Lead chelation therapy can lessen learning and behavioral problems due to lead exposure, but the therapy adversely affected rats with no lead in their systems, a Cornell study shows. The finding has implications for the treatment of autistic children.
It’s been shown that the left side of the brain processes language and the right side processes music; but what about a language like Mandarin Chinese, which is musical in nature with wide tonal ranges?
Community based occupational therapy for elderly patients with dementia improves daily function and reduces the burden on carers say Graff and colleagues.
A new Surgical Simulation and Technology Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, one of only a few hospital-based centers of its kind in the United States, will open on December 6, 2006. The center brings together a diverse group of experts to solve important challenges in surgery, such as how to improve and expand minimally invasive surgical procedures that enhance patient care, how to advance the design of surgical instruments and how to redesign operating rooms to prevent surgeons from suffering from shoulder and neck injuries.
The United States’ involvement in Iraq has generated a lot of debate about the potential impact on American businesses abroad. Yet, very little systematic research has addressed the effect of geo-political conflicts on consumer decision-making. Now, a new study explores how our range of reactions to political events may affect purchasing. Notably, the researchers found that not all negative feelings towards a country will lead to product evaluations based on country of origin.
A panel of academic, industry and government representatives, presenting at the ACNP Annual Meeting, concluded that several factors have impeded the development of novel treatments for mental illness, including: incomplete understanding of the impact of mental illness on the brain; continued skepticism of results from animal models for certain disorders, and an outdated paradigm of treatment and the industry preference toward so-called “me-too” drugs.
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a protein interaction that may explain how the deadly Huntington’s disease affects the brain. The findings, published in and featured on the cover of the current issue of Human Molecular Genetics, show how the mutated Huntington’s protein interacts with another protein to cause dramatic accumulation of cholesterol in the brain.
A survey conducted by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers found that programs to help teens stop smoking are common, yet few youths seek treatment. The study also found fewer programs in geographic areas with higher rates of youth smoking.
The 2006 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology annual meeting will feature hundreds of new studies on brain and behavior from the world’s leading scientists. Presentations include innovative research on potential new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, autism, nicotine addiction and treatment resistant depression.
People with auto-immune conditions like MS, arthritis and lupus can benefit from low impact aerobic exercise — including walking and cycling — that increases in intensity, duration and frequency. A review of studies between 1987 and 2006 shows that 12-week programmes that involved exercising for 30 to 60 minutes, three times a week, yielded the most effective results.