New Scientist Articles

Recently, I've read a few interesting articles in the New Scientist magazines so I thought I'd share their content here.

Beyond Nature & Nurture - article from New Scientist (31st August 2013)
This article is about twins where one has an abnormality. In this case, their nature and their nurture has been the same, so what makes them different? Why does one twin develop the disease and the other does not? If identical twins (with the same genes) are more similar in regard to a particular trait than non-identical twins (with different genes) then the trait is down to genes and if this is reversed then the trait is down to environment. Could a life be lived exactly the same but have different outcomes (despite the nature and the nurture being the same)? The environment plays a key role in shaping epigenetic profiles, which in turn influences the activity of our genes, which in turn may shape our behaviour, lifestyle choices and health. Epigenetics are seen as a mediator between genes and the environment. "There is more to our uniqueness than genes and upbringing: even clones will all end up different". Is the nature/nurture debate outdated? Is there a third factor to it? Many aspects of bodies and behaviours are a result of complex interactions between genes and environment, mediated by epigenetics and chance.

Rethinking Depression, Rebuilding Broken Brains - article from New Scientist (27th July 2013)

This article is about revolutionary treatments for chronic, treatment-resistant, depression. This sort of depression is a real problem; it is estimated that there is one suicide every second and the WHO's assessment suggests that depression is the leading cause of disability in the world. The dominant theory is that depression is a result of neurochemical (in particular serotonin) imbalance. Based on the serotonin hypothesis, Prozac and other antidepressants were developed in the 1980's, however, in recent times these drugs have become less effective. A high percentage of studies showed the drugs as only slightly better than a placebo. A quote from a therapist talking of her patient: "it wasn't that she wanted to die, she simply didn't care if she lived or not". Recently, there has been ground-breaking therapy called Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) which has been found effective against treatment resistant depression. A drug called ketamine has also been found to be effective against this form of depression. Glutamate (a neurochemical found to play a key role in learning, motivation etc.) has been found to be too low in the brains of those with depression. By taking ketamine, glutamate is increased and neurons in the brain actually have been found to make permanent repairs! "Glutamate may be teaching a depressed brain how to rebuild itself".