While nutritional supplements such as vitamin D may help with pain and discomfort, researchers are looking into how acupuncture stimulates the brain into making the body feel better.

According to findings published in Brain Research, scientists have discovered a sensation called deqi that is obtained through the treatment, which deactivates the feelings of pain in the brain, resulting in the person thinking they feel better.

These findings have given a broader understanding of how acupuncture affects the brain, leading scientists to believe that there should be further investigation into factors such as the exact mechanism that occurs with the treatment.

“The results are fascinating,” said researcher Dr. Aziz Asghar. “Whether such brain deactivations constitute a mechanism which underlies or contributes to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is an intriguing possibility which requires further research.”

The team is currently researching if acupuncture has the ability to successfully treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and depression. Previous studies have indicated that the holistic treatment works on knee pain and migraines.

Experiments on mice may help scientists understand the workings of the prion protein linked to brain disease vCJD.

Swiss researchers say there is evidence that prions play a vital role in the maintenance of the sheath surrounding our nerves.

They say it is possible that an absence of prions causes diseases of the peripheral nervous system.

One expert said there was growing evidence that the prion had a number of important roles in the body.

As well as the latest research in the journal Nature Neuroscience, other studies have indicated prions may protect us from Alzheimer’s disease or even play a role in our sense of smell.

The prion protein only came to the attention of scientists in recent years as they searched for the cause of vCJD – the human variant of BSE, or Mad Cow Disease.

This degenerative and incurable brain condition is now thought to be caused by a “mis-folded” version of the prion.

However, there is still little understanding of what the protein is supposed to do in its normal, healthy, form.

Healthy prions

The study, by scientists at the University Hospital in Zurich, looked at mice bred with fewer prion proteins.

While these mice are known to be resistant to prion diseases equivalent to vCJD in humans, they showed a number of abnormalities, including a degeneration, later in life, of the peripheral nerve cells, and the protective myelin sheath which surrounds them.

Peripheral nerves are those which link the limbs and organs to the central nervous system – the spinal cord and brain.

Looking more closely, researchers examined the effects of removing the prion protein in both the nerve cells themselves, and the Schwann cells surrounding them, which are responsible for making the myelin sheath.

While removing protein from the Schwann cells had no effect, taking it from the neurons led to a breakdown of the myelin and degeneration of the nerve cells.

They said that the knowledge that prion protein played some role in the healthy upkeep of nerve cells could offer a new avenue of research into diseases affecting humans.

However, scientists caution that it is too early to pick out a particular peripheral nerve condition which might correspond to the mouse experiments.

Recent work

Professor Nigel Hooper, from the University of Leeds, agreed that the role of the protein was not well understood.

His own work, published in 2007, suggested that it might offer some protection from the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

But he said this was unlikely to be the complete answer.

He said: “Most people started by focusing on prions in relation to a human disease, and have only recently started to examine what it normally does.

“There is some evidence that it could have a number of different roles, depending on its whereabouts in the body – a recent paper linked it to olfaction or the sense of smell.”

An ingredient found in the natural supplement green tea may help treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.

According to a study published in Natural Chemical Biology, mixing EGCG, a green tea ingredient, with the chemical DAPH-12 may help destroy amyloids—proteins that can lead to brain diseases.

Some feel this study is significant as no other research has found a chemical combination to destroy amyloids. Researchers found that while EGCG could destroy weaker amyloids on its own, it needed to be mixed with DAPH-12 to destroy the stronger proteins.

While the researchers said they were excited with the outcome of finding a potential way to treat the diseases, they are quick to point out there is still more research to be done to see if they could find other possible solutions.

“Our findings are certainly preliminary and we need further work to fully comprehend the effects of EGCG in combination with other chemicals on amyloids,” said co-author Dr. Martin Duennwald. “Yet, we see our study as a very exciting initial step toward combinatorial therapies for the treatment of amyloid-based diseases.”

A new study suggests that the nutritional supplement vitamin E can protect a patient’s brain after they suffer a stroke.

Researchers from the Ohio State University revealed that a specific kind of vitamin E can help prevent cells from dying after a stroke, according to findings published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

Vitamin E can be found in eight different forms. However, it was tocotrienol, or TCT, that was used for this study.

“We have studied an enzyme that is present all the time, but one that is activated after a stroke in a way that causes neurodegeneration,” explained the study’s senior author Chandan Sen. “We found that it can be put in check by very low levels of tocotrienol. So what we have here is a naturally derived nutrient, rather than a drug, that provides this beneficial impact.”

After suffering from the ailment, an excessive level of glutamate is released in the brain, which can ultimately kill brain cells and release fatty acids. It was determined that the nutritional supplement could serve as a therapeutic way to prevent the brain from becoming damaged from the stroke.

Vitamin E can decrease the release of the fatty acids by 60 percent, which can ultimately help the brain.

Coloured lights could be used to find treatments for brain disorders such as epilepsy, a study has suggested.

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team discovered a way to shut down brain activity using flashes of yellow and blue lasers.

They hope to adjust this to switch off neurons that generate an electrical impulse abnormally, causing seizures.

This could help experts understand how the brain works and, ultimately, offer treatment targets, Nature reports.

The work relies on two genes found in natural organisms like algae that need light to make energy.

Illuminating

These genes, known as Arch and Mac, contain the genetic code for light-activated proteins.

The MIT team engineered brain neurons to express Arch and Mac.

By doing this, they were able to control the brain cells of mice and monkeys using light.

Light activates proteins which, in turn, lowers the voltage in the neurons and prevents them from generating an electrical signal, known as firing.

Arch responds to blue light, Mac to yellow, and both recover afterwards.

Now the researchers plan to closely examine the neural circuits of the brain in the lab to find targets that, when shut down, could treat epilepsy as well as other conditions including Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain.

Ed Boyden, who led the research, said: “Silencing different sets of neurons with different colours of light allows us to understand how they work together to implement brain functions.

“These tools will help us understand how to control neural circuits, leading to new understandings and treatments for brain disorders.”

Although the work has involved animals, it should shed light on what is happening in humans, he said.

Professor Gero Miesenbock of Oxford University has been using the same technology in his research, which has included studying memory formation in fruit flies.

He has said the technology is “beginning to yield previously unattainable insight” into the organisation and regulation of the neural circuits of the brain, and the link between patterns of cellular activity and behaviour.

Scientists have discovered two genes that appear responsible for one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.

Glioblastoma multiforme rapidly invades the normal brain, producing inoperable tumours, but scientists have not understood why it is so aggressive.

The latest study, by a Columbia University team, published in Nature, pinpoints two genes.

The researchers say that the findings raise hopes of developing a treatment for the cancer.

The genes – C/EPB and Stat3 – are active in about 60% of glioblastoma patients.

They appear to work in tandem to turn on many other genes that make brain cells cancerous.

Patients in the study whose tumours showed evidence of both genes being active died within 140 weeks of diagnosis.

In contrast, half of patients without activity from these genes were alive after that time.

Master controls

Lead researcher Dr Antonio Iavarone described the two genes as the disease’s master control knobs.

He said: “When simultaneously activated, they work together to turn on hundreds of other genes that transform brain cells into highly aggressive, migratory cells.

“The finding means that suppressing both genes simultaneously, using a combination of drugs, may be a powerful therapeutic approach for these patients, for whom no satisfactory treatment exists.”

When the researchers silenced both genes in human glioblastoma cells, it completely blocked their ability to form tumours when injected in a mouse.

The Columbia team is now attempting to develop drugs they hope will achieve the same effect.

Using state-of-the-art techniques, they effectively mapped out the comprehensive and highly complex network of molecular interactions driving the behaviour of glioblastoma cells.

Dr Iavarone said: “The identification of C/EPB and Stat3 came as a complete surprise to us, since these genes had never been implicated before in brain cancer

“From a therapeutic perspective, it means we are no longer wasting time developing drugs against minor actors in brain cancer – we can now attack the major players.”

Nell Barrie, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “This research is exciting, as it sheds light on the key changes that drive cells in the brain to become glioblastoma cells.

“By finding out exactly how healthy cells turn into cancer cells, scientists hope to find clues for preventing or reversing the process.

“The technique used in this study should help scientists to understand these changes in other types of cancer, leading to new and more personalised treatment approaches in the future.”/bbc/

US scientists believe they have uncovered one of the mechanisms that enables the brain to form memories.

Synapses – where brain cells connect with each other – have long been known to be the key site of information exchange and storage in the brain.

But researchers say they have now learnt how molecules at the site of the synapse behave to cement a memory.

It is hoped the research, published in Neuron, could aid the development of drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The deteriorating health of the synapses is increasingly thought to be a feature of Alzheimer’s, a disease in which short-term memory suffers before long-term recollections are affected.

A strong synapse is needed for cementing a memory, and this process involves making new proteins. But how exactly the body controls this process has not been clear.

Now scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara say their laboratory work on rats shows the production of proteins needed to cement memories can only happen when the RNA – the collection of molecules that take genetic messages from the nucleus to the rest of the cell – is switched on.

Until it is required, the RNA is paralysed by a “silencing” molecule – which itself contains proteins.

When an external signal comes in – for example when one sees something interesting or has an unusual experience – the silencing molecule fragments and the RNA is released.

Kenneth Kosik of the university’s neuroscience research institute said: “One reason why this is interesting is that scientists have been perplexed for some time as to why, when synapses are strengthened, you have the degradation of proteins going on side by side with the synthesis of new proteins.

“So we have now resolved this paradox. We show that protein degradation and synthesis go hand in hand. The degradation permits the synthesis.”

Identifying the proteins the brain needs in order to cement the memory could ultimately have benefits for those suffering from memory disorders.

Rebecca Wood, head of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “Scientists say they have studied nerve cells in the laboratory and learnt more about how specific proteins may have a role in areas of the brain that transmit messages and help us store memories.

“This interesting development could give a greater understanding of the memory loss experienced by people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and lead to new treatments.”

The most recent projections suggest 115 million people across the globe will suffer from dementia by 2050.

Julie Williams, professor of psychological medicine at Cardiff University, said: “Our increasing understanding of genetic risk factors in Alzheimer’s is pointing to the synapses so any new study in this area is welcome.

“Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease and it is early days, but the health of synapses and their activity levels is becoming an important and interesting focus of research.”

A new study has found a derivative of cholesterol is necessary for brain cell formation.

Researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute say tests on mice prove that the formation of dopamine-producing neurons during brain development is dependent on the activation of a specific receptor in the brain by an oxidized form of cholesterol called oxysterol.

Dopamine-producing nerve cells play an important part in many brain functions and processes, from motor skills to reward systems and dependency. They are also the type of cell that die in Parkinson’s disease.

In addition, oxysterol was helpful in creating more dopamine-producing nerve cells in laboratory-cultivated embryonic stem cells. “It is a great advancement since it increases the possibility of developing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease,” said Professor Ernest Arenas of the Karolinska Institute.

Researchers say their findings are important for the future of Parkinson’s disease research and treatments. They hope it will be possible to replace dead cells in the brains of Parkinson’s patients with transplanted cultivated dopamine-producing cells. Such cells can also be used to test new Parkinson’s drugs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, nutritional supplements and therapies have also been helpful in treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Simple physical activities such as walking and swimming as well as physical therapy and soothing massage can provide relief from muscle rigidity and have other neuromuscular benefits.

Scientists fed a mixture of amino acids to brain-damaged mice. The drinks restored the right balance of brain chemicals in their brains which returned their learning capacity returned to normal levels.

Head researcher Dr Akiva Cohen, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the US, said if the results were reproduced in humans, patients with traumatic brain injuries could be given the amino acids in a drink.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and especially found in beans, nuts and meat.

The mice drank leucine, isoleucine and valine – known as branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) – in their water.

These amino acids are vital for the creation of two brain chemicals which play a key role in the function of nerves.

These neurotransmitters work together to keep brain activity in balance. Glutamate excites neurons, stimulating them to fire, while GABA inhibits them.

If neurons are too excited or not excited enough, the brain does not function properly.

This often occurs after a traumatic brain injury common in road accidents or on the battlefield.

Previous research had suggested that people with severe brain injuries showed improvements in their mental capabilities after being injected with BCAAs.

Scientists tested the effect of brain injuries on the ability of mice to remember an electric shock.

A week after receiving a mild shock in a recognisable cage, normal mice tend to ‘freeze’ when placed in the same surroundings.

This is a fear response showing that they anticipate another shock after remembering what happened the first time they were in the cage.

Brain injured mice demonstrated fewer freezing responses, a sign that their learning was impaired.

When the brain-injured animals were given water containing the amino acid cocktail, their performance in the test was the same as that of normal mice.

The findings were published online today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr Cohen said: ‘We have shown in an animal model that dietary intervention can restore a proper balance of neurochemicals in the injured part of the brain, and simultaneously improves cognitive performance.’

Examination of slices of tissue from the hippocampus – the brain’s memory centre – showed that BCAA restored the normal balance of neural activity in injured mice.

Providing BCAAs in the diet may prove more effective than injecting them, Dr Cohen said.

A large dose injected straight into the bloodstream could flood the brain and have a more limited effect.

According to a study published in Natural Chemical Biology, when EGCG, a green tea ingredient mixed with chemical DAPH-12, it may help destroy amyloids, which are proteins that bring on the brain diseases.

Some feel this study is significant as no other research has found a chemical combination to destroy amyloids. Researchers found that while EGCG could destroy weaker amyloids on their own, it needed to be mixed with DAPH-12 to destroy the stronger proteins.

While the researchers said they were excited with the outcome of finding a potential way to treat the diseases, they are quick to point out there is still more research to be done to see if they could find other possible solutions.

“Our findings are certainly preliminary and we need further work to fully comprehend the effects of EGCG in combination with other chemicals on amyloids,” said co-author Dr. Martin Duennwald. “Yet, we see our study as a very exciting initial step towards combinatorial therapies for the treatment of amyloid-based diseases.”