Posts Tagged ‘Health’
DNA Test that Identifies Down Syndrome in Pregnancy Can Also Detect Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13
A newly available DNA-based prenatal blood test that can identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome can also identify two additional chromosome abnormalities: trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).The test for all three defects can be offered as early [Read More]
Gene Regulator in Brain’s Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan
Mental illness suspect genes are among the most environmentally responsive. For the first time, scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain’s executive hub. [Read More]
Obesity Reduces the Size of Your Brain
New research from Uppsala University shows that a specific brain region linked to appetite regulation is reduced in elderly people who are obese. Poor eating habits over a lifetime may therefore weaken brain function that helps us to control our desire to eat. The findings [Read More]
Study: Men at Higher Risk for Mild Memory Loss than Women
Men may be at higher risk of experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the stage of mild memory loss that occurs between normal aging and dementia, than women, according to a study published in the January 25, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of [Read More]
Researchers Induce Alzheimer’s Neurons from Pluripotent Stem Cells
First-ever feat provides new method to understand cause of disease, develop drugs Led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, scientists have, for the first time, created stem cell-derived, in vitro models of sporadic and hereditary [Read More]
T-rays Technology Could Help Develop Star Trek-style Hand-held Medical Scanners
Scientists have developed a new way to create Terahertz waves (T-rays) that may one day lead to biomedical detective devices similar to the ‘tricorder’ scanner used in Star Trek. Scientists have developed a new way to create electromagnetic Terahertz (THz) waves [Read More]
Genetic Study Offers Clues to How Intelligence Changes Through Life
Scientists have estimated for the first time the extent to which genes determine changes in intelligence across the human life course. The study found that genetic factors may account for about 24 per cent of changes in intelligence between childhood and old age. The [Read More]
Brain Region Can Signal Early Stage Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
Early changes to the inferior frontal junction observed in early dementias A key misplaced yet again? Unable to recall a name? Forgetfulness frequently leads to anxiety: is it just a sign of age, or are these the first symptoms of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease? It has [Read More]
Study Offers Clue As to Why Alcohol is Addicting
UCSF Gallo scientists show that drinking releases brain endorphins Drinking alcohol leads to the release of endorphins in areas of the brain that produce feelings of pleasure and reward, according to a study led by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center [Read More]
Disruption of Biological Clocks Causes Neurodegeneration, Early Death
New research at Oregon State University provides evidence for the first time that disruption of circadian rhythms – the biological “clocks” found in many animals – can clearly cause accelerated neurodegeneration, loss of motor function and premature death. The study [Read More]