Parkinsons' drug helps older people to make decisions

Mar. 24, 2013 ? A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's Disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown.

The study, published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience, also describes changes in the patterns of brain activity of adults in their seventies that help to explain why they are worse at making decisions than younger people.

Poorer decision-making is a natural part of the aging process that stems from a decline in our brains' ability to learn from our experiences. Part of the decision-making process involves learning to predict the likelihood of getting a reward from the choices that we make.

An area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens is responsible for interpreting the difference between the reward that we're expecting to get from a decision and the reward that is actually received. These so called 'prediction errors', reported by a brain chemical called dopamine, help us to learn from our actions and modify our behaviour to make better choices the next time.

Dr Rumana Chowdhury, who led the study at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL, said: "We know that dopamine decline is part of the normal aging process so we wanted to see whether it had any effect on reward-based decision making. We found that when we treated older people who were particularly bad at making decisions with a drug that increases dopamine in the brain, their ability to learn from rewards improved to a level comparable to somebody in their twenties and enabled them to make better decisions."

The team used a combination of behavioural testing and brain imaging techniques, to investigate the decision-making process in 32 healthy volunteers aged in their early seventies compared with 22 volunteers in their mid-twenties. Older participants were tested on and off L-DOPA, a drug that increases levels of dopamine in the brain. L-DOPA, more commonly known as Levodopa, is widely used in the clinic to treat Parkinson's.

The participants were asked to complete a behavioural learning task called the two-arm bandit, which mimics the decisions that gamblers make while playing slot machines. Players were shown two images and had to choose the one that they thought would give them the biggest reward. Their performance before and after drug treatment was assessed by the amount of money they won in the task.

"The older volunteers who were less able to predict the likelihood of a reward from their decisions, and so performed worst in the task, showed a significant improvement following drug treatment," Dr Chowdhury explains.

The team then looked at brain activity in the participants as they played the game using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and measured connections between areas of the brain that are involved in reward prediction using a technique called Diffusor Tensor Imaging (DTI).

The findings reveal that the older adults who performed best in the gambling game before drug treatment had greater integrity of their dopamine pathways. Older adults who performed poorly before drug treatment were not able to adequately signal reward expectation in the brain -- this was corrected by L-DOPA and their performance improved on the drug.

Dr John Williams, Head of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the Wellcome Trust, said: "This careful investigation into the subtle cognitive changes that take place as we age offers important insights into what may happen at both a functional and anatomical level in older people who have problems with making decisions. That the team were able to reverse these changes by manipulating dopamine levels offers the hope of therapeutic approaches that could allow older people to function more effectively in the wider community."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wellcome Trust, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Rumana Chowdhury, Marc Guitart-Masip, Christian Lambert, Peter Dayan, Quentin Huys, Emrah D?zel, Raymond J Dolan. Dopamine restores reward prediction errors in old age. Nature Neuroscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3364

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Xj13SPpXrwY/130324152308.htm

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Rove sees potential support for gay marriage

WASHINGTON (AP) ? GOP strategist Karl Rove says he can imagine a Republican candidate in the next presidential campaign supporting gay marriage.

The statement from the former adviser to President George W. Bush appears to acknowledge that opposition to gay marriage has waned in some conservative circles.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, announced last week that he now supports gay marriage after learning one of his sons was gay.

Rove's comment was part of a panel discussion on ABC's "This Week." He did not elaborate.

The Supreme Court is taking up two cases this week involving same-sex marriage. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told CBS' "Face the Nation" that most Republicans still oppose gay marriage and noted that 30 states have defined marriage between a man and a woman.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rove-sees-potential-support-gay-marriage-192602808--election.html

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Miami moves to Sweet 16 with 63-59 win over Illini

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? There was no question about Shane Larkin's go-ahead 3-pointer for Miami.

The ball that appeared to ricochet off the hands of Miami's Kenny Kadji seconds later but went to the Hurricanes ? well, look at the replay.

Regardless, there is no overturning the fact that the Hurricanes are going to the NCAA round of 16 for only the second time in school history.

The Hurricanes got Larkin's big shot and the close call, holding on for a 63-59 victory over Illinois on Sunday night in the East Regional.

"I mean, I don't know. It was so many hands, you know. I don't know who touched it last," Kadji said while seemingly trying to suppress a smile. "Everybody was getting out there and there was a couple of hands. So I really don't know."

After Larkin's first field goal in about 9 1/2 minutes, D.J. Richardson missed a 3-pointer. In the fight for the rebound was the ball that looked like it hit Kadji's extended hand. But the Hurricanes kept the ball, and Durand Scott made two free throws after that.

"You saw the same video I did," first-year Illinois coach John Groce said. He added, "hard game to officiate ... 50-50 calls are hard sometimes."

In postgame news conference, Groce cut off any questions about the play to his players.

Miami (29-6), the No. 2 seed, advanced to play Marquette (25-8) in Washington D.C. on Thursday night.

Larkin, the only non-senior starter for Miami and the ACC player of the year, finished with 17 points.

On the late 3, Larkin had other ideas against a suffocating Illinois defense. He was cut off when he tried to drive to the basket.

"I just stepped back and shot the 3, and it went in," Larkin said.

Rion Brown had 21 with five 3s for the Hurricanes. Kadji added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Brandon Paul had 18 points for No. 7 seed Illinois (23-13). Nnanna Egwu and Tyler Griffin had 12 points each, the later on four 3s.

Second-year Miami coach Jim Larranaga had said he planned to have more fun than any other coach in the NCAA tournament, and wanted his team to do the same.

They are, but they had to fight to the end ? and get what looked like a huge break ? to finish off the Illini.

"After the game was over, I was still kind of stunned," said Larranaga, who danced it up in the locker room when it was over, a video sure to go viral among 'Canes fanes. "When I shook hands with John Groce, I was speechless."

Brown and Larkin both had two free throws in the final 16 seconds, between a tip-in by Egwu

Before Larkin's go-ahead 3, he hadn't scored since 10:29 was left in the game. He put Miami up 38-37 when he drove to the basket, cradled the ball to his side with his arm while getting fouled and then made the shot. He missed the free throw, but the Hurricanes got the rebound and Scott drove for a one-handed dunk.

Less than 2 minutes later, the lead was 46-39 after Brown's 3 from the right corner in front of the Miami bench that sent his teammates and the Hurricanes fans nearby in a frenzy.

Just before that Miami spurt, the Illini had grabbed their first lead since midway through the first half when Tracy Abrams drove for a one-handed slam after a wild sequence that started when he missed a 3-pointer.

After the long-range miss that led to a long rebound, D.J. Richardson couldn't get the ball while several Miami players chased it as well. But one of the Hurricanes swiped the ball right to Richardson, who got the ball to Abrams, who drove through an open gap for the emphatic basket that put Illinois up 35-34 with 12 1/2 minutes left.

The Illini missed six 3s in a row in the second half. But, as usual, they kept shooting them and Paul got them out of that slump with consecutive long-range makes.

His 3 from the right wing with 6 1/2 minutes left got the Illinois within 48-45, then after Kadji's short hook for Miami, Paul made another 3-pointer.

They went ahead when Paul drove for a dunk that broke a 52-all tie with 3:23 left. Scott made a layup with just under 2 minutes for Miami, before Abrams made the first of two free throw attempts for a 55-54 lead that was gone on Larkin's step-back 3.

"We battled. I asked them to play with courage. They played with a high level of courage," Groce said. "Their poise was tremendous. They were resilient."

Larranaga, who took mid-major George Mason to the 2006 NCAA Final Four, won 20 games in his first season at Miami. That wasn't enough to get the Hurricanes in the NCAA tournament.

They left no doubt this year after winning the ACC regular-season and tournament championships. And they already have five wins more than ever before.

When the latest one was over, Miami was the third team from the state of Florida going to the round of 16. Florida won on the same floor earlier Sunday, and No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast ? which beat the Hurricanes earlier this season ? won over San Diego State in another South Regional game to advance.

"People gave us grief for that (loss to Gulf Coast). But now it's just showing that they're a great team," Larkin said. "It just proves that Florida has great basketball teams just like everybody else in the country."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/miami-moves-sweet-16-63-59-win-over-032506698--spt.html

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Unstick Whatever Trash Gets Stuck In Your Head, Even Call Me Maybe

Whenever I pass a Wells Fargo bank "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from the Music Man plays in my head for the rest of the day and wrecks everything. But research shows that solving anagrams may be a way to stop the broken record. Seriously, this better work. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/aieRZv7CWT0/unstick-whatever-trash-gets-stuck-in-your-head-even-call-me-maybe

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U.S. victims of mass shootings seek control over donations

By Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Survivors of mass U.S. shootings have united to provide victims of future tragedies greater control over donations made after such events and to prevent nonprofit groups from holding onto money intended for families of the dead and wounded.

A group representing families of those killed at the Columbine, Virginia Tech and Aurora mass shootings wants to ensure any unspecified funds raised as a result of the Newtown shooting go directly to victims and their families.

Newtown, the Connecticut town where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, has identified more than 60 funds raising money on behalf of victims or projects related to the shooting.

The families of some mass shooting victims want a National Compassion Fund established to manage future donations.

"Going back to Oklahoma City, we've seen families who have had to endure not only horrific loss, but also the unimaginable task of wrestling with Byzantine nonprofit bureaucracies to access financial relief intended for them," the families said in a statement. "It's time to stop the madness. We cannot watch this happen, yet again, in Sandy Hook."

The informal group, so far unnamed, has initiated talks with senior White House officials and two members of Congress about establishing an official fundraising operation for such tragedies, said Caryn Kaufman, a spokeswoman for the families. She declined to name the officials out of concern it might jeopardize the project.

The group is examining whether legislation or an executive order would be needed to create a federal or nonprofit entity that would coordinate donations after any future tragedy.

The project has won initial support from Kenneth Feinberg, the influential Washington lawyer who administered funds for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks and several mass shootings.

Jerri Jackson, whose son Matt McQuinn was killed with 11 others in the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, wants it to be easier for future victims to receive aid.

"It's not a matter of if something else happens, it's when something else happens," Jackson said. "Immediately, a fund would be set up. It would be a trusted fund that people would feel they could give to and the money would go to the victims."

Jackson said she was forced to "jump through hoops in the midst of tragedy" to receive money raised in her son's name.

Nearly $5.9 million in Aurora donations were channeled to the Community First Foundation. When victims' families publicly complained about the pace of disbursement, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper called in Feinberg, who oversaw the disbursement within 45 days. The victims' fund was later shut down.

After the 2007 Virginia Tech University shooting that killed 32 people, more than $10 million spontaneously flowed to the university's fundraising foundation, university spokesman Larry Hincker said.

Because that foundation was only authorized to spend money on the university, an executive order from the governor was needed to disburse the funds to victims, Hincker said.

Michael Pohle, a member of the group whose son was killed at Virginia Tech, said: "What was so insulting was we had to fill out documents, have them notarized, and basically beg and apply for dollars."

Feinberg recognized some grieving survivors were upset but defended the disbursement process following both tragedies, noting the highly unusual circumstances, complex legal requirements and emotional strain on the families.

FAMILIES BAND TOGETHER

The ad hoc group of 64 people lost relatives in tragedies such as the September 11 attacks, the 2008 shooting at Northern Illinois University and the Sikh temple shooting last year at Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

The group has not involved the Sandy Hook families regarding the distribution of Newtown funds, saying it was too soon for those still grieving. Even so, the group was concerned about the confusion caused by having dozens of nonprofit groups collecting money in Newtown, said Kaufman, the group's spokeswoman.

Some of the Newtown funds were designated for a specific purpose, such as creating a playground or scholarship. In other cases, the funds refer to more general goals of supporting the victims. The group believes that money should go to the victims' families.

Feinberg has overseen disbursements of funds following September 11, the BP oil spill and several mass shootings. Though he is not affiliated with the group, he supports the concept Of having a protocol in place when a future tragedy occurs.

"I think it's a great idea," Feinberg said. "The question is: Is there the political will to do it?"

(This story was corrected in paragraph 12 to clarify that victims' fund, not foundation, was closed)

(Editing by Mary Milliken and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-victims-mass-shootings-seek-control-over-donations-010450959.html

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Britney Spears and David Lucado: Holding Hands! So Happy!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/britney-spears-and-david-lucado-holding-hands-so-happy/

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Drake Gets A Very Strange Tweet From Amanda Bynes | Music ...

Walking train wreck, former child star and current?Kiely Williams?impersonator?Amanda Bynes?has been on a pretty major self-destructive spiral into madness, hasn?t she? It?s the kind that?s absolutely riveting to watch, even as it fills the observer with the idle discomfort that arises when we don?t know whether it?s going to turn out like Britney Spears?(redemption!) or?Amy Winehouse?(tragedy!) or?Lindsay Lohan?(neither!), where we think, ?Oh, here?s a talented person who?s clearly suffering from a serious mental illness, but the spectacle is so funny that it?s hard not to laugh at, even though a time will probably come when we?ll feel terrible for having been so cruel to her.? Ah, well.?

Anyway, celebrity news isn?t really our beat here, but?music?news is (which means now we get to talk about Amanda Bynes, hey!) and last night, Bynes amped up the insanity with a disturbing and provocative tweet to?Drake, in which she asked him to murder her vagina. Yep! That?s what she said. Behold:

And then the seas dried up and the stars dropped out of the sky and the Internet melted into a hot tsunami of semiconductors and telephone wire and it was the end of the world, the end of everything. The End. Bye forever.

But no, okay, really. Of course this is hysterical, and also horrifying, and the sort of thing that we can?t?not?talk about, but also, maybe, let?s try and be compassionate to poor Amanda Bynes, the oddest celebrity curiosity who ever lived. She?s going through a rough patch! And if she wants Drake to murder her vagina, well ? sure, it?s a little explicit, and also gruesome, but who are we to judge? After all, it?s what a girl wants.

[via Popdust]

Source: http://idolator.com/7448074/amanda-bynes-drake-tweets-vagina-murder

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