Archive for the ‘Neurology’ Category

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was widely pulicized in the 1990s as the human form of the cow disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is contracted from eating contaminated beef. However, there are sporadic forms of CJD that can occur for unknown reasons - unrelated to eating meat. Now, researchers have found a new variant of this fatal disease that appears to advance faster, causing dementia and even the loss of ability to speak and move. It is yet unclear what the cause is, but scientists speculate that an interaction with a genetic component may be likely.

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New insight into Alzheimer’s disease was reported by researchers at the Karolinska Institute this week. Scientists studying mouse models of the disease showed that when mice were fed with fast food products high in fat, sugar and cholesterol, they developed more “brain tangles” that lead to development of Alzheimer’s. These tangles of protein that develope in the brain are one of the hallmarks of the disease. Even though this is a mouse study, and the results may not necessarily be translated to humans, it’s yet another reason to consume less fast food and processed foods.

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The journal Human Reproduction reports on a nationwide US study which has found that babies conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, have higher rates of birth defects. Compared to infants conceived without ART, the CDC study found that in pregnancies which resulted in single births, ART was linked to twice the risk of certain heart defects and cleft lips and more than four times the risk of some types of gastrointestinal defects. Although the relative risk of birth defects are still low, it is certainly a consideration for couples who choose to conceive with ART.

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Interesting research results were presented at the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease this week. A European study revealed that people who lived alone their entire adult life had twice the risk of developing dementia (loss of brain function) later in life. Those who divorced in midlife and subsequently remained single had 3 times the risk, while widows and widowers had a 6-fold increase in risk of dementia. Those who lived with a spouse or partner had a 50% lower risk. The researchers attribute the decrease in risk to both social and intellectual stimulation afforded by a shared relationship. Full story.