Blood vessels in eye may determine IQ
Eyes may be window to
brain health!
The width of blood vessels in the retina,
located at the back of the eye, may indicate brain health years before the
onset of dementia and other deficits, according to a new study.
Psychological scientist Idan Shalev of Duke
University and colleagues wondered whether intelligence might serve as a marker
indicating the health of the brain, and specifically the health of the system
of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
Shalev and colleagues used digital retinal
imaging, a relatively new and noninvasive method, to gain a window onto
vascular conditions in the brain by looking at the small blood vessels of the
retina, located at the back of the eye. Retinal blood vessels share similar
size, structure, and function with blood vessels in the brain and can provide a
way of examining brain health in living humans.
The researchers examined data from participants
taking part in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a
longitudinal investigation of health and behaviour in over 1000 people born
between April 1972 and March 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Having wider retinal venules was linked with
lower IQ scores at age 38, even after the researchers accounted for various
health, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors that might have played a
role.
Individuals who had wider retinal venules showed
evidence of general cognitive deficits, with lower scores on numerous measures
of neurospsychological functioning, including verbal comprehension, perceptual
reasoning, working memory, and executive function.
Surprisingly, the data revealed that people who
had wider venules at age 38 also had lower IQ in childhood, a full 25 years
earlier.
It's "remarkable that venular caliber in
the eye is related, however modestly, to mental test scores of individuals in
their 30s, and even to IQ scores in childhood," the researchers said.
The study was published in the journal
Psychological Science.
Source: www.indianexpress.com
05.06.2013
Stinky feet may lead to better malaria
traps
For decades, health
officials have battled malaria with insecticides, bed nets and drugs. Now,
scientists say there might be a potent new tool to fight the deadly
mosquito-borne disease: the stench of human feet.
In a laboratory study, researchers found that
mosquitoes infected with the tropical disease were more attracted to human
odours from a dirty sock than those that didn't carry malaria. Insects carrying
malaria parasites were three times more likely to be drawn to the stinky
stockings.
The new finding may help create traps that
target only malaria-carrying mosquitoes, researchers say.
"Smelly feet have a use after all,"
said Dr James Logan, who headed the research at the London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine. "Every time we identify a new part of how the
malaria mosquito interacts with us, we're one step closer to controlling it
better."
The sock findings were published last month in
the journal, PLoS One. Malaria is estimated to kill more than 600,000 people
every year, mostly children in Africa.
Experts have long known that mosquitoes are
drawn to human odours, but it was unclear if being infected with malaria made
them even more attracted to us. Infected mosquitoes are believed to make up
about 1 per cent of the mosquito population.
Using traps that only target malaria mosquitoes
could result in fewer mosquitoes becoming resistant to the insecticides used to
kill them. And it would likely be difficult for the insects to evade traps
based on their sense of smell, scientists say.
"The only way mosquitoes could (develop
resistance) is if they were less attracted to human odours," said Andrew
Read, a professor of biology and entomology at the University of Pennsylvania,
who was not part of Logan's research. "And if they did that and started
feeding on something else – like cows -- that would be fine."
Source: www.indianexpress.com
05.06.2013
Along
with success comes a reputation for wisdom
Euripides
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