Brain | Page 1441 | Science Codex

Feeling old yet? Cognitive decline begins in late 20s, study suggests

A new study indicates that some aspects of peoples' cognitive skills – such as the ability to make rapid comparisons, remember unrelated information and detect relationships – peak at about the age of 22, and then begin a slow decline starting around age 27.

"This research suggests that some aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin in healthy, educated adults when they are in their 20s and 30s," said Timothy Salthouse, a University of Virginia professor of psychology and the study's lead investigator.

Abnormal EKG can predict death in stroke patients

People who suffer an ischemic stroke and also have an abnormality in the heart's electrical cycle are at a higher risk of death within 90 days than people who do not have abnormal electrical activity at the time of emergency treatment, according to new research.

The study also provides a threshold at which the threat of death is highest: QTc intervals greater than 440 milliseconds in women and 438 milliseconds in men have the worst prognosis. The findings are published online March 20, 2009, in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.

The human brain is on the edge of chaos

Cambridge-based researchers provide new evidence that the human brain lives "on the edge of chaos", at a critical transition point between randomness and order. The study, published March 20 in PLoS Computational Biology, provides experimental data on an idea previously fraught with theoretical speculation.

Genetic clues hold key to schizophrenia treatment

Researchers have taken a step forward in understanding the genetics of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The study, conducted by the University of Edinburgh, found that a gene called DISC1 – known to play a role in the development of mental illness – may control the way some patients respond to psychiatric medication.

They also identified seven proteins that are important to the development of mental illness and hope the research could help to create new medicines that target these proteins.

Naltrexone can help heavy social drinkers quit smoking

Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist approved in 1994 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for alcohol-dependence (AD) treatment, can reduce relapse rates among AD patients. Research on naltrexone's effectiveness on nicotine dependence is less clear, although researchers believe it may be helpful for specific smoker subgroups. A new study has found that naltrexone can help non-AD smokers who drink heavily on a social basis.

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

The brain maintains language skills in spite of alcohol damage by drawing from other regions

Prior neuroimaging studies have shown alcoholism-related damage to the frontal lobes and cerebellum. Yet even though these regions are involved in language processing, alcoholics' language skills appear to be relatively spared from alcohol's damaging effects. A new study suggests that alcoholics develop "compensatory mechanisms" to maintain their language skills despite alcohol's damages… compensation which may, in turn, have a restrictive effect on other processes.

Low to moderate, not heavy, drinking releases 'feel-good' endorphins in the brain

Scientists know that alcohol affects the brain, but the specifics remain unclear. One possibility is that alcohol may increase or decrease the release and the synthesis of endogenous opioid peptides – endorphins, enkephalins and dynorphins – in distinct brain regions important for drug addiction. For the first time, a rodent study has confirmed that low to moderate levels of alcohol alter beta-endorphin release in the midbrain/Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) region, producing the pleasant effects that likely reinforce alcohol consumption.

Fetal alcohol syndrome testing expands

Kingston, ON – Improved technology, partnerships and collaboration across two provinces have allowed Queen's University scientists to dramatically expand the use of eye-movement tests that help identify and assess children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Lab-grown nerves promote nerve regeneration after injury

PHILADELPHIA – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have engineered transplantable living nerve tissue that encourages and guides regeneration in an animal model. Results were published this month in Tissue Engineering.

Stranger knows best: Other people know more about what will make us happy than we do

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Want to know what will make you happy? Then ask a total stranger -- or so says a new study from Harvard University, which shows that another person's experience is often more informative than your own best guess.

The study, which appears in the current issue of Science, was led by Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard and author of the 2007 bestseller "Stumbling on Happiness," along with Matthew Killingsworth and Rebecca Eyre, also of Harvard, and Timothy Wilson of the University of Virginia.

Stanford study improves insights into Parkinson's disease and possible treatments

STANFORD, Calif. — About the only thing doctors have understood about deep-brain stimulation, which is widely used to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms, is that somehow it works for many patients. In a new study that will be published March 19 in the online journal Science Express, Stanford University researchers used light to illuminate how the treatment works, generating surprising insights into the diseased circuitry and also suggesting new ideas to improve Parkinson's therapy.

Novel spinal cord stimulator sparks hope for Parkinson's disease treatment

DURHAM, NC – A novel stimulation method, the first potential therapy to target the spinal cord instead of the brain, may offer an effective and less invasive approach for Parkinson's disease treatment, according to pre-clinical data published in the journal Science by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

Ticking of body's 24-hour clock turns gears of metabolism and aging

All animals, including humans, have an internal 24-hour clock or circadian rhythm that creates a daily oscillation of body temperature, brain activity, hormone production and metabolism. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Northwestern University found how the biological circadian clock mechanism communicates with processes that govern aging and metabolism.

Progress toward an Alzheimer's drug that saves brain cells

Leuven − VIB scientists connected to the K.U.Leuven have identified a molecule that can form the basis for a new therapy for Alzheimer's disease. This is the first step toward a medicine that could actually stop the progress of Alzheimer's. Existing medicines can at best limit the loss of memory during the first phases of the disease. The authoritative journal Science is publishing the results of this research. A first step, however, is still a long way from an approved drug − even if everything goes well, it will be another 15 years before the medicine becomes available.

Heightened level of amygdala activity may cause social deficits in autism

Something strange is going on in the amygdala – an almond-shaped structure deep in the human brain – among people with autism.

Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered an increased pattern of brain activity in the amygdalas of adults with autism that may be linked to the social deficits that typically are associated with the disorder. Previous research at the UW and elsewhere has shown that abnormal growth patterns in the amygdala are commonly found among young children diagnosed with autism.