Parkinson’s More Common in Northeast and Midwest.

The Tampa Tribune (2/3, http://tinyurl.com/parkinsons-hotspots) reports people with Parkinson’s disease are more likely to be found in the Northeast and Midwest.   “Finding clusters in the Midwest and the Northeast is particularly exciting,” said Dr. Allison Wright Willis, assistant professor of neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine.  ”These are the two regions of the country most involved in metal processing and agriculture, and chemicals used in these fields are the strongest potential environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s disease that we’ve identified so far.”   Genetic factors can explain only a small percent of Parkinson’s cases, Willis believes.  Environmental factors such as prolonged exposures to agricultural herbicides and insecticides and metals such as copper, manganese and lead, are likely more common contributors.   Willis and her colleagues are now planning to studies how exposure to single or combined environmental factors influences Parkinson’s disease risk. 

Lead Exposure May Increase ADHD Risk.

HealthDay (2/2, http://tinyurl.com/lead-ADHD) reported lead may play a role in the development of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).   Genes are believed to account for as much as 70 percent of ADHD in children.  Researchers consider lead a prime suspect, among possible environmental causes, contributing to the other 30 percent .  Lead, a neurotoxin, is present in trace amounts in such things as soil, drinking water, children’s costume jewelry and imported candies.   In one of two recent studies examining the possible link between lead and ADHD, the researchers found that children with ADHD had slightly higher levels of lead in their blood than did children without ADHD.  The second study showed an association between elevated levels of lead in children’s blood and parent/teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms, including both hyperactivity and attention problems.  The findings strongly suggest that lead may be a cause of ADHD, according to Joel Nigg, a psychological scientist at Oregon Health & Science University.  He said that lead might disrupt brain activity in a way that leads to hyperactivity and attention problems. 

Fish Oil May Prevent Psychosis.

WebMD (2/1, DeNoon http://tinyurl.com/fishy-psychosis) reported that twelve weeks of fish oil pills made teens at high risk of psychosis much less likely to become psychotic for at least one year.   A year after entering the study, 11 of the 40 teens treated only with placebo pills developed a psychotic disorder.  This happened to only two of 41 teens who began the year with 12 weeks of fish oil capsules rich in omega-3 fatty acids.    “The finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent or at least delay the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotics for the prodromal phase”, Amminger and colleagues suggest.    People with schizophrenia tend to have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting that the mental illness could be linked to a defect in the ability to process fatty acids.  There’s also evidence that fatty acids interact with chemical signaling in the brain and that omega-3 fatty acids protect brain cells from oxidative stress.  The study appears in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Blocking Stress Hormone Could Be Key to Treating Alcoholism.

According to HealthDay (1/28, Dotinga, http://tinyurl.com/crf-EtOH), researchers are reporting that blocking a stress hormone could become a strategy to help treat alcoholism.  Lead researcher Marisa Roberto, an associate professor at the Scripps Research Institute, said in a Scripps news release:  “Our study explored  the compulsion to drink, not because it is pleasurable — which has been the focus of much previous research — but because it relieves the anxiety generated by abstinence and the stressful effects of withdrawal.  “The hormone, known as corticotropin-releasing factor, plays a role in the body’s response to stress and is found in the brain.  Romero said it’s possible that blocking the hormone “may prevent excessive alcohol consumption under a variety of behavioral and physiological conditions.”  The researchers also found that rats exposed to the hormone-suppressing chemical didn’t become immune to the chemical’s effects over time.  That suggests that people might be able to take it repeatedly without facing a loss of effectiveness.

Self Confidence Linked to Frontal Lobe of Brain.

HealthDay (1/23, Preidt http://tinyurl.com/frontal-confidence) reported people who have an unrealistically high opinion of themselves have less activity in the frontal lobes of their brain. “In healthy people, the more you activate a portion of your frontal lobes, the more accurate your view of yourself is.  And the more you view yourself as desirable or better than your peers, the less you use those lobes,” Jennifer Beer, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a university news release.  The participants who had a very positive self-image had less activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the frontal lobe generally associated with reasoning, planning, decision-making and problem-solving.  Some of the volunteers with a realistic self-view had four times more frontal lobe activation than the participant with the highest self-regard.  The study is published in the February issue of the journal NeuroImage.

Ambidextrous Kids More Likely to Have Mental Health and School Problems.

The UK’s Telegraph (1/25, Devlin http://tinyurl.com/ambi-ADD) reports that ambidextrous children are twice as likely to be hyperactive as their classmates.  They are also twice as likely to suffer from language problems, such as dyslexia.  Scientists believe that differences in how the children’s brains work compared to others could link the problems, but admit they do not yet understand how.  Dr Alina Rodriguez, from Imperial College London, who led the study, said: “Our results should not be taken to mean that all children who are mixed-handed will have problems at school or develop ADHD.  “We found that mixed-handed children and adolescents were at a higher risk of having certain problems, but we’d like to stress that most of the mixed-handed children we followed didn’t have any of these difficulties.”  The study looked at almost 8,000 children, 87 of whom used both hands to write.  The researchers found that by the ages of seven or eight those children were twice as likely as their right-handed peers to have difficulties with language and to perform badly in school.  By the time they reached the age of 15 or 16 the teenagers were also as likely to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Studies suggest that people who write with their right hand have a more dominant left half of their brain.  Some researchers believe that the chances of developing ADHD could be influenced by having a weaker functioning right hemisphere of the brain. 

Copper Pipes Could Cause Alzheimer’s Disease.

The UK’s Telegraph (1/22, Alleyne http://tinyurl.com/copper-alzheimers) reports that some scientists have claimed people should remove old copper pipes from their homes or install special filters because the metal has been shown to build up in their bodies and cause serious health problems.  They have warned that tiny traces of copper from pipes can mix with tap water and then consumed by people.  Over a long period of time this leads to a build-up of copper in the body which then leads to Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and diabetes because the body cannot process the metal.  The study found people over 50 should also avoid vitamin and mineral pills that contain cooper and iron, lowering meat intake and avoid drinking water from copper pipes.  They should also donate blood regularly to reduce iron levels and taking zinc supplements to lower copper levels.  Copper and iron are essential when people are young as they help during the years when people are trying to have children.  But the body can no longer process them effectively when people move beyond 50 years old.  The study from the American Chemical Society found that people were at risk from copper as they aged.   The study, the “Risks of Copper and Iron Toxicity during Ageing in Humans”, was published in the American Chemical Society’s Chemical Research in Toxicology journal.

The Road to God Knows…

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (January 8, 2010) – Mental illness remains one of Western society’s greatest taboos.  Those who suffer from various mental health disorders often suffer in silence, with very little support from society.  Family members and other loved ones of those afflicted also suffer and are often forced to understand and cope alone.  The loneliness, fear and frustration that this can cause is difficult for most people to understand.  And this isolation can be far worse when you’re a child of a bipolar, schizophrenic or otherwise mentally ill parent.  Von Allan, a Canadian graphic novelist, has attempted to shed some light on this subject with the publication of his first full-length graphic novel, titled “the road to god knows…”.  It can be purchased online at http://tinyurl.com/amazon-von-allan.  “My mom was diagnosed schizophrenic when I was quite young, maybe 11 or so,” said Allan.  “She suffered a number of nervous breakdowns as I was growing up, as she battled, often very much alone, a disease that was slowly taking bits of her away. ”   “I wrote and drew this book to shed some light on a very hush-hush topic and hopefully help others, especially kids but really people of all ages, realize that they aren’t alone and that they haven’t done anything wrong.  And neither has the person who is suffering from mental illness.”  “The road to god knows…” is the story of Marie, a teenage girl coming to grips with her Mom’s schizophrenia.  You can learn more about Von Allan at http://tinyurl.com/vonallan.

Loss of Smell Could Be Early Sign of Alzheimer’s.

HealthDay (1/12, Dotinga, http://tinyurl.com/alzheimers-smell) reported that, according to a study published in the Jan. 13 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, research in mice suggests that loss of smell could serve as an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.  “People with Alzheimer’s are already known to suffer from loss of smell.  But the new research pinpoints a direct link between development of amyloid plaques — the bits of gunk in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s disease — and a worsening sense of smell.  Researchers found that the plaques first develop in the part of the mouse brain that’s devoted to the sense of smell.  When tested, the mice with the plaques had to spend more time sniffing odors to remember them, and they had a hard time telling the difference between odors.  This is a revealing finding because, unlike a brain scan, a laboratory-designed olfactory test may be an inexpensive alternative to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.”

Adrenal Fatigue:The Stress Disorder of the 21st Century.

The UK’s Daily Mail // (1/11, Ferrier http://tinyurl.com/adrenal-gland-fatigue) reports a  new syndrome coined Adrenal Fatigue is now so commonplace it has been recognized by the World Health Organization.  The umbrella term for a group of non-specific symptoms affects significantly more women than men.  Adrenal Fatigue occurs because the adrenals – walnut-sized glands that sit just above the kidneys – get overworked.  The adrenals are expected to churn out high levels of the hormone cortisol, traditionally during short-term periods of high stress. People suffering from adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.   When we are children, our cortisol levels fluctuate as we get excited and nervous, but as we get older, some of us live with permanently raised levels.  This wreaks havoc with our bodies and leaves many of us feeling deflated and anxious – and never more so than around the Christmas and New Year period, when we’re grappling with all manner of stress-inducing situations, from worrying about that upcoming credit card bill to dealing with in-laws.  The increasing prevalence of the syndrome presents one of the most interesting medical paradigms of our time.  First coined by Canadian alternative medicine specialist Dr James Wilson in 1998, the term Adrenal Fatigue is beginning to be recognized by mainstream health organizations.   The condition is difficult to diagnose because adrenal function is measured on a sliding scale, a bit like thyroid function. It’s only if a test shows you to have levels in the highest or lowest 2 per cent that you’ll be deemed ‘abnormal’.    So if your cortisol levels are in the lowest 5 per cent and you are suffering significant symptoms, it still wouldn’t be deemed a medical issue.   A good diet may be helpful in treating Adrenal Fatigue, including wholegrains, oily fish and fruit, supplemented by magnesium, B5 and vitamins C and B12.