) and nuclear matrix protein NXP-2. Patients with dermatomyositis experience muscle weakness, skin inflammation, and sometimes inflammation of the lung...
Significant barrier to living kidney donation for African Americans is socioeconomic status
Date: Sep-03-2013Socioeconomic status is a more important barrier to living kidney donation than cultural factors, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings may be useful for determining ways to increase living kidney donation in the United States. Living donor kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with kidney failure. It is well described that African American patients with kidney failure have reduced access to kidney transplantation...
What is a nuclear stress test?
Date: Sep-02-2013A nuclear stress test is similar to the exercise stress test or pharmacological (chemical) stress test, but a small amount of radioactive substance is used to determine the health of the heart and blood flow to the heart. The nuclear stress test can be referred to by other names, such as a thallium stress test1, myocardial perfusion scan2, or radionuclide test3. The nuclear stress test can be done while the patient is resting or doing exercise...
What is deep brain stimulation?
Date: Sep-02-2013Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure that involves placing a neurostimulator in the brain which sends out electrical impulses to specific regions of the brain. The electrical impulses are sent out to block abnormal signals that can cause a number of different neurological disorders. DBS is commonly used to treat essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, and dystonia (a movement disorder in which the muscles contract and spasm). The procedure is also being studied as a potential form of treatment for Tourette syndrome and major depression...
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