Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: nerve growth + syndrome + down  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

Fibromyalgia: Unreal or Misunderstood? American Chronicle, CA - Low levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and a certain growth hormone and high levels of substance P and nerve growth factor in fibromyalgia patients ... Bush Derangement Syndrome - Alive & Well The Conservative Voice, NC - Aug 2, 2008 They are also pretty fair at building straw men and then seemingly knocking them down, too. One argument that these morons almost always return to is how ... TopNews Study: CHN1 Gene, When Mutated, Leads To 'Duane Syndrome' TopNews, India - Jul 28, 2008 The team found that the process of mutation had led to produce similar defects in nerve growth of the chick embryo as that of humans. Duane syndrome which ... Might science soon help stave off the decay of old age? Globe and Mail, Canada - Aug 1, 2008 Nerve impulses will travel more slowly through their bodies. It's not pleasant to think about, but every cell type, every body part, has its own story of ... Genetic mutation identified for eye complaint EurekAlert (press release), DC - Jul 24, 2008 It develops in the womb where it affects nerve growth in the eye. Sufferers of the syndrome have limited eye movement sideways towards the ear or nose. ... The Neglected Side of Parkinson's Disease RedOrbit, TX - Aug 3, 2008 At that time, autopsy studies showed that the disease is associated with a loss of pigmented dopaminergic nerve cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta. ... Heart to Heart Talk Diabetes warning Inquirer.net, Philippines - Jul 28, 2008 Earlier studies have established a link between Mediterranean diet and the lowered risk of metabolic syndrome, of which diabetes is a component, ... Exercise fights Alzheimer's disease Ici Cemac, Cameroon - Jul 29, 2008 Other risk factors include poor diet, strokes, high cholesterol and Down syndrome. Once linked to Alzheimer's, aluminum has generally been exonerated, ... Natural News.com Chemical Causes of Diabetes: Overeating Is Not the Only Problem Natural News.com, AZ - Jul 24, 2008 "In those who drink one or more soft drinks daily, there was an association of an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome. ...

Treatment of Down syndrome in mice restores nerve growth in cerebellum

Researchers at Johns Hopkins restored the normal growth of specific nerve cells in the cerebellum of mouse models of Down syndrome that were stunted by this genetic condition.
The cerebellum is the rear, lower part of the brain that controls signals from the muscles to coordinate balance and motor learning.

The finding is important because the cells rescued by this treatment represent potential targets for future therapy in human babies with Down syndrome. And it suggests that similar success for other Down syndrome-related disruptions of brain growth, such as occurs in the hippocampus, could lead to additional treatments - perhaps prenatally - that restore memory and the ability to orient oneself in space.

Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome 21, a condition called trisomy - a third copy of a chromosome in addition to the normal two copies.
Children with Down syndrome have a variety of abnormalities, such as slowed growth, abnormal facial features and mental retardation.
The brain is always small and has a greatly reduced number of neurons.

A report on the Hopkins work with trisomic mice, led by Roger H. Reeves, is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ).

Reeves and his team used an animal model of Down syndrome called the Ts65Dn trisomic mouse to show that pre-nerve cells called granule cell precursors ( GCP ) fail to grow correctly in response to stimulation by a natural growth-triggering protein. This protein, called Sonic hedgehog ( Shh ), normally activates the so-called Hedgehog pathway of signals in these cells. These signals stimulate mitosis and multiplication of the cells in the growing, newborn brain, according to the researchers.

The GCP originate near the surface of the cerebellum and migrate deeper into the brain to form the internal granule layer ( IGL ), the researchers note. Therefore, the team studied the growth of the cerebellum in Ts65Dn trisomic mice at seven time points -- beginning at birth - to determine when GCP abnormalities first occurred. The IGL was similar in both normal and Ts65Dn mice at birth, but was significantly reduced in the trisomic mice by day six after birth.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the reduced number of GCP in these mice compared to normal mice was not due to cell death; rather, there were 21 percent fewer GCP undergoing cell division in Ts65Dn mice. This suggested that stimulating these cells might restore normal numbers of GCP, according to Reeves.

The Hopkins team then showed in test-tube experiments that GCP from the brains of Ts65Dn mice had a significantly lower response to increasing concentrations of a potent form of Shh called ShhNp. That is, increasing concentrations of ShhNp triggered increasing rates of mitosis. Despite their lower response, trisomic cells did show a dose response with increasing ShhNp concentrations.