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Latest Updates From The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)
Alzheimer imaging aficionados thronged to back-to-back meetings held recently in Seattle for a preview of the latest data from the Alzheimer"s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Launched in the fall of 2004 and set to conclude next year, the $64-million ADNI is comparing imaging methods and fluid biomarkers in the same set of people to determine which measures can best predict and track Alzheimer-disease clinical changes over time. The project is approaching the homestretch of data collection. By the fall of 2010, ADNI scientists will have collected three years of longitudinal data from more than 800 participants (about 200 normal, 400 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 200 with Alzheimer disease) at 59 U.S. and Canadian sites. The Seattle meetings featured preliminary analysis of the one-year data.
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Warmer Weather Brings Health Concerns, Iowa
With schools dismissing for summer and summer activities underway, the Iowa Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to be aware of illnesses and health concerns that are typically associated with warmer weather. Increased outdoor activities mean increased potential for exposure to ticks, waterborne illnesses like Cryptosporidiosis (Crypto) and other diseases. "Everyone is eager to get outdoors," said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. "Being aware of spring and summer health concerns is important, especially when simple precautions can help prevent illnesses."
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Those With Darker Skin Might Be More Susceptible To Nicotine Addiction, Study Finds
Blacks and others with darker skin might be at greater risk for tobacco addiction than whites and those with lighter skin because the greater the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment in skin, the more nicotine appears to be stored, according to preliminary findings published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, the New York Times reports. For the study, lead researcher Gary King, a professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University, looked at 150 black smokers and measured their levels of melanin and cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine. They also surveyed the participants to determine the level of their smoking habit. Those with the most melanin were found to smoke the most and have the most cotinine in their system. They also had the highest level of dependence on tobacco. The findings might indicate why some people are more affected by nicotine than others, according to the study (Nagourney, New York Times, 5/19).
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Possible Link Between Pregnancy, The Flu And Schizophrenia

When mothers become infected with influenza during their pregnancy, it may increase the risk for schizophrenia in their offspring. Influenza is a very common virus and so there has been substantial concern about this association. A new study in the June 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier suggests that the observed association depends upon a pre-existing vulnerability in the fetus. Specifically, Dr. Lauren Ellman and colleagues determined that fetal exposure to influenza leads to cognitive problems at age 7 among children who later develop a psychotic disorder in adulthood, but fetal exposure to influenza does not lead to cognitive problems among children who do not later develop a psychotic disorder. It is important to note that these results were dependent upon the type of influenza, with this association present only after fetal exposure to influenza B as opposed to influenza A. This research was conducted as part of the Collaborative Perinatal Project, which followed pregnant women and their offspring in the 1950"s and 60"s, collecting blood throughout pregnancies for later analyses. A series of cognitive assessments were conducted with the children of study participants and then psychotic diagnoses were determined in adulthood. The findings from this study suggest that a genetic and/or an additional environmental factor associated with psychosis likely is necessary for the fetal brain to be vulnerable to the effects of influenza, given that decreases in cognitive performance were only observed in influenza-exposed children who developed a psychotic disorder in adulthood. "The good news is that most fetuses exposed to influenza virus while in the womb will not go on to develop schizophrenia. The bad news is that the prior association between influenza infection and later development of psychotic disorders was supported," comments John Krystal, M.D., the editor of Biological Psychiatry. This finding has the potential to influence efforts to develop prevention, early intervention and treatment strategies, such as taking steps to maintain careful hygiene and, if clinically appropriate, administration of the influenza vaccination to reduce infection among women prior to pregnancy. Dr. Krystal notes, "It also raises an important unanswered question: How does influenza virus affect the vulnerable developing brain and how can we prevent or reverse the consequence of fetal influenza infection in vulnerable individuals before they develop schizophrenia?" More research is needed to elicit answers to these vital issues. Notes: The article is "Cognitive Functioning Prior to the Onset of Psychosis: The Role of Fetal Exposure to Serologically Determined Influenza Infection" by Lauren M. Ellman, Robert H. Yolken, Stephen L. Buka, E. Fuller Torrey, Tyrone D. Cannon. Dr. Ellman is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University, New York, New York and the Department of Psychology at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Yolken is from the Stanley Division of Developmental Neurovirology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Buka is from the Department of Community Health, Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Torrey is affiliated with the Stanley Medical Research Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland. Dr. Cannon is with the Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 65, Issue 12 (June 15, 2009), published by Elsevier. The authors" disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available in the article. John H. Krystal, M.D. is affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and his disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available at http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/bps/Biological_Psychiatry_Editorial_Disclosures_08_01_08.pdf Contact: Jayne Dawkins Elsevier


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