http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Both the developing brain and the aging brain can suffer from lead exposure. For older people, a buildup of lead from earlier exposure may be enough to result in greater cognitive problems after age 55, according to a follow-up study of adults exposed to lead at work. http://www.physorg.com/news150954580.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:49:40 EST news150954580 German scientist Otto H. Warburg's theory on the origin of cancer earned him the Nobel Prize in 1931, but the biochemical basis for his theory remained elusive. http://www.physorg.com/news150954448.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:47:28 EST news150954448 University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have solved the mystery surrounding a "rogue protein" that plays a role in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain. http://www.physorg.com/news150904539.html Medicine & Health Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:55:39 EST news150904539 A Mayo Clinic-led international consortium has found a mechanism that may help explain Parkinson's and other neurological disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news150904281.html Medicine & Health Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:51:21 EST news150904281 New cells are born every day in the brain's hippocampus, but what controls this birth has remained a mystery. Reporting in the January 1 issue of Science, neuroscientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that the birth of new cells, which depends on brain activity, also depends on a protein that is involved in changing epigenetic marks in the cell's genetic material. http://www.physorg.com/news150657983.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:26:23 EST news150657983 New research published in the international journal Neurobiology of Aging by Marc Poulin, PhD, DPhil, finds that being physically fit helps the brain function at the top of its game. An Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Scholar, Poulin finds that physical activity benefits blood flow in the brain, and, as a result, cognitive abilities. http://www.physorg.com/news150645185.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:53:05 EST news150645185 The international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium works on the discovery of obesity genes. So far, the scientists have analyzed two million DNA variations in 15 genome-wide association studies with a total of more than 32,000 participants. The hereby identified candidate genes were validated in 14 further studies including 59,000 participants. In addition to the FTO and MC4R genes already known, it was now possible for six more obesity genes to be identified: TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2, and NEGR1. http://www.physorg.com/news150636788.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:33:08 EST news150636788 (PhysOrg.com) -- As people age, memory and the ability to carry out tasks often decline. Scientists looking for ways to lessen that decline often have focused on the "gray matter" -- the cortical regions where high-level functions such as memory are located. http://www.physorg.com/news150562618.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:56:58 EST news150562618 Patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news150483770.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:02:50 EST news150483770 Mutation of a gene that helps proteins migrate in and out of the cell's genetic command center - the nucleus - puts some families at higher risk for the degenerative brain disease acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). http://www.physorg.com/news150468352.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:45:52 EST news150468352 UCLA scientists have used innovative brain-scan technology developed at UCLA, along with patient-specific information on Alzheimer's disease risk, to help diagnose brain aging, often before symptoms appear. Published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, their study may offer a more accurate method for tracking brain aging. http://www.physorg.com/news150461594.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:53:14 EST news150461594 Just seeing someone smoke can trigger smokers to abandon their nascent efforts to kick the habit, according to new research conducted at Duke University Medical Center. http://www.physorg.com/news150397760.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:09:20 EST news150397760 Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the functions of collagens in cartilage and muscle are well established, before this study it was unknown that collagen VI is made by neurons in the brain and that it can fulfill important neuroprotective functions. http://www.physorg.com/news150386598.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:03:18 EST news150386598 A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news150091875.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:11:15 EST news150091875 Neurologists have observed for decades that Lewy bodies, clumps of aggregated proteins inside cells, appear in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news150091261.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:01:01 EST news150091261 A new study shows that people who are smokers and have a family history of brain aneurysm appear to be significantly more likely to suffer a stroke from a brain aneurysm themselves. The research is published in the December 31, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and will appear in the January 6, 2009, print issue of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news150023581.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:13:01 EST news150023581 (PhysOrg.com) -- Vampires aren't usually cast in the role of saviors, but stroke experts are hoping a blood thinner that mimics a chemical in vampire saliva will help save brain cells in stroke patients. http://www.physorg.com/news149871922.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:05:22 EST news149871922 Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of Annals of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news149838363.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:46:03 EST news149838363 Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. http://www.physorg.com/news149776804.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:40:04 EST news149776804 UC Davis Cancer Center researchers report today the discovery of a molecule that targets glioblastoma, a highly deadly form of cancer. The finding, which is published in the January 2009 issue of the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, provides hope for effectively treating an incurable cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news149769509.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:38:29 EST news149769509 Shredded extracellular matrix (ECM) is toxic to neurons. Chen et al. reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study will appear in the December 29, 2008 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news149769426.html Biology Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:37:06 EST news149769426 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new molecule important in a part of the memory that allows recognition of people has been identified by researchers at the University of Bristol. This type of memory is impaired at an early stage during Alzheimer`s disease and so it is hoped that understanding the function of this molecule may lead to better cures and treatments for this devastating disease. http://www.physorg.com/news149345656.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:54:16 EST news149345656 Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that the human brain -once thought to be a seriously flawed decision maker -is actually hard-wired to allow us to make the best decisions possible with the information we are given. The findings are published in today's issue of the journal Neuron. http://www.physorg.com/news149345120.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:45:20 EST news149345120 New research by a Rice University psychologist clearly identifies the parts of the brain involved in the process of choosing appropriate words during speech. http://www.physorg.com/news149344989.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:43:09 EST news149344989 Dollar signs for eyes - cartoonists have been drawing them for years, and the artists, while whimsical, may have been onto something. According to new research from UC San Diego, areas of the brain responsible for vision respond more strongly to objects of value. http://www.physorg.com/news149344893.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:41:33 EST news149344893 A research team at the Stowers Institute has discovered how the expression of one of the Hox master control genes is regulated in a specific segment of the developing brain. The findings provide important insight into how and where the brain develops some of its unique and important structures. http://www.physorg.com/news149258338.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:38:58 EST news149258338 Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that people can successfully navigate an obstacle course even after brain damage has left them with no awareness of the ability to see and no activity in the visual cortex, a region of the brain's cortex that is primarily responsible for processing visual inputs. The findings published in the December 23rd issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, reveal the importance of alternative routes in the brain, which are active in both those who have suffered severe brain damage to the visual cortex and in all of our everyday lives, according to the researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news149180564.html Biology Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:02:44 EST news149180564 MRI scans that detect shrinkage in specific regions of the mid-brain attacked by Alzheimer's disease accurately diagnose the neurodegenerative disease, even before symptoms interfere with daily function, a study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) in Miami and Tampa found. http://www.physorg.com/news148844574.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:42:54 EST news148844574 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at The University of British Columbia have discovered why the brain loses its capacity to re-grow connections and repair itself, knowledge that could lead to therapeutics that `rejuvenate` the brain. http://www.physorg.com/news148840268.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:31:08 EST news148840268 When you first notice a door handle, your brain has already been hard at work. Your visual system first sees the handle, then it sends information to various parts of the brain, which go on to decipher out the details, such as color and the direction the handle is pointing. As the information about an object is sent further along the various brain pathways, more and more details are noticed -- in that way, a simple door handle turns into a silver-plated-antique-style-door-handle-facing-right. Information about the handle also reaches the part of your brain responsible for planning movements (known as the pre-motor area), and it comes up with a set of motions, allowing you to turn the handle with your right hand and open the door. http://www.physorg.com/news148828835.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:20:35 EST news148828835