Futurity.org » Indiana University

Test score estimates schizophrenia risk

Eric Schoch-Indiana — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:04:03 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Researchers have created a prototype test to predict whether a person is at a higher or lower risk of schizophrenia.

The test, which is based on analysis of a specific set of genes, generates a score that indicates risk level.

Mail mix-up may change eye disease treatment

Steve Chaplin-Indiana — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:27:39 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Sloppy shipping of a donated human retina has inadvertently helped researchers uncover a previously undetected mechanism causing a type of macular degeneration.

The discovery has led researchers to urge review of how millions of dollars are spent investigating the cause of a type of age-related macular degeneration called choroidal neovascularization.

Working at Indiana University’s Biocomplexity Institute, postdoctoral researcher Abbas Shirinifard had hit a brick wall trying to develop detailed computer simulations of the behaviors and interactions of the cells and membranes composing the rear of the retina and its supporting vasculature.

For better test results, swap topics often

Judy Holmes-Syracuse — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:20:07 +0000

SYRACUSE U./ INDIANA U. (US) — Students of all ages might improve their test scores if the category of information changed abruptly midway through the test, according to a new study.

“The simple act of testing harms memory,” says Amy Criss, assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University. “Previous studies have shown that people are more accurate in their responses to questions at the beginning of a test than they are at the end of a test.

Smells tied to alcohol may stir cravings

Eric Schoch-Indiana — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:42:57 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — A region in the brain springs into action when cravings for alcohol are activated by cues, such as smells, according to a study with rats.

The findings suggest alcohol craving and relapse may have a physical neurological basis.

In parasite battles, weakness is a boost

Abby Vogel Robinson-Georgia Tech — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:01:52 +0000

GEORGIA TECH (US) — When battling an epidemic of a deadly parasite, less resistance can sometimes be better than more, a new study suggests.

A freshwater zooplankton species known as Daphnia dentifera endures periodic epidemics of a virulent yeast parasite that can infect more than 60 percent of the Daphnia population. During these epidemics, the Daphnia population evolves quickly, balancing infection resistance and reproduction.

A new study led by Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) researchers reveals that the number of vertebrate predators in the water and the amount of food available for Daphnia to eat influence the size of the epidemics and how these “water fleas” evolve during epidemics to survive.

Honey bees stay healthy in probiotic hives

Steve Chaplin-Indiana — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:47:52 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Greater genetic diversity among workers leads to honey bee colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria.

The new work describes the communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies. Led by Indiana University Bloomington assistant professor Irene L. G. Newton and Wellesley College assistant professor Heather Mattila, the study is reported in the journal PLoS ONE.

Like birds, memory pecks around in patches

Anna Blackaby-Warwick — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:30:10 +0000

U. WARWICK (UK) /INDIANA U. (US) — Humans move between “patches” in their memory using the same strategy as birds hunting among bushes for berries.

Researchers at the University of Warwick and Indiana University have identified parallels between animals looking for food in the wild and humans searching for items within their memory—suggesting that people with the best “memory foraging” strategies are better at recalling items.

100-year-old brains may help treat mentally ill

Steve Chaplin-Indiana — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:39:33 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — Using a simple blood test, DNA from brains preserved more than a century ago may help improve diagnosis and treatment for people with psychological illnesses.

The brain samples under investigation come from turn-of-the-century patients who suffered from mental disorders at Central State Hospital, an asylum established in the mid-1800s for the state of Indiana’s mentally ill that now houses the Indiana Medical History Museum.

Some chilies trade heat for hardiness

Vince Stricherz-UW — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:10:15 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US) — Wild chilies that grow in wet regions turn up the heat as a defense mechanism against a fungus that if left alone could destroy their seeds.

The finding helps explain why some chilies are hot and some are not.

Alcoholic mice live to drink

Cindy Fox Aisen-Indiana — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:10:11 +0000

INDIANA U. (US) — A new line of mice, bred to prefer alcohol over all other beverages, is expected to offer insight into the role genetics and lifestyle play in alcoholism.

The mice drink more alcohol than other animal models and consume it in a fashion similar to humans: choosing alcohol over other options and binge drinking.