Brain zaps for Tourette syndrome

Electric zaps can rewire the brains of Tourette syndrome patients, effectively reducing their uncontrollable vocal and motor tics. The procedure, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), improved tic severity by nearly half in patients with uncontrolled Tourette symptoms.

According to Dr. Michael Okun, chair of neurology and co-director of the Movement Disorders Center at the University of Florida's College of Medicine, much improvement in these symptoms is difficult when using medication or behavioral therapy.

With DBS, brain surgeons run thin electric leads to specific regions of the basal ganglia, a cluster of nerves in the brain related to motor control and behavior, then apply electricity to the brain circuits they've most closely linked to Tourette, to try to control the patient's tics. then introduce electricity into the brain to change the way these circuits function.

However, the procedure still needs more work. More than a third of patients experienced adverse events, most often slurred speech or a pins-and-needles sensation. These side effects occur when electricity meant for one brain circuit unintentionally spreads to other nearby nerves but the adverse effects are reversible.

Tourette patients are typically treated using medications and speech or behavioral therapy. Another option for severe Tourette cases is deep brain stimulation, which also used to treat many other motor disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and multiple sclerosis.

Researchers wanted a better idea of whether DBS is effective in treating severe cases of uncontrolled Tourette, which can cause motor tics so strong that people end up hurting themselves. The average tic severity patients that used DBS improved by 45 percent within one year of implant.
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High salt diet hobbles the brain

A new study has shown that mice fed with a very high-salt diet experienced declined blood flow to their brain, the integrity of blood vessels in the brain suffered, and performance on tests of cognitive function plummeted.

Researchers found that those effects were not as long has been widely believed, a natural consequence of high blood pressure. Instead, they appeared to be the result of signals sent from the gut to the brain by the immune system.

The study, conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. The research sheds light on a subject of keen interest to scientists exploring the links between what we eat and how well we think, and the mediating role that the immune system plays in that communication.

This suggests that even before a chronic high-salt diet nudges blood pressure up and compromises the health of tiny blood vessels in the brain, the oversalted gut is independently sending messages that lay the groundwork for corrosion throughout the vital network.

In the small intestines of mice, the authors of the new research found that a very high-salt diet prompted an immune response that boosted circulating levels of an inflammatory substance called interleukin-17. These high levels of IL-17 set off a cascade of chemical responses inside the delicate inner linings of the brain's blood vessels.

The result in mice fed with the high-salt diet: blood supply to two regions crucial for learning and memory-the cortex and hippocampus slowed markedly. And mental performance slid. Compared to mice fed a diet lower in salt, the maze-running skills of the mice who consumed high-salt levels faltered, and they failed to respond normally to whisker stimulation, or a new object in their cage.

In mice, that evidence of cognitive impairment was apparent even in the absence of high blood pressure. The immune system's role in sending signals between brain and gut is also seen in diseases like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease-all disorders that are linked to poor functioning of the brain's blood vessels.
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Effects of estrogen treatment in multiple sclerosis

A study by UCLA researchers reveals the cellular basis for how the hormone estrogen protects against damage to the central nervous system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The researchers found that estrogen treatment exerts positive effects on two types of cells during disease -immune cells in the brain and also cells called oligodendrocytes. Complementary actions on these two types provide protection from disease.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune, neurodegenerative disease marked by visual impairment, weakness and sensory loss, as well as cognitive decline. These symptoms emerge when inflammatory immune cells destroy the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve processes called axons. Loss of that protective insulation disrupts electrical communication between nerve cells. The third trimester of pregnancy has been previously shown to reduce relapse rates by approximately 70 percent as compared to before pregnancy, and other studies have shown benefit over the long term due to multiple pregnancies.

An estrogen unique to pregnancy that is made by the fetus and placenta has been proposed by Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl and colleagues to mediate this pregnancy protection in both the MS mouse model as well as in two successfully completed clinical trials of estriol treatment in MS patients. How that happens has remained a critical question. Voskuhl, who led the latest study, reported mouse studies showing that estrogen protected the brain from damage by activating a protein called estrogen receptor beta (ERb). Her new research identifies which cells within the brain are mediating this protective effect.

The researchers first genetically eliminated ERb in either immune cells of the brain or in oligodendrocytes, the cells that make the myelin sheath, as a way of making cells unresponsive to estrogen during the MS like disease in mice. They then treated mice without or with ERb in these cells to ask if disease protection was lost or not. Loss of protection during treatment meant that the treatment was acting on the cell that had the receptor removed. Results showed that the estrogen-like treatment was acting on both immune cells of the brain as well as on oligodendrocytes, together resulting in repair of myelin and less disability.

Drug developers often optimize therapies by targeting only one single cell type. By contrast, this study confirms that this estrogen-like compound can combat MS via complementary effects on two distinct cell types. Voskuhl and other UCLA researchers are in fact now developing a next-generation estrogen-like compound with robust biochemical effects on oligodendrocytes and immune cells in the brain.
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Effects of circadian rhythms on autoimmune disease

Circadian rhythms are generated by the body clock, allowing human to anticipate and respond to the 24-hour cycle of the planet. Maintaining a good body clock is generally believed to lead to good health for humans, and disrupting the circadian rhythm-or example, working night shifts has been associated with immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis; however, the underlying molecular links have been unclear.

Immune responses and regulation of autoimmunity are affected by the time of the day when the immune response is activated. Using mice as a model organism, they show that a master circadian gene, BMAL1, is responsible for sensing and acting on time-of-the-day cues to suppress inflammation.

Loss of BMAL1, or induction of autoimmunity at midday instead of midnight, causes more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is essentially an analogue of multiple sclerosis in mice. Immune system is programmed to respond better to infection and insults encountered at different immune in the 24-hour clock.

This has significant implications for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases and suggests there may be important differences in time of day response to drugs used to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Disruption of human body clocks, which is quite common now given our 24/7 lifestyle and erratic eating and sleeping patterns, may have an impact on autoimmune conditions.
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Anger causes untimely death

Researchers have discovered that angry men aged 20 to 40 were one-and-a-half times more likely to be dead 35 years later than those who were calmer. They believe this is due to a number of factors linking stress to physiological damage. The frequent release of adrenaline during periods of stress damages DNA, which could lead to life-threatening illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.

Feelings of anger produce a heightened response in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with survival instincts. Angry emotions prompt the amygdala to signal a heightened state of anxiety to the rest of the brain and the body, increasing blood flow to the limbs and heart, which makes relaxation impossible.

Those exposed to anger-inducing stimuli without discussing how it made them feel are more likely to experience insomnia than those who engage in an emotional ‘debrief’, according to neuroscientists. Writing the cause of anger frees up the space in the head, dampening the fear response and encouraging relaxation.

 Emotions such as excitement or anger result in the release of stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and testosterone, which put the body into flight-or-flight mode. The chemical surge increases blood flow to the brain and triggers the swelling of both blood vessels and nerves surrounding the brain. The pressure can result in tension and headaches.

Highly hostile individuals performed significantly worse on a simple inhalation task than those who were rated less hostile. When you are angry, neurotransmitters and hormones are sent through the bloodstream which, in turn, increase both the heart rate and muscle tension. Frequent occurrence of this reaction puts a strain on neurons in the hypothalamus, the brain’s ‘stress control centre’, meaning that it becomes harder for the neurons to switch off. And the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin is significantly depleted in some aggressive individuals.

Too much cortisol in the body – released by adrenal glands during angry outbursts can cause an imbalance in blood sugar, repress the thyroid and even decrease bone density. When released initially, cortisol triggers an anti-inflammatory response by the immune system, but prolonged increase of the hormone makes the body more susceptible to viruses. As blood pressure rises thanks to a surge in adrenaline, the heart beats faster, increasing the risk of potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms. Adrenaline also signals for the release of platelets, which can trigger blood clots or block arteries – particularly dangerous if arteries are restricted by a build-up of cholesterol.

Studies have shown that men in particular who score highly on trait anger scales are three times more likely to suffer from general heart disease. Once the ‘fight or flight’ signal has been issued by the brain, blood supply is directed to areas needed for action such as the limbs. That means blood supply to the digestive system is reduced, with a reduced amount of oxygen provided to keep vital ‘good’ bacteria in the gut alive. A dampened immune system can lead to a weakened gut lining, increasing vulnerability to harmful bacteria entering the area.

Heightened stress reduces the amount of available glucocorticoids -the hormone involved in the synthesis of the skin-plumping compound collagen. Lack of collagen contributes towards saggy, wrinkled skin. The weakened immune system caused by stress responses increases inflammatory reactions to pathogens underneath the skin.

Enhanced periods of anger disrupt the skin-barrier function, making it easier for allergens to penetrate and resulting in skin conditions such as dermatitis and psoriasis. Repressing, rather than expressing anger puts you at an higher risk of developing health problems. This increased risk of hypertension for angry individuals who tended to keep their anger below a level of consciousness. By repressing emotion, excess stress hormones remain in the emotion-processing areas of the brain for longer period making physical reactions chronic.
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Mental health condition surpreses the immune system

According to new research, depression increases the risk of an early death.
Men's risk of a premature death increases three-fold when suffering from the mental health condition, while women's risk is heightened by up to 50 percent.

Depression causes the release of stress hormones that suppress the immune system, putting sufferers at an increased risk of conditions such as cancer. People with the mental health condition may have unhealthy lifestyle habits, including a poor diet, inactivity and excessive alcohol intake.

Researchers analyzed more than 3000 adults between 1952 and 1967, 1968 and 1990, and 1991 and 2011. The study's participants' had an average age of 50 when the trial started. Results reveal depression increases the risk of an early death by up to three times. Men's risk increases three-fold, while women's peaks at 51 percent.

Depression is linked to the release of stress hormones that suppress the immune system, putting sufferers at increased risk of disorders including multiple sclerosis, arthritis and some. cancers. People with depression may also neglect their physical health through lifestyle habits such as a poor diet, inactivity, smoking and excessive alcohol intake. The mental health condition is more prevalent in women, however, past findings suggest men suffer the effects of it more as they are often less inclined to seek help.

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Healthy lifestyle reduces pain in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis MS is a disabling disease of the brain and central nervous system. In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between the brain and the remaining parts of the body.

The disease can cause nerves deterioration and leads to permanent damage of the nerves. A healthy lifestyle of regular exercise and healthy diet is associated with lower pain in people with multiple sclerosis MS.

MS causes chronic pain and immobility. The pain is normally treated with painkillers, unhealthy lifestyle of smoking of cigarette, drinking of alcohol and eating of junk foods can increase the pain.

MS can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and diabetes, maintaining healthy lifestyle can reduce the pain associated with the disease and reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
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