S18986 – A Possible Treatment for Neurodegenerative Diseases

A new medicine may be the answer to help save the brain from certain old age-related diseases. In a long-term research to treat these conditions, researchers have discovered that S18986, an experimental drug, is capable of counteracting several symptoms of aging in the brains of rats. When the animals were treated with the drug on a daily basis for a total of four months, the rats were observed to manifest better memories, less inflammation in the brains and a higher level of activity. Dopamine-generating neurons in the forebrain of an 18-month-old drug rat show to be more active as compared with a normal rat of similar age.

As a man gets older, certain biological functions also start to weaken and deteriorate and this condition does not exclude the human brain. Inflammations may begin to occur, cognitive functions are impaired, and certain neurotransmitter levels drop. As a consequence, a multitude of neurodegenerative diseases crop up. Neurodegenerative diseases are genetic and random conditions that are characterized by a dysfunction in the nervous system. These disorders are frequently associated with the deterioration of the specific affected structures of the central or peripheral nervous system. Examples of these diseases include depression, memory impairment, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease among a few.

Researchers from the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at The Rockefeller University in New York, conducted an experiment on the behavioral and biological effects of chronic S18986, an experimental drug, which is a positive AMPA receptor modulator. The scientists studied the behaviors and neural effects of S18986 in rats aged 14 to 18 months. Based on the study released on October 24, 2007, the drug interacts with AMPA (short for α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid, or ampakine) receptors in the brain. AMPA receptors are a major subtype of ionotopic receptors that react to glutamate. In comparison with the control animals that were treated with placebo, the AMPA receptors of the rodents that were treated with positive allosteric modulators were observed to be transmitting and selectively enhancing fast, excitatory signals in the brain, consequently manifesting neuroprotective abilities, increased overall neuronal excitability, increased locomotor activity, slower inflammation of the brain, and memory enhancement.

The effects also included retardation in the decline of midbrain dopaminergic neurons by around forty-three percent. Dopamine-producing neurons are responsible for sustaining activity and motivation levels. Dopamine is a chemical that is produced by the body in a natural process. In the central nervous system, it works as a neurotransmitter that is essential in the maintenance of normal activity levels. Decreased levels of dopamine, specifically the death of dopamine neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway, causes Parkinson’s disease wherein a person is incapable to perform smooth, controlled body part movements. The drug also retarded the deterioration of forebrain cholinergic neurons by approximately thirty-seven percent during aging. These neurons are responsible for the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that plays a role in memory and learning. Acetylcholine works in both systems as a neuromodulator that activates muscles and it makes up the cholinergic system that causes excitatory activities. Diseases associated with the abnormal functioning of this chemical compound include Alzheimer’s disease and myasthenia gravis.

Layers Of Ancient Molten Rock Under The Atlantic Ocean Plotted

For the first time in history, scientists were able to map layers of ancient molten rock that are frozen underneath the edges of the Atlantic Ocean. This latest geological development may shed a brighter light as to what may have occurred during the separation of continents some 55 million years back. This research group also seeks to provide an enlightenment regarding the changes that happen to the atmosphere and the biosphere during volcanic activities. The research team has also developed a new technique of looking into the thick lava stream under the ocean’s floor as well as the sediments and the formations underneath. This process is now being used to advance the oil exploration of certain regions that cannot be previously penetrated due to the thick lava flow.

A research group that is composed of a partnership of universities and companies sponsored the research. These institutions include Liverpool University, University of Cambridge, Badley Geoscience Ltd, and Schlumberger Cambridge Research Ltd, plus major support from the Natural Environment Research Council, WesternGeco, eight oil companies, and the Department of Trade and Indstry.

Back in 1998, scientists were able to locate pockets of molten rock in a certain area deep inside the earth from which researchers thought they would only find solid rock. They also discovered the presence of large temperature differences 2,000 miles underneath the earth, just above the boundary between its core and mantle. Areas with several volcanoes and earthquakes activities are found to have higher rock temperatures compared to those locations with fewer volcanoes.

Recently, scientists have plotted the enormous amount of molten rock that is presently frozen into the crust under the floor of Atlantic Ocean, which measure more than eight miles thick in particular regions. The rocks have been infused into the earth’s crust at a depth of 5 to 10 miles below the surface along the line of the continental disintegration that transpired in the North Atlantic. They were able to map the layers of lava flows, near the earth’s surface and underneath it, through the use of seismic techniques. The researches suggest that the similar volcanic activity in the North Atlantic may have resulted to the successive release of enormous amount of greenhouse gases that could have triggered the rise in the earth’s temperature 55 million years ago. According to the researchers, the separation of a continent may sometimes come with a colossal eruption of volcanic activity. This phenomenon occurs due to a hot spot in the mantle lying underneath the outer skin of the earth, 55 miles thick. When the North Atlantic cracked open, 1-2 million cubic miles of molten rock was produced, through which it extended across 300,000 square miles. Most of the molten rock now lies submerged and covered by sediment that were deposited more recently, although a visible part of the volcanic region can be found in a small number of areas such as the Giant’s Causeway located in Northern Ireland.

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