http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—The genetic malady known as Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes the syndrome and understand the damage it does in misshaping the brain's synapses—the connections between neurons. But how this abnormal shaping of synapses translates into abnormal behavior is unclear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-common-gene-inherited-autism-linked.html Neuroscience Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:29:51 EST news289553351 According to a 2012 World Health Organization report, over 35 million people worldwide currently have dementia, a number that is expected to double by 2030 (66 million) and triple by 2050 (115 million). Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, has no cure and there are currently only a handful of approved treatments that slow, but do not prevent, the progression of symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-worming-treatments-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:02:51 EST news281876562 Researchers at the Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan, along with colleagues from 9 other institutions, have identified an exceptional mouse model of schizophrenia. After screening over 160 mutant mouse strains with a systematic battery of behavioral tests, they identified a mutant mouse lacking the Schnurri-2 protein (Shn-2 KO) that exhibits behavioral deficits and other brain features consistent with schizophrenia. Shn-2 is an NF-kappaB site-binding protein that binds enhancers of major histocompatibility complex class I genes and inflammatory cytokines, which harbor common variant single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with schizophrenia. The Shn-2 KO mice display behavioral abnormalities that resemble the symptoms of human schizophrenia, including working memory deficits, impaired nest building behavior (a measure of self-neglect), decreased social behaviors, and anhedonia (loss of the ability to experience pleasure). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-induction-mild-inflammation-cognitive-deficits.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:50:11 EST news279366453 New research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found BPA, or bisphenol A, in fetal liver tissue, demonstrating that there is considerable exposure to the chemical during pregnancy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-bpa-exposure-fetal-livers.html Health Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:30:01 EST news273762613 Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified dozens of new spontaneous genetic mutations that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, adding to the growing list of genetic variants that can contribute to the disease. The study, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, was published today in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-dozens-de-novo-genetic-mutations.html Genetics Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:25:53 EST news268489489 Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder in live born children arising as a consequence of a chromosomal abnormality. It occurs as a result of having three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two. It causes substantial physical and behavioral abnormalities, including life-long cognitive dysfunction that can range from mild to severe but which further deteriorates as individuals with DS age. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-cognitive-dysfunction-syndrome-alzheimer-disease.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:11:23 EST news249819061 A new University of Missouri study shows that the exposure to the controversial chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) through diet has been underestimated by previous lab tests. In the study, researchers compared BPA concentrations in mice that were given a steady diet supplemented with BPA throughout the day, compared to the more common lab method of single exposure, and found an increased absorption and accumulation of BPA in the blood of mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-exposure-bpa-underestimated.html Health Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:24:02 EST news226549419