Brain | Page 1273 | Science Codex

Acupuncture's molecular effects pinned down

Scientists have taken another important step toward understanding just how sticking needles into the body can ease pain.

In a paper published online May 30 in Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center identifies the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body. Building on that knowledge, scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of acupuncture in mice by adding a medication approved to treat leukemia in people.

Cold sore virus may contribute to cognitive and brain abnormalities in schizophrenia

Exposure to the common virus that causes cold sores may be partially responsible for shrinking regions of the brain and the loss of concentration skills, memory, coordinated movement and dexterity widely seen in patients with schizophrenia, according to research led by Johns Hopkins scientists.

Will we succeed? The science of self-motivation

Can you help you? Recent research by University of Illinois Professor Dolores Albarracin and Visiting Assistant Professor Ibrahim Senay, along with Kenji Noguchi, Assistant Professor at Southern Mississippi University, has shown that those who ask themselves whether they will perform a task generally do better than those who tell themselves that they will.

Early human habitat was savanna, not forest

Pre-humans living in East Africa 4.4 million years ago inhabited savannas -- grassy plains dotted with trees and shrubs -- according to a team of researchers that includes earth science Naomi Levin of The Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

This conclusion is at odds with a theory – which holds that these early beings lived in a mostly forested environment – put forth by prominent University of California at Berkeley researcher Tim D. White and his team in a 2009 issue of the journal Science.

Nobel winner ties mental illness to immune defect

Nobel winner ties mental illness to immune defect

SALT LAKE CITY, May 27, 2010 – A Nobel Prize-winning University of Utah geneticist discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively. The study provides the first cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness, and points toward eventual new psychiatric treatments.

Compulsive behavior in mice cured by bone marrow transplant

Scientists earlier found that mice missing one of a group of core developmental genes known as the Hox genes developed an odd and rather unexpected pathology: the mutant animals groomed themselves compulsively to the point that they were removing their own hair and leaving self-inflicted open sores on their skin. Now, they've found a surprising connection between the Hoxb8 gene and the behavior that looks an awful lot like that of people with an obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCD).

Supplement may prevent alcohol-related brain, skull defects

Supplement may prevent alcohol-related brain, skull defects

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The dietary supplement CDP-choline, sold as a brain-boosting agent and under study for stroke and traumatic brain injury, may block skull and brain damage that can result from alcohol consumption early in pregnancy, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

Lancet study: Antiretroviral therapy associated with decreased risk of HIV transmission

Researchers have found that treating HIV-infected persons with antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces HIV transmission to their sexual partners by more than 90 percent. The study is published this week in the Lancet.

"These results are an important finding in the search for effective HIV prevention strategies and the strongest evidence to date that ART might decrease HIV transmission risk," said Dr. Connie Celum, professor of medicine and global health at the University of Washington and the senior author of the paper.

Brief exercise reduces impact of stress on cell aging, UCSF study shows

Exercise can buffer the effects of stress-induced cell aging, according to new research from UCSF that revealed actual benefits of physical activity at the cellular level.

Study finds 'law-like' patterns in human preference behavior

In a study appearing in the journal PLoS ONE, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists describe finding mathematical patterns underlying the way individuals unconsciously distribute their preferences regarding approaching or avoiding objects in their environment. These patterns appear to meet the strict criteria used to determine whether something is a scientific law and, if confirmed in future studies, could potentially be used to guide diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

UCI researchers create retina from human embryonic stem cells

Irvine, Calif., May 26, 2010 — UC Irvine scientists have created an eight-layer, early-stage retina from human embryonic stem cells, the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells.

It also marks the first step toward the development of transplant-ready retinas to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that affect millions.

Researchers discover new mechanism for clearing blockages from smallest blood vessels

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have identified in mice a previously unknown protective mechanism by which the smallest blood vessels remove blood clots and other blockages from the brain. The findings provide insights into mechanisms that may be involved in age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease and recovery from stroke.

Opioid-blocking medication reduces brain's response to alcoholism cues, McLean Hospital study finds

NEW ORLEANS—Researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital have produced the first evidence that the opioid blocker extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) is able to reduce the brain's response to cues that may cause alcoholics to relapse.

Tiny blood vessels in brain spit to survive

CHICAGO --- Spitting can be a good thing when it comes to blood vessels.

Scientists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have discovered capillaries have a unique method of expelling debris, such as blood clots, cholesterol or calcium plaque, that blocks the flow of essential nutrients to brain cells. The capillaries spit out the blockage by growing a membrane that envelopes the obstruction and then shoves it out of the blood vessel.

Learning strategies are associated with distinct neural signatures

Learning requires the sophisticated ability to constantly update expectations in order to make accurate predictions about the changing environment. Although a full characterization of how this is orchestrated by the brain remains elusive, a new study published by Cell Press in the May 27 issue of the journal Neuron provides insight into how the human brain may use a combination of two distinct strategies to guide behavior.