The Brain In A Bucket
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An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, reports that abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants, or CNVs, appear to play a significant role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder. The findings will be published in the December 22 issue of the journal Neuron.
Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways. The study raises the possibility that drugs acting on those pathways might offer a new treatment option for patients with ADHD who have those gene variants – potentially, half a million U.S. children.
In the first study to systematically investigate genome-wide epigenetic differences in a large number of psychosis discordant twin-pairs, research at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London provides further evidence that epigenetic processes play an important role in neuropsychiatric disease. Published in Human Molecular Genetics, the findings may offer potential new avenues for treatment. Included in this report is a link to download the full-text, original research article.
Harnessing the new generation of rapid, highly accurate gene-sequencing techniques, a research team has identified the disease-causing mutation in a newly characterized rare genetic disease, by analyzing DNA from just a few individuals. The power and speed of the innovative bioinformatics tool marks a step toward personalized genomics —discovering causative mutations in individual patients.
A team of researchers have discovered that, on average, thirty mutations are transmitted from each parent to their child, revising previous estimations and revolutionizing the timescale we use to calculate the number of generations separating us from other species. “Your genome, or genetic code, is made up of six billion pieces of information, called nucleotides,” explained co-lead author Philip Awadalla of the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Medicine and Director of CARTaGENE. Awadalla published the study with co-author Matt Hurles of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Nature Genetics on June 12, 2011.
Cell phones are a ubiquitous part of our lives. New independent studies offer stunning proof that confirms findings from the Council of Europe — pulsed digital signals from cell phones disrupt DNA, impair brain function, and lower sperm count. A meeting convened by Environmental Health Trust, with the Turkish cancer society, and Gazi University, revealed new research on this important issue showing damage to DNA, brain, and sperm. Dr. Devra Davis, a member of a Nobel Peace Prize team, chairs this meeting with Prof. Nesrin Seyhan, a WHO and NATO advisor who is head and founder of Biophysics Department and Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory at Gazi University in Ankara and founder of the Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (GNRP) Center.
No one knows the cause of most cases of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. But researchers have found that certain factors are consistently associated with these debilitating conditions. One is DNA damage by reactive oxygen species, highly destructive molecules usually formed as a byproduct of cellular respiration. Another is the presence of excessive levels of copper and iron in regions of the brain associated with the particular disorder.
Children whose mothers or grandmothers smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk of asthma in childhood, but the underlying causes of this are not well understood. Now a new study indicates changes in a process called DNA methylation that occurs before birth may be a root cause. The study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference.
Studies in institutionalized Romanian children have found that the length of time spent in conditions of social deprivation and neglect correlates with lower IQ and behavioral problems. A new study, led by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston and Tulane University, shows that early adversity even affects children’s chromosomes – prematurely shortening the chromosome tips, known as telomeres, and hastening how quickly their cells “age.”
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and King’s College London have independently identified DNA on chromosome 3 that appears to be related to depression. Jim Dryden explains these results in an audio interview with the researchers; check the end of this report for a link to this interview.
