Scientists map out how medulloblastoma relapse

Researchers have discovered the unique genetic paths that the childhood brain tumour medulloblastoma follows when the disease comes back, according to research* published in Cancer Cell.

The study - funded by Cancer Research UK, Action Medical Research and others** - shows that taking an extra tumour sample at recurrence, when there are no effective therapies, could identify subsets of patients that might be treatable with existing drugs that target the genetic faults.

The scientists, based at Newcastle University and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), looked at biopsies from the relapsed tumours of 29 patients. They found a range of changes that only appeared when the disease returned and were responsible for the cancer becoming more aggressive.

One particular combination of two genetic faults was common among a number of different subtypes, accounting for a very aggressive form of the disease.

The researchers then looked for ways to treat relapsed medulloblastomas in mice and were able to slow the growth of the tumour with an experimental drug that targets one of the faults.

Professor Steve Clifford, joint lead researcher based at Newcastle University, said: "Our study shows that we need to understand and treat relapsed medulloblastoma in a completely new way. It's clear that new biopsies need to be taken when the disease returns to give doctors a clearer picture of the best and most appropriate treatment."

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Caffeine: how does it really affect our health?

When we wake up in the morning, many of us reach for a coffee to kick-start our day. According to the International Coffee Organization, approximately 1.6 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) state that the average amount of caffeine consumed in the US is approximately 300 mg per person per day - the equivalent to between two and four cups of coffee. This is considered to be a moderate caffeine intake, which according to many studies, can promote a variety of health benefits.

But some studies claim otherwise, even suggesting that one or two cups of coffee a day may negatively impact our health. So, what are we to believe?

We analyze the potential health benefits, as well as the negative side effects of caffeine consumption.

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Laughter may be the best medicine for age-related memory loss

We are all familiar with the saying, "laughter is the best medicine." And this motto may ring true when it comes to tackling age-related memory loss; a new study from Loma Linda University in California finds that humor may reduce brain damage caused by the "stress hormone" cortisol, which in turn, improves memory.

The research team, led by Dr. Gurinder Singh Bains, recently presented their findings at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.

It is well known that too much stress can negatively affect health. Medical News Today recently reported on a study suggesting that stress may worsen allergies, while other research indicates that it makes the brain more susceptible to mental illness.

Past research has also shown that stress can worsen memory and learning ability in elderly individuals. This is because stress increases production of cortisol - a hormone that can cause damage to neurons in the brain.

Since it is well known that laughter can be a stress reliever, the research team wanted to determine whether humor may reduce brain damage caused by cortisol.

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Some areas of the brain 'may not slow down with aging'

Past research has suggested that as we age, our brain functions slow down. But a new study from The University of Adelaide in Australia indicates that there are areas of the brain that remain as effective in old age as they are in youth.

A new study suggests that some areas of the brain may remain as effective in old age as they are in youth.

Dr. Joanna Brooks - who performed the study while she was a visiting research fellow at the schools of psychology and medicine at The University of Adelaide - recently presented the findings at the 12th International Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Brisbane, Australia.

To reach her findings, Dr. Brooks analyzed the "spatial attention" skills of 60 older adults aged 55-95 and younger adults aged 18-38.

Spatial attention is the ability to focus on a particular object in an environment with an array of visual stimuli. We use spacial awareness in day-to-day life, such as when we drive, walk, and pick up and use objects.

Study participants were asked to carry out a series of spatial awareness tasks. One task, for example, required subjects to wear a blindfold while feeling a variety of wooden objects. They had to judge where they thought the center of each object was.

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The origin of Lou Gehrig's disease may have just been discovered

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - is a condition that gradually attacks nerve cells that control our voluntary movement, leading to paralysis and death. In the US, a reported 30,000 individuals are living with the disease, but now, scientists have identified a fault in protein formation, which could be the origin of this condition.

The researchers, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have published their study on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nobody knows for sure why ALS occurs, and there is currently no cure.

The researchers of this latest study, led by Su-Chun Zhang, senior author and neuroscientist at UW-Madison, say previously, a genetic mutation was discovered in a small group of patients with ALS, prompting scientists to transfer that gene to animals for drug treatment testing.

However, this approach has not yet worked. As such, Zhang and his team decided to study diseased human cells - called motor neurons - in lab dishes. These motor neurons are what direct muscles to contract, and Zhang explains this is where failures occur in ALS.

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Serotonin may not be a major factor in depression, study suggests

New evidence has put into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin - a chemical messenger in the brain - plays a central role in depression. In the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists have reported that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus will have been "depressed" by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

Donald Kuhn and colleagues at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and Wayne State University School of Medicine noted that depression poses a major public health problem. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 350 million people suffer from it and it is said to be the leading cause of disability across the globe.

In the late 1980s, the now well-known antidepressant Prozac was introduced. The drug works mainly by increasing the amounts of one substance in the brain - serotonin. So scientists came to believe that boosting levels of the signaling molecule was the key to solving depression. Based on this idea, many other drugs to treat the condition entered the picture. But now researchers know that 60 to 70 percent of these patients continue to feel depressed, even while taking the drugs. Kuhn's team set out to study what role, if any, serotonin played in the condition.

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