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SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT "Healing Autism:
No Finer a Cause
on the Planet"
________________________________________________________________
RESEARCH (15 Abstracts, 2 Articles)
* Necdin-Related MAGE Proteins
Differentially Interact With The E2F1
Transcription Factor And
The P75 Neurotrophin Receptor.
* Left-Hemisphere Dysfunction In Autism:
What Are We Measuring?
* Cortical Sound Processing In Children With Autism Disorder: An
MEG Investigation.
* Parental Assessment And
Treatment of Food Selectivity In
Natural Settings.
* Using Simultaneous Presentation To Increase Vegetable Consumption
In A Mildly Selective Child With Autism.
* The Role Of
Specific Consequences In The Maintenance Of Three
Types Of
Questions.
* Increased Prevalence Of
Familial Autoimmunity In Probands
With Pervasive
Developmental Disorders.
* Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines:
A Two-Phased Study of
Computerized Health
Maintenance Organization Databases.
* Perception of Complex Sounds: Abnormal
Pattern Of Cortical
Activation In
Autism.
* Abnormal Brain Lateralization In High-Functioning Autism.
* The Effect of Choice-Making Opportunities During Activity Schedules
On Task Engagement Of
Adults With Autism.
* Prevalence And
Patterns Of Use Of Psychoactive Medicines Among
Individuals With
Autism in the Autism Society of
* The Friendship Questionnaire: An
Investigation of Adults With Asperger
Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism, And
* Peer Interaction
& Loneliness In High-Functioning Children With Autism.
* Theory of Mind--Based Action In Children
From The Autism Spectrum.
* Neurogenesis Management FGF-2 Controls
Neurogenesis In The Adult
Hippocampus After
Brain Injury
* Brain Hard-Wired for Empathy: Study
PUBLIC HEALTH
*
RESEARCH
Necdin-Related MAGE Proteins
Differentially Interact With The E2F1 Transcription Factor And The P75
Neurotrophin Receptor.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14593116&dopt=Abstract
Kuwako KI, Taniura H,
Yoshikawa K.
Department
of Regulation of Macromolecular Functions,
Necdin is a growth suppressor expressed
predominantly in postmitotic neurons and implicated in their terminal
differentiation.
Necdin shows a moderate homology to the
MAGE family proteins, whose functional roles are largely unknown.
Human genes encoding necdin, MAGEL2
(necdin-like 1), and MAGE-G1 (necdin-like 2) are located in proximal chromosome
15q, a region associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Prader-Willi
syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and autistic disorder.
The necdin and MAGEL2 genes are subjected
to genomic imprinting and suggested to be involved in the etiology of
Prader-Willi syndrome.
In this study, we compared biochemical
and functional characteristics of murine orthologs of these necdin-related MAGE
proteins.
The colony formation and
bromodeoxyuridine incorporation analyses revealed that necdin and MAGE-G1, but
not MAGEL2, induced growth arrest.
Necdin and MAGE-G1 interacted with the
transcription factor E2F1 via its transactivation domain, repressed
E2F1-dependent transcription, and antagonized E2F1-induced apoptosis of N1E-115
neuroblastoma cells.
In addition, necdin and MAGE-G1
interacted with the p75 neurotrophin receptor via its distinct intracellular
domains.
In contrast, MAGEL2 failed to bind to
these necdin interactors, suggesting that MAGEL2 has no necdin-like function in
developing brain.
Overexpression of p75 translocated necdin
and MAGE-G1 in the proximity of the plasma membrane and reduced their
association with E2F1 to facilitate E2F1-induced death of neuroblastoma cells.
These results suggest that necdin and
MAGE-G1 target both E2F1 and p75 to regulate cell viability during brain
development.
PMID: 14593116 [PubMed - as supplied by
publisher]
* * *
Left-Hemisphere Dysfunction
In Autism: What Are We Measuring?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14592007&dopt=Abstract
Sussman K, Lewandowski L.,
This study sought to investigate the left
hemisphere deficit hypothesis regarding autism.
A group of 15 autistic youngsters between
the ages of 8 and 13 years was compared with a group of 15 mentally retarded
youngsters matched for age and IQ on a set of measures presumed to be sensitive
to neuropsychological dysfunction.
The results suggested that this sample of
autistic youngsters is best characterized by bilateral neuropsychological
involvement, affecting left-hemisphere functioning predominantly but not
exclusively.
The findings of this and other such
studies seem to be somewhat determined by the varied samples and assessments
employed in the research.
The practice of selecting tests which
presumably tap left or right cerebral functions is highly inferential, and
warrants concern, particularly when assessing complex cognitive functioning in
autistic individuals.
PMID: 14592007 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Cortical Sound Processing In
Children With Autism Disorder: An MEG Investigation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14600495&dopt=Abstract
SUMMARY: Previous work investigating
frequency encoding mechanisms in human auditory cortex has provided evidence
that latency of the auditory evoked M100 is strongly proportional to frequency,
with low frequency (100-200 Hz) tones associated with approximately 30 ms
longer latencies than mid-range frequency (1-2 kHz) tones.
Motivated by pervasive speech and
auditory perception deficits observed in autism spectrum disorder, we evaluated
M100 frequency dependence in children with autism disorder and typically
developing controls.
Results indicate that for control
children, the dynamic range of frequency modulation was similar to previous
reports for healthy adults.
Children with autism had a much reduced
range of modulation in right hemisphere sites.
Findings indicate that frequency encoding
mechanisms may follow a differential maturational path in autism spectrum
disorder.
PMID: 14600495 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Parental Assessment And Treatment of Food Selectivity In Natural Settings.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14596582&dopt=Abstract
Najdowski AC, Wallace MD,
Doney JK, Ghezzi PM.
This study evaluated the effects of a
parent-conducted functional analysis and treatment consisting of differential
reinforcement of an alternative behavior, escape extinction, and demand fading
on food selectivity in a young child with autism.
Increases in food acceptance at home and
in a restaurant were obtained.
PMID: 14596582 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Using Simultaneous
Presentation To Increase Vegetable Consumption In A
Mildly Selective Child With Autism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14596577&dopt=Abstract
Ahearn WH.
The
Bahearn@necc.org
A multiple baseline design was used to
evaluate the effects of adding condiments on the consumption of previously
rejected foods (vegetables).
Adding condiments produced increased food
acceptance across three food items.
Data are discussed in relation to
conditioned food preferences and establishing operations.
PMID: 14596577 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
The Role Of
Specific Consequences In The Maintenance Of Three Types Of Questions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14596570&dopt=Abstract
Williams G, Perez-Gonzalez
LA, Vogt K.
Applied
Behavioral Consultant Services,
gladyswilliams2003@hotmail.com
This research replicated and extended a
study by Williams, Donley, and Keller (2000).
In that study, children with autism
received a box with an object inside and learned to ask "What's that?," "Can I see it?," and "Can I have
it?" to have the name of the object, to see the object, and to get the
object, respectively.
The purpose of the present research was
to determine if the three questions (a) were three independent repertoires of
behavior, (b) constituted three instances of a single functional response
class, or (c) belonged to a chain of behavior.
The 3 boys with autism who participated
responded independently to each question when the consequences for each
question were altered.
This indicates that the three target
responses were three independent repertoires of behavior, each one reinforced
and maintained with its specific consequences.
Thus, this procedure serves to teach
children with autism to ask questions with flexibility according to a variable
context.
PMID: 14596570 [PubMed - in process]
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_______________________________________________________
* * *
Increased
Prevalence Of Familial Autoimmunity In Probands With Pervasive Developmental
Disorders.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14595086&dopt=Abstract
Sweeten TL, Bowyer SL, Posey
DJ, Halberstadt GM, McDougle CJ. Department of Psychiatry,
OBJECTIVES: Increased prevalence of
familial autoimmune disease is a common finding among probands with various
autoimmune disorders.
Autistic disorder (autism) is a highly
genetic disorder with known immune and immunogenetic abnormalities.
Previous research has found an increased
frequency of autoimmune disorders in families with autistic probands.
We further investigated this association
by determining the frequency of autoimmune disorders in families that have
probands with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), including autism,
compared with 2 control groups.
METHODS: Three well-defined study groups,
including 1) families that have a child with a PDD, 2) families that have a
child with an autoimmune disorder, and 3) families with a healthy control
child, constituted the sample.
A
questionnaire inquiring about which first- and second-degree family members had
received a diagnosis of having specific autoimmune disorders was completed by
101 families in each group.
RESULTS: The frequency of autoimmune
disorders was significantly higher in families of the PDD probands compared
with families of both the autoimmune and healthy control probands.
Autoimmunity was highest among the
parents of PDD probands compared with parents of the healthy control subjects.
Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's thyroiditis
and rheumatic fever were significantly more common in families with PDD
probands than in the healthy control families.
CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmunity was increased
significantly in families with PDD compared with those of healthy and
autoimmune control subjects.
These preliminary findings warrant
additional investigation into immune and autoimmune mechanisms in autism.
PMID: 14595086 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Safety of
Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study Of
Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14595043&dopt=Abstract
Verstraeten
T, Davis RL, DeStefano F, Lieu TA, Rhodes PH, Black SB, Shinefield H, Chen RT;
Vaccine Safety Datalink Team. Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, Epidemiology
Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible
toxicity of thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) among infants.
METHODS: A 2-phased retrospective cohort
study was conducted using computerized health maintenance organization (HMO)
databases.
Phase I screened for associations between
neurodevelopmental disorders and thimerosal exposure among 124 170 infants who
were born during 1992 to 1999 at 2 HMOs (A and B).
In phase II, the most common disorders
associated with exposure in phase I were reevaluated among 16 717 children who
were born during 1991 to 1997 in another HMO (C).
Relative risks for neurodevelopmental
disorders were calculated per increase of 12.5 micro g of estimated cumulative
mercury exposure from TCVs in the first, third, and seventh months of life.
RESULTS: In phase I at HMO A, cumulative
exposure at 3 months resulted in a significant positive association with tics
(relative risk [RR]: 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-3.38).
At HMO B, increased risks of language
delay were found for cumulative exposure at 3 months (RR: 1.13; 95% CI:
1.01-1.27) and 7 months (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.13).
In phase II at HMO C, no significant
associations were found.
In no analyses were significant increased
risks found for autism or attention-deficit disorder.
CONCLUSIONS: No consistent significant
associations were found between TCVs and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Conflicting results were found at
different HMOs for certain outcomes.
For resolving the conflicting findings,
studies with uniform neurodevelopmental assessments of children with a range of
cumulative thimerosal exposures are needed.
PMID: 14595043 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Perception of Complex
Sounds: Abnormal Pattern Of Cortical Activation In
Autism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594758&dopt=Abstract
Boddaert N, Belin P, Chabane
N, Poline JB, Barthelemy C, Mouren-Simeoni MC, Brunelle F, Samson Y,
Zilbovicius M.
OBJECTIVE: Bilateral temporal
hypoperfusion at rest was recently described in autism.
In normal adults, these regions are
activated by listening to speech-like sounds.
To investigate auditory cortical
processing in autism, the authors performed a positron emission tomography
activation study.
METHOD: Regional cerebral blood flow was
measured in five autistic adults and eight comparison subjects during rest and
while listening to speech-like sounds.
RESULTS: Similar to the comparison
subjects, autistic patients showed a bilateral activation of the superior
temporal gyrus.
However, an abnormal pattern of
hemispheric activation was observed in the autistic group.
The volume of activation was larger on
the right side in the autistic patients, whereas the reverse pattern was found
in the comparison group.
The direct comparison between the two
groups showed that the right middle frontal gyrus exhibited significantly
greater activation in the autistic group.
Conversely, the left temporal areas
exhibited less activation in autistic patients.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that
abnormal auditory cortical processing is implicated in the language impairments
and the inadequate response to sounds typically seen in autism.
PMID: 14594758 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Abnormal Brain Lateralization
In High-Functioning Autism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594334&dopt=Abstract
Escalante-Mead
PR, Minshew NJ, Sweeney JA.
Disturbances in lateral preference in
autism are of interest because of their potential to shed light on brain
maturational processes in this disorder.
Forty-seven autistic individuals with a
history of disordered early language development and 22 autistic individuals
with normal early language acquisition were matched with 112 healthy
individuals and compared on a standardized measure of lateral preference, the
Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.
Autistic individuals with a history of
early language disturbance showed more atypical cerebral dominance than both
healthy participants and autistic individuals with normal early language
skills.
The data indicated maturational
disturbances in establishing lateral preference rather than increased rates of
left handedness.
Atypical establishment of cerebral
dominance may be one cause of disordered language development in autism.
PMID: 14594334 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
The Effect of Choice-Making
Opportunities During Activity Schedules On Task
Engagement Of Adults With Autism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594333&dopt=Abstract
Watanabe M, Sturmey P.
Department of Psychology,
Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
Increasing choice and participation by
adults with autism spectrum disorders is an important, but neglected, aspect of
research and services.
This study evaluated the effects of
choice-making opportunities, embedded within activity schedules, and contingent
praise on the engagement of three adults with autism in a community vocational
setting.
In the baseline condition, staff assigned
the order of the tasks.
In the Choice condition and Maintenance
phases, the participants chose the order of tasks that supervisors assigned to
them.
They made their own activity schedules by
writing down the order of their tasks for that morning.
Social praise was provided contingent on
the participant's task completion.
The same tasks were used in baseline,
intervention, and maintenance phases.
During the Choice and Maintenance
conditions, client engagement was substantially higher than baseline for all
three participants.
Increasing choice-making opportunities
within activity schedules was an effective and socially acceptable way to
increase choice and engagement in adults with autism.
PMID: 14594333 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Prevalence And Patterns Of Use Of Psychoactive Medicines Among
Individuals With Autism in the Autism Society of
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594332&dopt=Abstract
Aman MG,
The Nisonger Center for Mental
Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, The Ohio State University, 1581
Dodd Drive, Columbus, OH 43210-1296, USA.
To date, there have been few surveys of
psychotropic and antiepileptic drug (AED) prevalence in individuals with
autism-spectrum conditions.
We surveyed 747 families in the Autism
Society of Ohio regarding the use of psychotropic drugs, AEDs, and
over-the-counter (OTC) preparations for autism.
In all, 417 families (55.8%) replied.
A total of 45.6% were taking some form of
psychotropic agent (including St.
John's wort and
melatonin), whereas 11.5% were taking AEDs, and 10.3% took OTC autism
preparations.
The most common psychotropic agents
included antidepressants (21.6%), antipsychotics (14.9%), antihypertensives
(12.5%), and stimulants (11.3%).
Some 51.6% were prescribed psychotropic
drugs or AEDs, and 55.4% took psychotropic drugs, AEDs, or autism supplements.
Demographic variables frequently found to
be associated with medication use included greater age, more severe autism,
more severe intellectual handicap, and housing outside the family home.
Whereas there is empirical support for
the use of some of these psychotropic agents in autism, others are being
prescribed with minimal research support.
OTC autism preparations were used in
substantial numbers of individuals, despite limited research support and the
possibility of toxic effects.
PMID: 14594332 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
The Friendship
Questionnaire: An Investigation of Adults With
Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism, And
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594330&dopt=Abstract
Baron-Cohen
S, Wheelwright S.
Department
of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry,
Friendship is an important part of normal
social functioning, yet there are precious few instruments for measuring
individual differences in this domain.
In this article, we report a new
self-report questionnaire, the Friendship Questionnaire (FQ), for use with
adults of normal intelligence.
A high score on the FQ is achieved by the
respondent reporting that they enjoy close, empathic, supportive, caring
friendships that are important to them; that they like and are interested in
people; and that they enjoy interacting with others for its own sake.
The FQ has a maximum score of 135 and a
minimum of zero.
In Study 1, we carried out a study of n =
76 (27 males and 49 females) adults from a general population, to test for
previously reported sex differences in friendships.
This confirmed that women scored
significantly higher than men.
In Study 2, we employed the FQ with n =
68 adults (51 males, 17
females) with Asperger Syndrome or
high-functioning autism to test the theory that autism is an extreme form of
the male brain.
The adults with Asperger Syndrome or
high-functioning autism scored significantly lower on the FQ than both the male
and female controls from Study 1.
The FQ thus reveals both a sex difference
in the style of friendship in the general population, and provides support for
the extreme male brain theory of autism.
PMID: 14594330 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Peer Interaction And Loneliness In High-Functioning Children With Autism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594329&dopt=Abstract
Bauminger N, Shulman C, Agam
G.
Social interaction with peers and the
understanding and feelings of loneliness were examined in 18 high-functioning
children with autism and 17 typically developing children matched for IQ,
chronological age, gender, and maternal education.
Observations were conducted on children's
spontaneous social initiations and responses to their peers in natural settings
such as recess and snack time, and children reported on their understanding and
feelings of loneliness and social interaction.
Overall, children with autism revealed a
good understanding of both social interaction and loneliness, and they
demonstrated a high level of social initiation.
However, they spent only half the time in
social interactions with peers compared with their matched counterparts, and
they interacted more often with a typically developing child than with another
special education child.
Despite the intergroup differences in
frequency of interaction, a similar distribution of interactions emerged for
both groups, who presented mostly positive social behaviors, fewer low-level
behaviors, and very infrequent negative behaviors.
Children with autism reported higher
degrees of loneliness than their typical age-mates, as well as a lower
association between social interaction and loneliness, suggesting their poorer
understanding of the relations between loneliness and social interaction.
Research and practice implications of
these findings are discussed.
PMID: 14594329 [PubMed - in process]
_______________________________________________________
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* * *
Theory of Mind--Based Action
In Children From The Autism Spectrum.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui
ds=14594328&dopt=Abstract
Begeer S, Rieffe C, Terwogt
MM, Stockmann L.
Paedologisch Instituut,
Duivendrecht, The
In this study we investigated whether
task interest facilitated the application of Theory of Mind capacities in
high-functioning children from the autism spectrum.
Children were invited to carry out two
simple tasks.
Sabotage of both tasks by a third party
resulted in the experimenter appearing to have a false belief.
Whereas pervasive developmental disorder not
otherwise specified
(PDDNOS) children tended to
correct the experimenter's false belief in the rewarded task condition,
children with autism were not influenced by task condition.
These results highlight the role played
by social and communicative factors in the application of Theory of Mind
knowledge in the former clinical group.
PMID: 14594328 [PubMed - in process]
* * *
Neurogenesis Management
FGF-2 Controls Neurogenesis In The Adult Hippocampus
After Brain Injury
[By Tudor Toma.]
http://www.cnsfoundation.org/newsletter/newsletter_50/newsletter_06.html
Unlike other organs, the brain had been
assumed to have a limited ability to repair itself, but recent evidence
suggests that brain is a more dynamic, plastic organ than originally
appreciated and is endowed with the potential for repair and regeneration.
Despite this observation, the molecular signals that control neurogenesis-the
generation of new neurons-in the adult brain have been unclear. In the October
15 Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shinichi Yoshimura and colleagues from
Harvard Medical School show that fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) regulates
neurogenesis and degeneration in the dentate gyrus following traumatic brain
injury (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 112:1202-1210, October 15, 2003).
Yoshimura et al. used FGF-2-/- mice and
observed that in these animals, following a controlled cortical impact, BrdU
marked positive cells and BrdU-positive neurons numbered fewer in the dentate
gyrus compared with
FGF-2+/+ mice. In FGF-2-/-
mice, there was also a greater decrease in
FGF-2+the
volume of the granule cell layer
(GCL) and the number of GCL neurons following traumatic brain injury. In
addition, the authors showed that overexpression of FGF-2 significantly
increased the numbers of dividing cells and BrdU-positive neurons and decreased
the volume of GCL.
“FGF-2 is, at least in part, responsible
for regulating neuronal replacement, as well as attenuating neuronal loss after
traumatic brain injury. FGF-2 supplementation may provide a rational strategy
to treat brain injury by simultaneously enhancing neurogenesis and reducing
neurodegeneration,” conclude the authors.
“[This] demonstrates that neurogenesis is
not simply a cell-autonomous property of resident stem cells but is determined
by the environmental milieu,” suggest Anna F. Hallbergson and colleagues from
the
* * *
Brain Hard-Wired for
Empathy: Study
[By Merritt McKinney.]
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3770979
Reuters Health - Ever watched someone
grimace after they sniffed a carton of sour milk? Even though you were spared a
whiff of stinky milk, to your brain, you might as well have been sniffing the
milk yourself, a report from
New research shows that when we see an
expression of disgust on someone else's face, the same part of our brain -- the
insula -- is activated as when we feel disgust ourselves.
“People have overemphasized the
importance of thoughts in our understanding of others,” Dr. Christian Keysers
of the
Although Keysers said that empathy for
others is often thought of as a matter of morals, “in our study, on the other
hand, we show that empathy is a very basic, simple and automatic process,” he
said.
Keysers explained that when we see the
emotions on another's face, “we don't need to think about how that person
feels.” Instead, according to Keysers, we share the feeling of disgust because
the insula is activated as if we were disgusted ourselves.
“This sharing is automatic,” he said.
“Our subjects were not asked to share the emotion of the other person and did
not report attempting to do so after the scan. It just happens.”
Keysers continued, “This shared feeling
of disgust could then be our key to understanding how the other person feels.”
Researchers used a tool called functional
magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI)
to monitor the brain activity of 14 men as they watched short movies of people
smelling pleasant, disgusting and neutral odors. Brain activity was also
monitored while participants themselves smelled a variety of odors.
The researchers found that a part of the
brain called the anterior insula, which previously has been linked to feelings
of disgust, was activated not only when participants smelled something
disgusting but also when they watched others take a whiff of something stinky.
A report on the findings is published in
the October 30th issue of the journal Neuron.
“We implicitly understand the meaning of
the actions of others and the meaning of their emotions by simply stimulating
them,” Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti, another of the study's authors, told Reuters
Health.
“What we provide is a neurophysiological
characterization of empathy,” said Rizzolatti.
The next step, according to Rizzolatti,
will involve studies of schizophrenia and autism to see to what extent
malfunctioning in the ability to mirror the emotions of others is to blame for
difficulties in establishing meaningful relationships with other people.
SOURCE: Neuron,
* * *
PUBLIC HEALTH
[By Marilyn Elias for
About one-quarter of
Immunization rates aren't increasing and
seem to be slipping in some regions, says Philip Smith, an epidemiologist at
the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
About 1.4 million children 19 months to
35 months old have been given at least one dose of a vaccine but not all the
shots advised, and 18,000 haven't received any vaccines, a CDC survey shows.
Smith presented the vaccine data at the
Most kids, 98%, have been fully
vaccinated by the time they start school, when parents must show proof of
immunization. But preschool years “are a window of vulnerability that gives us
a lot of concern,” says