A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years. US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients. The Argus II system uses a spectacle-mounted camera to feed visual information to electrodes in the eye.
Missing out on sleep may cause the brain to stop producing new cells, a study has suggested. The work on rats, by a team from Princeton University found a lack of sleep affected the hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories. The research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed a stress hormone causes the effect.
There is a reason why people feel they have to exercise harder as they age to get the same results, scientists say. A US team found a system that boosts muscles fails with age, leading to the need for increased efforts, the paper in Cell Metabolism reported. The finding could also help foster an understanding of type 2 diabetes, which is linked to ageing, the study said.
Scientists say they have found the part of the brain that predicts whether a person will be selfish or an altruist. Altruism – the tendency to help others without obvious benefit to oneself – appears to be linked to an area called the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Using brain scans, the US investigators found this region related to a person's real-life unselfish behaviour.
There is no proof that growth hormone therapy makes people live longer, say US scientists. The therapy has been touted in some quarters as a way to prevent – or even reverse – ageing. However, a Stanford University team found no evidence that it had any more effect than a regular mild workout.
Adding milk to a cup of tea can destroy its ability to protect against heart disease, according to research. A small German study found drinking black tea significantly improved the ability of arteries to relax and expand to keep blood pressure healthy. But the European Heart Journal paper also found proteins in milk, called caseins, blocked this effect.
Brain scans have given US scientists a clue about how we create a mental image of our own future. The Washington University team say that specific areas of the brain are active when thinking about upcoming events. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study could help doctors trying to understand damage inflicted by strokes, injuries or diseases.
