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A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The gene, PRPS1, appears to be crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. The findings are published in the December 17 early online issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics [1].
Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has been awarded the International Prize from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) for her pioneering work in brain imaging and addiction science. Dr. Volkow will receive the award at a Dec. 17 ceremony at the College of France learning center in Paris.
For people free of dementia, abnormal deposits of a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease are associated with increased risk of developing the symptoms of the progressive brain disorder, according to two studies from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The studies, primarily funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, linked higher amounts of the protein deposits in dementia-free people with greater risk for developing the disease, and with loss of brain volume and subtle declines in cognitive abilities.
NewsScan #64 includes summaries of eight NIDA-funded scientific studies on a variety of topics, including brain imaging of sensation-seeking individuals, the role of glial cells in morphine’s effects in the brain, awareness deficits among marijuana abusers, the effects of two drugs on reducing opioid withdrawal symptoms, the behavioral effects of salvinorin A in non-human primates, drug abuse risk factors for traumatic brain injury survivors, use of marijuana among those with a subtype of testicular cancer, and environmental cues associated with nicotine.
Methamphetamine use among teens appears to have dropped significantly in recent years, according to NIDA’s annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, released today at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. However, declines in marijuana use have stalled, and prescription drug abuse remains high, the survey reported.
