There are 6 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. PSYCHOLOGY: DISORDERS: AUTISM: Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes
From: David P. Dillard
2. JOB: JOURNALISM TRAINER - Freetown, Sierra Leone
From: George Lessard
3. CHILDREN: HEALTH : MEDICAL: CONDITIONS: OBESITY : TELEVISION : MEDIA
From: David P. Dillard
4. "Where there is no [media], there is no humanitarian intervention"
From: George Lessard
5. MEDICAL: PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: Experimental Vaccine Given Durin
From: David P. Dillard
6. DRUG ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Study Finds Reduced Brain Growth
From: David P. Dillard
Messages
________________________________________________________________________
1. PSYCHOLOGY: DISORDERS: AUTISM: Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes
Posted by: "David P. Dillard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] jwneastro
Date: Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:25 am ((PST))
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:53:59 -0500
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/>
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/>
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
<http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/>
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Sunday, February 18, 2007, 1:00 p.m. ET
CONTACT: Jules Asher, NIMH press office, 301-443-4356, <e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Bob Bock, NICHD, 301-496-5133, <e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Marian Emr, NINDS, 301-496-5924, <e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Ann Puderbaugh, NCRR, <e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
LARGEST-EVER SEARCH FOR AUTISM GENES REVEALS NEW CLUES
The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the
brain's glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked
site on chromosome 11. Based on 1,168 families with at least two affected
members, the genome scan also adds to evidence that tiny, rare variations
in genes may heighten risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD)*.
The study is the first to emerge from the Autism Genome Project (AGP)
Consortium, a public-private collaboration involving more than 120
scientists and 50 institutions in l9 countries. Their report is published
online in the February 18, 2007 issue of "Nature Genetics".
With NIH support, the AGP is pursuing studies to identify specific genes
and gene variants that contribute to vulnerability to autism. These
include explorations of interactions of genes with other genes and with
environmental factors, and laboratory research aimed at understanding how
candidate susceptibility genes might work in the brain to produce the
disorders.
"This is the most ambitious effort yet to find the locations of genes that
may confer vulnerability to autism," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni,
M.D. "The AGP is revealing clues that will likely influence the direction
of autism research for years to come."
"Although we know autism is highly heritable, complex gene interactions
and submicroscopic anomalies create a din of statistical noise that drowns
out detection of signals from linked sites in the genome," explained Dr.
Bernie Devlin, University of Pittsburgh, who served as a corresponding
author on the project along with the University of Toronto's Dr. Stephen
Scherer. "To amplify these signals, we brought to bear gene chip
technology with a huge sample, and also screened for these fine-level
anomalies, factoring them into the analysis."
Clues emerged adding to evidence that implicates components of the brain's
glutamate neurotransmitter system in autism. Glutamate increases neuronal
activity and plays an important role in wiring up the brain during early
development. Since autism likely stems from faulty wiring, a genetic
blueprint gone awry in this pivotal neurotransmitter system is a prime
suspect. Some key genes associated with the glutamate system are located
in chromosome regions previously associated with autism, note the
researchers.
Previous studies have also linked abnormal glutamate functioning to
disorders such as Fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis, which share
some symptoms with autism. It's not unusual for individuals with either
syndrome to be diagnosed with autism.
Among the new clues is stronger evidence for an association between autism
and sites of genes for neurexins, molecules that build glutamate synapses
-- the connection machinery by which brain cells communicate.
A site on chromosome 11 most strongly linked to autism in this study
harbors genes for proteins that shuttle glutamate across the synapse.
Although detected previously, the linkage signal at this site was regarded
as less important until now.
Submicroscopic anomalies -- tiny deletions, or the doubling, tripling or
even multiplying of stretches of genetic material -- are relatively common
in the human genome and aren't necessarily harmful. However, recent
evidence suggests that these anomalies may contribute to risk for -- or
rarely even cause -- autism if they affect certain sites associated with
the disorder. The AGP researchers found a number of these variations in
such suspect chromosomal locations in affected individuals, including
deletion of a neurexin gene.
These anomalies can also make it more difficult to detect the genes that
more commonly account for autism risk, say the researchers. Since each
major autism candidate gene likely contributes to risk for a relatively
small percentage of families, its linkage signal can easily be lost in the
statistical noise generated by those of the anomalies -- just as a high
level of static can drown out a weak radio signal.
To amplify the power of possible linkages detected, the researchers
analyzed many subsets of data, variously excluding from the sample factors
like the submicroscopic anomalies, female sex, and ethnicity. These
analyses unmasked several suggestive linkages that would otherwise have
eluded detection.
Researchers last Fall reported
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/autismmetgene.cfm>
discovery of a gene version linked to autism and how it likely works at
the molecular level to increase risk. The AGP researchers propose that
multiple such gene variants, perhaps interacting with each other and with
the tiny anomalies, contribute to risk. As more such genes are identified,
studies of how they work in the brain -- in mice and other model systems
-- will help to sort out the genetic and proposed environmental influences
on autism spectrum disorders, say researchers.
A second phase of AGP studies will follow up on leads suggested in this
first phase.
Gene typing and data analysis was funded by Autism Speaks (formerly NAAR).
NIH Institutes, led by NIMH, funded the recruitment and assessment of U.S.
families.
The AGP Consortium is comprised of four existing consortia: Autism
Genetics Cooperative (AGC), Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE)
Consortium, Collaborative Programs of Excellence (CPEA), International
Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium (IMGSAC). Dr. Andy Shih of
Autism Speaks served as scientific manager of the project.
Principal investigators of NIH-funded components of the study were: Joseph
Buxbaum, Susan Folstein, Neil Risch, James Sutcliffe, Daniel Geschwind,
Bernie Devlin, Edwin Cook, Catherine Lord, NIMH; Joachim Hallmayer,
Margaret Pericak-Vance, James Sutcliffe, Thomas Wassink, NINDS; Geraldine
Dawson, Gerard Schellenberg, William McMahon, Fred Volkmar, NICHD. The
research was also supported by General Clinical Research Centers at Yale
University and the University of Utah, both funded by the NCRR.
Information about Autism Spectrum Disorders:
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/autismmenu.cfm>
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) mission is to reduce the
burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain,
and behavior. More information is available at the NIMH website
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/>
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Web
site at
<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is the
nation's primary supporter of research on the brain and nervous system.
More information about stroke and other neurological disorders can be
found on the NINDS web site,
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov>
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) provides laboratory
scientists and clinical researchers with environments and tools that they
can use to prevent, detect, and treat a wide range of diseases. This
support enables discoveries that begin at the molecular and cellular
level, move to animal-based studies, and then are translated to
patient-oriented clinical research, resulting in cures and treatments for
both common and rare diseases. NCRR connects researchers with patients and
communities across the nation to bring the power of shared resources and
research to improve human health. For more information, visit
<http://www.ncrr.nih.gov>
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit
<http://www.nih.gov>
###
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/nimh-18.htm>.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
Messages in this topic (1)
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________________________________________________________________________
2. JOB: JOURNALISM TRAINER - Freetown, Sierra Leone
Posted by: "George Lessard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] themediamentor
Date: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:47 pm ((PST))
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR)
JOURNALISM TRAINER - Freetown, Sierra Leone
The post holder will work to build the capacity of the Sierra Leonean
media to
report on human rights issues. S/he must have strong working experience as a
journalist and an interest in human rights.
http://www.comminit.com/vacancy3019.html
Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Messages in this topic (1)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. CHILDREN: HEALTH : MEDICAL: CONDITIONS: OBESITY : TELEVISION : MEDIA
Posted by: "David P. Dillard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] jwneastro
Date: Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:55 am ((PST))
This Net-Gold post may be of interest to some of the members of this
discussion group.
CHILDREN: HEALTH :
MEDICAL: CONDITIONS: OBESITY :
TELEVISION :
MEDIA :
RECREATION: GAMES: ELECTRONIC:
Are We Game to Find Solutions to Childhood Obesity: The Roles of
Television
Games and Media
WEBBIB0607
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/17118>
Also of possible interest to some of this lists members.
TOURISM AND TRAVEL: RESEARCH :
RESEARCH: METHODS STYLES TECHNIQUES:
A Selected Collection of Sources Focused on Tourism Research:
Collaboration, Networks and the Research Process
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/17111>
DATABASES DATABANKS AND SEARCH SERVICE PROVIDERS: PROQUEST DIRECT :
DATABASES: NEWSPAPERS :
DATABASES: PUBLICATION: ARCHIVES: New York Times Archive
How Easy Is It to Search the Complete Archives of the New York Times
Online?
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/17109>
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
<http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en>
<http://net-gold.mailspaces.com/>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
Messages in this topic (1)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. "Where there is no [media], there is no humanitarian intervention"
Posted by: "George Lessard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:51 am ((PST))
From: "Frederick Noronha" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [ZESTMedia] "Where there is no camera, there is no humanitarian
intervention" -- Bernard Kouchner, co-founder MSF
FULL REPORT at http://www.tveap.org/disastercomm/
"Where there is no camera, there is no humanitarian
intervention," said Bernard Kouchner, co-founder of Medecins
Sans Frontieres -- and many of today's disaster managers and
relief agencies would agree.
Yet, the relationship between media practitioners and those
managing disasters can often be stressful, difficult and
fraught with misunderstandings.
Communicating about disasters sometimes ends up as
communications disasters. How can these mishaps be minimised,
so that the power of established and new forms of mass media
can play a more meaningful role in managing both hazards and
disasters?
This was the broad question addressed during a regional
brainstorming meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, held on the eve
of the Indian Ocean Tsunami's second anniversary, i.e. 21-22
December 2006.
Organised by TVE Asia Pacific and UNDP, the meeting brought
together over 30 leading media professionals, disaster
managers and communication specialists from South and
Southeast Asia.
Early on, it became apparent that both the media
practitioners and disaster/development professionals had very
different attitudes and approaches to managing information
before, during and after disasters. Some of the differences
arose from a failure to appreciate the different needs and
priorities of these two groups.
But this division became less sharp as the two groups agreed
on the essential functions of information and communication,
and the need to serve the public interest over individual,
corporate or agency interests.
The meeting recognised that the media must evolve its own
ethics, guidelines and strategies for covering hazards and
disasters, and these cannot be imposed from outside. At the
same time, all participants agreed on the value of greater
understanding and cooperation between media practitioners,
development professionals and disaster managers.
Participants of the meeting formed a Yahoo group to support
future networking and to sustain information sharing. See
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/communicating-disaster/ An Asia
Pacific Resource Book planned for 2007 will combine the
meeting's highlights with contributions from leading media
and disaster professionals in Asia.
* * * * *
Suggested guidelines for more effective engagement of mass
media and new media before, during and after disasters
These guidelines were drafted by the meeting participants,
working in three parallel groups during the morning of Day Two.
Before a disaster strikes (hazard phase) Guidelines for media
organisations, and also government/developmental organisations:
------------------------------------------------------------
* Investigative reports are needed; on issues like
institutional readiness.
* Pre-disaster work needs to start years before disaster, not
minutes before.
* Need for credible government agencies tackling such issues.
* Institutional, developmental and academic institutions need
to provide media with easy-to-digest information.
* Non -media institutions need to assist media in covering
slow-moving stories, and to provide the 'human face' to what
could otherwise be just dry stories.
* Fill in the 'resource gap'. Recognise logistical
limitations of the media, with support from institutions for
exposure visits and the like.
* Developmental organisations and institutions should make
efforts to understand the diversity of the media. This means,
diverse sections of the media need to be dealt with in
differing ways.
* State of preparedness needed to be created among media
organisations.
* Reach out to a greater variety of the media, and also the
traditional media
* Institutions could make available B-roll footage available
to the media, exploit existing networks such as the UNiFeed,
http://www.un.org/unifeed/. Online photo libraries could also
help to build awareness in the media. Institutions (working
on disaster issues) should consider starting blogs.
* Local languages need to be deployed in media campaigns.
* Editors should be encouraged to have a 'disaster beat'
* Preparedness is a cultural value. It needs to be built upon.
During an unfolding disaster and immediately afterwards
(first two weeks)
------------------------------------------------------------
* It's not possible nor realistic to compile a rigid list of
do's and don'ts.
* This phase of the disaster, in most cases, involves a
window of two weeks from the time a disaster breaks.
* Focus on the 'immediate' media -- newspapers, TV, radio,
web, cell phone. (Theatre, music, etc., may not be relevant
at this point of time.)
* Work actively to bridge the mismatch between victims'
needs and relief agencies' interest/focus.
* Let media have access to all information and sites,
without restriction. Don't prevent journalists from reaching
the disaster and other relevant sites.
* Encourage active participation of affected parties in the
information and communication processes.
* Rather than preparing any more manuals or guidelines for
media, what is needed is training, reorientation and
sensitising for developmental agencies.
* Media needs to considered and build (based on
spot-reporting), a central desk, expert panel and other
suitable forms to better cover an unfolding disaster situation .
* The goal is to spread information effectively, and provide
expression to the people affected.
* Media should be treated as (those generating information
for) part of the public domain, and a space for complementing
ideas.
* Guidelines: Encourage and support all forms of narratives,
and visuals.
* Guidelines: Be sensitive. There can be a difference
between showing bodies and gore.
* Guidelines: Don't be offensive.
* Guidelines: Be effective.
* Guidelines: Training needed for the authorities, donors,
agencies to understand journalism and how media organisations
work.
* Bridge the mismatch between information available and
needed.
* Assessment should start from the ground up.
* Let media have access to real information.
* New media (including TV) requirement: good 'sound bytes'.
* Media needs to adopt an antagonistic position, based on
its logic of operations.
* Idea is to make those in power more accountable, less cosy
.
After a disaster: long-term recovery
------------------------------------------------------------
* Taking care of physical needs without overlooking mental
disorders, stress, psychosomatic issues that are not often
raised.
* Factors that exacerbate e the problem need to be focused
on: ethnic tensions, regional divisions, etc.
* Issues of gender need to be considered: especially concerns
such as redefining women's role in the family after a
disaster.
* Make available "cultural" emergency relief, as well as
recovery support
* Disaster beat is recommended, the media should work to
keep post-disaster issues in the news.
* Media should focus on both immediate aftermath and
long-term effects.
* Be aware about possible mismatch between aid available,
and the community needs.
* Media coverage needs to extend beyond the status quo in
society (e.g. male control of households and assets).
* New media can play a special role in bypassing the
hierarchy.
* Media has a role in 're-energising' the community during
recovery phase.
* Media also has a role to play in sharing relevant stories
with the community.
--
FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please)
http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com
7500+ sharable pics from Goa http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/
--
Members of the ZESTMedia list exchange news and views about the media in
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. Write
to [email protected]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/
Messages in this topic (1)
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5. MEDICAL: PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: Experimental Vaccine Given Durin
Posted by: "David P. Dillard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] jwneastro
Date: Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:41 am ((PST))
MEDICAL: PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH:
Experimental Vaccine Given During Pregnancy Reduces Stillbirths from
Common Virus
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:22:37 -0500
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Experimental Vaccine Given During Pregnancy Reduces Stillbirths
from Common Virus
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
CONTACT: Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller, 301-496-5133,
<e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE GIVEN DURING PREGNANCY REDUCES STILLBIRTHS FROM COMMON
VIRUS
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an
experimental vaccine that reduces stillbirths among rodents born to
mothers infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) -- a common virus that can
also cause mental retardation and hearing loss in newborn children who
were infected in early fetal life.
Estimates place the number of U.S. children born with CMV each year at
about 40,000, and there is no vaccine or treatment for pregnant women who
have the infection. In a 2000 report, the Institute of Medicine of the
National Academy of Sciences listed as a top priority the development of a
vaccine to prevent cytomegalovirus during pregnancy.
"An effective CMV vaccine for women of childbearing age could greatly
reduce the disability caused by the virus," said Duane Alexander, M.D.,
Director of the NICHD, the NIH institute that funded the study. "A
prototype vaccine is the first step in protecting newborns against the
most common viral disease of newborns in the developed world."
The study appears in the March 15, 2007, issue of the "Journal of
Infectious Diseases."
Mark Schleiss, M.D., American Legion Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious
Diseases at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, led a team of
researchers at his own and other institutions to conduct the study.
Female guinea pigs given the CMV vaccine before becoming pregnant gave
birth to fewer dead pups and were less likely to transmit the infection to
their offspring than were female guinea pigs not receiving the vaccine.
The vaccinated group (10 litters) produced 28 live pups and 4 dead pups --
a mortality rate of 13 percent. The control group (8 litters), which
received a vaccine for the flu, produced 9 live pups and 12 dead pups -- a
mortality rate of 57 percent.
The surviving pups weighed more than the pups of mothers that had not
received the CMV vaccination before becoming pregnant. The vaccine
greatly reduced the total amount of virus found in the mothers' blood.
The vaccine in the study was developed in collaboration with researchers
at AlphaVax, Inc.
BACKGROUND
CMV is a common viral infection related to the herpes virus and often
causes few or no symptoms, according to the National Institute on Deafness
and Other Communication Disorders. Every year, 0.5 to 2.5 percent of
babies born in the United States are infected with CMV. The virus is
transmitted to the fetus through the mother's placenta.
Dr. Schleiss said that 10 percent to 15 percent of babies with congenital
CMV have a long-term disability such as mental retardation, cerebral
palsy, and hearing loss. The infection could potentially cause other
developmental disabilities such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
The virus can also damage the placenta, leading to pregnancy loss.
CMV is present in bodily secretions and is spread through close personal
contact, such as kissing or sharing eating utensils. For example, an
infant in daycare could give the virus to her pregnant mother by kissing
her on the lips, said Dr. Schleiss. The virus can enter through mucosal
surfaces such as the mouth or breaks in the skin. It can also be
transmitted through nasal secretions, blood transfusions, and sexual
contact. Most adults will become infected with CMV at some point during
their lives. Dr. Schleiss added that pregnant women may not even know
they have the infection.
Information about CMV infections acquired before birth is available from
NIH's National Library of Medicine at
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001343.htm>
More information about CMV is available from NIH's National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases at
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cytomegalic/cytomegalic.htm>
CMV VACCINE PROTOTYPE
The experimental vaccine differs from traditional vaccines, which are made
from a whole killed virus. Called a vector vaccine, the experimental
vaccine uses an altered virus to deliver one gene from the viral DNA to
the animal's cells. The cells then begin manufacturing the viral protein.
Cells of the guinea pigs' immune system detect the viral protein and
launch an attack against it. In so doing, they learn to recognize CMV.
The gene used in the experimental guinea pig CMV vaccine -- UL83, also
called pp65 -- contains the information needed to make a protein involved
in the infection process. The virus used to make the vector vaccine
(Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus) was altered by removing 40 percent
of the virus' genes, to prevent it from reproducing and infecting new
hosts.
The young female guinea pigs in the study were vaccinated three times at
two-month intervals before they became pregnant and were injected with the
guinea pig form of CMV early in their third trimester.
Tests showed that the rodents given the experimental vaccine had acquired
immunity to guinea pig CMV because they produced antibodies to the virus
-- proteins that target foreign molecules for later destruction by the
immune system. The vaccinated guinea pigs also showed an activity against
the virus by their T cells, immune cells critical to the response against
disease-causing organisms.
Dr. Schleiss said the current paper provides the basis for the potential
development of a version of the vector vaccine that could be tested in
human beings.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the
Institute's Web site at
<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit
<http://www.nih.gov>
###
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/nichd-21.htm>
Messages in this topic (1)
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________________________________________________________________________
6. DRUG ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Study Finds Reduced Brain Growth
Posted by: "David P. Dillard" [EMAIL PROTECTED] jwneastro
Date: Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:28 am ((PST))
DRUG ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
Study Finds Reduced Brain Growth in Alcoholics with Family Drinking
History
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:37:29 -0500
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Study Finds Reduced Brain Growth in Alcoholics with Family
Drinking History
STUDY FINDS REDUCED BRAIN GROWTH IN ALCOHOLICS WITH FAMILY
DRINKING HISTORY
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
CONTACT: NIAAA Press Office, 301-443-3860,
<e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
STUDY FINDS REDUCED BRAIN GROWTH IN ALCOHOLICS WITH FAMILY DRINKING
HISTORY
The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their
own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors
associated with their parents' drinking, according to a new study by
researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers
found reduced brain growth among alcohol-dependent individuals with a
family history of alcoholism or heavy drinking compared to those with no
such family history. Their report has been published online in "Biological
Psychiatry" at
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00063223>
as an article in press.
"This is interesting new information about how biological and
environmental factors might interact to affect children of alcoholics,"
notes George Kunos M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Director, Division of
Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, NIAAA.
Many studies have shown that alcohol-dependent men and women have smaller
brain volumes than non-alcohol-dependent individuals. It is widely
believed that this is due to the toxic effects of ethanol, which causes
the alcoholic's brain to shrink with aging to a greater extent than the
non-alcoholic's.
"Our study is the first to demonstrate that brain size among
alcohol-dependent individuals with a family history of alcoholism is
reduced even before the onset of alcohol dependence," explains first
author Jodi Gilman, B.S., a NIAAA research fellow and Ph.D. candidate at
Brown University working with senior author Daniel Hommer, M.D., of the
NIAAA Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies (LCTS) and
co-author James Bjork, Ph.D., also of the NIAAA/LCTS.
Children of alcoholics are known to have a greater risk for alcohol
dependence than individuals without a parental history of alcohol
dependence. In addition to inheriting genes that predispose them to
alcoholism, children of alcoholics may experience adverse biological and
psychological effects from poor diets, unstable parental relationships,
and alcohol exposure before birth, all of which could contribute to their
increased risk for alcoholism.
In a search for direct physical evidence of these assumed genetic and
environmental mediators of family-transmitted alcoholism, the NIAAA
researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to measure
the volume of the cranium -- the part of the skull that encloses the brain
-- in a group of individuals being treated for alcohol dependence. The
intracranial volume (ICV), they note, is determined by skull growth, which
occurs as the brain expands to its maximum size around puberty. Because
ICV does not change as the brain shrinks with age, it provides a good
estimate of the lifetime maximum volume of the brain.
The researchers found that the average ICV of adult alcoholic children of
alcoholic parents was about 4 percent smaller than the average ICV of
adult alcoholics without family histories of alcoholism or heavy drinking.
Family history did not affect the frequency, quantity, or other aspects of
drinking behavior of the alcoholics themselves, suggesting that
differences in ICV between family history positive and negative alcoholics
are not the result of different drinking patterns. The researchers also
found that adult alcoholic children of alcoholic parents had IQ scores
that averaged 5.7 points lower than IQs of alcohol dependent individuals
with no parental drinking, but that were still within the range of normal
intelligence.
The authors note that a possible implication of their findings is that the
increased risk for alcoholism among children of alcoholics may be due to a
genetic or environmental effect, or both, related to reduced brain growth.
"Although ICV is known to be influenced primarily by genetic factors,"
says Dr. Hommer, "many studies have found that living in an enriched
environment promotes central nervous system growth and development. It
seems likely that alcoholics, in general, are raised in less than optimal
environments and thus that genetics and environment both contribute to the
smaller ICV observed in family history positive alcoholics."
The authors report that ICV of women, but not men, in the study appeared
to be affected more by their mothers' drinking than their fathers',
perhaps due to a greater maternal influence on a child's nutritional,
social, and intellectual environment. None of the participants in the
study were diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
"It is possible that some participants might have experienced subtle fetal
alcohol effects," notes Dr. Hommer. "However, there were no differences
between the effects of maternal and paternal drinking on ICV of men in our
study. Thus, fetal alcohol effects do not appear to account for the
reduced ICV we saw in men with a positive family history for drinking.
Future studies should determine more precisely how parental drinking
affects brain size among children of alcoholics and whether smaller ICV is
a more specific risk factor for the development of alcohol dependence than
family history."
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the
National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting
and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and
treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems and
disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic
audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are
available at
<http://www.niaaa.nih.gov>
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary
Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and
translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments,
and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about
NIH and its programs, visit
<http://www.nih.gov>
###
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/niaaa-21.htm>.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
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