Researchers from the Netherlands have found a link between high estrogen levels and dementia in older men.  Their data came from a group of 2974 Japanese-American men aged 70 to 91 who participated in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.  The baseline fasting blood samples were drawn between 1991 and 1993, at which time levels of testosterone and estradiol, the major estrogen in humans were measured.

None of the participants had signs of dementia at the beginning of the study.  The researchers measured cognitive decline or dementia in all the participants in 1994-1996 and 1997-1999 using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI).  They collected physical, demographic and medical information at each exam.  Complete Article

Researchers say that they have discovered that males with autism have fewer neurons in the amygdala than their counterparts without the condition.  David Amaral says “"This is the first quantitative evidence of an abnormal number of neurons in the autistic amygdala and the first study to use modern unbiased sampling techniques for autism research."  Amaral is the research director of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute.

Amaral and graduate student Cynthia Mills Schumann counted and measured representative samples of neurons in the amygdala of nine postmortem brains of autistic males.  They compared this to the brains of 10 postmortem males who did not have autism.  The subjects ranged from 10 to 44 years of age at the time of death.  Complete Article

For the last several years, the main drug used to treat Alzheimer's disease has been Aricept, but its benefit isn't long-lasting, spanning maybe 18 months to 2 years. Yet surprisingly, a randomized study out just this week has added another clue to the mystery of this tragic disease - a drug called leuprolide (brand name Lupron) commonly used to treat prostate cancer, breast cancer, and endometriosis was found, after 12-48 weeks, to significantly slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

Lupron's mechanism of action is that it blocks LH (luteinizing hormone), which prompts the pituitary gland to produce gonadotropins, hormones that stimulate the ovaries and testes to produce the high levels of estrogen and testosterone necessary for reproduction. Complete Article

Australian scientists say they have found a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and it is as simple as a once-a-day pill.  Trials of the drug, PBT2, start next month according to The Australian news agency.  The pill was developed by the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria in partnership with Prana Biotechnology in Melbourne.

Professor George Fink said “It is a major breakthrough and very much a Melbourne discovery.''  Fink is the director of the Mental Health Research Institute.  He added “Though much depends on the next phase of human clinical trials ... early results indicate this drug offers hope to people with Alzheimer's disease.''  Complete Article

Researchers have demonstrated Flurizan can help patients with Alzheimer’s disease.  Flurizan, made by Myriad Genetics, when given in the larger doses (800 milligram twice a day) can slow the cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer ’s disease. 

In this study, the groups taking the higher doses demonstrated a substantial benefit over other dose groups in the study and that this benefit continued over 24 months.  The testing included memory loss, cognition and global function.

This is considered a small mid-state trial, but the results are promising.  Adrian Hobden, Ph.D., President of Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said "The 24 month data completes the Phase 2 follow-on trial with mounting evidence of efficacy against mild Alzheimer's disease that consistently increased over the course of the study.  The results are consistent with a mode of action for Flurizan that is modifying the course of the underlying disease process."  Complete Article

New York researchers say that a mixture of purified human antibodies, called intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), provides lasting benefits to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).  They say this is the first study that shows that IVIg stabilizes or improves cognitive function in Alzheimer patients when administered over a period of a year or more.

The compound bonds to beta amyloid (AB), which many researchers believe is a central component causing plaque buildup in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They believe that the IVIg compound helps clear the AB from the brain and even helps block AB’s toxic effects.  Complete Article

Remarkable research shows that the common sleeping pill Ambien may help patients with brain damage recover the use of some of their brain.  Although the awakening side effect is rare, doctors say that some patients may benefit.

ABC News reporter, Mike Von Fremd, interviewed a doctor that has been studying the prescription sleeping pills.  Dr. Ralf Clauss speculates that while brain injury may cause some parts of the brain to remain dormant, sometimes the drug may temporarily reverse this change.

The news segment involved a young man, George Melendez, who had a passion for baseball, but was involved in a traffic accident leaving his brain damaged.  The injury was serious enough that he was unable to talk or take care of himself.  Complete Article

Amazing new research from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute believe that the resulting experience form ingesting the active agent in “sacred Mushrooms” apparently prompts “positive changes in behavior and attitude that lasts several months, at least.”  The researchers are still not sure where in the brain the agent, psilocybin works.

They do know that psilocybin mimics the effect of serotonin on brain receptors, as do some other hallucinogens.  The research is cited as “landmark” in a commentary by former National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director, Charles Schuster.  Complete Article

More people are being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease before the age of 50.  Also, researchers in Florida have found that Parkinson’s disease patients can be apathetic without being depressed.  They believe apathy could be the core feature of the disease. This is a mental state characterized by a loss of motivation, loss of interest and loss of effortful behavior. 

Depression is different from apathy in that people with depression have a negative mood.  Although people with apathy and depression have similar symptoms, the person with apathy has a “neutral” mood. 

Stanford University researchers believe they may be able to “reverse the cognitive decline” that frequently affects those with Down’s syndrome in middle age.  "We may now have the opportunity to make a big difference in people's lives," according to neurologist William Mobley, MD, PhD. "If we can decrease the expression of this gene we may be able to provide something more than supportive care to people with Down syndrome."

Mobley and his team believe they have found the gene that when overexpressed, causes neurons responsible for attention and memory to shrivel and stop functioning normally.  It may be possible to “interfere” with the gene.

Down’s syndrome is the leading cause of mental retardation in the United States.  There are more than 300,000 people nationwide have Down syndrome, which is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, giving them a total of three.  Up until now, there has been little molecular or Neurological research done on the subject.

We assume that money can fix everything and even make us happy, however a study from Princeton University has shown that increasing your income is an exaggerated illusion.

A survey conducted by researchers from Princeton University showed us that we tend to over rate the importance of income creating a state of well-being.  While Americans strive to prioritize income as a key to happiness the reality is that high income earners are not spending their free time in enjoyable ways.

On 20/20 last Friday, one topic that was discussed was stress and how it causes us to age and gain weight.  It was assumed that sun was the only cause of wrinkles, but the truth is, stress also contributes to wrinkles.  There is also evidence the increased stress levels help to raise cortisol levels that trigger the storage of body fat.

One big contributor to stress is called NUT, which stands for Nagging, Unfinished, Tasks.  So if your desk is piled high, and you are constantly behind this is causing stress that is aging you and making you fat.  How can you organize your schedule to manage your chores and not feel overwhelmed?  How to Reduce Stress - Helps in Weight Loss Efforts and Keep you Younger

Japanese researchers say that they have promising new results with mice studies that may benefit Alzheimer’s disease patients.  They have been able to cut levels of key amyloid proteins thought to cause the disease, by up to 50% in some parts of the brain by using a DNA vaccine.

The over-production of amyloid proteins are thought to trigger symptoms of Alzheimer's by forming clumps that litter the brain, according to the BBC.  Previous research has shown that it is possible to stimulate the immune system of mice to attack these plaques, if they are immunized with amyloid protein.  But when this was done in humans the immune response was so great that the brain began to swell. The clinical trial for a vaccine had to be called off in 2003 after 18 of the 298 patients developed swelling in their brains.  DNA Vaccine Developed For Alzheimer's Disease - Japanese Researchers Say Genetic Based Vaccine Could Reverse Plaque Buildup in Brain

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), a disease characterized by recurring episodes of anger and potentially violent outbursts, is much more common than thought.  According to the researchers, the disorder can be diagnosed.  If a person has had three major episodes of impulsive aggressiveness at any time in his life which is significantly more explosive than what most normal people would have had in the same situation, they have the disorder. 

The outbursts are sudden and can include damage to property or physical harm.  The disorder could affect as many as 7.3 percent of adults.  That works out to 16 million Americans.  Harvard professor of health care, Ronald Kessler, PhD says that each year IED affects nearly 4 percent of Americans, or 8.6 million adults.

Interestingly, people feel a sense of relief during the uncontrollable outburst, but then feel remorseful about their actions.  There may be effective treatments for this condition.  Anger Management - Treatments Recommended For Road Rage – Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) is Identified and is Widespread

“I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do every thing, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”  “Edward Everetthale"

The major community problem for which I have contributed my efforts is the problem of “THE RIGHTS OF SPECIAL PEOPLE”. I have worked as a teaching/counseling/social with the “Special People” of our “Community” since 7 years. Since from my childhood, I had an intention to social work for the special people, because I had a natural bond of attachment with them. To accomplish my wish, I chose “SPECIAL PEOPLE COMMITTEE” of our community so that I could bring change in their lives.  Learning Disabled and Handicapped Individuals – How You can help with this and other Community Problems

Researchers have discovered that there is a link between depression and the length of time it takes for a patient to return to a normal heart rate during cardiac rehabilitation.  The research, published in the American Heart Journal, indicates that heart rate recovery after exercise was slower among patients with symptoms of depression. 

The heart rate recovery after a treadmill stress test is a good indication of how the autonomic nervous system is functioning, according to a report by Reuters Health. Dr. Joel W. Hughes, co-author of the study, and colleagues from Kent State University of Ohio said that patients who take longer to recover their normal heart rate also have an increased risk of mortality.

The report says that the autonomic nervous system helps the body to adapt to changes in the environment, adjusting or modifying body functions in response to stress.  The autonomic system also regulates blood pressure, heart rate, airflow to the lungs, the digestive process, insulin secretion, urinary function and sexual response.  Patients with Depression Have Slow Heart Rate Recover - Depressed Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants May Have Higher Death Rate - Attack

In 2003, the pharmaceutical industry passed out $16.4 billion worth of free drug samples to doctors. These so-called free samples are literally killing people. Two young lads who were lucky enough to get free samples of Zoloft are now sitting in prison.

After visits to their family doctors, Christopher Pittman and Zachary Schmidkunz were both sent home with a bag of Zoloft samples with no warnings about the drug's side effects. They both went on to commit murder, were sent to prison, and are now waiting for hearings on their appeals. 

These lethal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRIs) are being passed out to kids like candy. Dr Thomas Moore, MD, with the Drug Safety Research group, conducted a study on the use of antidepressant drugs with children that showed that in the 4-period of 1998 to 2001, the use of SSRIs with children doubled and in 90% of the cases the drugs were prescribed off-label to kids for uses not approved by the FDA.  Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline Help Send Kids To Prison

Researchers believe that long term exposure to stress causes depression. Many medical professionals have suspected this, but lacked the evidence. Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School, and its affiliate Mclean Hospital, have shown that long-term exposure to a stress hormone in mice directly resulted in the anxiety that often comes with depression.

Researchers already knew that people with depression had high levels of the human stress hormone, cortisol, but were not sure if it was a cause or effect.  They now believe that long-term exposure to cortisol actually contributes to the symptoms of depression.

Researchers found that people that are either overweight or obese in their 40’s have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.  The research was first presented at the American Academy of Neurology 58th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California that was held the beginning of this month.

This large scale study followed 9,000 people for a period of 30 years.  The study measured skin fold thickness of the back of the upper arm and also under the shoulder on the back.

The people that had the higher skinfold measurements in their 40’s had a higher chance for developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those that had the smallest measurements.  The people that had the highest skinfold measurement of the back were three times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s compared to those who had the smallest measurement of the back.  The people that had the largest skinfold measurement of the arm were 2 ½ times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease later on compared to those that had the smallest arm skin fold measurement.  Alzheimer’s disease – Risk Increases in Overweight and Obese People in their 40’s