Zapping Memory Better in Alzheimer's

Last month I wrote about how electrical stimulation of the hippocampus causes temporary amnesia - Zapping Memories Away.

Now Toronto neurologists Laxton et al have tried to use deep brain stimulation (DBS) to improve memory in people with Alzheimer's disease. Progressive loss of memory is the best-known symptom of this disorder, and while some drugs are available, they provide partial relief at best.

This study stems from a chance discovery by the same Toronto group. In 2008, they reported that stimulation of the hypothalamus caused vivid memory recollections a 50 year old man. In that case, the effect was entirely unintended and unexpected. The patient was being given DBS to try to curb his appetite (he weighed 420 pounds.) The hypothalamus is involved in regulating appetite, not memory - but the fornix, a nerve bundle that passes through that area, is. It's the main pathway connecting the hippocampus to the rest of the brain, and the hippocampus is vital for memory.

In this new study, Laxton et al implanted electrodes to stimulate the fornix in 6 patients with mild (early-stage) Alzheimer's. What happened? The results, unfortunately, were quite messy. On average, the patients symptoms got worse over the course of the year. Alzheimer's is a progressive degenerative disease, so this is what you'd expect to happen without treatment. The authors say that the decline was a bit slower than you'd expect in these kinds of patients, but to be honest, it's impossible to tell because there was no control group.

However, two patients did show memory improvements, and these were the same two who reported vivid recollections when the electrodes were first implanted (similar to the original obese guy):

Two of the 6 patients reported stimulation induced experiential phenomena. Patient 2 reported having the sensation of being in her garden, tending to the plants on a sunny day... Patient 4 reported having the memory of being fishing on a boat on a wavy blue colored lake with his sons and catching a large green and white fish. On later questioning in both patients, these events were autobiographical, had actually occurred in the past, and were accurately reported according to the patient’s spouse.

Also, the stimulation caused brain activation, generally switching "on" the areas that are turned "off" in Alzheimer's, and this lasted for a year (the length of the study so far). And there were no major side-effects. That's all good.

Overall, these results are extremely interesting, but we don't know how well the treatment really works, and we won't know until someone does a randomized controlled trial with a longer follow-up period; something which is, unfortunately, true of a lot of the latest DBS studies.

Link: The Neurocritic on the original 2008 paper.

Laxton AW, Tang-Wai DF, McAndrews MP, Zumsteg D, Wennberg R, Keren R, Wherrett J, Naglie G, Hamani C, Smith GS, & Lozano AM (2010). A phase I trial of deep brain stimulation of memory circuits in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of neurology PMID: 20687206

Zapping Memory Better in Alzheimer's

Last month I wrote about how electrical stimulation of the hippocampus causes temporary amnesia - Zapping Memories Away.

Now Toronto neurologists Laxton et al have tried to use deep brain stimulation (DBS) to improve memory in people with Alzheimer's disease. Progressive loss of memory is the best-known symptom of this disorder, and while some drugs are available, they provide partial relief at best.

This study stems from a chance discovery by the same Toronto group. In 2008, they reported that stimulation of the hypothalamus caused vivid memory recollections a 50 year old man. In that case, the effect was entirely unintended and unexpected. The patient was being given DBS to try to curb his appetite (he weighed 420 pounds.) The hypothalamus is involved in regulating appetite, not memory - but the fornix, a nerve bundle that passes through that area, is. It's the main pathway connecting the hippocampus to the rest of the brain, and the hippocampus is vital for memory.

In this new study, Laxton et al implanted electrodes to stimulate the fornix in 6 patients with mild (early-stage) Alzheimer's. What happened? The results, unfortunately, were quite messy. On average, the patients symptoms got worse over the course of the year. Alzheimer's is a progressive degenerative disease, so this is what you'd expect to happen without treatment. The authors say that the decline was a bit slower than you'd expect in these kinds of patients, but to be honest, it's impossible to tell because there was no control group.

However, two patients did show memory improvements, and these were the same two who reported vivid recollections when the electrodes were first implanted (similar to the original obese guy):

Two of the 6 patients reported stimulation induced experiential phenomena. Patient 2 reported having the sensation of being in her garden, tending to the plants on a sunny day... Patient 4 reported having the memory of being fishing on a boat on a wavy blue colored lake with his sons and catching a large green and white fish. On later questioning in both patients, these events were autobiographical, had actually occurred in the past, and were accurately reported according to the patient’s spouse.

Also, the stimulation caused brain activation, generally switching "on" the areas that are turned "off" in Alzheimer's, and this lasted for a year (the length of the study so far). And there were no major side-effects. That's all good.

Overall, these results are extremely interesting, but we don't know how well the treatment really works, and we won't know until someone does a randomized controlled trial with a longer follow-up period; something which is, unfortunately, true of a lot of the latest DBS studies.

Link: The Neurocritic on the original 2008 paper.

Laxton AW, Tang-Wai DF, McAndrews MP, Zumsteg D, Wennberg R, Keren R, Wherrett J, Naglie G, Hamani C, Smith GS, & Lozano AM (2010). A phase I trial of deep brain stimulation of memory circuits in Alzheimer's disease. Annals of neurology PMID: 20687206

FELIZ DIA DOS PAIS!!!

QUERO DESEJAR UM FELIZ DIA DOS PAIS A TODOS OS PAPAIS, QUE ME VISITAM. E PRINCIPALMENTE AO MEU GRANDE PAI!!!!

EU TE AMO MEU QUERIDO E ESTIMADO PAI..PROVEDOR DA MINHA EXISTÊNCIA. MUITO OBRIGADA PELA VIDA!!!

FELIZ DIA DOS PAIS

FUI VISITAR O MEU PAI..
E DIZER DO MEU AMOR PARA ELE. FALAR QUE O AMO E QUANTO ELE É IMPORTANTE PARA MIM E PARA MEUS IRMÃOS.

FOI UM FINAL DE SEMANA MUITO ESPECIAL E LEGAL.
POR ISSO NÃO PUDE VIM VER A TODOS.
MAS AGORA DEIXO O MEU ABRAÇO A TODOS OS PAI DO NOSSO BRASIL, MUNDO E ESPECIAL A VOCÊ QUE SEMPRE ME VISITA.
PARABÉNS A VOCÊ!!

PARTICIPE DOS DEMAIS BLOGS.
AGRADEÇO A SUA COMPANHIA!!!

Poetas-Um Voo Livre-

Sinal de Liberdade-uma expressão de sentimento-

Blog Coletivo-Uma Interação de Amigos- COLETIVAS-DIA DOS PAIS!!!!MEU PAI..MINHA HISTORIA...

MEUS MIMOS TEM UM SELO MUITO ESPECIAL..VOU TE ESPERAR.. AQUI. OFERECIDOS/RECEBIDOS-

Eugh!

For want of a more interesting topic, the case of the cloned cow currently has the British media in a tizzy.

The idea of eating a cloned cow is apparently Wrong. Now personally, as a vegetarian, I agree, but that has nothing to do with the "cloned" part. However, for those who don't see a problem in eating cows, eating cloned cows should be no biggie because a cloned cow is, by definition, a cow.

Even if something did go wrong, and the cow ended up mutated, eating a mutant cow is not exactly a death sentence. It's not as if its DNA gets incorporated into yours when you eat it. DNA gets digested pretty quick for one thing, and for another, unless you're a bacteria your cells don't just go around incorporating bits of DNA that they find lying around. You are what you eat, but not literally.

So why is this such a hot topic? Because it's rather disgusting and unnerving. Probably because a cloned animal occupies the uncanny valley: it's a living creature, but it's also "artificial" - it was created in a lab. There's little rhyme or reason to this. Eating lots of red meat poses a finite risk of heart disease and cancer, or more immediately, you could choke to death or die on the road on the way to buy it. Neither's very likely, but they are known risks.

But then, no-one said disgust makes sense. No-one is silly enough to build a moral philosophy based around waxing lyrical about the "wisdom of repugnance" or ... oh hang on. Hmm. Go get a glass of water. Spit in it, and drink it. Eugh, that's a disgusting idea. You didn't do it. I wouldn't. Even though our mouths are full of spit and we're drinking it, 24/7. You can't trust disgust.

Ultimately cloned-cow-gate is just a silly season story, but disgust can mislead us when it comes to much more important matters. How much of the opposition to, say, organ donation is based on a rational weighing-up of the costs and benefits - the consequences, or in other words, what actually exists - and how much is based on "eugh" - what's in our own heads?

A couple of years ago there was a scandal in the UK when some organs were transplanted from deceased people who had registered as donors but who may not have given permission for those specific organs to be taken. This was a scandal, not because anyone was actually harmed (if anything lives were saved) but because the idea of harvesting organs without permission is just, eugh.

Still, this kind of thing isn't limited to "conservatives"; people of a liberal disposition like to think that their opinions on things like end-of-life medicine and biotechnology are based on reasons rather than emotions, but liberals have emotions too. I opposed the invasion of Iraq, I marched on February 15th, and in the light of what's happened since I stand by that, well 90% of the time.

But I confess that my opposition was based less on weighing up the overall consequences (to Iraqis and others), and more on "Eugh - we shouldn't drop bombs on Iraqi kids". That's a pretty powerful Eugh. But if I'm going to be consistent, I'll have to admit that this was not a case of practising what I've preached in this post.

Eugh!

For want of a more interesting topic, the case of the cloned cow currently has the British media in a tizzy.

The idea of eating a cloned cow is apparently Wrong. Now personally, as a vegetarian, I agree, but that has nothing to do with the "cloned" part. However, for those who don't see a problem in eating cows, eating cloned cows should be no biggie because a cloned cow is, by definition, a cow.

Even if something did go wrong, and the cow ended up mutated, eating a mutant cow is not exactly a death sentence. It's not as if its DNA gets incorporated into yours when you eat it. DNA gets digested pretty quick for one thing, and for another, unless you're a bacteria your cells don't just go around incorporating bits of DNA that they find lying around. You are what you eat, but not literally.

So why is this such a hot topic? Because it's rather disgusting and unnerving. Probably because a cloned animal occupies the uncanny valley: it's a living creature, but it's also "artificial" - it was created in a lab. There's little rhyme or reason to this. Eating lots of red meat poses a finite risk of heart disease and cancer, or more immediately, you could choke to death or die on the road on the way to buy it. Neither's very likely, but they are known risks.

But then, no-one said disgust makes sense. No-one is silly enough to build a moral philosophy based around waxing lyrical about the "wisdom of repugnance" or ... oh hang on. Hmm. Go get a glass of water. Spit in it, and drink it. Eugh, that's a disgusting idea. You didn't do it. I wouldn't. Even though our mouths are full of spit and we're drinking it, 24/7. You can't trust disgust.

Ultimately cloned-cow-gate is just a silly season story, but disgust can mislead us when it comes to much more important matters. How much of the opposition to, say, organ donation is based on a rational weighing-up of the costs and benefits - the consequences, or in other words, what actually exists - and how much is based on "eugh" - what's in our own heads?

A couple of years ago there was a scandal in the UK when some organs were transplanted from deceased people who had registered as donors but who may not have given permission for those specific organs to be taken. This was a scandal, not because anyone was actually harmed (if anything lives were saved) but because the idea of harvesting organs without permission is just, eugh.

Still, this kind of thing isn't limited to "conservatives"; people of a liberal disposition like to think that their opinions on things like end-of-life medicine and biotechnology are based on reasons rather than emotions, but liberals have emotions too. I opposed the invasion of Iraq, I marched on February 15th, and in the light of what's happened since I stand by that, well 90% of the time.

But I confess that my opposition was based less on weighing up the overall consequences (to Iraqis and others), and more on "Eugh - we shouldn't drop bombs on Iraqi kids". That's a pretty powerful Eugh. But if I'm going to be consistent, I'll have to admit that this was not a case of practising what I've preached in this post.

Flamenco Dancing

I've been studying Flamenco dancing for more than a year now. I really enjoy it. And I'm happy to be home again. I went to my dance class this morning. It was so much fun! A lot of hard work. But lots of fun!

It's a lot different from the Folklorico dancing that I do. But it's really interesting. Your dancing is just as important as the guitar playing. I want to get really good at it. This video has a really good dancer. One day, I want to go to Spain and dance. I think that would be a lot of fun! :) C

AVE MARIA DAS MULHERES.

E continuando o tema sobre a Mulher, Recebi este super Lindo e belo tema.
Uma linda oração para Todas as Mulheres que somos.
Muitas vezes precisamos do amparo, do amor e do Carinho da nossa MÃE Maior-Maria.
MARIA DE TODAS AS MULHERES!!!

AVE MARIA DAS MULHERES

Mãe,
Aqui, agora e a sós
Quero lhe pedir por todas nós
Por aquelas que foram escolhidas
Para dar a vida
Mulheres de todas as espécies

De todos os credos, raças e nacionalidades

Todas aquelas nas quais a vida
Está envolvida em sorrisos, lágrimas,
tristezas e felicidades
Aquelas que sofrem por filhos que Geraram e perderam As que trabalham o dia inteiro

Em casa ou em qualquer emprego
Quero pedir pelas mães
Que penam por seus filhos doentes
Quero pedir pelas meninas carentes

E pelas que ainda estão dentro de um ventre
Pelas adolescentes inexperientes
Pelas velhinhas esquecidas em asilos
Sem abrigo, sem família, carinho e amigos

Peço também pelas mulheres enfermas
Que em algum hospital
aguardam pela sua hora fatal

Quero pedir pelas mulheres ricas
Aquelas que apesar da fortuna
Vivem aflitas e na amargura

Peço por almas femininas mesquinhas,
pequenas e sozinhas
Por mulheres guerreiras a vida inteira
Pelas que não têm como dar a seus filhos o pão e a educação

Peço pelas mulheres deficientes e
Pelas inconseqüentes
Rogo pelas condenadas,
aquelas que vivem enclausuradas
Por todas que foram obrigadas a crescer antes do tempo
Que foram jogadas na lavoura
Ou em alguma cama devastadora

Rogo pelas que mendigando nas ruas
Sobrevivem apesar dessa tortura
Pelas revoltadas, as excluídas e as sexualmente reprimidas

Peço pela mulher dominadora e pela traidora
Peço por aquela que sucumbiu sonhos dentro de si
Por todas que eu já conheci
Peço por mulheres solitárias e pelas ordinárias
As mulheres de vida difícil

e que fazem disso um ofício
E pelas que se tornaram voluntárias
por serem solidárias

Rogo por aquelas que vivem acompanhadas, embora tristes e amarguradas
E por todas que foram abandonadas

As que tiveram que continuar sozinhas
Sem um parceiro, um amigo, um ombro querido

Peço pelas amigas
Pelas companheiras
Pelas inimigas
Pelas irmãs e pelas freiras

Suplico por aquelas que perderam a fé
Que se distanciaram da esperança
Quero pedir por todas que clamam por vingança
E com isso se perdem em sua inútil andança

Rogo pelas que correm atrás de justiça Que a boa vontade dos homens as assista

Peço pelas que lutam por causas perdidas
Pelas escritoras e as doutoras
Pelas artistas e professoras
Pelas governantes e pelas menos importantes

Suplico pelas fêmeas
que são obrigadas a esconder seus rostos
E amputadas do prazer vivem no desgosto

Quero pedir também pelas ignorantes
E por todas que no momento estão gestantes

Por aquela mulher triste dentro do coração
Que vive com a alma mergulhada na solidão
Por aquela que busca um amor verdadeiro
Para se entregar de corpo inteiro
E peço pela que perdeu a emoção

Aquela que não tem mais paz dentro do coração
E rogo, imploro, por aquela que ama
E que não correspondida, vive uma vida sofrida
Aquela que perdeu o seu amor
E por isso, sua alma se fechou

Por todas que a droga destruiu
Por tantas que o vício denegriu
Suplico por aquela que foi traída
Por várias que são humilhadas
E pelas que foram contaminada

Mãe,

quero pedir por todas nós
Que somos o sorriso e a voz
Que temos o sentimento mais profundo
Porque fomos escolhidas tanto quanto você

Para gerar e, apesar de qualquer coisa,
Amar...
Independente de quem forem nossos filhos
Feios ou bonitos
Amáveis ou rebeldes
Perfeitos ou deficientes
Tristes ou contentes

Mãe,

ajuda-nos a continuar
nessa batalha
Nessa guerra diária
Nessa luta sem fim
Ajuda-nos a ser feliz como a gente sempre quis
Dai-nos coragem para continuar
Dai-nos saúde para ao menos tentar

Resignação para tudo aceitar
Dai-nos força para suportar nossas amarguras
E apesar de tudo continuarmos a ser sinônimo de ternura

Perdoa-nos por nossos erros
E por nossos insistentes apelos

Perdoa-nos também por nossas revoltas
Nossas lágrimas e nossas derrotas
E não nos deixe nunca mãe, perdermos a fé
E sempre que puder
Peça por nós ao Pai

E lembre-lhe que quando ele criou EVA

Não deixou com ela nenhum mapa de orientação
Nenhum manual com indicação
Nenhuma seta indicando o caminho correto

Nenhuma instrução de como viver
De como, a despeito de tudo vencer
E mesmo assim.....

conseguimos aprender.
Amém!

(imagem do blog My Lovely mimimnhos)

PARTICIPE DOS DEMAIS BLOGS.
AGRADEÇO A SUA COMPANHIA!!!

Poetas-Um Voo Livre-

Sinal de Liberdade-uma expressão de sentimento-

Blog Coletivo-Uma Interação de Amigos- COLETIVAS-DIA DOS PAIS!!!!

MEUS MIMOS TEM UM SELO MUITO ESPECIAL..VOU TE ESPERAR.. AQUI. OFERECIDOS/RECEBIDOS-