BrainBlog

In Map of Brain Junction, Avenues to Answers By NICHOLAS WADE The New York Times Published: December 20, 2010 "Researchers have identified the components of a critical part of the brain’s architecture: the synapse, or junction where one neuron makes a connection with another." Read the article

Gina Kolata has written a fine piece in The New York Times : Early Tests for Alzheimer’s Pose Diagnosis Dilemma By GINA KOLATA The New York Times Published: December 17, 2010 "Since there is no treatment, doctors wonder if they should tell people, years earlier, that they have the disease, or a good chance of getting it." Read the article

A broadcast of a recent presentation at the National Institutes of Health: Watch the presentation Air date: Monday, November 29, 2010, 12:00:00 PM Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local Category: Neuroscience Description: Neuroscience Seminar Series Animal studies show that the adult brain shows remarkable plasticity in response to learning or recovery from injury. Non-invasive brain imaging techniques can be used to detect systems-level structural and functional plasticity in the human brain. This talk will focus on how brain imaging has allowed us to monitor healthy brains learning new motor skills and to assess how damaged brains recover. For example, structural and diffusion MRI shows that learning to juggle changes not only grey matter but also white matter in healthy brains. In patients recovering after a stroke to one side of their brain, functional MRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation provide evidence for increased recruitment of areas in the healthy side o...

An interesting report posted on the medGadget blog: Read the blog post

From earlier today: Listen to BBC Radio Wales Science Cafe Episode "Around 40,000 people in Wales suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. Adam Walton explores the latest research by Welsh scientists to combat the most common form of dementia."

Out of Our Brains By ANDY CLARK December 12, 2010, 3:47 PM A New York Times blog "Andy Clark wonders: are devices like iPhones and Blackberries actually becoming extensions of our thinking selves?" Read the full posting

From the NIH: Impaired clearance, not overproduction of toxic proteins, may underlie Alzheimer’s disease 09 December 2010 In Alzheimer's disease, a protein fragment called beta-amyloid accumulates at abnormally high levels in the brain. Now researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that in the most common, late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid is produced in the brain at a normal rate but is not cleared, or removed from the brain, efficiently. In addition to improving the understanding of what pathways are most important in development of Alzheimer's pathology, these findings may one day lead to improved biomarker measures for early diagnosis as well as a new approach to treating this devastating disorder. Many believe that accumulation of abnormal levels of beta-amyloid in the brain initiates a cascade of events leading to the death of brain cells and ultimately to dementia. In the rare, early-onset forms of Alzheimer's that are link...

A report from FierceBiotech : Roche provides update on leading late-stage pharmaceutical pipeline New data on medicines with the potential to redefine standard of care highlighted at Investor event Posted December 9, 2010 "Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today will provide an update on its leading late-stage pipeline comprising twelve new molecular entities in key therapeutic areas. The London investor event will focus on major progress that has been achieved in recent months with Roche's late-stage pipeline assets in the areas of oncology and CNS, as well as on further development plans of these potential breakthrough medicines." read the full report

NIH to offer new clinical research opportunity Initiative to partner with Lasker Foundation NIH Press Release, 09 December 2010 The National Institutes of Health has launched a new program in conjunction with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation that will provide medical doctors with funding for patient-focused, clinical research projects. The goal is to bridge the widening gap between cutting-edge research and improved patient care. The initiative, called the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, enables exceptional clinical researchers in the early stages of their careers to first spend 5 to 7 years at the NIH Clinical Center, the world's largest hospital dedicated to patient-oriented research, in Bethesda, Md. Upon successful completion of this first stage, the scholars would be offered the opportunity to remain at the NIH as senior clinical research scientists or to apply for up to four years of independent financial support at a university or other external research inst...

Dr. Suzanne Corkin's book about Patient H.M. will be published sometime next year. I am so looking forward to it. Make sure you add it to you wish list for must-have reads!

Jiang RS, Su MC, Liang KL, Shiao JY, Wu SH, & Hsin CH. A pilot study of a traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test for application in Taiwan. American Journal of Rhinol Allergy. 2010 Jan-Feb;24(1):45-50. BACKGROUND: The 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is the most widely used smell test in the world. Presently, culturally modified versions of this test are available in 12 languages. This study describes the first assessment of a prototype traditional Chinese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-TC) for administration in Taiwan. The goals were to determine the efficacy of specific items for testing Taiwanese subjects and to establish normative adjustments to allow for the use of North American norms. METHODS: The American version of the UPSIT and the UPSIT-TC were administered to 40 healthy Taiwanese subjects on two test occasions separated from one another by 2 weeks. One subject was excluded because of in...

"The Drug Deadlock" Nature 11 November 2010 Download the article

A fine little piece in the New York Times about Patient H.M. and his performance on crossword puzzles. No Memory, but He Filled In the Blanks By BENEDICT CAREY Published: December 6, 2010 "A man who had brain tissue removed in 1953 stunned researchers over the years by learning some new facts and maintaining his addiction to crossword puzzles." Read the article

Bartko SJ, Vendrell I, Saksida LM, & Bussey TJ A computer-automated touchscreen paired-associates learning (PAL) task for mice: Impairments following administration of scopolamine or dicyclomine and improvements following donepezil. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Nov 18. RATIONALE: Performance on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery touchscreen paired-associates learning (PAL) test is predictive of Alzheimer's disease and impaired in schizophrenia and chronic drug users. An automated computer touchscreen PAL task for rats has been previously established. A pharmacologically validated PAL task for mice would be a highly valuable tool, which could be useful for a number of experimental aims including drug discovery. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate the effects of systemic administration of cholinergic agents on task performance in C57Bl/6 mice. METHODS: Scopolamine hydrobromide (0.02, 0.2, and 2.0 mg/kg), dicyclomine hydrochloride (M(1) receptor a...

TED Talk: Gero Miesenboeck reengineers a brain July 2010 Watch the talk here "In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward -- manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do, through a series of stunning experiments that reengineer the way fruit flies percieve light."

FDA rejects a new epilepsy drug from Valeant, GSK FierceBiotech 02 December 2010 Read FierceBiotech article here === Earlier blog post on topic, from 12th August: here ===

An interesting half-hour lecture available as a YouTube video, as described here: Acting and Cognitive Science by Psychcentral.com.

A writing workshop for people with neurological disorders: Write Your Life