Brain | Page 1377 | Science Codex

Polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 gene complex may influence alcohol dependence

Cytokines are small proteins secreted by cells that serve as molecular messengers between cells. Pro-inflammatory cytokines – which function in the immune system – may be involved in alcohol dependence (AD). A study of three polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 gene complex (IL-1) and one of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) has found that IL-1 may directly contribute to AD among Spanish Caucasian males.

Results will be published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

Early age at first drink may modify tween/teen risk for alcohol dependence

People who begin drinking at an early age are more likely to subsequently develop alcohol dependence (AD).
A new study has found that age at first drink (AFD) may enhance the role of genetic factors that are already associated with vulnerability to AD symptoms.
Heritable influences on AD symptoms were considerably greater in those who reported an AFD younger than 15 years of age.

President Obama honors nation's top scientists and innovators

President Obama named nine researchers as recipients of the National Medal of Science, and four inventors and one company as recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors. The recipients will receive their awards on October 7 at a White House ceremony.

Cheap, quick bedside 'eye movement' exam outperforms MRI for diagnosing stroke in patients

In a small "proof of principle" study, stroke researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Illinois have found that a simple, one-minute eye movement exam performed at the bedside worked better than an MRI to distinguish new strokes from other less serious disorders in patients complaining of dizziness, nausea and spinning sensations.

Misunderstood social cues behind juvenile delinquency?

Juvenile delinquency may be a result of misunderstood social cues. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health shows that male juvenile delinquents frequently misinterpret facial expressions of disgust as anger, providing a possible cause for their aggressive behavior.

New links between epilepsy and brain lipids

In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals "go crazy," leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found. The report in the September 18th Cell, a Cell Press publication, details what it is that happens when the protein encoded by plasticity related gene-1 (PRG-1) gets lost, revealing an important fine-tuning mechanism for brain function.

Rare cases of restored vision reveal how the brain learns to see

Results: By testing formerly blind patients within weeks of sight restoration, Sinha and his colleagues found that subjects had very limited ability to distinguish an object from its background, identify overlapping objects, or even piece together the different parts of an object. The patients gradually improved over time, and the new study suggests that dynamic information — that is, input from moving objects — is critical to the brain's ability to learn to segregate objects from their backgrounds (a task known as visual integration).

Chemobrain -- the flip side of surviving cancer

One of the most problematic side effects of cancer treatment, chemobrain – a range of symptoms including memory loss, inability to concentrate, difficulty thinking and other subtle cognitive changes following chemotherapy – seriously diminishes women's quality of life and daily functioning. As a result, they have to adopt a range of coping strategies to manage their restricted social and professional lives.

Barrow researcher finds natural hydrogel helps heal spinal cord

Research led by a scientist at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has shown injecting biomaterial gel into a spinal cord injury site provides significantly improved healing. The project that also included researchers from Purdue University and Arizona State University indicates that a "practical path" to treatment may be found for spinal injury patients.

General Practitioners' "gut feelings" about patients defined

'Gut feelings' experienced by GPs play a substantial role in their diagnostic reasoning process, but always in combination with analytical reasoning. Gut feelings can be separated into the sense of alarm and the sense of reassurance. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Family Practice worked with 27 medical opinion leaders to closely define the concepts, which will allow future research to evaluate the effectiveness of this 'gut compass'.

Handwritten beats keyboard-typed essays in the classroom

Second, fourth, and sixth grade children with and without handwriting disabilities were able to write more and faster when using a pen than a keyboard to compose essays, according to new research.

The study, headed by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington professor of educational psychology who studies normal writing development and writing disabilities, looked at children's ability to write the alphabet, sentences and essays using a pen and a keyboard.

With the aid of our rodent friends, teen substance dependency is studied

As part of efforts to understand drug abuse, Georgia State University researchers are finding that adolescent rats appear to be less vulnerable to the long-term effects of withdrawal and relapse in certain types of drug use than rats that take the drugs in adulthood.

SCN9A gene mutation causes severe epilepsy in thousands of infants worldwide

SALT LAKE CITY—University of Utah medical researchers have identified a gene with mutations that cause febrile seizures and contribute to a severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome in some of the most vulnerable patients – infants 6 months and younger.

Mechanism for construction of neurons in the brain discovered

Yale University researchers have found a molecular mechanism that allows the proper mixing of neurons during the formation of columns essential for the operation of the cerebral cortex, they report in the journal Nature.

How to reach proficiency in laparoscopic splenectomy?

Laparoscopic splenectomy has become the gold standard intervention for the removal of the spleen, especially for benign causes. However, the organ's high anatomic location, fragility and generous blood supply makes the procedure an advanced laparoscopic operation. Furthermore, unlike patients with gall bladder stones, patients who need splenectomy for benign disorders are rare. These factors may prohibit the laparoscopic surgeon from becoming proficient in laparoscopic splenectomy.