A predisposition to have a pancreas that’s more sensitive to the insulin-inhibiting effects of melatonin, may be present in up to 30 percent of the population, a new study suggests. Individuals with this increased sensitivity carry a slightly altered melatonin receptor gene that is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Large-scale studies have…
Brain-Scanning Tech Links Alzheimer’s Decline To Tau Protein
A new imaging agent which binds to tau protein and makes it visible in positron emission tomography (PET) scans has enabled scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to demonstrate that levels of tau are better markers of the cognitive decline characteristic of Alzheimer’s than levels of amyloid beta seen in PET…
Letrozole Found To Reduce Status Epilepticus Seizures
A new study from Northwestern University has found that aromatase inhibitors, a class of drug that inhibits estrogen production and is used to treat breast cancer, has been found to suppress dangerous brain seizures rapidly and effectively. The research suggests a new approach to treating seizures in humans, shutting down the brain’s production of estrogen…
How Zika Virus Infects A Developing Fetus
Scientists are getting a clearer picture of how Zika virus infects a developing fetus, migrating from the mother’s bloodstream into the placenta, where it multiplies and spreads to the brain of a fetus. Models based on research with mice provide a basis for developing vaccines and treatments, and studying the biology of Zika virus infection…
Is Schizophrenia A Sensory Disorder?
The idea that schizophrenia is a sensory disorder and that individuals with the condition are impaired in their ability to process stimuli from the outside world is getting support from some new research. The findings could also point to a new way to identify the disease at an early stage, before symptoms become acute. One…
Left-Right Brain Crosstalk Critical To Language Development
The communication between left and right sides of the brain is key for the development of advanced language skills, according to new research by University of California, San Francisco scientists. In most people, areas related to language processing are located in the brain’s left hemisphere. Autism-like problems with language comprehension seen in people with defective…
Acetaminophen Reduces Empathy For Others’ Pain
A new study by researchers at Ohio State University suggests that when you take acetaminophen to reduce pain, you may also be decreasing your empathy for both the physical and social aches that other people have. For example, when study participants who took acetaminophen (Paracetamol) learned about the misfortunes of others, they thought these individuals…
How Taste And Odor Perception Is Altered In Pregnancy
It’s well known that perception of different smells and tastes can change when a woman is pregnant. But did you know this is also true for flies? Not only that, but just how these changes are triggered is not really known, either for mammals or insects. But now, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of…
What Is Hemispatial Neglect?
Hemispatial neglect, also known as unilateral neglect, spatial neglect, or hemineglect, is a common and disabling condition following brain damage in which patients fail to be aware of items to one side of space. Neglect is most prominent and long-lasting after damage to the right hemisphere of the human brain, particularly following a stroke. Such…