New Drugs for Down's Syndrome

A research at Johns Hopkins University has been able to restore the Cerebellum in Down Syndrome rats to its normal size and has also found learning and memory was restored. They are trying to figure out if they also ended up fixing the Hippocampus, known to be vital in memory, or if the Cerebellum has a role in learning and memory. The potential for treatment in humans is quite exciting now.

Alzheimer's Linked to Inflammation & Omega 3

Researchers have found that those with Alzheimer's Disease seem to lack the ability to recover from Inflammation and this is opening the door to new treatments including increasing Omega 3.

Love, And Lust, on the Brain

Hi Everyone! Researchers at University of Chicago have discovered the areas of the brain which is involved in the feelings of Love and Lust. The Anterior Insula is associated with love whereas the Interior Insula is involved with Lust.

What Does Psychology Say About Love?

(Eros & Psyche)



For Valentine's Day...I'll share a post from PsychBlog on the 10 Psychological Studies Every Lover Should Know. See how many you knew, maybe these can help your relationship out! :-)

Microglial Cells & Depression

Hi Everyone!

Some of you who heard my Pain presentation in class may recall me telling you Glial cells will BIG in the future. Researchers in Jerusalem have recently found Microglial die under chronic stress which leads to depression. Further when researchers found when medication was given to stimulate microglial cells they increased back to normal levels and complete recovery of depression occurred. These effects also occurred within just a few days! That is BIG!

Brain Recovery Longer for Concussions/TBIs

Hi Everyone!

A new study on Concussions funded by the National Institutes of Health & conducted at the Mind Research Network suggests even though symptoms may clear at about 2 weeks post injury, the brain is still having difficulties 4 months later. More studies have to be done to see how much further after injury the brain has still not fully recovered. This not only supports the previous research we discussed in class on why repetitive concussions, even minor ones, have cumulative devastating effects, but would support postponing returning to playing sports.

The study used a new imaging method called Tensor Diffusion (see description of imaging by pictures) This type of brain scan is not a standard method used and does suggest this might be something needed in the future. This imaging technique was used in a study in 2008 on soldiers with mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) from IED blasts and falls related to the blast. In this study they found one third of the soldiers who had been cleared of their injury through using traditional brain imaging, still showed clear brain abnormalities even 12 months later. Again, this raises concern on clearing soldiers and placing them back in action when their brain is still affected and how current brain imaging techniques used may be inaccurate.

Stopping Compulsive Behaviors

Hi Everyone!

An article reported in Scientific American originally by Kerri Smith reports scientist have been able to create and reverse compulsive behaviors in mice. They were also surprised to find the cortex had a role in the automatic behavior. The research lends potential for future treatment in human OCD.