X-Message-Number: 9297 From: Olaf Henny <> Subject: Refreshment For The Brain? Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 10:12:50 -0800 I found the below copied article in our local paper of today. I have since unsuccessfully tried to search PubMed for a substantiating abstract, but may somebody with access to the Journal of Science can verify the content of said article. Headline: (Quote) Herb sparks brain research Toronto - Canadian Press Dr. You Ming Lu's cutting-edge studies of the brain chemistry behind memory and learning found their roots in an ancient wisdom. "I was looking at a plant used for the purpose of treating (brain disorders) in traditional Chinese Medicine" says Lu, 35, a graduate student at the University of Toronto. "And I isolated a chemical in that plant used by traditional Chinese-medicine (practitioners) to treat epilepsy." The discovery of this seizure-alleviating chemical inspired him to do more brain research. Lu is the lead author of a paper in the journal of science identifying the brain chemical that literally starts us thinking. Lu and his colleagues showed that SRC, a natural human enzyme, initiated construction of the brain pathways that store and process information. SRC sets off a chemical cascade - a sort of neuro-molecular chain reaction - that allows information carrying electrical impulses to bridge the tiny synaptic gaps between the brain's neuron cells. Once bridged, the synaptic pathways remain open for future use as long term memory or learning conduits. This discovery, team members say, could lead to the development of drugs, that would enhance our ability to learn and memorize - in effect, make us smarter. Neurobiolgist John Roder, who was Lu's supervisor on the project, say drugs that could mimic SRC activities might allow weakened minds to re-invigorate themselves. "If they could successfully use a pharmaceutical to tickle these (brain chemical) pathways... you could give patients, who might have learning impairments or Alzheimer's disease, memory loss or even, college students studying for exams," says Roder. (End of Quote) Best, Olaf Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9297