Posts Tagged ‘genetic’

Are you one of those people who never forgets a face? Well, it seems that the credit for your ability (or lack of ability) may go to your genes. In the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences new research results show that there’s a clear genetic basis for higher level perception and cognitive abilities such as facial recognition. By comparing groups of twins, scientists found that identical twins (who share 100% of their genetic material) were more than twice as likely to share the same competence level in recognizing faces, compared to non-identical twins (who share 50% of their genetic material). “We are excited about this finding because the brain mechanisms carrying out face recognition are fairly well understood, meaning that the high heritability of face recognition could provide a good opportunity to connect genes to brain mechanism and then to behavior,” said lead author, Dr. Brad Duchaine. [via PNAS]

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Scientists are reporting in the current New England Journal of Medicine the surprising finding of genes associated with stuttering. The study, lead by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, identified three gene mutations as sources of stuttering. “This is the first study to pinpoint specific gene mutations as the potential cause of stuttering, a disorder that affects 3 million Americans, and by doing so, might lead to a dramatic expansion in our options for treatment,” said Dr. James Battey, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Stuttering tends to run in families, but this is the first study to demonstrate a genetic component, which was found in study volunteers from the US, Pakistan, and England. [via StutteringHelp.org]

Go to the Guide To Stuttering.

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder, accounting for 25 to 50 percent of all referrals to gastroenterologists. The exact cause is unknown, but researchers at the Institute of Human Genetics in Heidelberg, Germany have discovered a genetic mutation in serotonin receptors of the intestinal tract that may cause the diarrhea which many people with IBS experience. Serotonin is a hormone that is found not only in the central nervous system, but in large abundance in the GI tract. A mutation in a receptor for serotonin can explain GI disturbances, such as diarrhea. This discovery will likely pave the way for future treatments of IBS.

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Last month physicians in Germany reported that a man co-infected with leukemia and HIV is free of both diseases two years after receiving a bone marrow transplant. The excitement centers around the use of bone marrow from a donor who has natural immunity to the HIV virus. Approximately one in 1,000 Europeans and Americans have an inherited genetic mutation which prevents HIV from attaching itself to our immune cells. This is a very unique case in that a matched donor just happens to be one of those who have immunity to HIV. However, researchers at UC Davis are actively working on a cure by playing on the same idea – by replacing HIV-infected individuals’ immune systems with genetically engineered stem cells that are resistent to the HIV virus.

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This week British scientists announced the production of a genetically engineered purple tomato they hope someday will help to fight cancer. The tomato is purple due to its high levels of anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant found in berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants that have been shown to lower risk of cancer, heart disease and some neurological diseases. Not to be outdone, researchers at Rice University in Houston are working on a beer that can also be used to fight cancer and heart disease. Their secret ingredient is resveratrol, the antioxidant found in red wine that is supposedly responsible for the positive effects of the brew. The researchers believe they can make a beer that contains higher and more consistent concentrations of the cancer-fighting chemical. Learn how resveratrol works here.

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