Adopt-a-mouse newsletter #10

[Cbean]

OK, thought this was supposed to be in 7 parts, but the parts keep coming - here's #10:

Episode 10 Is it time to go from super mouse to DS man?



Just to remind you we told you of a major discovery in the last episode. Contrary to popular belief the DS brain does not need more positive signals: it needs less negative ones. The researchers at Stanford have found that an excess of inhibitory signals is the problem. There are too many red lights in the system and making the green lights greener doesn’t help, we have to turn off some of the red lights.



Research has clarified the mystery. They have given us a well defined objective. It now looks more like a medical problem that should respond to the proper medication than an insurmountable mass of confusion. An extensive literature search has uncovered a short list of products that demonstrate this type of restrictive activity on inhibitory transmission. They will be reviewed and tested.



It would appear that we are close to our first “treatment program” earlier than we could have expected. A program designed to test a product that will measurably improve the memory of a person with DS. There is no doubt that with improved memory will come increased learning and ability to participate in social activities. Memory is a fundamental requirement to understanding and learning and this will lead to many more improvements that we will not try to enumerate here.



The Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation is proud to have supported this work and will continue in this and other efforts to improve the quality of life for those with DS and their providers.

[Jessie]

Wow, they make it seem like there are wonderful things just around the corner for our kids. That is very encouraging to hear the progress they are making.



Jessie

[wrblack]

Thanks for keeping up with this, Christine. But then you probably don't have anything better to do, other than sitting around gawking at little Miss Emily.
But did we miss number 9? Or did they skip that number? 10 does seem to pick up where 8 left off. Or did I miss something? Nah, surely not. -- Regards, Bob

[Cbean]

Hmm, anything is possible. It really is hard fitting other things in while gawking at my princess. Sigh. I actually have them all saved in a Word document, so if anyone wants to read back issues, feel free to P/M or email me and I'll be happy to forward it your way!

Ok, here's #9:

Episode 9 Exciting news! A giant step forward!!!
One purpose of these reviews is to give you a little insight into the research process. If nothing else it will give you more confidence in the process and the recommendations that are forthcoming. So we would like to take you stepwise through how the mystery of insufficient LTP in DS was unraveled.
Action in the brain can be related to traffic at a major intersection. Because there is so much traffic it requires a signal light to keep order, and allow cars to pass without hitting each other. Everyone knows green light is go; red light is stop. It is basically the same in the brain except we use different names.
„« ¡§Excite¡¨ means go. We use the word excitatory to describe the activity of that neurotransmitter.
„« ¡§Inhibit¡¨ means stop. We use the word inhibitory to describe the activity of that neurotransmitter.
Of course there are no lights involved, just two different chemicals, and the signal given depends on which one is in action.
You might think because you are awake and alert all day that the most used signal is the excitatory, but this is not the case. In fact it is just the opposite - by a wide margin ¡V 95 to 98% are inhibitory. Peeling away all the incidental stimuli that you come in contact with is a big job, but when it is done you can operate with a clear mind on the specific things you are interested in. Some extreme examples of this are having a conversation at a crowded thingytail party, doing your homework with the tv on, going to sleep etc.
On the other end of this switching system is a receiver. It is called an NMDA receptor. This also had to be checked.
Stepwise the researchers analyzed the DS mice system by system. They found the following:
„« The excitatory synaptic transmission is normal in the DS mice.
„« The NMDA receptor is normal in DS mice.
„« Excessive inhibitory synaptic transmission which restricts synaptic activation of NMDA receptors is the cause for the failure to induce LTP in DS mice.
You may not realize it but this discovery has turned the DS world upside down. All efforts to date have been aimed at increasing the excitatory transmission. In DS the brain activity is low, and the person is mentally challenged; the obvious answer is to increase the excitatory activity. But, the work at Stanford says it the other side of the system that needs to be addressed ¡V reduce the inhibitory activity.
This is an astounding revelation, and could have an astounding effect on the DS community. Next week we will discuss reducing the inhibitory activity.

[wrblack]

Mea culpa, my bad. You had posted no. 9 early this month. That was the "thingytail party" episode. How could I have forgotten that?! I am getting old!! Sorry I duped you into reposting. Thanks again, Bob

And nobody could blame you for gawking at your little princess, she is pretty.