The University of Texas at Dallas - Center for BrainHealth

Winter 2005 - Brain Matters

Medical Sciece Director — Meet John HartJohn Hart

Executive Director Sandra Chapman recently recruited Dr. John Hart, Jr. as the Center’s new Medical Science Director. His pioneering work on how the human brain stores and accesses new knowledge moves the Center’s vision forward. His four groundbreaking papers published in the journals Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA) demonstrated that humans organize knowledge in the brain by categories and features which are the building blocks of the information to be learned. These findings lead to the discovery of separate knowledge memory systems in the brain for each sensory modality (visual, auditory, etc.). The next major finding was how these memory systems bind together to form a learned, integrated concept.

The opportunity to develop programs for prevention of brain disease and maintenance of a healthy brain was one of the main factors that attracted me to the Center. Being here presents us with a great opportunity to explore how to successfully maintain healthy memories as we age, while still being able to help patients who have unfortunately developed diseases that affect their memory and cognition says Dr. Hart.

“What also has been so remarkable is the support of the people of Dallas who have been so gracious in their generosity toward the Center and in welcoming my family to the community.”

John, a native of Baltimore, graduated from The Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland School of Medicine, was a resident and fellow at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and was on the faculty there until 2001. He joined the D. W. Reynolds Center on Aging and the Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and served there from 2002 until moving to Dallas this year. He and his wife Laura have two sons – Jack, age 9 and Charlie, age 5.

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Social Cognition: a Critical Skill for Life Success

People skills have long been known to contribute to success in life. Children who have difficulty developing basic social skills such as getting along with peers, understanding and expressing emotions, and showing concern for others are at serious risk of becoming delinquents and school dropouts. These difficulties are only now being recognized under the category of impaired social cognition.

Impairment of social cognition is linked to dysfunction of the frontal and temporal brain regions and is manifested by difficulties in:

  • making decisions,
  • assuming responsibility,
  • getting along with peers and family (observing social rules),
  • understanding emotions of others,
  • expressing appreciation or empathy,
  • participating in simple social routines.

Problems in social cognition are poorly understood and are associated with many causes – some acquired and some developmental – including but not limited to autism, traumatic brain injury, fetal alcohol syndrome, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder. The misery for the family is that their child often seems to have high intellectual potential but cannot function in everyday life.

Social cognitive disorders are only now coming to the forefront of public attention due to advances in functional brain imaging, test development and more refined symp tom specification. Recent research from institutes across the country reveals that social cognitive deficits across disease entities often emerge or significantly worsen during adolescence or early adulthood. In fact, the brain undergoes more growth during late adolescence into early adulthood than the first few weeks of life, suggesting that children with frontal lobe dysfunction ‘grow into’ their deficits.

To date, treatments have focused largely on drug therapies to help alleviate symp toms such as lethargy, hyperactivity, depression, agitation, and aggression. Whereas pharmacological interventions help reduce some of the disrupting symp toms of the specific disease underlying the social cognitive deficit, the ability to function in society remains unchanged and seemingly unattainable.

Believing that rehabilitation of social cognitive deficits could make a positive impact if implemented during this critical stage of early adult development, the Center for BrainHealth and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center are working together to establish the first comprehensive program in the world to combine state-of-the-art social cognitive therapies with improved long-term restoration of mental and social function in brain injury, autism, and schizophrenia.

This program has been greatly assisted by funding from John and Lee Wacker.

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Brain Ehancer: SleepPMS

Is sleep just a waste of time? One would deduce, at least on a subconscious level that we believe this statement to be true since we function on 20% less sleep than previous generations. Interestingly, the main cause of sleep deprivation is not due to diagnosable sleep problems, it is volitional. People are choosing to sleep less.

Parents allow children to stay up later, adolescents choose video games over sleep, and adults view sleep time as a commodity to be traded to work on pressing projects. The impact of sleep deprivation goes beyond being tired. Lack of sleep degrades brain function. So what happens during sleep that is so important?

Brain Keeps Working – Consciousness is dulled during sleep, putting the brain “offline”. No new sensory input is coming in, however elaborate processing continues. Thus, the same part of the brain is active during sleep as during study.

Learning Strengthened – Individuals show more improvement on tasks after a night’s sleep than after the same amount of awake time. However, if sleep is disrupted, improvement is less likely.

Brain Seeks Solutions – Sleep enhances the ability to gain novel insight into a task or problem, so one may ‘wake up’ with a novel solution.

How does a person know if they are sleep deprived?

You need an alarm to wake up.
The brain wakes up when it has enough sleep.

You fall asleep when environmental demands are low.
Boring lectures, dim lighting, and long road trips do not cause sleepiness, they unmask it.

The challenge of brain science is not just to learn more about sleep, it is to get people to recognize that sleep enhances brain health function.

Nature, Vol 437. Issue 7063, October 27, 2005

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Cold Blankets for Your Baby?

Could hypothermia be a good thing? It may be for newborns who have suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen. This type of brain injury is similar to a stroke in adults, but infants may have more all-encompassing deficits such as cerebral palsy. A new experimental technique where the baby’s body temperature is cooled to 93 degrees via a thermal blanket has shown promising results. Cooling the infant’s body may reduce the risk of death and developmental disabilities.

Shankaran, S., Laptook, A., Ehrenkranz, R.A., Tyson, J.E., et al. Whole-Body Hypothermia for Neonates with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.The New England Journal of Medicine. 2005;353:1574-84

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Education for the Future

Brain scans in the classroom? It sounds like science fiction, but a $90 million research grant is doing just that, in a manner of speaking. Researchers want to learn if performance in the classroom (such as fast vs. slow reading) can be linked to a difference in brain wiring. If so, the question becomes whether we can develop teaching methods to “re-wire” the brain and stimulate learning. We know that conversations at home impact a child’s ability to develop rational thinking, but what about other ways children learn outside the classroom, such as on the playground? Finding ways to translate scientific findings into the classroom could change the future of education.

Gura, T. Big Plans for Little Brains. Nature. June 2005; 435: 1156-1158.

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Is it ADHD or Sleepiness?

How could children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), typically fidgety and over-stimulated, be sleepy? Researchers have recently discovered this seemingly paradoxical finding. Children with ADHD often show symp toms of sleepiness during the day and in fact one study found a primary sleep disorder in more than 50% of children diagnosed with ADHD. Current medications that target symp toms of hyperactivity also contribute to daytime sleepiness, compounding the problem. Thus, it is important that children with ADHD be evaluated for possible sleep disorders in order to obtain appropriate treatment.

Golan N, Shahar E, Ravid S, Pillar G. Sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness in children with attention-deficit-hyperactive disorder. SLEEP 2004; 27(2): 261-6.

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Can Fat Decrease Risk of Parkinson's Disease

In a diet crazed society there has been a lot of controversy on which diet is the best. However, there is one fact that remains constant: the importance of knowing the difference between “good” fat (unsaturated fats) and “bad” fat (saturated fat). A recent study suggests another reason to increase your intake of unsaturated fats beyond lowering cholesterol and risk of heart disease. It revealed a diet high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats corresponded with a decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Good fat aids brain health!

L.M.L de Lau, MD; M. Bornebroek, MD, PhD; J.C.M. Witteman, PhD; A. Hofman, MD, PhD; P.J. Koudstaal, MD, PhD; and M.M.B. Breteler, MD, Phd. Dietary fatty acids and the risk of Parkinson disease: The Rotterdam Study. Neurology, June 2005; 2040-2045.

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Leadership Spotlight — Ramona JonesRamona Jones

Ramona Jones has been an active and valued member of the Advisory Board of the Center for BrainHealth since2000. Her early involvement and encouragement has truly inspiredthe Board and the Center itself.

Ramona is beloved by all who know her and has all the attributes needed to be an effective board member. She is diligent, dependable, informed and energetic. She rarely misses a meeting and always gives 100 percent. She is known for her wise advice and influencing others to become involved in the Center.

When asked what she has enjoyed most about her association with the Center, Ramona remarked, “Every month with the Center has been more exciting than the last. The opportunity to hear renowned scientists from across the country and spread the news about brain health is very gratifying.”

Thank you, Ramona, for sharing your gifts with the Center for BrainHealth and for being a great voice for the Center in the community. We are honored to have your support and wouldn't be where we are today without you.

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Brain Trivia - True or False

Never let a person with a head injury fall asleep immediately following an accident.

FALSE: Unconsciousness is serious, but only medical attention can make a difference after someone knocked out comes to. Helping someone stay awake does not reduce the risk of coma.

The brain becomes more efficient as we age.

TRUE. Older adults are better than college-age students at understanding the central message of information. They can also see more possibilities and use their experiences to make wise choices and decisions.

We only use 10% of our brain.

FALSE: Brain imaging methods refute this statement. PET scans show that much of the brain is active during many different tasks.

Forgetting information is always cause for alarm.

FALSE. The brain is not equipped to remember all the information it encounters. Too many details can actually slow down processing.

Socialization helps ward off dementia?

TRUE: While there is no cure for dementia, research has found that elderly individuals who participate in a diverse set of leisure activities, remain involved with their family, and maintain friendships are better able to preserve their mental capacity throughout their lifespan.