Glucocorticoid drugs that are used to treat chronic lung damage in preemies proved harmful for brain in mice.  Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that the drugs seem to cause cognitive and motor control problems even if they are given before birth.

In their study, the researchers observed the effects of the synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone and betamethasone that were given to preemies to help lung development. These drugs seemed to cause brain cell death in mice when given four and ten days after birth.

Kevin K. Noguchi, who is one of study authors, says in a university news release: “The drugs seemed to damage neural progenitor cells that are responsible for producing new neurons.  So it’s quite easy to understand that if the cells that produce new neurons are killed, it can cause severe neurodevelopmental effects.”

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MONDAY, Oct. 13– A new study says that higher alcohol intake can hurt or shrink your brain.

Rajesh Miranda, who is an associate professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, says: “Though we known about that, it’s huge study which quantifies that.”

Miranda added, “It is not surprising that higher alcohol intake lead to the brain shrinkage, as such sort of things have also been observed in many other smaller studies and animal models. However, the astonishing thing is that the current study shows that even lower levels of alcohol intake are not protective.”

Their findings will be published in the Archives of Neurology in the October issue. …Click here to read more

A new study suggests that if you a family history of cancerous brain tumors, it may put you at a higher risk of developing the same kind of tumors.

In this study, published in the Sept. 23 issue of Neurology, the researchers examined the medical records and family histories of almost 1,401 people who had either astrocytomas (tumors in the brain or spinal cord) or glioblastomas that is considered a more aggressive kind of astrocytomas. …Click here to read more

CHICAGO - A government agency has quitted plans for a study related to the treatment of autism, that critics had called an unethical experiment on children.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) said that the study of the treatment, called chelation has been aborted. The agency has decided to test other possible therapies for autism and associated disorders, the statement said.

“There will be parents who are disappointed,” said Richard Nakamura, the scientific director of NIMH. “We recognize that for children there is a thread line for the risk-benefit ratio. You have to be pretty assured of the overall safety of the procedure.”

The study had been suspended because of safety matters, after another study published last year regarding a drug used in the treatment to permanent brain dysfunction in rats. …Click here to read more

According to an American study, babies who born naturally get more mothers’ response to their cries than the Caesarean.

The researchers noticed more activity in brain areas that are related to emotions and motivation in the 12 new mothers who had a natural delivery.

The researchers from the Yale University say that those hormones that generate at the time of birth may be the key factor in this connection. The women who had elected to have a Caesarean were included in this study. …Click here to read more

According to scientists, seasonal changes in brain chemistry cause winter blues in some people.

Seasonal affective disorder is related to lack of light exposure during short winter days and it often proves quite debilitating in some people.

The study shows that the condition may develop proteins that make mood-regulating chemical serotonin more active in the brain. …Click here to read more

According to US scientists, Gene therapy, which is likely to restore hearing in mice, may prove helpful in humans too.

The scientists found that gene transfer developed functioning hair cells that are considered essential for the inner ear to interpret sounds.

People who have normal hearing their cochlear hair cells can turn sound into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. If the cells are lost or damaged once, they …Click here to read more

U.S government researchers find that an epilepsy drug that is being tested to treat addiction also helped to shed weight in obese rats.

The researchers said that their findings not only helped to treat drug addicts, but it also showed promising results for an easy treatment for obesity. …Click here to read more

According to a charity, depression is considered a natural part of getting older and because of this misconception almost two million older people are being denied treatment for their depression.

The charity finds that over 65s when seek help for their depression, they are often fobbed off and given inappropriate treatment.

The Charity is known as Age Concern and it provides support and help to old people. Age Concern also stressed the government to address age discrimination in health services in its coming Equality Bill. …Click here to read more

According to Finnish researchers, risk of dementia as well as of stroke considerably decrease by eating tuna and other fatty fish.

The lead author of the study, Jyrki Virtanen of the University of Kuopio in Finland told that ‘silent’ brain lesions that often become the cause of memory loss and dementia occurred less in those people who ate baked or broiled fish high in omega-3 fatty acids.

“The results of some previous studies have shown that fish and fish oil is helpful to avoid stroke, but this is the first study of its kind that examines the effects of fish on brain lesions in older people,” Virtanen further added.

Fish like salmon, mackerel sardines, herring and other foods like walnuts are rich with omega-3 fatty acids. These foods have also shown an anti-inflammatory effect and related to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

In the study, the Finnish researchers examined the cases of those 3,660 people who aged 65 and older and went through brains scans five years. The researchers found that the people who consume omega-3-rich fish more than two times a week had almost 26 percent lower risk of silent brain lesions.

While people who consume one serving per week were found with 13 percent reduced risk than those who didn’t include such sort of fish in their diets. The study has been published in the journal Neurology.

However, the researchers added that fried fish, in some people, did not appear to have the same benefits.

According to the US scientists, a high dose vitamin C injection may help to hold the advance of cancers back. The scientists believe that the vitamin may initiate a critical chain reaction in the cancerous cell.

When that injection was given to mice, it halved the size of pancreatic, ovarian and brain tumors. The report has been presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

But the scientists from Cancer Research UK believe that high doses of vitamin C may interfere with cancer treatment as it has been suggested by many studies.

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According to Australian scientists’ report, women who given estrogen (sex hormone) are less likely to suffer hallucination or delusion.

The report published in the Archives of General Psychiatry Journal on Monday and it showed that sex hormone might boost blood flow to the brain.

A UK mental health charity stated that they needed funds for bigger studies in this connection. …Click here to read more

According to a pilot study, Intravenous treatment to greatly lower the blood pressure of people who’ve just undergone hemorrhage in the brain may improve their prognosis.

Bleeding in skull often causes a quick climb in blood pressure, which may give further bleeding and the growth of the hematoma (a region of inner bleeding). The background information in the study suggests that it can cause the patient’s condition to get worse and enhance the risk of disability or loss of life.

To lower very high blood pressure as soon as possible in patients, with intracranial hemorrhage, is recommended but there is little support on when to start treatment or how much to lower blood pressure. This takes to wide dissimilarity in managing of high blood pressure in these patients.
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