3D Neuron Model

According to Kurzweil News, the first 3D-printed neuron has been created by neuroscientist Gordon Shepherd of Yale University in collaboration with the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design. “Brain microcircuits have a very complicated 3D architecture,” said Shepherd, a professor of neurobiology at the Yale School of Medicine and author of The Synaptic Organization of the Brain, a classic in the literature of neurobiology. It’s rather amazing to look at a picture of this plastic 3D-neuron replica, thousands of times larger than it is in real life, and know that there are millions and billions of them diligently working 24-7 to keep your brain and body going.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/first-3d-printed-model-of-a-neuron?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=16b2dbd165-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_147a5a48c1-16b2dbd165-281999441

Mentoring and Learning

Researchers from the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada compared the potential impact on learning between groups of participants who either observed one teacher only or who observed five teachers. The participants were asked to learn new skills (digital photo editing and knot-tying) and then pass on those new skills to the next “generation” of participants. There were some interesting results. For example participants who were given greater access to teachers (role models) accumulated significantly more skill than those with less access to teachers. Within ten “generations,” each member of the group with multiple mentors had stronger skills than did participants who were limited to a single mentor. Those with greater access to teachers also retained their skills much longer than groups who began with less access to mentors, sustaining higher levels of “cultural knowledge” over multiple generations. According to the researchers, the study has important implications for several areas, from skills development and education to protecting endangered languages and cultural practices.
Michael Muthukrishna et al., Sociality influences cultural complexity, Proceedings of the Royal Academy: Biological Sciences, 2013, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2511 (open access)

Stuttering and the Brain #2

Producing speech utilizes several portions of the human brain. It is believed that the Basal Ganglia actually controls speech. Wernicke’s area in the left temporal lobe tells you which word you want to say. Then Broca’s area in the left frontal lobe actually forms the word, while the Striatum times and initiates speech, coordinating the output with the mouth, tongue, and throat. Pretty complex. There is growing evidence that stuttering has a neurological base rather than an emotional base as has often been assumed. It may involve a miscommunication between speech centers in the brain (such as the striatum, a major input station of the brain’s basal ganglia system\) and the mouth and tongue. Work by Gerald A. Maguire MD of UC Irvine, reportedly has led him to believe that stuttering may involve bombardment of the striatum with too much dopamine (as opposed to Parkinson’s disease that involves a loss of dopamine to the striatum) and some medications are being trialed. You may find the CNN youtube clip interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEitDTX2ZAo

Stuttering and the Brain #1

Speech is a terrifying complex process. No surprise that some brains have difficulty doing this smoothly. Remember the movie The King’s Speech? Most people have a least one friend who stutters or have heard about stutterers such as Winston Churchill or James Earl Jones. Although stuttering continues to be somewhat of a medical mystery, some interesting information is emerging. First, it is a physical condition whereby speech is interrupted, but only communicative speech to others. If you’re talking to yourself, apparently you don’t stutter. It may run in families, too. About 70% of stutterers show some familial tendency. While stress can exacerbate stuttering in someone who has the trait, it doesn’t cause it. This can make it tough on a child whose peers make fun of his or her speech difficulties. Excitement and passion about the topic under discussion can also increase the stutter. Most stuttering begins between the ages of two and five. Someone recently sent me a youtube of an interview with Annie Glenn, Astronaut John Glenn’s wife, related to her history of stuttering and the HCRI therapy that helped her reduce the incidence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHCjVctuQ7g

Stiff-Person Syndrome Part 5 of 5

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of NORD and the Orphan Drug Act. Passed in 1983, the Orphan Drug Act was designed to stimulate the development of products to treat rare diseases and conditions. For drugs, a disease or condition is considered rare if it affects less than 200,000 persons in the United States. For medical devices, a disease or condition is considered rare when it occurs so infrequently in the US that there is no reasonable expectation that a medical device for such disease or condition will be developed without assistance. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are about 6,800 rare diseases and conditions. In total, nearly 30 million Americans (maybe one in ten) suffer from at least one rare disease; a rare disease such as Stiff-Person Syndrome or SPS. In February of 2014, Shane James is planning to run 28 marathons in 28 days in Run To Live Tasmania. Starting in Burnie, heading down the east coast to Hobart, then back up on the west coast and cruising back to Burnie, runners and riders alike are welcome to join the “28 in 28 run” for any distance they wish. Shane hopes to accomplish two specific goals by this endeavor: raise awareness of Stiff-Person Syndrome or SPS and other rare disorders and raise money for a couple of non-profit agencies:

USA:  NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (www.rarediseases.org)

Australia: Steve Waugh Foundation (www.stevewaughfoundation.com.au)

Stiff-Person Syndrome Part 4 of 5

“How could running help people with SPS feel better?” is a common question. Your brain contains a sophisticated, internal pharmacy. Physical exercise triggers the brain’s own personal pharmacy to release a number of endogenous or internal chemicals that flood the brain and spinal cord. Endorphins, natural brain-body opiates, are more powerful than human-made exogenous (outside the body) substances. Adrenalin may be released by the challenge and exhilaration of running, which not only provides a boost of energy but also triggers the release of dopamine, the “feel-better” brain chemical. Other brain chemicals such as serotonin may be released as well. In combination, this cocktail of natural brain-body “medications” helps the individual feel better. Diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome in 2007, this is what Shane James does when he runs. And yes, it helps him feel better. You, too, have your own internal pharmacy. Think of yourself as the pharmacist who releases drugs and other chemicals for use in your brain and body. You “release” these based on your lifestyle, behaviors, mindset, thoughts, and a whole host of other factors such as what you eat and drink and how much you sleep. . .

Stiff-Person Syndrome Part 3 of 5

Stiff-Person Syndrome, a very rare condition. So what is known about? Scientists don’t yet understand what causes SPS but research indicates that it is the result of an autoimmune response gone awry in the brain and spinal cord. It may begin very subtly during a period of emotional stress. SPS is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, psychosomatic illness, or anxiety and phobia. Studies have confirmed that it is typically characterized by a high titer of anti-GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) antibodies. While the absence of antibodies in the serum does not rule out SPS, the presence of anti-GAD autoantibodies strongly supports that diagnosis (99% specific by immunocytochemistry). What isn’t known for sure is whether the antibodies have a causative role or are the result of another process. Interestingly, SPS has not been described in members of the same family and there is no known genetic predisposition. Stiff-person syndrome is considered by many researchers to be a spectrum of disease ranging from the involvement of just one area of the body to a widespread, rapidly progressive form that also includes involvement of the brain stem and spinal cord.  Shane, a man I met on a recent airline flight to Australia, who has been diagnosed with SPS, is learning how to manage the pain through his own rehabilitation program.