Can electrical stimulation of the brain make you smarter?

The verdict’s not out yet, but a new study has found that stimulated a specific region of the brain appears to lead to the production of new brain cells that enhance memory.

The study, conducted in animals, looked at how deep brain stimulation (DBS) may work to improve cognition.

DBS is a clinical intervention that delivers electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain. It has been used as an effective treatment for movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

Now, researchers have been exploring the potential of DBS as a possible treatment for a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions, such as memory disorders.

Throughout life, new cells are born in parts of the hippocampus of the brain, which is associated with learning and memory.

In this new study, Paul Frankland, PhD, and his colleagues found that one hour of electrical stimulation to a region of the brain that communicates with the hippocampus led to the birth of twice as many new cells in the hippocampus.

The boost only lasted for about a week, but the cells produced during this time developed normally and made connections with other brain cells.

Six weeks later, the researchers looked at whether the new cells produced changes in memory by testing how well the animals learned to navigate onto a landing submerged in a small pool of water.

Compared with mice that did not receive the therapy, DBS mice spent more time swimming near the landing, the treatment may have improved spatial learning.

Prior studies have suggested that DBS could delay cognitive decline in dementia patients.

The study was published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Researchers have discovered a compound that attacks certain cancer cells by depriving them of their energy source, glucose.

Because the compound can selectively target cancer cells, while leaving normal cells alone, researchers hope it may someday be an option other than chemotherapy for cancer patients.

Chemotherapy can be rough for patients because most of the drugs are unable to distinguish between which cells are cancerous and which are not. Instead, the chemicals simply target all rapidly dividing cells, which include healthy blood cells and cells that make hair.

However, drugs that can target a phenomenon exclusive to cancer cells – such as using glucose for energy – could fight the disease with considerably less side effects.

“This study demonstrates an approach for selectively inhibiting the ability of cancer cells to take up glucose, which is a pretty powerful way of killing those cells,” said senior study author Amato Giaccia, PhD, Stanford University professor and director of radiation oncology.

For the study, the researchers focused on a common kidney cancer in adults, called renal cell carcinomas, for the study. The cancer is resistant to chemotherapy, and patients typically must have the kidney removed.

Using mice, researchers tested the effects two candidate drugs, STF-62247 and STF-31, on renal cell carcinomas. Both succeeded in starving the cancer cells of glucose and slowing tumor growth.

Additionally, there was no apparent damage to normal tissues, immune systems or blood cells of the mice.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Findings from a new study indicate that soy appears to increase radiation’s ability to kill lung cancer cells.

According to researchers from Wayne State University, a component in soybeans, called soy isoflavones, not only increases radiation’s effectiveness in fighting cancer cells – it also protects normal lung cells against radiation injury.

Lead researcher Gilda Hillman, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, and her team demonstrated that cells that were treated with soy isoflavones before radiation showed more DNA damage and less repair activity than cells that received only radiation treatment.

“Natural soy isoflavones can sensitize cancer cells to the effects of radiotherapy by inhibiting the survival mechanisms that cancer cells activate to protect themselves,” Hillman explained.

“At the same time,” she added, “soy isoflavones can also act as antioxidants, which protect normal tissues against unintended damage from the radiotherapy.”

Previous research has shown that pure genistein is also an effective treatment against lung cancer when used in conjunction with radiation, though Hillman says that her findings suggest that soy may be even more potent than genistein.

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, over 200,000 people in the US were diagnosed with cancer in 2007.  Over 150,000 died from the disease.

Risk factors for lung cancer include smoking, secondhand smoke, exposure to asbestos and family history.

The study was published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Scientists have grown sperm cells in a dish from the testicular tissue of mice, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A team of Japanese scientists from the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine in Yokohama, Japan, were able to grow healthy sperm in a lab and use them to produce fertile offspring.

This achievement comes after decades of unsuccessful attempts to develop spermatogonial stem cells into actual sperm.

The scientists hope this breakthrough can help doctors one day design fertility treatments for men – in particular, young boys undergoing treatment for cancer.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer can potentially kill the cells that create sperm, which can leave patients infertile.  While adults can bank sperm before treatment, that option isn’t available to boys who haven’t hit puberty yet.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature.

Click here to read more from the Los Angeles Times.

By eating the seven Latin powerfoods, by ingesting foods with antioxidant properties, and by eliminating bad oils and implementing good ones, you’re detoxifying yourself. What does this mean? Well, basically, every human cell takes food, burns it, creates waste, and then discards it. We all generate cellular by-products. However, when the cell doesn’t get rid of waste, we become less efficient. And when the waste is contaminated, it is difficult to eliminate. What we want is to have our cells metabolize effectively. Toxins don’t allow cells to work well. In order for us to lose weight, our cells must be working well. That’s why antioxidants, proteins, and good oils become important when you start to talk dieting and health. That’s also why when we see news reports about lowering cancer rates, they’re always—if you notice—linked with balanced diets. At the end of the day, cancers, aside from being genetically derived, are derived from cellular toxicity from poor diets and habits (like smoking and drinking).

The good news about all this is that you can eliminate a lot of the toxins in your body—and your body will respond relatively quickly. Consider this example using one of the most toxic activities people do to themselves: smoke. Did you know that if you quit smoking—even after twenty years of doing it—your body will immediately change? In fact, even after one hour of not smoking, the oxygen content in your cells is significantly higher! Now if your body responds that quickly to stopping one of the most detrimental toxins from invading it, you can recognize that a change in the body’s diet is also going to have immediate, beneficial effects.

Let’s look further into the seven Latin powerfoods and their subcategories and learn about their immediate effects on our bodies.

TOMATILLOS
These flavorful and unique small yellow-green tomatoes pack a lot more nutrients than regular red tomatoes. Used throughout Mexico and available now here in the States, tomatillos are rich in vitamins C, A, and folic acid, as well as potassium. They are a great source for your daily antioxidant needs.

GARBANZO BEANS
These delicious beans are very high in fiber, which will improve your elimination cycles and support the growth of healthy intestinal flora. They are very low in natural sugar content, and high in complex carbohydrate content and protein, giving you a steady source of high-quality fuel for balanced energy throughout your day. They also have a warming effect on your body and a calming effect on your mind. Garbanzo beans are used in cooking throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

AVOCADO
Do not let the “high” fat content of avocados deter you from eating this fantastic fruit. In fact, the healthy monounsaturated oil in avocado will help you feel satiated after a meal and signal your body to burn more fat stores, as well as lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol! Avocado also helps lubricate your intestines and assists in regulating your elimination cycles. Avocados are grown, and consumed, throughout the Americas.

GARLIC
Use garlic as often as you can in your cooking. Garlic is well known for its immune-boosting and antimicrobial properties. It also helps lower bad cholesterol. A clove of garlic a day can keep the doctor away! You will benefit from improved blood circulation as well as a stronger libido. The Spanish, Portuguese, and French are credited with introducing this powerfood to the New World, where it is now a ubiquitous ingredient.

CINNAMON
A half teaspoon a day of cinnamon can lower sugar levels in your blood, and studies show that cinnamon can aid in the prevention of diabetes. Cinnamon is also high in antioxidants, not to mention flavor. You can sprinkle cinnamon on fruits or whole grains instead of sugar for a delicious treat. You will also benefit from its sensually warming and cholesterol-lowering qualities. First used medicinally in Egypt and India and in parts of Europe since about 500 BC, this spice is now part of many Latin American and Caribbean cuisines.

CHILES
You can use chiles as often as you wish in your dishes for flavor and for health. Chiles of all types, like chipotle and other hot chiles, are high in minerals and antioxidants, giving a healthy boost to your immune system. Another interesting note about this powerfood is that although it is hot to taste, it actually has a cooling effect on your body. Blood rushes to the periphery of your body in response to the hot taste, and then the blood cools down before moving more to the center of your body, where your temperature is higher. That is why Latinos in hot tropical countries instinctively eat hot and spicy foods. Though many equate chiles with Mexico, they can be found in varied colors and shapes, as well as all different degrees of hotness, throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

CILANTRO
Cilantro accelerates the excretion of toxic metals from your body. Excess toxic metals in the body can create a breeding ground for viral infections, so using cilantro on a daily basis in your cooking is a very smart choice for staying healthy. All you need is a handful in a salad or a couple of tablespoons in a cooked dish to reap the benefits of this medicinal plant. This herb—and its cousin, culantro—is used throughout the Americas.

Aside from these seven Latin powerfoods, there is a great assortment of others that fall under the same categories. These powerfoods contain a myriad of options offering benefits similar to the ones I’ve mentioned. If you’re looking for more variety—which is one of the main advantages of following a Latin diet—look at the powerfood categories below. You’ll see where each of the seven Latin powerfoods falls within the food groups and what other similar foods you can work with. Be creative! More color means more nutrients. By combining these healthy and natural Latin ingredients, you’ll be sure to optimize their effects!

University of Miami cardiologists are reporting success in a preliminary clinical trial of a stem cell therapy they hope will someday be the standard for mending scars left over from heart attacks, according to the Miami Herald.

If the procedure continues to show promising results in further trials, it may reduce the need for lifelong medication, even for transplants, researchers said.

“That’s the Holy Grail, the quest the whole field has been pursuing for close to a decade, and this is evidence we’re on the right track,” said Dr. Joshua Hare, lead author of the study and director of the UM Medical School’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute.

The therapy involved taking stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow and injecting them by catheter into scar tissue in the patient’s heart caused by an earlier heart attack.  Once injected, some of the immature adult stem cells became heart muscle and triggered the heart to produce more of its own stem cells, which became heart muscle as well.

Researchers also said that the therapy was able to reduce the size of swollen hearts up to 25 percent.  Current therapies, such as medication and pacemakers, are only about to reduce heart size by about five percent.  Reduction in swelling improves the patient’s health by increasing the heart’s ability to pump blood.

There were no significant side effects reported in the study.  Now, researchers will launch into a more intensive testing phase that will take up to five years and involve hundreds of patients before it can be approved by the FDA for routine use.

Another study will test whether bone marrow from a donor can work as well as the patients own bone marrow.

The study was published in the journal Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Click here to read more from the Miami Herald.