GABA deficits disturb endocannabinoid system

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Changes in the endocannabinoid system may have important implications for psychiatric and addiction disorders. This brain system is responsible for making substances that have effects on brain function which resemble those of cannabis products, e.g., marijuana.

The endocannabinoid system is of particular interest in the field of schizophrenia research because exposure to cannabis products during adolescence and young adulthood appears to increase the risk for developing schizophrenia. Also, in studies examining brain tissue collected from people who had schizophrenia, changes in the endocannabinoid system were highly correlated with changes in the principal inhibitory chemical messenger system in the brain, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system.

The current study was conducted in order to research the relationship between changes in the GABA system and changes in the endocannabinoid system. Led by Dr. David Lewis at the University of Pittsburgh, researchers made genetic manipulations in mice that selectively reduced the GABA system function by decreasing the expression of the enzyme that makes GABA, GAD67, or by decreasing the expression of the principal receptor target for endocannabinoids in the brain, the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R), in order to determine whether a change in one is sufficient to cause a change in the other.

Using these techniques, the researchers demonstrated that reduced expression of GAD67 can lead to reduced expression of CB1R, but not vice versa.

"Because activation of the CB1R suppresses GABA release, lower levels of CB1R may help augment GABA release from nerve terminals that have below normal amounts due to reduced GABA synthesis," said Dr. Lewis of the results. "This evidence suggests that reduced GABA signaling is an 'upstream' event in the disease process of schizophrenia and that lower CB1R is a compensation to help normalize GABA signaling."

These findings indicate that GABA abnormalities in schizophrenia are what trigger the disturbances in the endocannabinoid system. Importantly, cannabis use also alters GABA activity in the brain.

"While the whole story is still developing, from these data, it looks like developmental deficits in GABA systems are sufficient to disturb the function of the endocannabinoid system. This could be an important clue to the link between cannabis use and psychosis," commented Dr. John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry.

Additional research will be necessary to further explore such links, including investigations into whether and/or how cannabis exposure affects the relationship between GAD67 and CB1R.

###

The article is "Cortical Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase 67 Deficiency Results in Lower Cannabinoid 1 Receptor Messenger RNA Expression: Implications for Schizophrenia" by Stephen M. Eggan, Matthew S. Lazarus, Samuel R. Stoyak, David W. Volk, Jill R. Glausier, Z. Josh Huang, and David A. Lewis (doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.09.014). The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 71, Issue 2 (January 15, 2012), published by Elsevier.

Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com

Thanks to Elsevier for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 37 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116998/GABA_deficits_disturb_endocannabinoid_system

johnny jolly johnny jolly demi moore and ashton kutcher demi moore and ashton kutcher kim zolciak kim zolciak jerry sandusky interview

Turkey's Erdogan attacks France on genocide law (Reuters)

PARIS/ANKARA (Reuters) ? Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attacked the French parliament on Tuesday for passing a "discriminatory and racist" bill which makes it illegal to deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide.

However, Erdogan said there was still hope that NATO ally France "would correct its mistake" and that any retaliatory measures would be held back, depending on French actions.

The French Senate approved the draft law on Monday, which the lower house also backed in December, prompting a furious response from Ankara.

"We will not allow anyone to gain political benefit at the expense of Turkey; the bill which was passed in France is clearly discriminatory, racist," Erdogan said.

"We will adopt a rational and dignified stance, we will implement our measures step by step. Right now we are still in a period of patience," he told his AK Party's deputies in the Turkish parliament.

The bill now goes to President Nicolas Sarkozy to be ratified. Turkey accuses Sarkozy of trying to win the votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France in the two-round presidential vote on April 22 and May 6.

As Erdogan spoke, a couple of hundred protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul.

Many Turks see the bill as an insult to their nation, a travesty of history and an infringement on free speech.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who was personally against the move, said the new law was "ill-timed", but called on Ankara to remain calm.

"We need good relations with it and we need to get through this excessive phase," Juppe said on Canal+ television. "We have very important economic and trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped by emotions."

Some Turkish newspapers listed possible measures that Ankara might take against France.

These included the recall of its ambassador from Paris and telling the French ambassador to go home, reducing diplomatic ties to charge d'affaires level, and closing Turkish airspace and waters to French military aircraft and vessels.

Speaking shortly before Monday's Senate vote, Erdogan said the issue of future official visits to France would be thrown into uncertainty if it passed the bill.

French firms stand to lose out in bids for defense contracts and other mega-projects such as nuclear power stations.

Turkey could also seek to trumpet allegations that French actions in Algeria in the 1950s and 1960s were also tantamount to a genocide.

"SATAN SARKOZY"

Morning headlines in Turkish newspapers were anything but calm. "A guillotine to free thought" said Star, while Aksam described the French move as "A guillotine to history".

"Shame on France" cried the Vatan daily. While Sozcu, a small newspaper that usually directs its scorn at Erdogan, found a new target with "Satan Sarkozy".

The mayor of Ankara has spoken of renaming the street where the French embassy is located to Algeria Street and erecting a memorial to Algerian victims of French colonial oppression in front of the embassy.

When the lower house backed the bill in December, Ankara cancelled all economic, political and military meetings with Paris and briefly recalled its ambassador for consultations.

Sarkozy is expected to ratify the bill before parliament is suspended in February before the presidential election.

However, it could still be rejected if about 60 lawmakers agree to appeal the decision at France's highest court and this body considers the text unconstitutional. The Constitutional Council would have one month to make its decision.

Analysts believe Turkey might delay announcing measures to see how Sarkozy handles the process.

Turkey's ambassador in Paris, Tahsin Burcuoglu, said the vote would lead to a "total rupture" of relations between the two countries and Ankara could seek to downgrade its diplomatic presence in the French capital.

Turkey cannot impose economic sanctions on France, given its membership of the World Trade Organisation and its customs union accord with Europe, but French firms could lose out on state-to-state-contracts, notably in the defense sector.

France is Turkey's fifth biggest export market and sixth biggest supplier of imports of goods and services, and bilateral trade was $13.5 billion in the first 10 months of last year.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

The Ottoman empire was dissolved after the end of the war, but Turkish governments and most Turks feel the charge of genocide is an insult to their nation. Ankara argues there was heavy loss of life on both sides during fighting in the area.

The influential Armenian diaspora in France and the United States has relentlessly lobbied for international support to bring Turkey to account over the mass killings.

Their success in France will encourage those in the United States to try harder in their annual efforts to get Washington to call what happened a genocide.

U.S. presidents have so far ensured that those efforts have been blocked to avoid alienating Turkey, an important regional ally. However, President Barack Obama faces re-election this year and could come under more pressure from the Armenian lobby, analysts say.

Some ethnic Armenians in Turkey saw the French move as unhelpful, while saying wounds needed to be healed.

"This only will provide more grounds to nationalism and reactions in Turkey," said Robert Koptas, editor of Agos, a Turkish-Armenian newspaper.

"I do not think the Turkish state will change its attitude," said Koptas, a son-in-law of Hrant Dink, a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist who was murdered in 2007 who had angered nationalists with his articles on Armenian identity.

(Reporting By John Irish in Paris and Tulay Karadeniz and Jonathon Burch in Ankara; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; editing by David Stamp)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/wl_nm/us_france_turkey

james harrison james harrison falcons giants game norman borlaug rick santorum santorum

US beats Venezuela 1-0 on Clark's late goal

/

By BOB BAUM

updated 12:49 a.m. ET Jan. 22, 2012

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Ricardo Clark had barely played in the last six months. His last appearance for his German second-division team came in July, and this was his first game for the U.S. national squad since August.

Finally given a chance, he provided the goal that had eluded his team all night.

Clark headed Jermaine Jones' corner kick into the net in the 7th minute of stoppage time and the United States beat Venezuela 1-0 in a friendly on Saturday night.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann inserted Clark into the game in the 86th minute.

"Ricardo came in and you could see that he was struggling because he hasn't played for many months," Klinsmann said. "He was trying hard to catch up with the group and still not there because of that long stretch. But once on the field he is a player that is technically very gifted."

The U.S. had dominated play with nothing to show for it before Clark beat goalkeeper Jose Morales from 7 yards away for his third international goal and first since September 2009.

Venezuela was livid at the finish, upset with a series of calls and non-calls by officials that led to a series of events concluding with the winning goal.

Moments after Clark scored, Venezuela's Jose Velasquez was ejected with a red card. Venezuela drew four yellow cards to one for the United States.

"For us, it was sad to give up a goal in the 98th minute," Venezuela coach Cesar Farias said. "For us, this result leaves a sour taste and the way we lost, but the experience is important."

The first match between the countries in five years featured the "B" teams of both nations because the top players are with their professional squads.

An exception was Jones, who is playing with the national team while serving an eight-game suspension by the German soccer federation.

"It was a great cross," Clark said of the corner kick that led to the goal. "I found a good spot and made the most of it."

It was Clark's first game since the United States played Mexico on Aug. 10. He last scored in international competition against Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 9, 2009.

The 28-year-old midfielder from Jonesboro, Ga., is ignominiously remembered for a play in the 2010 World Cup, when Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng stripped the ball from him and put the Black Stars ahead in the fifth minute. Ghana went on to eliminate the Americans 2-1 in overtime.

Jones, who served as U.S. captain for the game, was suspended when the German federation concluded he had intentionally stepped on the foot of star player Marco Reus during a break in the action of a German Cup game between Jones' team Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The U.S. outshot Venezuela 15-6, many of the opportunities from short range, but the shots were errant, or Morales made one of his five saves.

Even though it was a struggle, Klinsmann liked what he saw from his young players.

"We had 10, 12 chances and they had no chances, we controlled completely and that gives them confidence," he said. "We wanted to give them a feeling of this type of game that they can play with these nations."

Morales was shaken up after he took a knee to the left thigh from American C.J. Sapong. The goalkeeper sat on the ground for several minutes until the decision was made to leave him in the game, an incident that led to the extended stopping time that featured the winning goal.

The United States beat a team from South America for the first time since a 3-1 win over Ecuador on March 25, 2007. The U.S. had 10 losses and three ties against teams from that continent since then.

The U.S .improved to 3-4-1 since former German World Cup star Klinsmann took over from Bob Bradley as coach last year.

Jones had one of the best chances for a goal but missed from point-blank range. The U.S. had also failed miserably on set plays until the game winner.

Venezuela had a scoring shot in the 62nd minute but Carlos Salazar's header went right into the hands of goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Moments later, the U.S. squad missed another chance when Teal Bunbury's shot off a breakaway was just right of the post.

Venezuela and the United States played for the fourth time. The U.S. leads the series 2-0-1.

Clark's goal was only the sixth for the U.S. teams in Klinsmann's eight games as coach.

Clark, a former player with Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, is with Eintracht Frankfurt but has fallen out of favor and hasn't been in a match for the team since July 25, the second game of the season.

The United States plays Panama in Panama City on Wednesday.

Hamid made his U.S. national team debut along with defender A.J. DeLaGarza, midfielder Graham Zusi and substitute Sapong.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement

More news

Balotelli lifts Man City

??Mario Balotelli scored a stoppage-time penalty kick Sunday to give first-place Manchester City a 3-2 victory over Premier League title rival Tottenham.

Mike Hewitt / Getty Images

Hat trick

Clint Dempsey became the first American to score a hat trick in England's Premier League, helping Fulham rally from a halftime deficit to rout Newcastle 5-2 Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46088226/ns/sports-soccer/

once in a blue moon gwar guitarist gwar guitarist tower heist daylight savings time humpback whale

Mo. jobless rate drops, state sheds 11,800 jobs (AP)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. ? Missouri's unemployment rate fell to 8 percent, but the state's overall payroll still declined by several thousand jobs.

The state Department of Economic Development reported Tuesday that Missouri's net nonfarm payroll declined by 11,800 jobs in December. Officials say that includes seasonal job losses in private educational services because of holiday and semester breaks at colleges and universities.

Missouri's unemployment rate in December declined two-tenths of a point to 8 percent, the lowest rate since January 2009.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/us_missouri_unemployment_missouri

jimmer fredette mall of america mennonite gordon hayward smokey robinson smokey robinson close encounters of the third kind

S&P downgrades euro zone's EFSF bailout fund (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Rating agency Standard & Poor's cut its credit rating of the European Financial Stability Facility, the euro zone's rescue fund, by one notch to AA+ on Monday, three days after it cut the ratings of France and Austria by the same margin.

In a statement, S&P said the decision was all but inevitable following the cuts to the creditworthiness of France and Austria, which were two of the EFSF's guarantors.

"We consider that credit enhancements that would offset what we view as the now-reduced creditworthiness of the EFSF's guarantors and securities backing the EFSF's issues are currently not in place," the agency said in a statement.

"We have therefore lowered to AA+ the issuer credit rating of the EFSF, as well as the issue ratings on its long-term debt securities.

The EFSF was set up by the 17 governments that share the European single currency in May 2010 and has so far been used to provide emergency loans to Ireland and Portugal. It is also expected to contribute to a second bailout of Greece.

The fund has an effective lending capacity of 440 billion euros, which depends on guarantees, mainly from the euro zone's AAA countries, only four of which now remain: Germany, Luxembourg, Finland and the Netherlands.

In a statement, the EFSF said the downgrade would not affect its lending capacity, and emphasized that its short-term rating remained at S&P's top level.

"The downgrade to 'AA+' by only one credit agency will not reduce EFSF's lending capacity of 440 billion euros," the fund's chief executive, Klaus Regling, said.

"EFSF has sufficient means to fulfill its commitments under current and potential future adjustment programs until the ESM becomes operational in July 2012," he added.

The ESM - the European Stability Mechanism - is a permanent rescue fund that is expected to have an effective capacity of 500 billion euros, based on paid-in capital of 80 billion euros and callable capital of 620 billion euros.

However, details about the structure of the ESM have still not been agreed among all euro zone member states. The original plan was to introduce it in July 2013, but that was brought forward by a year. Now euro zone policymakers are working hard to ensure the ESM can come into effect in just six months time.

S&P COULD REASSESS ITS MOVE

EU leaders will meet for a summit in Brussels on January 30 when they are expected to discuss jobs and growth as well as issues such as the permanent rescue fund and how to go about tackling the threat of a debt default by Greece.

In the long-term, and particularly if Moody's and Fitch, the two other major ratings agencies, decide to cut the EFSF's rating as well, it may be impossible for the fund to sustain its effective capacity unless it just accepts that it will issue bonds at a lower credit rating, and pay more to do so.

The alternative would be to ask Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to increase their total guarantees to the fund to get its credit rating back up to AAA. It's very unlikely the countries would agree to such a move.

However, S&P said that if the EFSF could find ways of providing credit enhancements, it could reassess its move.

"We understand that EFSF member states may currently be exploring credit-enhancement options," it said.

"If the EFSF adopts credit enhancements that in our view are sufficient to offset its now-reduced creditworthiness, in particular if we see that once again the EFSF's long-term obligations are fully supported by guarantees from EFSF member-guarantors rated 'AAA' or by securities rated 'AAA', we would likely raise the EFSF's long-term ratings to 'AAA'."

Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of the Eurogroup, which represents the 17 euro zone countries, said the implications of S&P's decision would be discussed, probably when finance ministers next meet on January 23.

"We take note and will examine the consequences of the decision announced by Standard & Poor's to downgrade the credit rating," he said in a statement.

"EFSF continues to be assigned the best possible credit rating by Moody's (Aaa) and Fitch (AAA), underlining its solidity. Neither rating agency has indicated any rating action for EFSF in the immediate future."

(Reporting by Luke Baker and Julien Toyer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/bs_nm/us_eurozone_efsf_sp

issue 2 ohio election results 2011 election results 2011 board of elections board of elections senate bill 5 senate bill 5

Martin Luther King III Resigns as President of The King Center

Martin Luther King III has announced his resignation from his post as President of The King Center, with immediate effect, in a statement published on the?Atlanta Business Chronicle?Web site, on Tuesday.

The King Center, founded in 1968,?is a hub devoted to the legacy of his father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and is the largest repository of primary source material on both him and American Civil Rights Movement, in the world.

The resignation comes a day after the country celebrated the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday established to honor his memory and service to nation. The King Center had earlier announced changes in their top management, via a release on Jan. 9. According to that statement, Bernice King was to have replaced her brother as CEO, allowing King III to retain the President's post. King III had been working in both capacities since the spring of 2010.

Like us on Facebook

"I will be devoting my primary future efforts towards launching a new organization that will focus on supporting a new generation of young 'drum majors for justice' worldwide to expand my commitment to the Kingian principles of nonviolence, social justice, and human rights," King III said, in the statement announcing his resignation.

There are no details as to why King III resigned from his post. His statement, however, adds he will continue to be associated with the Center, as an active member of the Board.

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
To contact the editor, e-mail:

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/283487/20120118/martin-luther-king-iii-resigns-president-center.htm

barry larkin at the drive in jay z new song alabama lsu torrie wilson bcs national championship bcs championship

Sony Muteki RDH-GTK33iP shelf system ears-on (video)

In many respects, it could be considered a boombox. But if the Sony Muteki RDH-GTK33iP shelf system can't easily be hoisted above our heads in an attempt to win the heart of the girl we love, we simply can't bring ourselves to actually call it that. That's not to say it's a terrible shelf system: on the contrary, we could definitely use one of these in our office to liven things up on a long Friday, or even to throw into our own room. Perhaps it's just the pretty lights that change colors as you crank out the tunes, or maybe we're just enchanted by the 420 watts of power coursing through its electronic veins. Regardless, the built-in 30-pin connector for iOS devices is nice, but a USB port for flash drives and the built-in AM / FM radio are all included as a way for Sony to try attracting anyone that doesn't use an Apple-branded device. So if you're looking for a new system, have a look at the gallery and video below.

Gallery: Sony Muteki shelf system ears-on

Continue reading Sony Muteki RDH-GTK33iP shelf system ears-on (video)

Sony Muteki RDH-GTK33iP shelf system ears-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MBM376_8Mww/

next iron chef aquamarine iraq war iraq war barista san diego chargers san diego chargers