Memory can be manipulated
Researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology have used light to erase specific memories and proved a basic theory of how different parts of the brain work together to retrieve episodic memories. Optogenetics, pioneered by Karl Diesseroth at Stanford University, is a new technique for manipulating and studying nerve cells. This technique is rapidly becoming the standard method for investigating brain function using light. Kazumasa Tanaka, Brian Wiltgen at UC Davis applied this to test a long-standing idea about memory retrieval. “The theory is that learning involves processing in the cortex and the hippocampus reproduces this pattern of activity during retrieval, allowing you to re-experience the event,” Wiltgen said.
Migraine in middle age
A new study suggests that people who experience migraine in middle age may be more likely to develop Parkinson's disease, or other movement disorders later in life. Those who have migraine with aura may be at double the risk of developing Parkinson's, according to the study published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Migraine is the most common brain disorder in both men and women,” said study author Ann I Scher, PhD, Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD and member of the American Academy of Neurology. “It has been linked in other studies to cerebrovascular and heart disease. This new possible association is one more reason research is needed to understand, prevent and treat the condition,” he added. The study found that people with migraine with aura were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's than people with no headaches. While the history of migraine is associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's, that risk is still quite low.
Healthy women avoid stroke
Women with a healthy diet and lifestyle may be less likely to have a stroke by more than half, according to a study. The study looked at five factors that make up a healthy lifestyle: healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption, never smoking, physically active and healthy body mass index. Compared with women with none of the healthy factors, women with all five factors had a 54 per cent lower risk of stroke. “Because the consequences of stroke are usually devastating and irreversible, prevention is of great importance,” said Susanna C larsson, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Sweden. “These results are exciting because they indicate that a healthy diet and lifestyle can substantially reduce the risk of stroke, and these are lifestyle choices that people can make or improve,” she added. According to the study cerebral infarction is the most common cause of stroke.
Don’t neglect your kid’s leg pain
Does your child complain of pain in the legIJ Don't ignore this as ‘growing up pain’ but consider it as a signal for bone or knee-related ailments in the future, health experts caution. They said that young children are affected with various knee problems like genu valgum/genu varum (knock knees/bow legs), discoid meniscus (an abnormally shaped meniscus in the knee), ligament tear, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and obesity-related knee pain. Yash Gulati, director and head of department, orthopaedics, joint reconstruction and spine surgery, said though knee-related ailments and arthritis are not very common among the younger population, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JVA) can affect children at an earlier age and also affect multiple joints. “These pains that the children have age three onward, often at night, which we overlook cannot be ignored for long as this could indicate that a child is at risk of osteoarthritis in later life,” Gulati said.
Possible causes of colon cancer
Colon cancer may be caused by the loss of a hormone called guanylin, a study said, suggesting hormone replacement therapy could stall its formation. Some cancers, like breast and prostate cancer, are driven by hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, but till date, there are none that are driven by the lack of a hormone. New evidence suggests that human colon cells may become cancerous when they lose the ability to produce a hormone that helps the cells maintain normal biology. “The fact that the vast majority of cancers stop producing this hormone leads us to believe that guanylin may be driving the growth of the tumours,” said Scott Waldman, a professor at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, US. “If confirmed, we could prevent colon cancer by giving patients hormone replacement therapy with guanylin,” stressed Waldman.