Immunization and Brain Function

Johnathan Kipnis of the University of Virginia's School of Medicine has been doing recent research into the the relationship between brain function and the body's immunization. According to the article from "Discover" science magazine, the relationship in these two areas come from helper T-cells in the body. In the past scientist have thought immunity does not play a role in brain function because of the brain blood barrier giving the brain adequate protection from viruses and other threats. Recently, though, Kipnis has discovered that the helper T-cells can send signals to microalgia and microphages in the brain to help protect the brain from toxins during recovery. In order to test if the T-cells could possibly have an affect on the brain other just aid in recovery, Kipnis ran test trials on mice. These test consisted of two groups of mice, one with T-cells, the other without. He ran the mice through a maze in which they had to find a stand in a pool of water. The stand allowed the mice to get out of the water and sit without having to swim. In the test the mice with the T-cells eventually learned and remembered where the stand was, whereas the mice lacking the T-cells could not find it nor remember where it was. After this Kipnis injected the "dumb" mice with helper T-cells. The injected mice then performed just as well as the mice did that had the T-cells all along.



What Does This Mean For Modern Medicine?
This discovery is rather important in the age of modern medicine. The testing in T-cells could lead to many therapeutic remedies to help people's brain function as they are recovery from sickness or disease in which their immune systems are weak. Better overall brain function during recoveries could also lead to better and faster recoveries in the long run. With diseases such as AIDS and cancer where victims immune systems are constantly weak, the help of T-cell therapies could give people more comfortable lives while living with these diseases. In the current state of medicine and the human body, researchers are constantly trying to find connections with how different parts of the body work together for our well-being. The more we know about how our body works, the better we can control function and in-turn healing/recovery.

Why This Article?
For me this article strikes as interesting because normally you would think that brain function and immunization are separate body systems. The fact that we are finding research that suggest they are interconnected is exciting and leads one to wonder what other body functions and systems may be related. It makes me optimistic about future research on the human body and brain and excited for the breakthroughs in medicine to be made in years to come. Also any research that can yield results in higher brain function is pivotal for those suffering from neurological diseases. It is articles such as this the point to a bright future in modern medince and research.

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/march/18-immunity-intelligence

Addicted to Food?

This week's blog comes courtesy of Discover Magazine's article written by Joseph Castro. In the piece Castro brings to the readers attention the recent discovery that some snack foods release chemicals in our brain that could cause us to be addicted to the junk food we eat. The chemicals released, called endocannabinoids, pose very similar results to those of THC, the active ingrediant in marijauna. The connection between the junk food and endocannabinoids is in the fat and sugar content of the snack.
Lab researchers were able to test this hypothesis in lab rats. Lab rats were given high sugar and high fat drinks, then there endocannabinoid levels were measured. Researchers came to the conclusion that the junk food triggered the release of the endocannabinoids in the stomach, which in turn triggered hormones in the brain. These hormones released told the body to keep eating, creating a "munchy" like affect experienced by marajuana users.

What does this mean?
One of the worst health risk for Americans today is obesity. We have one of the highest obesity levels in the world and because of this our nation sees millions fall every year to heart disease and other complications caused from being overweight. For scientists and researchers, the recent connection made between cannabinoids and high fat diets means possibly creating a drug that could block or mask the effects of endocannabinoids. Doing this would create the ultimate weight control product and hopefully aid in decreasing the nations obesity level.

  

My Reaction?
I think that the obesity epidemic is one of the worst things that has happened to our Nation in the last 50 years. I am all for research and discoveries that could possibly aid people in controlling their appetities and eating habits. But I also believe that one of the main reasons why America is so fat is because we are also lazy. I do not believe that this discovery is going to necessarily cure obesity but I do believe that it may help reduce levels in the future. I think research such as this is vital, though, because anything that will lead people to healthier lifestyles is important.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/?p=18285

Citizens Help Preserve History in Trees

In an article from Science.org in affiliation with the AAAS, writer David Malekoff's article explains how recent efforts by foresters along with ordinary citizens are aiming to preserve older trees that are at risk to factors such as insect invasion and death due to weather conditions. Such efforts include that of tree ring researcher Amy Hessel of West Virginia University, who helped found a group called Hemlock Legacy Project, or HeLP. This program was created to preserve the dying species of hemlock which has fallen victim to the the invasive insect, the woolly adelgid. This invasive species is killing off large populations of old hemlocks, putting a hitch in research of tree rings that could lead to further knowledge of climate and weather conditions of dates up to 500 years ago. HeLP identifies areas of living hemlocks and enlists the help of researchers, students, and ordinary citizens to help collect data before these trees fall victim to the same fate of the other hemlocks. So far HeLP has identified 29 areas of living significantly old hemlock trees and is currently gathering data to submit to the Tree Ring Data Bank, ran by the US government. Much of this has been made possible because of volunteers and ordinary people expressing interest in the environment and sacrificing their time to take ring counts and other data in places around them. This effort is allowing the true researchers to cover much more ground in time they would not necessarily have if it were not for the volunteers.

Why are Tree Rings Important?
Although collecting data on old trees and counting rings may seem obsolete, this data offers significant research to that of climate changes and weather patterns. In a time where weathering is severely affecting the way in which we live any research toward possibly predicting weather patterns or events is pertinent.  Tree ring data could possibly lead to a better understanding of how global warming effects our atmosphere, when large climate changes have occurred in history, and even when natural disasters have struck. Overall, research in this area not only contributes to our knowledge of climate and whether, but also creates an effort to preserve part of our environment.

What Do I Think?
Personally I think this article is interesting because of my natural curiosity and care for the environment. Previously I was a Wildlife and Fisheries Biology major at Clemson, so I have some prior knowledge about dendrology and trees of our area. I also believe that as humans we have an obligation to contribute to sustaining the Earth we have been given to live on. I like this article because it shows how people are stepping up and sacrificing time to take part in important research that could not only improve our lives, but also preserve part of the environment. 

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/02/saving-the-past-in-dying-trees.html?rss=1

A Brighter Future for Alzheimer's Intervention 

 In a January issue of the Discover science magazine, writer Linda Marsa discusses and brings to light several recent advancements in dealing with Alzheimer's disease. Marsa indicates 4 main areas in which there are advancements leading to overall better knowledge and intervention with this devastating disease; the areas are detection, modeling, tracking, and preemptive strike. Gaining knowledge in these areas is vital to understanding the disease because of its unpredictability and damage to the brain even in early diagnosis.

According to Marsa, in the past Alzheimer's disease has not reacted as predicted for certain treatments in the past. The disease seems to beat every treatment that researchers develop. But because of recent research in the above stated areas, scientist are becoming optimistic about future intervention.

Detection
A new radioactive dye called Amyvid has been developed which detects abnormal clumps of protein in the brain; a key sign of Alzheimer's. This new dye well help early diagnosis and hopefully lead to preventative efforts.

Modeling
A team of U.S and UK scientist have came up with a stem-cell based model for Alzheimer's that resembles the true form of the disease much more accurately than the previously studied mouse models. Because of this, treatments and drugs can now be tested on these living models and give us more accurate and predictable results.




Tracking
A protein called Tau is the reason for proteins becoming jumbled in the brain; a clear sign of Alzheimer's. Scientist have discovered a predictable pathway in which this protein travels through the brain. This is leading to improved tracking of the development of the disease.

Preemptive Strike
Currently two drugs whose purpose are to prevent the disease are undergoing clinical trials. The drugs, DIAN TU and Crenezumab, aim at preventing the clumps of proteins in the brain which cause the Alzheimer's disease.

Research such as this is vital to the furthering of modern medicinal practices. Alzheimer's is a devastating condition which is prevalent mainly among older people. The effects of this disease are debilitating and painful to watch; making it important that we find ways to treat those affected by the disease. Along with this, research toward Alzheimer's gives us a better overall understanding of the brain and could lead to vital information pertaining to other brain or psychological conditions.

This article was chosen to blog about because I have seen what the effects of Alzheimer's do to someone. It is very sad to see, and it is my hope that somewhere in the near future researchers can come up with a cure or 100 % effective treatment. I also believe that the brain is the most fascinating part of the human anatomy, and a better understanding of it will give us a better understanding of how our entire body functions.

Article Source:  http://discovermagazine.com/2013/jan-feb/63-four-steps-against-alzheimers#.UQ7AOPJPaSo