Scientists have demystified how genetic variants rewire the brain and it could help in finding therapies for rebalancing the brain's circuitry in early development.

Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, the discovery of the scientists at the University of California has offered the missing physical evidence that links altered genes to modified brain function and learning.

"This is a key piece of the puzzle we've been searching for. Now we can begin to unravel the mystery of how genes rearrange the brain's circuitry not only in autism, but in many related neurological disorders." said co-principal investigator Daniel Geschwind.

The UCLA team scrutinized the differences in brain connectivity and function that result from two forms of the CNTNAP2 gene, one of which boosts risk for autism.

Suspecting that CNTNAP2 might influence brain activity, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of 32 children as they performed learning-related tasks. Half of the children had autism, and half did not.

Regardless of their diagnosis, the children carrying the risk variant showed a disjointed brain. The frontal lobe was over-connected to it and poorly connected to the rest of the brain. Communication with the back of the brain was particularly diminished.

"In children who carry the risk gene, the front of the brain appears to talk mostly with itself," explained first author Ashley Scott-Van Zeeland, of the Scripps Translational Science Institute.

"It doesn't communicate as much with other parts of the brain and lacks long-range connections to the back of the brain," said Zeeland.

Depending on which CNTNAP2 version the child carried, the researchers also observed a difference in connectivity between the left and right sides of the brain. In most people, the left side processes functions tied to language, like speech and understanding.

In the children with the non-risk gene, communication pathways in the frontal lobe linked more strongly to the left side of the brain.

By enhancing understanding of the relationship between genes, the brain and behavior, the UCLA finding could lead to earlier detection for autism, and new interventions to strengthen connections between the frontal lobe and left side of the brain.

"If we determine that the CNTNAP2 variant is a consistent predictor of language difficulties, we could begin to design targeted therapies to help rebalance the brain and move it toward a path of more normal development," said Zeeland.

The findings were published in the online edition of Science Translational Medicine. (ANI)

Small doses of aspirin, often taken to cut the risk of a heart attack, also reduce the probability of developing colon [The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to the rectum and leave the body through the anus. ] cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] , British researchers reported on Thursday.

Low doses of aspirin, a Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), can cut down the risk of colorectal cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] by a quarter while that of colon [The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to the rectum and leave the body through the anus. ] cancer deaths by a third.

"Our study shows NSAIDs target stem cells that have accumulated mutations that could lead to cancer development, and initiate a biochemical pathway that makes those cells undergo programmed cell death, a process called apoptosis," Dr. Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Pitt School of Medicine, and UPCI, said.

Earlier studies have revealed that high doses of the drug can highly decline the risk of developing colon cancer as well as polyps, minor growths that might later turn into cancer.

However, high doses might act dangerous for some, leading to fatal bleeding in the stomach area.

The study details
The study conducted by Peter Rothwell of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and colleagues analyzed 4 different studies from UK and Sweden involving 14000 people.

Half of the participants were taking low-dose aspirin for heart disease on a regular basis.

The researchers then followed the study group for a period of 18 years.

Revelations of the study
By the end of the research, 2.8 percent of the participants had developed colon cancer, the study claims.

Aspirin consumption lead to a 24 percent decline in the 20-year risk of colon cancer and a 35 percent reduction in colon cancer deaths.

"This interesting study would incite clinicians to turn to primary prevention of colorectal cancer by aspirin at least in high risk-populations. Specific guidelines for aspirin chemoprevention would be the next logical step," Dr. Robert Benamouzig and Dr. Bernard Uzzan of Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France, wrote in a commentary.

Other medicines like ibuprofen too can reduce the risk of suffering from colon cancer in people taking them on a regular basis.

Patients are advised to get themselves detected for colon cancer using instruments that can detect the disease from inside in some developed nations like United States and Britain.

Advanced procedures like sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are applied for a highly comprehensive screening which can produce better accurate results.

The findings have been published in 'The Lancet' medical journal.

Anesthetic drug Ketamine will no longer be available 'over the counter' in India and can be obtained only with a prescription in duplicate. Chemists will have to reta1in the duplicate prescription for two years.

In a drug consultative committee meeting last week, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) shifted Ketamine from Schedule H to Schedule X, for which special control measures will have to be taken.

The decision was taken following complaints of its misuse.

"India has become a major Ketamine source for South East Asian countries. The shifting of Ketamine from H to X will help bring this down," said Dr Surinder Singh, DCGI.

Shifting Ketamine would mean an extensive documentation for chemists, including two sets of prescription. Chemists would need a licence from the State Food and Drug Administration to sell it or face punishment.