PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The more someone smokes, the smaller the number of gray cells

Scientists of the Charite Berlin and of PTB confirm: Smokers have a thinner cerebral cortex

2010-10-29
(Press-News.org) Is there a relation between the structure of specific regions of the brain and nicotine dependence? This is the question researchers of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Berlin have been investigating lately. The results of these investigations extend and specify those of preceding studies: A specific region of the cerebral cortex of smokers is thinner than that of people who have never smoked in their lives. This region is decisive for reward, impulse control, and the making of decisions. The questions of whether smoking leads to this cerebral region becoming thinner - or whether people who have a thinner cortex region by nature are more frequently inclined to become smokers - can only be clarified by further investigations.

To investigate the relation between cortical thickness and nicotine dependence, the brains of 22 smokers and 21 people who have never smoked in their lives were investigated with the aid of a magnetic resonance tomograph. The measurements were carried out at PTB in Berlin and furnished high-resolution three-dimensional images of the brain structure. On the basis of these data, the individual thickness of the cortex could be determined at the Charité by means of a special evaluation procedure. A comparison of the two groups showed that in the case of smokers, the thickness of the medial orbito-frontal cortex is, on average, smaller than in the case of people who have never smoked. The thickness of this region decreased in relation to the increase in the daily consumption of cigarettes, and depending on how long in their lives the participants in the study had been smokers.

Cause and effect are, however, still not clear. Although it is known from animal experiments that nicotine changes the development of the brain and leads to a damaging of neurocytes, it cannot be ruled out that the reduced thickness of the frontal cortex region found in the case of the participants in the study already existed before they started smoking. Possibly, it is a genetically conditioned predisposition for nicotine dependence. Scientists want to find out in future studies whether the brain structure of smokers can become normal again after they have given up smoking.

INFORMATION:

Original publication: Kühn, S.; Schubert, F.; Gallinat, J.: Reduced thickness in medial orbitofrontal cortex in smokers. Biological Psychiatry, 2010 Sept 25 (Epub ahead of print)

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Parasite infects poor women's reproductive organs

2010-10-29
A new Danish study from LIFE - Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen shows that the parasitic disease, commonly known as snail fever, or schistosomiasis, almost eats its way into women's reproductive organs. Today researchers from all over the world are gathering in Copenhagen to find out what can be done to halt the disease which is affecting millions of women in Africa. Six hundred million people in, for example, Africa live with the daily risk of being infected with the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, otherwise known as snail fever. It happens ...

'Wireless' humans could form backbone of new mobile networks

2010-10-29
Members of the public could form the backbone of powerful new mobile internet networks by carrying wearable sensors. According to researchers from Queen's University Belfast, the novel sensors could create new ultra high bandwidth mobile internet infrastructures and reduce the density of mobile phone base stations. The engineers from Queen's renowned Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT), are working on a new project based on the rapidly developing science of body centric communications. Social benefits from the work could include ...

New test equipment enhances police traffic surveillance

2010-10-29
The equipment, based on automatic camera surveillance and wireless network connection, is handily located on a mobile trailer unit. The police are thus able to monitor traffic and impose penalties for violations more comprehensively and fairly. The monitoring information is gathered into a common database available to the police, road operators and environmental authorities. A pilot system has been launched in Tampere enabling the police to test the equipment. The aim is to develop the test equipment to match police requirements as closely as possible. The database is ...

Obese children experience later mortality post liver transplantation

2010-10-29
A new study from the University of Washington reported obese children are at increased mortality risk in later years following primary liver transplantation (LT). Pediatric patients who are thin or severely thin, experience an early mortality risk—within the first year post-LT. Details of the ten-year survival analysis are published in the November issue of Liver Transplantation, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern worldwide. According to the World Health Organization ...

Scientists call for tighter regulations on food adverts during children's TV viewing

2010-10-29
The researchers, in partnership with the Cancer Council, Australia, studied 12,618 food advertisements from 11 countries and found that 67 per cent endorsed unhealthy food. The research builds on a previous study at Liverpool which revealed that children would consume twice as many calories from snacks after watching food adverts compared to after viewing advertising for toys and games. The research reveals that Germany, Spain and Greece have the highest frequency of adverts promoting unhealthy foods during children's peak viewing time, compared to other European countries ...

Researchers find 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly

Researchers find Goldilocks of DNA self-assembly
2010-10-29
Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to optimize the development of DNA self-assembling materials, which hold promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The key to the advance is the discovery of the "Goldilocks" length for DNA strands used in self-assembly – not too long, not too short, but just right. DNA strands contain genetic coding that will form bonds with another strand that contains a unique sequence of complementary genes. By coating a material with a specific DNA layer, that material will then seek ...

Researchers generate iPSCs to further treatments for lung disease

2010-10-29
(Boston) A team of researchers from Boston University's Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Pulmonary Center have generated 100 new lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from individuals with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and emphysema. The new stem cell lines could possibly lead to new treatments for these debilitating diseases. The findings, which appear in the current issue of Stem Cells, demonstrate the first time lung disease-specific iPSC have been created in a lab. iPSCs are derived by reprogramming adult cells into a primitive stem ...

Algeo tracks evidence of 'The Great Dying'

2010-10-29
More than 251 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period, Earth almost became a lifeless planet. Around 90 percent of all living species disappeared then, in what scientists have called "The Great Dying." Thomas J. Algeo, has spent much of the past decade investigating the chemical evidence buried in rocks formed during this major extinction. The University of Cincinnati professor of geology has worked with a team of scientific colleagues to understand the ancient catastrophe. Algeo will present his latest findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society ...

Broad range of research presented to Geological Society of America

2010-10-29
A robust geoscience program will draw thousands of curious minds to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver for the 122nd Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Geological Society of America, Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. More than 3,700 technical presentations will illuminate geological and integrative science research of international, national and regional interest. Among the papers presented by University of Cincinnati faculty and students at the Geological Society of America annual meeting are: China Anomalies Add To Permian Extinction Understanding Our understanding of global ...

Penn study shows 2-sided immune cell could be harnessed to shrink tumors

Penn study shows 2-sided immune cell could be harnessed to shrink tumors
2010-10-29
PHILADELPHIA - A recently identified immune cell that directs other cells to fight infection plays a critical role in regulating the immune system in both health and disease. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how a stimulatory molecule and a protein found on the membrane of another immune cell make T helper 17 cells multi-taskers of sorts. Th17 cells protect the body against infection and cancer, but are also culprits in some autoimmune diseases and out-of-control, cancerous cell growth. This new understanding that Th17 ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

[Press-News.org] The more someone smokes, the smaller the number of gray cells
Scientists of the Charite Berlin and of PTB confirm: Smokers have a thinner cerebral cortex