Airborne® lawsuit settlement - once you find out something doesn’t work.

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Being in the biopharma business, I’m always amazed at the direct-to-consumer adverts on TV. It looks like unmitigated chutzpa to me, to advertise that you can get rid of stubborn belly fat or that you apply directly to forehead. Now, I feel a little vindicated. Except I wonder if taking away hope that a [...]

Why Dr. Kaczynski may believe there’s nothing wrong with him (anosognosia)

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Theodore Kaczynski
Even though he was holed up in a backwoods cabin containing piles of his feces, writing a manifesto against technological society, in moldy pants he had worn constantly for a year, Dr. Kaczynski was entirely unaware of his mental illness. In fact, he refused treatment of any sort over the better part of his [...]

Genetics: 200 family members having dementia-mutation studied for 13 years

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Brain. 2008 Jan;131(Pt 1):72-89. Epub 2007 Dec 7., “The tauopathy associated with mutation +3 in intron 10 of Tau: characterization of the MSTD family,” Spina S, Farlow MR, Unverzagt FW, Kareken DA, Murrell JR, Fraser G, Epperson F,Crowther RA, Spillantini MG, Goedert M, Ghetti B., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School [...]

Cure for Alzheimers?

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Let’s say the day comes when you are told you have pre-Alzheimers. You are told that getting the disease is inevitable. Emotionally, you grieve for your own “lost” personality. Your loved ones prepare for your care taking — or to put you in assisted living at an outrageous expense to someone.
Then this report [...]

From Proventia, “Does child abuse affect brain development?”

Monday, December 31st, 2007

In the ovarian lottery, we are born human babies ready to adapt to our surroundings.

Dr. Vitelli at Proventia posted on how child abuse - sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, witnessing the abuse of others — affects brain development. (This was way back in November — I’ve been meaning to post on this.) The post [...]

Fragile X is possibly fixable!

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Neuron — Dölen et al.
New report: Potential relief for Fragile X sufferers.
Fragile X can be simulated in a mouse if you knock out a gene (FMR1). If you further block a receptor — called mGlu5 (metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 or MGR5) — the behavioral symptoms can altered. In the mouse model, the could genetically [...]

Weight Loss Meds Updates: New Phen-fens and leptin

Monday, November 19th, 2007

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!
On that note, I thought I’d catch up on weight loss abstracts.
1. New Phen-fens without the side effects look good, and they may also be useful in treating diabetes. They may have an “anxiety” type side effect initially.
2. Leptin plus a satiety protein (Amylin’s pramlintide) makes 200+ pound people lose about 25 pounds [...]

Clinical trials studying neural correlates of behavior

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

From ClinicalTrials.gov

 
Brain Changes in Fear
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) July 2007

Sponsored by:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Information provided by:
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00047853

Purpose
The [...]