Identifican gen que influye en la inteligencia

Feinstein researchers identify intelligence gene

GLEN OAKS, NY -- Psychiatric researchers at The Zucker Hillside Hospital
campus of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have uncovered
evidence of a gene that appears to influence intelligence. Working in
conjunction with researchers at Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and
Genomics in Boston, the Zucker Hillside team examined the genetic
blueprints of individuals with schizophrenia, a neuropsychiatric disorder
characterized by cognitive impairment, and compared them with healthy
volunteers. They discovered that the dysbindin-1 gene (DTNBP1), which they
previously demonstrated to be associated with schizophrenia, may also be
linked to general cognitive ability. The study is published in the May 15
print issue of Human Molecular Genetics, available online today, April 27.

"A robust body of evidence suggests that cognitive abilities, particularly
intelligence, are significantly influenced by genetic factors. Existing
data already suggests that dysbindin may influence cognition," said
Katherine Burdick, PhD, the study's primary author. "We looked at several
DNA sequence variations within the dysbindin gene and found one of them to
be significantly associated with lower general cognitive ability in
carriers of the risk variant compared with non-carriers in two independent
groups."

The study involved 213 unrelated Caucasian patients with schizophrenia or
schizoaffective disorder and 126 unrelated healthy Caucasian volunteers.
The researchers measured cognitive performance in all subjects. They then
analyzed participants' DNA samples. The researchers specifically examined
six DNA sequence variations, also known as single nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs), in the dysbindin gene and found that one specific pattern of SNPs,
known as a haplotype, was associated with general cognitive ability:
Cognition was significantly impaired in carriers of the risk variant in
both the schizophrenia group and the healthy volunteers as compared with
the non-carriers.

eurekalert.org

Sudoku

Sudoku es un juego de lógica que puede servir como ejercicio mental.

Pure Sudoku 76 K (en Español)
PbSuDoku 106 K

Hay otros en softonic.com

Sobre el juego Sudoku en Wikipedia:

Sudoku  es un rompecabezas matemático de colocación que se popularizó en Japón en 1986 y se dio a conocer en el ámbito internacional en 2005. El objetivo es rellenar una cuadrícula de 9×9 celdas (81 casillas) dividida en subcuadrículas de 3×3 (también llamadas "cajas" o "regiones") con las cifras del 1 al 9 partiendo de algunos números ya dispuestos en algunas de las celdas. No se debe repetir ninguna cifra en una misma fila, columna o subcuadrícula. Un sudoku está bien planteado si la solución es única. La resolución del problema requiere paciencia y ciertas dotes lógicas.

Para aprender hay que dormir

Es lo que demuestra el estudio del Dr Philippe Peigneux, University of Liege in Belgium.

Mediante un scan cerebral comprobaron que durante el sueño la actividad pasa del hipocampo (memoria de instrucciones) al  striatum (coordinación de movimientos). Los sujetos a quienes se los privó de sueño siguieron usando el hipocampo, lo que se interpreta como falta de consolidación de la memoria a largo plazo.

ver nota

Piperine multiplies the strength of many supplements and drugs

 It inhibits a number of enzymes responsible for metabolizing drugs and nutritional substances; it stimulates the activity of amino-acid transporters in the intestinal lining; it inhibits p-glycoprotein, the ‘pump’ protein that removes substances from cells; and it decreases the intestinal production of glucuronic acid, thereby permitting more of the substances to enter the body in active form. Consequently, some of these substances are able to reach, enter, and remain within their target cells for longer periods of time than would otherwise be the case. Of course, this can be a mixed blessing — if one is using a drug for which the therapeutic level is not substantially lower than the toxic level, piperine supplementation might raise the bioavailability of the drug until its intracellular concentration exceeds the toxic threshold. On the other hand, piperine supplementation can sometimes turn a marginally effective therapeutic substance into a highly effective one simply by increasing its bioavailability and intracellular residency time.
...
Piperine may reduce bioavailability of some substances
...
Dosage

The usual recommended dose of piperine is 5-15 mg/day. It is absorbed quickly and well from the digestive tract. Effects on absorption of other substances begin around 15 minutes after dosing and last for an hour or two. Blood levels peak about 1-2 hours after dosing but effects on metabolic enzymes can last much longer — from one to many hours, depending upon the enzyme type.
...
 The most reliable method for ensuring piperine’s effectiveness is to take a piperine dose about half an hour before taking the substance whose bioavailability one wants to enhance.

Theoretically, using piperine on a daily basis can put the body in a continuous state of altered metabolism for certain substances.

delano.com

Leantodo el artículo. precaución, sobre todo si toman medicamentos.

La piperina se consigue a bajo precio en beyond-a-century.com

Las legumbres prolongan la vida

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(Suppl):S126.
Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people
of different ethnicities.

Conclusions: This longitudinal study shows that a higher legume intake is the most
protective dietary predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless
of their ethnicity. The significance of legumes persisted even after
controlling for age at enrolment (in 5-year interval), gender, and
smoking. Legumes have been associated with long-lived food cultures such
as the Japanese (soy, tofu, natto, miso), the Swedes (brown beans, peas),
and the Mediterranean people (lentils, chickpeas, white beans).

Bloggers que usan piracetam

Usando blogsearch.google.com encontré blogs que con icerocket no.
Me interesaba saber si alguien usaba piracetam.
Encontré algunos, pero el que me interesó fue el de MOBIUS Frame en http://mobiusframe.blogspot.com/
Comenta su experiencia con piracetam y da buenas sugerencias. Además se hace interesantes preguntas sobre otros temas.

Calcular la dosis de piracetam

Aunque las dosis de piracetam son muy discutibles (he leído reportes de gente que usa desde 200 mg hasta varios gramos), encontré este buen recurso en un sitio sobre síndrome de Down (para los que algunos usan piracetam).

Piracetam Dosage Calculator
Se ingresa el peso en libras y la dosis deseada y calcula las dosis diarias.

Piracetam Sources & Cost
Permite calcular el costo por cantidad de producto según proveedor.
Hay otros proveedors que no figuran, como relentlessimprovement.com, bulknutrition.com, biologicsonline.com y posiblemente otros como axiombiologicals, 1fast400.com, customnutritionwarehouse.com (se recomienda averiguar confiabilidad).


Algunos datos interesantes en la página:

The recommended starting dosage per Lawrence G. Leichtman, M.D. FAAP, FACMG is 75 mg per body weight in kilograms per day. Select from drop down, target mg/kg/day and desired weight to calcuate daily dosage.

Reduce dosage if hyperactivity is noticed. Dosages under 30 mg are below the threshold for a positive outcome. Start dosage after age six months: dosages for babies under six months, although harmless, are too small to be effective, i.e., not enough lipid peroxidation for Piracetam to be effective.

Piracetam has a half life of 6 to 8 hours, i.e., half of the ingested amount is metabolized in the first 6 to 8 hours. There is no known storage mechanism for Piracetam. Because of the short half life, it is desirable to dose three times a day, about 6 hours apart (never less than 4 hours), to keep a steady state level.

Many children and adults report sleep-related problems taking Piracetam before bed because it does seem to increase general CNS (central nervous system) activity.

Do not store liquid Piracetam above 25° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). Keep the solution our of the reach of children. Refrigeration is not necessary, else crystallization will occur; store in cool, dark place. For flavored Piracetam follow the storage recommendation of the compounding pharmacy. Saturation point of Piracetam is 1 gram per cc.

Cortical development occurs differently in extremely clever kids

Smarty Brains: High-IQ kids navigate notable neural shifts

Bruce Bower

The road to exceptional intelligence is paved with dramatic neural
alterations, a new brain-imaging study finds.

Critical parts of the brain's outer layer, or cortex, thicken more rapidly
during childhood and thin more drastically during adolescence in
individuals with extremely high IQ scores compared with peers of average or
moderately above-average intelligence, say neuroscientist Philip Shaw of
the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md., and his colleagues.

The scientists propose that distinctive brain growth in superior-IQ youth
reflects prolonged development of neural circuits that contribute to
reasoning, planning, and other facets of analytical thinking.

"Cortical thickness at any one age tells you next to nothing about
intelligence," Shaw says. "What's important is that cortical development
occurs differently in extremely clever kids, possibly as a result of
particularly efficient sculpting of the brain." The report appears in the
March 30 Nature.

The researchers used a magnetic resonance imaging scanner to track brain
changes in 307 children and teenagers deemed free of psychiatric or
neurological disorders. Most volunteers submitted to two or more brain
scans at intervals averaging 2 years. Participants also completed a
verbal-and-nonverbal IQ test upon entering the study as children or teenagers.

Exploratorium Webcast: Memory Lectures: Dr. Robert Sapolsky

Exploratorium Webcast: Memory Lectures: Dr. Robert Sapolsky: "Dr. Robert Sapolsky - 'Stress and Memory: Forget It!'
Can stress make you forget? Dr. Robert Sapolsky will present an overview of the disruptive effects of stress on memory and brain aging. Dr. Sapolsky, Professor of Neuroscience at Stanford University, is a MacArthur Fellow and author of numerous articles and books.

This lecture will be moderated by Sedge Thompson, host of KALW FM's popular show West Coast Live. November 18th, 1998. Wednesday, 7PM PT



Requires the RealAudio Player."