Does falling in love mess with your head? Does it change your brain? Scientists have found out that it does. If you just can't stop thinking about the person you love, it's probably because of your brain chemistry.

Gravitas | Does falling in love mess with your head?

A study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Alcohol shows that the brain of a person recovering from alcohol use disorder can repair its structure once drinking ceases for at least 7.3 months.&nbsp;

It is known that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) tend to have thinning in regions of their cortex, which is critical for multiple higher-order cognitive functions.

While there have been studies which show how some regions of the brain recover when a person stops drinking, the impact and the speed with which the recovery occurs was unknown.&nbsp;

<h2>How was the study conducted?</h2>

The recent study included 88 people suffering from AUD who underwent brain scans at approximately one week, one month, and 7.3 months of abstinence, however, only 40 continued to abstain from alcohol for the full period.

This is because some participants also joined at the one-month mark, which means 23 individuals did not have scans taken for one week.&nbsp;

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The researchers also looked at 45 people who had never had AUD and measured their cortical thickness at baseline and again about nine months later to confirm that the areas measured remained the same.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the study find?</h2>

The United States-based study found that those who quit drinking were able to gain cortical thickness over time, particularly during the first month and the progress continued till the 7.3 month mark, where thickness was comparable to those without AUD.

“The few longitudinal studies investigating cortical thickness changes during abstinence are limited to the first month of sobriety,” the team of researchers led by psychiatrist and behavioural scientist Timothy Durazzo from Stanford University wrote.&nbsp;

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“However, the extent of regional cortical thickness recovery over an extended period of abstinence is unknown,” they added. Researchers also noted how the results due to the small sample size and lack of diversity may not be generalised.&nbsp;

Durazzo and his team also did not find any significant relationships between cortical thickness and current substance abuse, including drugs, smoking and so on or psychiatric disorders, or past cigarette smoking.&nbsp;

The authors also noted that they did not account for variables such as genetics, physical activity, and people’s liver and lung health, which may have affected the results of their study.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/moderate-consumption-of-tea-coffee-linked-to-decreased-risks-of-cognitive-disorders-study-655274">Moderate consumption of tea, coffee linked to decreased risks of cognitive disorders: Study</a>

The authors concluded by saying that the data provides “clinically relevant information on the beneficial effects of sustained sobriety on human brain morphology, and reinforces the adaptive effects of abstinence-based recovery in AUD.”

A study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Alcohol shows that the brain of a person recovering from alcohol use disorder can repair its structure once drinking ceases for at least 7.

A study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Alcohol shows that the brain of a person recovering from alcohol use disorder can repair its structure once drinking ceases for at least 7.3 months. It is known that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) tend to have thinning in regions of their cortex, which is critical for multiple higher-order cognitive functions. While there have been studies which show how some regions of the brain recover when a person stops drinking, the impact and the speed with which the recovery occurs was unknown. How was the study conducted? The recent study included 88 people suffering from AUD who underwent brain scans at approximately one week, one month, and 7.3 months of abstinence, however, only 40 continued to abstain from alcohol for the full period. This is because some participants also joined at the one-month mark, which means 23 individuals did not have scans taken for one week. ALSO READ | Bizarre operation: Doctors save a man's life with breast implants The researchers also looked at 45 people who had never had AUD and measured their cortical thickness at baseline and again about nine months later to confirm that the areas measured remained the same. What did the study find? The United States-based study found that those who quit drinking were able to gain cortical thickness over time, particularly during the first month and the progress continued till the 7.3 month mark, where thickness was comparable to those without AUD. “The few longitudinal studies investigating cortical thickness changes during abstinence are limited to the first month of sobriety,” the team of researchers led by psychiatrist and behavioural scientist Timothy Durazzo from Stanford University wrote. ALSO READ | Global fossil fuel production plans threaten 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold: UN report “However, the extent of regional cortical thickness recovery over an extended period of abstinence is unknown,” they added. Researchers also noted how the results due to the small sample size and lack of diversity may not be generalised. Durazzo and his team also did not find any significant relationships between cortical thickness and current substance abuse, including drugs, smoking and so on or psychiatric disorders, or past cigarette smoking. The authors also noted that they did not account for variables such as genetics, physical activity, and people’s liver and lung health, which may have affected the results of their study. ALSO READ | Moderate consumption of tea, coffee linked to decreased risks of cognitive disorders: Study The authors concluded by saying that the data provides “clinically relevant information on the beneficial effects of sustained sobriety on human brain morphology, and reinforces the adaptive effects of abstinence-based recovery in AUD.”

This is how long it takes for brain to repair damage due to heavy drinking

A new study sheds light on how, in some rare cases, coronavirus may have caused brain damage in babies, who apparently got the infection inside the womb of their mothers who got infected during pregnancy. Experts have often raised suspicion but the researchers claim that it was the first study to confirm cross-placental SARS-Cov-2 transmission leading to brain injury in the newborn.

A study published by the University of Miami in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday reported two confirmed cases in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossed a mother's placenta and caused brain damage in the babies.&nbsp;

The young mothers, who gave birth to the babies, had tested positive for the virus during their second trimester at the height of the pandemic's Delta wave in 2020. This was even before the Covid vaccines were available.&nbsp;

The evidence presented in the study, titled "<a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-058271/191033/Maternal-SARS-CoV-2-Placental-Changes-and-Brain?searchresult=1?autologincheck=redirected">Maternal SARS-CoV-2, Placental Changes and Brain Injury in 2 Neonates</a>", also "raises the possibility" that the coronavirus may be able to directly infect the fetal brain.&nbsp;

<h2>Babies had&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2 antibodies </h2>

The study shared details about the case. It revealed that the babies, who were admitted to Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Centre, had tested negative for the virus at birth.&nbsp;

However, their reports showed a significant rise of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detectable in blood. The reports indicate that either the antibodies crossed the placenta, or passage of the virus occurred and it was the baby's immune response.&nbsp;

The study further revealed that both infants experienced seizures, had small head sizes and developmental delays, and one infant died at 13 months of age.&nbsp;

As quoted by the news agency Reuters, Dr Michael Paidas, chair of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Miami, told the briefing: "This is the first time that we have been able to demonstrate the virus in a fetal organ with the transplacental passage. That's why we think this is so important."&nbsp;

As quoted by Inventum, Shahnaz Duara, who is the professor of paediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine, and medical director of the NICU at Holtz Children's Hospital said, "Many women are affected by COVID-19 during pregnancy, but to see these kinds of problems in their infants at birth was clearly unusual."&nbsp;

Duara, who is also the senior author of the study, further noted: "We are trying to understand what made these two pregnancies different so we can direct research toward protecting vulnerable babies."&nbsp;

Several viruses, such as Cytomegalovirus, Rubella, HIV and Zika, are capable of crossing the placenta and causing fetal brain damage.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

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A new study sheds light on how, in some rare cases, coronavirus may have caused brain damage in babies, who apparently got the infection inside the womb of their mothers who got infected during pregnancy.

A new study sheds light on how, in some rare cases, coronavirus may have caused brain damage in babies, who apparently got the infection inside the womb of their mothers who got infected during pregnancy. Experts have often raised suspicion but the researchers claim that it was the first study to confirm cross-placental SARS-Cov-2 transmission leading to brain injury in the newborn. A study published by the University of Miami in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday reported two confirmed cases in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossed a mother's placenta and caused brain damage in the babies. The young mothers, who gave birth to the babies, had tested positive for the virus during their second trimester at the height of the pandemic's Delta wave in 2020. This was even before the Covid vaccines were available. The evidence presented in the study, titled "Maternal SARS-CoV-2, Placental Changes and Brain Injury in 2 Neonates", also "raises the possibility" that the coronavirus may be able to directly infect the fetal brain. Babies had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies The study shared details about the case. It revealed that the babies, who were admitted to Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Centre, had tested negative for the virus at birth. However, their reports showed a significant rise of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detectable in blood. The reports indicate that either the antibodies crossed the placenta, or passage of the virus occurred and it was the baby's immune response. The study further revealed that both infants experienced seizures, had small head sizes and developmental delays, and one infant died at 13 months of age. As quoted by the news agency Reuters, Dr Michael Paidas, chair of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Miami, told the briefing: "This is the first time that we have been able to demonstrate the virus in a fetal organ with the transplacental passage. That's why we think this is so important." As quoted by Inventum, Shahnaz Duara, who is the professor of paediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine, and medical director of the NICU at Holtz Children's Hospital said, "Many women are affected by COVID-19 during pregnancy, but to see these kinds of problems in their infants at birth was clearly unusual." Duara, who is also the senior author of the study, further noted: "We are trying to understand what made these two pregnancies different so we can direct research toward protecting vulnerable babies." Several viruses, such as Cytomegalovirus, Rubella, HIV and Zika, are capable of crossing the placenta and causing fetal brain damage. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Coronavirus caused brain damage in two infants after moms got infected during pregnancy: Study

In the United Kingdom, the High Court has ruled that life support treatment for a 12-year-old boy with brain damage should be stopped as he is "brain-stem dead". Brain death (also known as brain stem death) is a state in which a person is on an artificial life support machine and no longer has any brain functions. In such a state, experts have claimed that the person will never regain consciousness or be able to breathe without support. A person whose brain is dead is legally confirmed as dead.&nbsp;

On April 7 this year, a 12-year-old boy Archie Battersbee was seriously injured in an incident at his home in Southend, Essex. He was found unconscious. Since then he has been at the centre of a legal dispute.&nbsp;

UK media outlets state that the doctors who were treating him at the Royal London Hospital in east London told the High Court it was "highly likely" he was "brain-stem dead". They even asked that the life support should end.&nbsp;

"I find that Archie died at noon on 31 May 2022, which was shortly after the MRI scans taken that day. I find that irreversible cessation of brain stem function has been conclusively established," the judge said in a written ruling.&nbsp;

On the other hand, his parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee wanted the treatment to continue. They have claimed that their's son, who&nbsp;has not regained consciousness after the accident,&nbsp;had gripped his mother's hand as his heart is still beating.&nbsp;

His mother was "devastated and extremely disappointed" by the ruling. She issued a statement after the court decision. She wrote: "I am devastated and extremely disappointed by the judge's ruling after weeks of fighting a legal battle when I wanted to be at my little boy's bedside."&nbsp;

"Basing this judgement on an MRI test and that he is 'likely' to be dead, is not good enough. This is believed to be the first time that someone has been declared 'likely' to be dead based on an MRI test," she added.&nbsp;

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In the United Kingdom, the High Court has ruled that life support treatment for a 12-year-old boy with brain damage should be stopped as he is "brain-stem dead".

In the United Kingdom, the High Court has ruled that life support treatment for a 12-year-old boy with brain damage should be stopped as he is "brain-stem dead". Brain death (also known as brain stem death) is a state in which a person is on an artificial life support machine and no longer has any brain functions. In such a state, experts have claimed that the person will never regain consciousness or be able to breathe without support. A person whose brain is dead is legally confirmed as dead. On April 7 this year, a 12-year-old boy Archie Battersbee was seriously injured in an incident at his home in Southend, Essex. He was found unconscious. Since then he has been at the centre of a legal dispute. UK media outlets state that the doctors who were treating him at the Royal London Hospital in east London told the High Court it was "highly likely" he was "brain-stem dead". They even asked that the life support should end. "I find that Archie died at noon on 31 May 2022, which was shortly after the MRI scans taken that day. I find that irreversible cessation of brain stem function has been conclusively established," the judge said in a written ruling. On the other hand, his parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee wanted the treatment to continue. They have claimed that their's son, who has not regained consciousness after the accident, had gripped his mother's hand as his heart is still beating. His mother was "devastated and extremely disappointed" by the ruling. She issued a statement after the court decision. She wrote: "I am devastated and extremely disappointed by the judge's ruling after weeks of fighting a legal battle when I wanted to be at my little boy's bedside." "Basing this judgement on an MRI test and that he is 'likely' to be dead, is not good enough. This is believed to be the first time that someone has been declared 'likely' to be dead based on an MRI test," she added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Archie Battersbee case: Life support for 12-year-old boy with brain damage should end, UK judge rules

Scientists have detected 'brain tsunamis' in human beings that cause irreversible damage to the organ.

These neurological events occur several days after severe head trauma and may be responsible for inducing brain damage, according to a new study published in the 'Annals of Neurology.'

In the study, researchers provide insight into the neurobiology of dying. It sheds light on how these tsunamis or "killer waves" could help patients with severe head trauma avoid further brain damage and possibly retain most of their brain function.

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The "brain tsunamis" are actually a large population of brain cells that undergo massive depolarisations. Much like the weather-related tsunamis, these large waves of depolarisations spread slowly but persistently throughout the brain, causing widespread brain dysfunction.

These wave-like depolarisations have been studied in brain trauma patients for decades. But the new research showed for the first time that brain tsunamis are responsible for causing further brain damage in afflicted patients.

For the study, investigators performed continuous patient monitoring following 'Do Not Resuscitate-Comfort Care' orders in patients with devastating brain injury to investigate the mechanisms and timing of events in the brain and the circulation during the dying process.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deadly-brain-eating-amoeba-is-spreading-in-us-scientists-issue-warning-351357">Also read |&nbsp;Deadly brain-eating amoeba is spreading in US, scientists issue warning</a>

The findings may be helpful for developing treatment strategies of cardiac arrest and stroke that may complement efforts to re-establish circulation, and also inform the debate of organ donation after cardio-circulatory death, where death is declared between two and ten minutes following the cessation of circulatory function.

"After circulatory arrest, spreading depolarisation marks the loss of stored electrochemical energy in brain cells and the onset of toxic processes that eventually lead to death. Importantly, it is reversible,&nbsp;up to a point,&nbsp;when the circulation is restored," said lead author Dr. Jens Dreier, of Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in Germany.

"There are no direct implications for patient care today. Particular challenges include the slowness of this wave that hampers its visibility in normal EEG recordings; however, this discovery may lead to improved diagnostic and treatment procedures in the future, following Max Planck's motto that 'insight must precede application'."

The brain tsunamis drew the attention of the US military as head injuries became a very common injury among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have detected 'brain tsunamis' in human beings that cause irreversible damage to the organ. These neurological events occur several days after severe head trauma and may be responsible for inducing brain damage, according to a new study published in the 'Annals of Neurology.

Scientists have detected 'brain tsunamis' in human beings that cause irreversible damage to the organ. These neurological events occur several days after severe head trauma and may be responsible for inducing brain damage, according to a new study published in the 'Annals of Neurology.' In the study, researchers provide insight into the neurobiology of dying. It sheds light on how these tsunamis or "killer waves" could help patients with severe head trauma avoid further brain damage and possibly retain most of their brain function. Also read | Implant helps paralysed man make social media post with just thought in Australia The "brain tsunamis" are actually a large population of brain cells that undergo massive depolarisations. Much like the weather-related tsunamis, these large waves of depolarisations spread slowly but persistently throughout the brain, causing widespread brain dysfunction. These wave-like depolarisations have been studied in brain trauma patients for decades. But the new research showed for the first time that brain tsunamis are responsible for causing further brain damage in afflicted patients. For the study, investigators performed continuous patient monitoring following 'Do Not Resuscitate-Comfort Care' orders in patients with devastating brain injury to investigate the mechanisms and timing of events in the brain and the circulation during the dying process. Also read | Deadly brain-eating amoeba is spreading in US, scientists issue warning The findings may be helpful for developing treatment strategies of cardiac arrest and stroke that may complement efforts to re-establish circulation, and also inform the debate of organ donation after cardio-circulatory death, where death is declared between two and ten minutes following the cessation of circulatory function. "After circulatory arrest, spreading depolarisation marks the loss of stored electrochemical energy in brain cells and the onset of toxic processes that eventually lead to death. Importantly, it is reversible, up to a point, when the circulation is restored," said lead author Dr. Jens Dreier, of Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in Germany. "There are no direct implications for patient care today. Particular challenges include the slowness of this wave that hampers its visibility in normal EEG recordings; however, this discovery may lead to improved diagnostic and treatment procedures in the future, following Max Planck's motto that 'insight must precede application'." The brain tsunamis drew the attention of the US military as head injuries became a very common injury among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. (With inputs from agencies)

'Do not resuscitate': Scientists detect 'brain tsunamis' in human beings

In Washington state, three teachers were awarded $185m in compensation after suing Monsanto for overexposure to fluorescent light materials.

In King county superior court, Friedman Rubin, which represented the teachers, said a jury returned the verdict on Tuesday. They worked at the Sky Valley education centre in Monroe, Washington, and claimed that the fluorescent lighting conducted by their school exposed them to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causing brain damage.

Monsanto Co used to manufacture PCBs which are a mixture of chemical compounds that were commonly used to cool and lubricate electrical equipment until they were banned in 1979

The teachers' attorney, Rick Friedman, called it a big step toward holding Monsanto accountable.

Bayer, the company, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, said it disagreed with the decision and may appeal.

This was the first of 22 trials filed by&nbsp;teachers, parents and students from the Sky Valley Education Center.

According to a spokesperson for Bayer, Susan Skiles Lukes, the undisputed evidence, in this case, does not support a conclusion that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education Center (SVEC) or that such exposure could have caused what they claim. He also said that&nbsp;these claims relate to a product Monsanto has not produced for over 40 years.

In a report released in March 2019, the Associated Press reported that millions of ballasts containing PCBs are likely still found in schools, daycare centers, and other settings in the US four decades after they were banned because of cancer-causing concerns in 1979.

Caulk, floor adhesives, ceiling tiles, and even paint from older buildings often contain PCBs, sometimes in levels more than allowed by law.

In Washington state, three teachers were awarded $185m in compensation after suing Monsanto for overexposure to fluorescent light materials. In King county superior court, Friedman Rubin, which represented the teachers, said a jury returned the verdict on Tuesday.

In Washington state, three teachers were awarded $185m in compensation after suing Monsanto for overexposure to fluorescent light materials. In King county superior court, Friedman Rubin, which represented the teachers, said a jury returned the verdict on Tuesday. They worked at the Sky Valley education centre in Monroe, Washington, and claimed that the fluorescent lighting conducted by their school exposed them to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causing brain damage. Monsanto Co used to manufacture PCBs which are a mixture of chemical compounds that were commonly used to cool and lubricate electrical equipment until they were banned in 1979 The teachers' attorney, Rick Friedman, called it a big step toward holding Monsanto accountable. Bayer, the company, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, said it disagreed with the decision and may appeal. This was the first of 22 trials filed by teachers, parents and students from the Sky Valley Education Center. According to a spokesperson for Bayer, Susan Skiles Lukes, the undisputed evidence, in this case, does not support a conclusion that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education Center (SVEC) or that such exposure could have caused what they claim. He also said that these claims relate to a product Monsanto has not produced for over 40 years. In a report released in March 2019, the Associated Press reported that millions of ballasts containing PCBs are likely still found in schools, daycare centers, and other settings in the US four decades after they were banned because of cancer-causing concerns in 1979. Caulk, floor adhesives, ceiling tiles, and even paint from older buildings often contain PCBs, sometimes in levels more than allowed by law.

$185 million awarded to teachers who sued Monsanto over chemical exposure

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead.

A quixotic neurologist working 12-hour days to decipher the clues.

Swirling conspiracy theories blaming the illness on cellphone towers, fracking or even <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccines</a>.

These are just some plotlines of a mystery that has stumped Canada’s medical establishment, attracted the attention of some of the world’s top neurologists and fanned fears among residents of New Brunswick, a picturesque province of about 770,000 on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In the past six years, dozens of people have fallen ill from the disease, and six people have died.

"People are alarmed," said Yvon Godin, the mayor of Betrand, a village in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick where residents have been afflicted. "They are asking, 'Is it environmental? Is it genetic? Is it fish or deer meat? Is it something else?’ Everyone wants answers."

As the coronavirus raged across the country the past 15 months, the medical enigma was initially slow to gain national attention. Canadian health authorities, distracted by the need to respond to the pandemic, scrambled to determine the seriousness of the outbreak, which was only publicly exposed after a memo about it by New Brunswick’s chief medical officer was leaked to the press in March.

Doctors investigating the disease say the sluggish response underlines the challenge for other medical conditions to compete for the spotlight during a global pandemic.

Medical experts said the murkiness surrounding the illness also reflected how, despite extraordinary advances in medical science, some conditions, in particular neurological diseases involving dementia, can puzzle even the world’s best scientific brains.

The Canadian outbreak could join the pantheon of other ailments that have mystified the world, such as the debilitating illness that impaired dozens of diplomats in Cuba and China beginning in 2016, prompting suspicions that victims may have been targeted by Moscow, Beijing or a rogue government. There was also a painful and puzzling kidney disease that afflicted workers harvesting sugar cane in Nicaragua four years earlier.

The mystery, however, could also fizzle, if it turns out that a variety of preexisting conditions have been prematurely ascribed to a strange new disease.

Among the youngest victims of the Canadian syndrome is Gabrielle Cormier, 20, once a straight-A student who participated in figure skating competitions and aspired to become a pathologist.

But as she began university two years ago, Cormier said she was suddenly and inexplicably overcome by fatigue, started bumping into things and had visions that looked like static from a television. No longer able to read easily or walk to class, she was forced to drop out of school.

Not understanding what was wrong amplified the illness’s horror. After being misdiagnosed with mononucleosis, Cormier said emergency room doctors then told her there was nothing wrong with her. A battery of tests yielded no diagnosis. She was eventually referred to a neurologist as her health deteriorated and she experienced involuntary jerking movements, memory lapses and hallucinations. She was among the first to be included in the cluster of those suffering from the unidentified syndrome.

Today, she lives at home in Dalhousie Junction, in rural northern New Brunswick, and walks with a cane. "I was just starting what is supposed to be the best chapter of your life, and then it disappeared," she said. "I don’t know if I will die or live out the rest of my life with these symptoms."

Dr. Neil Cashman, a neurologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who is investigating the illness, said it was a medical whodunit of the type seen only a couple of times a century.

"From the standpoint of a mystery, there is usually something horrible, like a murder. In this case, it is rapidly progressive dementia and psychiatric manifestations, losing everything at once that is controlled by the brain and the spinal chord," he said. "It is terrifying."

But other medical experts questioned the condition’s novelty.

Dr. Michael Geschwind, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, who is one of the world’s leading experts on rare neurological outbreaks, has not studied the cases or autopsies of those affected. But he cautioned that what can seem like a new illness sometimes turns out to be a known disease that has not been diagnosed. Those affected, he added, could end up suffering from a "grab bag" of disparate neurodegenerative diseases that were being linked together.

"Sometimes what seems to be a cluster turns out to be something else," he said.

The disease was first observed in 2015 when a New Brunswick neurologist, Dr. Alier Marrero, saw a patient who presented a bizarre mix of symptoms including anxiety, depression, rapidly progressive dementia, muscle pains and frightening visual disturbances.

Three years later, he had eight total cases. The next year the total was 20. Then 38. Then 48.

The patients range in age from 18 to 84 and live primarily in two areas of New Brunswick: Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula.

Baffled by what he was observing, Marrero, a physician at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in Moncton, ordered blood tests, spinal taps, MRI scans and electroencephalograms.

Marrero said the tests revealed abnormalities such as brain atrophy and neurological dysfunction, but none of the results linked together to form a clear diagnosis.

He initially suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that is thought to be caused by prions, novel infectious agents that damage the brain. But the patients tested negative for known forms of CJD.

He scoured medical texts. He consulted with colleagues across the world. Eventually, he said, only one conclusion made sense: "It was not something we have seen before."

With no diagnosis, he gave the devastating disease a decidedly prosaic working name: Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Etiology in New Brunswick. He also sounded the alarm, notifying colleagues and federal and provincial health authorities.

In April, six years after the first cases emerged, health authorities in New Brunswick and Ottawa, Canada’s capital, assembled a team of neurologists, public health researchers, environmentalists and veterinarians to investigate. Brain autopsies of the six victims are being analyzed at a federal laboratory in Ottawa, while a team of neurologists and pathologists from across Canada is reviewing the evidence.

Of the three autopsies done so far, all have been negative for known forms of prion disease, according to Dr. Michael Coulthart, a neurologist who is leading the investigation.

Medical investigators said the list of potential causes had been winnowed down to four or five.

Cashman, the University of British Columbia neurologist, said one line of inquiry was that the disease could be caused by a toxin known as beta-methylamino-L-alanine, or BMAA, which is produced by blue-green algae and has been linked to diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's.

Another potential culprit, he said, is chronic exposure to Domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in shellfish off the coast of New Brunswick.

He said the team was not ruling out that it could be a new prion disease or a syndrome caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria, a virus or a fungus.

Some families of those suffering from the symptoms are angry that health authorities took so long to reveal them.

Steven Ellis, whose father, Roger, is part of the New Brunswick outbreak, said his family wanted to know whether the condition was genetic or caused by an external factor. Once jovial and active, his father is now confined to a nursing home and has suffered weight loss, irritability and delusions.

Only after reading the leaked New Brunswick public health officer’s internal memo about the syndrome in March did Ellis connect it to his father’s illness.

"It was like reading our private family story," he recalled. "The pandemic overshadowed this disease. Why did it take so long for this to become public?"

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, told a news conference in April that provincial health authorities had prudently reacted once federal health officials determined that the number of cases was significant. There is a "long road ahead" to determine the cause, she said.

But Ellis said families like his were running out of time.

"If my dad had terminal cancer, of course it would be upsetting, but at least there would be a prognosis," he said. "We are watching him dying a slow death, and nobody can tell us why."

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead.

Forty-eight people from the same small Canadian province struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function and hallucinations such as nightmarish visions of the dead. A quixotic neurologist working 12-hour days to decipher the clues. Swirling conspiracy theories blaming the illness on cellphone towers, fracking or even COVID-19 vaccines. These are just some plotlines of a mystery that has stumped Canada’s medical establishment, attracted the attention of some of the world’s top neurologists and fanned fears among residents of New Brunswick, a picturesque province of about 770,000 on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In the past six years, dozens of people have fallen ill from the disease, and six people have died. "People are alarmed," said Yvon Godin, the mayor of Betrand, a village in the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick where residents have been afflicted. "They are asking, 'Is it environmental? Is it genetic? Is it fish or deer meat? Is it something else?’ Everyone wants answers." As the coronavirus raged across the country the past 15 months, the medical enigma was initially slow to gain national attention. Canadian health authorities, distracted by the need to respond to the pandemic, scrambled to determine the seriousness of the outbreak, which was only publicly exposed after a memo about it by New Brunswick’s chief medical officer was leaked to the press in March. Doctors investigating the disease say the sluggish response underlines the challenge for other medical conditions to compete for the spotlight during a global pandemic. Medical experts said the murkiness surrounding the illness also reflected how, despite extraordinary advances in medical science, some conditions, in particular neurological diseases involving dementia, can puzzle even the world’s best scientific brains. The Canadian outbreak could join the pantheon of other ailments that have mystified the world, such as the debilitating illness that impaired dozens of diplomats in Cuba and China beginning in 2016, prompting suspicions that victims may have been targeted by Moscow, Beijing or a rogue government. There was also a painful and puzzling kidney disease that afflicted workers harvesting sugar cane in Nicaragua four years earlier. The mystery, however, could also fizzle, if it turns out that a variety of preexisting conditions have been prematurely ascribed to a strange new disease. Among the youngest victims of the Canadian syndrome is Gabrielle Cormier, 20, once a straight-A student who participated in figure skating competitions and aspired to become a pathologist. But as she began university two years ago, Cormier said she was suddenly and inexplicably overcome by fatigue, started bumping into things and had visions that looked like static from a television. No longer able to read easily or walk to class, she was forced to drop out of school. Not understanding what was wrong amplified the illness’s horror. After being misdiagnosed with mononucleosis, Cormier said emergency room doctors then told her there was nothing wrong with her. A battery of tests yielded no diagnosis. She was eventually referred to a neurologist as her health deteriorated and she experienced involuntary jerking movements, memory lapses and hallucinations. She was among the first to be included in the cluster of those suffering from the unidentified syndrome. Today, she lives at home in Dalhousie Junction, in rural northern New Brunswick, and walks with a cane. "I was just starting what is supposed to be the best chapter of your life, and then it disappeared," she said. "I don’t know if I will die or live out the rest of my life with these symptoms." Dr. Neil Cashman, a neurologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who is investigating the illness, said it was a medical whodunit of the type seen only a couple of times a century. "From the standpoint of a mystery, there is usually something horrible, like a murder. In this case, it is rapidly progressive dementia and psychiatric manifestations, losing everything at once that is controlled by the brain and the spinal chord," he said. "It is terrifying." But other medical experts questioned the condition’s novelty. Dr. Michael Geschwind, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, who is one of the world’s leading experts on rare neurological outbreaks, has not studied the cases or autopsies of those affected. But he cautioned that what can seem like a new illness sometimes turns out to be a known disease that has not been diagnosed. Those affected, he added, could end up suffering from a "grab bag" of disparate neurodegenerative diseases that were being linked together. "Sometimes what seems to be a cluster turns out to be something else," he said. The disease was first observed in 2015 when a New Brunswick neurologist, Dr. Alier Marrero, saw a patient who presented a bizarre mix of symptoms including anxiety, depression, rapidly progressive dementia, muscle pains and frightening visual disturbances. Three years later, he had eight total cases. The next year the total was 20. Then 38. Then 48. The patients range in age from 18 to 84 and live primarily in two areas of New Brunswick: Moncton and the Acadian Peninsula. Baffled by what he was observing, Marrero, a physician at Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in Moncton, ordered blood tests, spinal taps, MRI scans and electroencephalograms. Marrero said the tests revealed abnormalities such as brain atrophy and neurological dysfunction, but none of the results linked together to form a clear diagnosis. He initially suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that is thought to be caused by prions, novel infectious agents that damage the brain. But the patients tested negative for known forms of CJD. He scoured medical texts. He consulted with colleagues across the world. Eventually, he said, only one conclusion made sense: "It was not something we have seen before." With no diagnosis, he gave the devastating disease a decidedly prosaic working name: Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Etiology in New Brunswick. He also sounded the alarm, notifying colleagues and federal and provincial health authorities. In April, six years after the first cases emerged, health authorities in New Brunswick and Ottawa, Canada’s capital, assembled a team of neurologists, public health researchers, environmentalists and veterinarians to investigate. Brain autopsies of the six victims are being analyzed at a federal laboratory in Ottawa, while a team of neurologists and pathologists from across Canada is reviewing the evidence. Of the three autopsies done so far, all have been negative for known forms of prion disease, according to Dr. Michael Coulthart, a neurologist who is leading the investigation. Medical investigators said the list of potential causes had been winnowed down to four or five. Cashman, the University of British Columbia neurologist, said one line of inquiry was that the disease could be caused by a toxin known as beta-methylamino-L-alanine, or BMAA, which is produced by blue-green algae and has been linked to diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. Another potential culprit, he said, is chronic exposure to Domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in shellfish off the coast of New Brunswick. He said the team was not ruling out that it could be a new prion disease or a syndrome caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria, a virus or a fungus. Some families of those suffering from the symptoms are angry that health authorities took so long to reveal them. Steven Ellis, whose father, Roger, is part of the New Brunswick outbreak, said his family wanted to know whether the condition was genetic or caused by an external factor. Once jovial and active, his father is now confined to a nursing home and has suffered weight loss, irritability and delusions. Only after reading the leaked New Brunswick public health officer’s internal memo about the syndrome in March did Ellis connect it to his father’s illness. "It was like reading our private family story," he recalled. "The pandemic overshadowed this disease. Why did it take so long for this to become public?" Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, told a news conference in April that provincial health authorities had prudently reacted once federal health officials determined that the number of cases was significant. There is a "long road ahead" to determine the cause, she said. But Ellis said families like his were running out of time. "If my dad had terminal cancer, of course it would be upsetting, but at least there would be a prognosis," he said. "We are watching him dying a slow death, and nobody can tell us why."

Mysterious brain syndrome grips Canada

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day.

It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

Researchers recently found that not getting enough sleep consistently could cause the brain to clear a significant amount of neurons and synaptic connections, while adding that making up for the lost sleep may not be able to undo the damage.

In essence, not getting sleep may be causing our brain to start eating itself!

A 2017 study led by Michele Bellesi from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy examined the mammal brain’s response to poor sleeping habits, and realised there was a similarity between well-rested and sleepless mice.

The cells in our brain are being constantly refreshed by two types of cell - the “microglial” kind that get rid of the worn out cells in a process of devouring them, while “astrocytes” refresh the wiring of synaptic connections in the brain.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/could-coronavirus-be-causing-long-term-brain-damage-even-in-mild-cases-scientists-think-so-311655" hreflang="en">Could coronavirus be causing long-term brain damage even in mild cases? Scientists think so!</a>

The scary part is that our body does this not only while we’re asleep, but also when we aren’t simply getting enough of it.

Overdrive mode!

In this process, the brain goes into overdrive and starts eating the “astrocytes”, which as previously mentioned are responsible for refreshing the brain connections.

The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience took could not ascertain whether the mice behaviour could be replicated in humans. But given the 50 per cent jump in the number of Alzheimer’s cases is testimony to the possibility of more damage.

The researches after taking into account of groups of mice of on a scale of well rested to chronically sleep deprived found that the the brain had started devouring parts of itself after prolonged sleep deprivation.

Such activity has been linked to forms of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day. It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity.

Sleeping serves many purposes. Superficially, it helps our bodies replenish, and prepares us for the next day. It however serves more purpose than this. Besides giving us the energy we need to function, it gets rid of the toxics in our brain, that are a residual byproduct of neural activity. Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain Researchers recently found that not getting enough sleep consistently could cause the brain to clear a significant amount of neurons and synaptic connections, while adding that making up for the lost sleep may not be able to undo the damage. In essence, not getting sleep may be causing our brain to start eating itself! A 2017 study led by Michele Bellesi from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy examined the mammal brain’s response to poor sleeping habits, and realised there was a similarity between well-rested and sleepless mice. The cells in our brain are being constantly refreshed by two types of cell - the “microglial” kind that get rid of the worn out cells in a process of devouring them, while “astrocytes” refresh the wiring of synaptic connections in the brain. Also read: Could coronavirus be causing long-term brain damage even in mild cases? Scientists think so! The scary part is that our body does this not only while we’re asleep, but also when we aren’t simply getting enough of it. Overdrive mode! In this process, the brain goes into overdrive and starts eating the “astrocytes”, which as previously mentioned are responsible for refreshing the brain connections. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience took could not ascertain whether the mice behaviour could be replicated in humans. But given the 50 per cent jump in the number of Alzheimer’s cases is testimony to the possibility of more damage. The researches after taking into account of groups of mice of on a scale of well rested to chronically sleep deprived found that the the brain had started devouring parts of itself after prolonged sleep deprivation. Such activity has been linked to forms of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Not sleeping enough? Your brain might be eating itself

Elon Musk has said that he is working on a technology that could make the human language obsolete.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-to-defy-alameda-county-orders-to-restart-production-298123">Tesla CEO Elon Musk to defy Alameda County orders to restart production</a>

In a podcast, the Tesla chief was discussing his neurotechnology firm Neuralink, where he said that his company will soon be able to connect a Neuralink device to a brain within a few years. If this happens, it will be for the very first time.&nbsp;

According to Musk, a battery-powered chip will be implanted in the human skull and the electrodes will then "carefully" insert into the brain.&nbsp;

He said: "It can interface with anywhere in your brain, so it could be something that helps cure eyesight. In principle, it can fix almost anything that’s wrong with the brain."

He said the first edition of these devices will focus on treating brain injury or disorders, however, the later versions might be capable of more.&nbsp;

"You wouldn’t need to talk," Musk said, adding: "We could still do it for sentimental reasons."

He went on: "You would be able to communicate very quickly and with far more precision … I’m not sure what would happen to language. In a situation like this, it would kind of be like The Matrix. You wanna speak in a different language? No problem, just download the program."

When asked about the duration of such a device, he said between 5 to 10 years only if the research is allowed to continue.&nbsp;

Elon Musk has said that he is working on a technology that could make the human language obsolete. Also read: Tesla CEO Elon Musk to defy Alameda County orders to restart production In a podcast, the Tesla chief was discussing his neurotechnology firm Neuralink, where he said that his company will soon be able to connect a Neuralink device to a brain within a few years.

Elon Musk has said that he is working on a technology that could make the human language obsolete. Also read: Tesla CEO Elon Musk to defy Alameda County orders to restart production In a podcast, the Tesla chief was discussing his neurotechnology firm Neuralink, where he said that his company will soon be able to connect a Neuralink device to a brain within a few years. If this happens, it will be for the very first time. According to Musk, a battery-powered chip will be implanted in the human skull and the electrodes will then "carefully" insert into the brain. He said: "It can interface with anywhere in your brain, so it could be something that helps cure eyesight. In principle, it can fix almost anything that’s wrong with the brain." He said the first edition of these devices will focus on treating brain injury or disorders, however, the later versions might be capable of more. "You wouldn’t need to talk," Musk said, adding: "We could still do it for sentimental reasons." He went on: "You would be able to communicate very quickly and with far more precision … I’m not sure what would happen to language. In a situation like this, it would kind of be like The Matrix. You wanna speak in a different language? No problem, just download the program." When asked about the duration of such a device, he said between 5 to 10 years only if the research is allowed to continue.

Neuralink devices could make human language obsolete in five years: Elon Musk

Consuming a Western diet for even one week can subtly impair brain function and encourage slim and otherwise healthy young people to overeat, according to a new study.

As per the research, after seven days on high fat, high added sugar diet, volunteers in their 20s scored worse on memory tests and found junk food more desirable immediately after they had finished a meal.

The findings of the study suggest that a western diet makes it harder for people to regulate their appetite, and points to disruption in a brain region called the hippocampus as the possible cause.

“After a week on a western-style diet, palatable food such as snacks and chocolate becomes more desirable when you are full,” said co-author Richard Stevenson who is&nbsp;a professor of psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney.

“This will make it harder to resist, leading you to eat more, which in turn generates more damage to the hippocampus and a vicious cycle of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/malaysias-mahathir-pledges-to-step-down-for-anwar-but-not-before-november-267441">overeating</a>,” he added.

To investigate how the western diet affects humans, the scientists recruited 110 lean and healthy students, aged 20 to 23, who generally had&nbsp;a good diet.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/james-corden-calls-out-bill-maher-for-his-remark-over-fat-shaming-249646">James Corden calls out Bill Maher for his remark over fat-shaming</a>

The group was divided into two parts. One which ate their normal diet for a week. The other half was&nbsp;put on a high energy western-style diet, which featured a generous intake of Belgian waffles and fast food.

Previous studies have also hinted that&nbsp;junk food impairs the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and appetite control.&nbsp;

In the longer term, eating a western-style diet contributes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/to-defeat-obesity-hunger-climate-change-govts-must-curb-influence-of-big-corporations-lancet-193275">obesity&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/regular-use-of-mouthwash-may-increase-risk-of-diabetes-harvard-study-24947">diabetes</a>, both of which have been linked to declines in brain performance and the risk of developing dementia.

“The new thinking here is the realisation that a western-style diet may be generating initial and fairly subtle cognitive impairments, that undermine the control of appetite which gradually opens the way for all of these other effects down the track,” Stevenson said.

Understanding the impact of a western diet on brain function is necessary due&nbsp;the current food climate.

Consuming a Western diet for even one week can subtly impair brain function and encourage slim and otherwise healthy young people to overeat, according to a new study.

Consuming a Western diet for even one week can subtly impair brain function and encourage slim and otherwise healthy young people to overeat, according to a new study. As per the research, after seven days on high fat, high added sugar diet, volunteers in their 20s scored worse on memory tests and found junk food more desirable immediately after they had finished a meal. The findings of the study suggest that a western diet makes it harder for people to regulate their appetite, and points to disruption in a brain region called the hippocampus as the possible cause. “After a week on a western-style diet, palatable food such as snacks and chocolate becomes more desirable when you are full,” said co-author Richard Stevenson who is a professor of psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney. “This will make it harder to resist, leading you to eat more, which in turn generates more damage to the hippocampus and a vicious cycle of overeating,” he added. To investigate how the western diet affects humans, the scientists recruited 110 lean and healthy students, aged 20 to 23, who generally had a good diet. Also read: James Corden calls out Bill Maher for his remark over fat-shaming The group was divided into two parts. One which ate their normal diet for a week. The other half was put on a high energy western-style diet, which featured a generous intake of Belgian waffles and fast food. Previous studies have also hinted that junk food impairs the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and appetite control. In the longer term, eating a western-style diet contributes to obesity and diabetes, both of which have been linked to declines in brain performance and the risk of developing dementia. “The new thinking here is the realisation that a western-style diet may be generating initial and fairly subtle cognitive impairments, that undermine the control of appetite which gradually opens the way for all of these other effects down the track,” Stevenson said. Understanding the impact of a western diet on brain function is necessary due the current food climate.

Western-style diet can impair brain function: Study

Neurotoxins in Delhi, Gurugram air can cause brain damage: Study

A report released yesterday shows in graphic detail the kind of damage Zika infections can do to the developing brain - damage that goes well beyond the devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, in which the baby&#39;s head is smaller than normal. 
 
The current Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where the virus has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, which can cause severe developmental problems. 
 
Prior research has shown the Zika virus attacks neural progenitor cells - a type of stem cell that develops into different types of nerve or brain cells. 
 
The latest research, published in the journal Radiology, draws from imaging and autopsy findings linked with confirmed Zika infections done on 17 infants and fetuses cared for at the Instituto de Pesquisa, in Campina Grande in the state of Paraiba in northeastern Brazil, where the infection has been especially severe. 
 
The study also included reports on 28 fetuses or newborns with brain anomalies whose mothers were suspected of having Zika during pregnancy. 
 
Nearly all babies in each group had ventriculomegaly, a condition in which the ventricles, or fluid-filled spaces in the brain, are enlarged. 
 
While most of the fetuses had at least one exam showing abnormally small head circumference, suggesting they had microcephaly, three of the fetuses with ventriculomegaly had normal head circumference, but severe ventriculomegaly. 
 
Nearly all of the fetuses or babies in the confirmed Zika group and nearly 80 per cent of those in the presumed Zika group also had abnormalities of the corpus callosum - a large bundle of nerves that facilitates communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. 
 
In all but one of the cases studied, the researchers found instances in which developing neurons did not travel to their proper destination in the brain. 
 
In many cases, the babies&#39; skulls seemed to have collapsed on themselves, with overlapping tissues and abnormal skin folds suggestive of a brain that had stopped growing. 
 
&quot;From an imaging standpoint, the abnormalities in the brain are very severe when compared to other congenital infections,&rdquo; said study co-author Dr. Deborah Levine of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a radiology professor at Harvard Medical School. 
 
As with other reports, the paper suggests that Zika does the most harm in the first trimester of pregnancy. The researchers plan to keep following the cases to see what impact prenatal Zika infections have on future brain development. 
 
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 per cent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected. 
 
Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. A small number of cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. 
 
(Reuters)

Nearly all babies in each group had ventriculomegaly, a condition in which the fluid-filled spaces in the brain, are enlarged

A report released yesterday shows in graphic detail the kind of damage Zika infections can do to the developing brain - damage that goes well beyond the devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, in which the baby's head is smaller than normal. The current Zika outbreak was first detected last year in Brazil, where the virus has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, which can cause severe developmental problems. Prior research has shown the Zika virus attacks neural progenitor cells - a type of stem cell that develops into different types of nerve or brain cells. The latest research, published in the journal Radiology, draws from imaging and autopsy findings linked with confirmed Zika infections done on 17 infants and fetuses cared for at the Instituto de Pesquisa, in Campina Grande in the state of Paraiba in northeastern Brazil, where the infection has been especially severe. The study also included reports on 28 fetuses or newborns with brain anomalies whose mothers were suspected of having Zika during pregnancy. Nearly all babies in each group had ventriculomegaly, a condition in which the ventricles, or fluid-filled spaces in the brain, are enlarged. While most of the fetuses had at least one exam showing abnormally small head circumference, suggesting they had microcephaly, three of the fetuses with ventriculomegaly had normal head circumference, but severe ventriculomegaly. Nearly all of the fetuses or babies in the confirmed Zika group and nearly 80 per cent of those in the presumed Zika group also had abnormalities of the corpus callosum - a large bundle of nerves that facilitates communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. In all but one of the cases studied, the researchers found instances in which developing neurons did not travel to their proper destination in the brain. In many cases, the babies' skulls seemed to have collapsed on themselves, with overlapping tissues and abnormal skin folds suggestive of a brain that had stopped growing. "From an imaging standpoint, the abnormalities in the brain are very severe when compared to other congenital infections,” said study co-author Dr. Deborah Levine of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a radiology professor at Harvard Medical School. As with other reports, the paper suggests that Zika does the most harm in the first trimester of pregnancy. The researchers plan to keep following the cases to see what impact prenatal Zika infections have on future brain development. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 per cent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected. Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. A small number of cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. (Reuters)

Study shows extent of brain damage from Zika infections

Colombia has declared its Zika epidemic is over, but warned that the mosquito-borne virus, which is blamed for causing brain damage in babies, would continue circulating on a smaller scale. 
 
Colombia has been the second hardest-hit country by the disease after Brazil, with nearly 100,000 cases and at least 21 babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. 
 
But 10 months into the outbreak, the health ministry said the number of reported cases had dropped to between 600 and 700 a week. 
 
&quot;Colombia is the first country in the Americas to declare the end of the epidemic,&quot; deputy health minister Fernando Ruiz told a news conference yetsterday. 
 
The virus &quot;now enters an endemic phase, in which a very small number of cases will undoubtedly remain in the future,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s a virus that&#39;s here to stay.&quot; 
 
Officials had initially predicted Colombia would register 450,000 to 600,000 cases of Zika before the epidemic was over. 
 
The number of babies affected could continue to rise, however. 
 
Doctors are still analysing the cases of 160 babies born with birth defects to mothers who were infected with Zika during pregnancy, to diagnose their condition and determine whether the virus was the cause. 
 
And new cases may be found in the coming months in babies conceived during the epidemic. 
 
The total number of microcephaly cases could reach 100 to 300, Ruiz predicted. 
 
Zika, which was discovered in Uganda in 1947, took the world by surprise when it emerged in the Americas last year with devastating effects. 
 
Since then, health authorities in the region have sounded the alarm over a surge in babies born with microcephaly and other deformities apparently linked to the flu-like virus. 
 
The virus is also suspected of causing nervous disorders, including Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which leads the immune system to attack the nerves and may lead to paralysis. 
 
Colombian officials have registered 350 cases of Guillain-Barre. 
 
Zika is mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but it has also been shown to spread through sexual contact.&nbsp;Brazil has been the country hardest hit by the virus, for which there is currently no vaccine or cure. 
 
Authorities there have confirmed more than 1,000 cases of microcephaly blamed on Zika. 
 
(AFP)

'It's a virus that's here to stay,' the health minister said, warning that the virus would continue circulating on a smaller scale

Colombia has declared its Zika epidemic is over, but warned that the mosquito-borne virus, which is blamed for causing brain damage in babies, would continue circulating on a smaller scale. Colombia has been the second hardest-hit country by the disease after Brazil, with nearly 100,000 cases and at least 21 babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. But 10 months into the outbreak, the health ministry said the number of reported cases had dropped to between 600 and 700 a week. "Colombia is the first country in the Americas to declare the end of the epidemic," deputy health minister Fernando Ruiz told a news conference yetsterday. The virus "now enters an endemic phase, in which a very small number of cases will undoubtedly remain in the future," he said. "It's a virus that's here to stay." Officials had initially predicted Colombia would register 450,000 to 600,000 cases of Zika before the epidemic was over. The number of babies affected could continue to rise, however. Doctors are still analysing the cases of 160 babies born with birth defects to mothers who were infected with Zika during pregnancy, to diagnose their condition and determine whether the virus was the cause. And new cases may be found in the coming months in babies conceived during the epidemic. The total number of microcephaly cases could reach 100 to 300, Ruiz predicted. Zika, which was discovered in Uganda in 1947, took the world by surprise when it emerged in the Americas last year with devastating effects. Since then, health authorities in the region have sounded the alarm over a surge in babies born with microcephaly and other deformities apparently linked to the flu-like virus. The virus is also suspected of causing nervous disorders, including Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which leads the immune system to attack the nerves and may lead to paralysis. Colombian officials have registered 350 cases of Guillain-Barre. Zika is mainly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but it has also been shown to spread through sexual contact. Brazil has been the country hardest hit by the virus, for which there is currently no vaccine or cure. Authorities there have confirmed more than 1,000 cases of microcephaly blamed on Zika. (AFP)

Colombia declares its Zika epidemic over

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