Health is a unity and harmony within the mind, body and spirit which is unique to each person, and is as defined by that person. The level of wellness or health is, in part, determined by the ability to deal with and defend against stress. Health is determined by physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, spiritual, and developmental stage variables.
Researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases
Brain :: Researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases
Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Brain Sciences Center at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center have identified a noninvasive and painless way to diagnose complex brain diseases.Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record tiny magnetic fields in the brain, the researchers recorded brain cells communicating with each other while research subjects stared at a point of light.
After applying various mathematic algorithms, the researchers were able to classify the 142 research subjects by diagnosis. Study participants fell into one of six categories, including people with Alzheimer?s disease, chronic alcoholism, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis or Sjogren?s syndrome, as well as healthy controls.The research, led by Apostolos P. Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, neurology, and psychiatry, will be published in the Aug. 27, 2007 issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering.
?This elegantly simple test allows us to glimpse into the brain as it is working,? Georgopoulos said. ?We were able to classify, with 100 percent accuracy, the various disease groups represented in the group of research subjects.? There are no good tests that measure the brain as it functions. Several tests exist to assess brain structure, but they reveal little of how the brain interacts. Currently, brain-related diseases are diagnosed with a combination of behavioral exams, psychiatric interviews, and neuropsychological testing, all which take time and can be hard on the patient, Georgopoulos said.?This discovery gives scientists and physicians another tool to assess people?s disease progression,? he said. ?In the future it could be applied when studying the effect of new treatments or drug therapies.?
All behavior and cognition in the brain involves networks of nerves continuously interacting?these interactions occur on a millisecond by millisecond basis. The MEG has 248 sensors that record the interactions in the brain on a millisecond by millisecond basis, much faster than current methods of evaluation such as the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which takes seconds to record. The measurements they recorded represent the workings of tens of thousands of brain cells.Georgopoulos and his team were inspired to try to use the MEG as a diagnostic tool after discovering that neural interactions across human subjects were very similar.
The team published on this novel way to assess the dynamic interactions of brain networks acting in synchrony in a 2006 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Now the team will continue to collect more data on the six disease groups, as well as begin to analyze research subjects with other brain diseases, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and Parkinson?s disease, to see if the same technique can be applied.
(Brain :: Researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases published at SpiritIndia on Wednesday, August 22, 2007)
Brain
Search more information on Brain, Brain booksRecently posted related articles on Brain :
- Pregnancy :: Drinking during pregnancy damages brain of unborn
- Brain :: Effects of social isolation traced to brain hormone
- Drug :: Drug craving brain region discovered by Chilean researchers
- Resilience :: Ability to handle stress, depression linked to brain mechanism
- Genetic :: Genetic contributions to human brain morphology and intelligence
- Brain Cancer :: Using mobiles for a decade raises brain cancer risk
- HIV :: Drug cocktail stops brain damage caused by HIV
- Gene Therapy :: One shot of gene therapy spreads through brain
- Brain :: No strong evidence linking amateur boxing with long-term brain injury
- Tinnitus :: Scientists search for brain center responsible for tinnitus
Most related articles:
- Brain :: Researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases- Alzheimer's Disease :: New dye offer noninvasive early diagnosis of Alzheimer's - 7.7
- Alzheimer's Disease :: Scientists Discover How Fish Oil Protects the Brain - 7.6
- Healthcare :: New Method for Crossing Blood-Brain Barrier Patented - 7.6
- Brain :: CDC information to help physicians recognize and manage concussions early - 7.3
- Brain Tumor :: A genetic factor predicts prognosis in brain tumor patients - 7.2
- Pregnancy :: Noninvasive diagnostic test for serious infections in pregnancy - 7.1
- Brain :: Looking for something? Surprising number of neurons help find it, research shows - 6.9
- Brain :: Virus targets brain cancer stem cells - 6.9
- Preterm Birth :: Noninvasive diagnostic test for women at high risk of preterm birth - 6.4
Brain - recent related articles/news stories:
- ADHD patients have deficits in brain's reward system- Smoking increases brain lesions and brain shrinkage in MS
- Short stress may enhance learning and memory
- New insights into anorexia nervosa
- Genetic link to placebo response in depression
»» Diabetes :: Focus on families aims to curb diabetes spread
«« Cholesterol :: Why bad things can happen to heart when good cholesterol goes bad
The information provided on SpiritIndia.com is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician. Spirit India comply with the HONcode principles for trustworthy health information.
Health, Business, Science, Sports, Entertainment, Technology
©2002-2009 SpiritIndia.com
Health, Business, Science, Sports, Entertainment, Technology
©2002-2009 SpiritIndia.com