Brain | Page 1508 | Science Codex

Route to obesity passes through tongue

Obesity gradually numbs the taste sensation of rats to sweet foods and drives them to consume larger and ever-sweeter meals, according to neuroscientists. Findings from the Penn State study could uncover a critical link between taste and body weight, and reveal how flab hooks the brain on sugary food.

"When you have a reduced sensitivity to palatable foods, you tend to consume it in higher amounts," said Andras Hajnal, associate professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. "It is a vicious circle."

Kidney function discovery sheds light on genetic complexity of disease

To find a cure for cancer, haemophilia and other diseases, researchers need to be looking for complex, interacting genetic factors, according to the authors of a new study.

A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers at the Centenary Institute, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) and The Australian National University (ANU), has exposed a greater level of genetic complexity for diseases than was originally thought.

'Deranged calcium signaling' contributes to neurological disorder, UT Southwestern researchers find

DALLAS – Nov. 25, 2008 – Defective calcium metabolism in nerve cells may play a major role in a fatal genetic neurological disorder that resembles Huntington's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a mouse study.

Stanford/Packard study shows no benefit from drug widely used to prevent premature births

STANFORD, Calif. — When a pregnant woman goes into early labor, her obstetrician may give her drugs to quiet the woman's uterus and prevent premature birth.

Scientists find more evidence the aging brain is easily distracted

Toronto, CANADA – Canadian researchers have found more evidence that older adults aren't able to filter out distracting information as well as younger adults.

Do you know you're having a stroke?

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A Mayo Clinic study shows a majority of stroke patients don't think they're having a stroke -- and as a result -- delay seeking treatment until their condition worsens. The findings appear in the current issue of Emergency Medicine Journal at http://emj.bmj.com/.

Researchers studied 400 patients who were diagnosed at Mayo Clinic's emergency department with either acute ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary interruption of blood flow to part of the brain.

Saying 'cheese' for more effective border security

Facial recognition systems perform some very challenging tasks such as checking an individual’s photo against a database of known or suspected criminals. The task can become nearly impossible when the systems acquire poor facial images—a situation that occurs all too often in real-world environments. Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found that several simple steps can significantly improve the quality of facial images that are acquired at border entry points such as airports and seaports.*

M.I.N.D. Institute researchers call for fragile X testing throughout the lifespan

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Writing in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researchers urge physicians to test for mutations of the fragile X gene in patients of all ages. That's because, after decades of research, it is clear that mutations in this gene cause a range of diseases, including neurodevelopmental delays and autism in children, infertility in women and neurodegenerative disease in older adults.

Annual report to the nation finds declines in cancer incidence and death rates

Link between depression, higher risk of cardio events may be because of change in health behaviors

The increased risk of cardiovascular events for patients with coronary heart disease and symptoms of depression appears to be largely explained by a change in health behaviors, especially a lack of physical activity, according to a study in the November 26 issue of JAMA.

LSUHSC's Dr. Xiao Cheng Wu co-authors annual report to the nation on cancer

Xiao Cheng Wu, MD. MPH, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of the Louisiana Tumor Registry at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, co-authored the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status on Cancer, 1975-2005, Featuring Trends in Lung Cancer, Tobacco Use, and Tobacco Control. The paper reports, for the first time, declines in both cancer incidence and death rates, as well as wide variations in lung cancer trends from state to state.

Life is a highway: Study confirms cars have personality

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No one needs to tell Disney, which brought the likes of Herbie the Love Bug and Lightning McQueen to the big screen, that cars have personality.

Caltech scientists develop 'barcode chip' for cheap, fast blood tests

PASADENA, Calif.-- A new "barcode chip" developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes, and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases like cancer and heart disease.

In sickness and health: Caring for ailing spouse may prolong your life

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others. That is the unexpected finding of a University of Michigan study forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study supports earlier research showing that in terms of health and longevity, it really is better to give than to receive.

Pain is in the eyes of the beholder

By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings—reported in the November 25th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication—reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers.