Gene Modifying Study Shedding New Light on Alzheimer's and Other Neuro-Degenerative Diseases

In a University of Rochester laboratory study that could help in deciphering neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, scientists are finding that genetically altered mice learned and remembered better when subjected to tricky maze exercises.

Family Support and Good Grades Can Offset Teen Suicide Risks

According to a nationwide study published in the March 2001 issue of Pediatrics that was the result of interviews with more than 13,000 students ages 10 to 19, family support and good grades are among the top factors that can offset risks for teen suicide.

Newborns’ Umbilical Cords May Provide Cells For Repairing Brains Damaged By Strokes, Alzheimer’s and Other Neurological Ills

Free of the ethical concerns surrounding the use of fetal tissue, umbilical cords discarded after birth could provide a vast new source of repair material for fixing brains damaged by Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological disorders.

UN Says Mental Disorders Are Set To Rise

Mental and neurological disorders—ranging from depression to Alzheimer’s to epilepsy—currently strike as many as 400 million people globally and are set to surge in the next two decades. Unless things change dramatically, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that, by 2020, depression will jump to become the second greatest cause of death and disability worldwide.

Dopamine Receptors Linked To Obesity

As many as one third of all Americans—and a growing number of people around the world--suffer from obesity. Results from a recent study suggest that strategies aimed at improving dopamine function through drugs, exercise or behavior modification might prove to be a beneficial treatment for many of those affected.