Children with long-term health conditions may be more likely to experience mental illness in early adolescence than healthy children, according to new research. In the study, published in Development and Psychopathology, children reported to have chronic health problems showed higher rates of mental illness at 10 years, and those health problems continued to be associated…

Scientists have revealed neuronal mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of cocaine use-associated memories. Their research sheds light on how drug addiction develops and reveals pathways that can be exploited for the development of strategies to treat cocaine addiction. The environmental context in which addicts experience the rewarding effects of cocaine can readily elicit cocaine-associated…

The addition of dietary L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for formation of proteins and nerve cells, delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in an animal study. The research also represents a significant advance in animal modeling of ALS, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease, said David A. Davis, Ph.D., lead author and research assistant…

Head and neck cancer is an aggressive type of cancer that often recurs, despite patients undergoing harsh treatments. Researchers have succeeded in growing mini-tumors (or organoids) of head and neck cancers, that can be kept alive in the petri-dish for a long time. These mini-tumor were shown to predict patient response to therapy. Thus, this…

Most people relate cholesterol to heart health, but it is also a critical component in the growth and spread of brain cancer. Researchers recently discovered how cholesterol becomes dysregulated in brain cancer cells and showed that the gene responsible for it could be a target for future drugs. The mean survival of patients with the…

At age two, children who were born with neurological abnormalities due to congenital Zika Virus (ZIKV) have a range of neurodevelopmental profiles that can be tracked using a routine neurological assessment, according to a new study. Children exposed to ZIKV in utero can develop distinct neurological abnormalities, such as microcephaly, and central nervous system malformations.…

Mice exposed to the Zika virus during later stages of gestation present behaviors reminiscent of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to a study of genetically diverse animals. The findings, published in JNeurosci, suggest children exposed to the virus during the 2015-16 epidemic may harbor increased risk for developmental disorders. Microcephaly — a smaller than normal head —…

An estimated 76 million people use psychostimulants, which include illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, as well as prescription stimulants. A new study from Australia is the first to present national data of psychostimulant use in young adults who experienced a fatal stroke. Investigators found that from 2009-2016, psychostimulant users constituted nearly a…

Performance-enhancing steroid use could increase the risk of cocaine use and addiction in teens, according to a new rodent study. The combination of these drugs could also impair fertility in young women. Athletes sometimes use anabolic steroids to boost performance. In addition to building muscle, performance-enhancing drugs have been found to affect mood and behavior,…

Scientists demonstrate that multiple factors can contribute to electrical synapse asymmetry including synapse location, strength, direction of conductance, dendritic geometry and input resistance. The work involves electrical synapses, which provide a major form of communication between neurons in the brain, says Julie Haas, an associate professor of neuroscience in Lehigh’s Department of Biological Sciences. Electrical…