Scientists from Johns Hopkins and from the University of Milan have effectively proven that they can inhibit lethal human brain cancers in mice using a protein that selectively induces positive changes in the activity of cells that behave like cancer stem cells. The report is published this week in Nature.
U.K. researchers find that taste buds respond differently to depression therapies that target serotonin and noradrenaline, and this finding can be used to determin the appropriate antidepressant for depressive patients. The report is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Hypertension drugs may reduce Alzheimer’s Disease risks, revealed in a report at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting.
The first few months of recovery from an alcohol problem are hard enough, and they’re often made worse by serious sleep problems. Now, a new study gives further evidence that insomnia and other sleep woes may actually get in the way of recovery from alcohol problems.
Different reactions in the brain to two common allergy triggers — allergens (pollen and dust) and histamine (allergy cells within the body caused by foods, drugs or infection) — may shed some light on the itch-scratch cycle. Allergen-induced itch intensity ratings were higher compared to histamine and perception of itch and changes in blood flow were significantly greater when allergen induced. Itch intensity and changes in blood flow were perceived to exist for significantly longer periods.
Brain wave changes in adolescence are related to age, but not sexual maturation, occur earlier in girls than boys and may be associated with one of the brain’s major reorganization projects: synaptic pruning, a new study finds. During adolescence, the brain reorganizes and eliminates many synaptic connections, making the brain’s information processing more efficient and powerful while consuming less energy.
How does a child learn that the stress is on the second syllable of giraffe, and on the first of zebra? Is it memory, the structure of the word itself or clues provided by the sounds in the word?
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are closer to understanding how the sense of taste develops. They have pinpointed a molecular pathway that regulates the development of taste buds. Using genetically engineered mice, they discovered that a signaling pathway activated by small proteins called Wnts is required for initiating taste-bud formation. They have also determined that Wnt proteins are required for hooking up the wiring of taste signals to the brain.
A new study examines the usefulness of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), a process of scanning and mapping the brain, in establishing the relationship between abnormalities in the cardiovascular system and stroke. This research is helping to determine how a stroke develops. The study is published in current issue of Journal of Neuroimaging.
The December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine carries specific conclusions and recommendations on how the medical community can harness the power of molecular imaging and therapy to manage diseases and improve the quality of life for patients. “Shaping the Future: The 2006 SNM Molecular Imaging Summit” provides the first-ever look at molecular imaging’s potential — as seen by medical professionals, scientists, industry representatives, and funding and regulatory officials — in a special expanded section of the society’s flagship journal.