Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Upends Widely Held Belief That Adults Can Create New Neurons, Uproar Ensues
NPR: Human Brains Unable To Add Neurons After Adolescence
A major study is challenging the widely held view that adult human brains make new neurons. The study of brain samples from 59 people of various ages found no immature neurons in anyone older than 13, scientists report online Wednesday in the journal Nature. "In all of the adult samples we looked at, we couldn't find any evidence of a young neuron," says Shawn Sorrells, the study's lead author and a senior researcher in the lab of Arturo Alvarez-Buylla at the University of California, San Francisco. (Hamilton, 3/7)
Stat: Adult Brains Do Not Make New Neurons, Controversial New Study Claims
Neuroscientists at the University of California, San Francisco, had a hunch their findings would be controversial, as tends to happen when you challenge popular, world-changing brain research. They were right. Their study, published in Nature on Wednesday, concludes that the adult human brain does not produce any detectable new neurons in the area that’s supposedly ground zero for neuronal creation, contrary to dozens of experiments over the last 20 years. (Begley, 3/7)
The Washington Post: ’He Was Happy. So Far As I Know Of’: A Family Reels After An 11-Year-Old’s Suicide
After 11-year-old Rylan Thai Hagan hanged himself with a belt from his bunk bed three days before Thanksgiving, people wanted to know why he did it. He was a model sixth-grader at Perry Street Prep in Northeast Washington, where he received a stipend to tutor other students. He was a basketball player whose team had just qualified for a tournament at Walt Disney World. He played the trumpet. Standing in the room where her only child had taken his life less than two months earlier, that question tortured Nataya Chambers. The apartment, where she had not slept since his death, was in disarray, belongings spilling out of boxes as she prepared to search for a new start. (Moyer, 3/7)
Los Angeles Times: Male Doctors Are Disappearing From Gynecology. Not Everybody Is Thrilled About It
Some patients wait until Dr. Jerome Chelliah snaps on his gloves to make the request. Others blurt it out as soon as he walks in the exam room. “I’d rather see a female doctor,” they say. Chelliah thinks he can be a sensitive obstetrician-gynecologist even though he’s a man. But he has no choice but to comply. “I’ve been rejected many times over,” he said. “As a person of color, I face discrimination in other ways, but it’s not so blatant.… People have no problem saying they don’t want you.” (Karlamangla, 3/7)
The New York Times: Probiotics And Fish Oil During Pregnancy May Curb Allergies In Kids
Probiotics and fish oil supplements during pregnancy and breast-feeding may reduce the risk for food allergies and eczema in early childhood, researchers report. In a review of hundreds of studies, they found 19 randomized controlled trials with strong evidence showing that compared to no supplements, probiotics taken after the 36th week of pregnancy and the first months of lactation were associated with a 22 percent reduction in the risk for eczema in children. (Bakalar, 3/7)
CNN: Cancer Treatment Guidelines Questioned In New Study
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network often publishes clinical practice guidelines that help shape the course of treatment for cancer patients and insurance coverage. However, a new study has called those guidelines into question. The strength of evidence referenced by the US-based group, referred to as the NCCN, when formulating guidelines and making recommendations appears to be weak, according to the study published in the journal BMJ on Wednesday. (Howard, 3/7)
Kaiser Health News: Mind Over Body: A Psychiatrist Tells How To Tap Into Wisdom And Grow With Age
We’ve all seen it happen: An older friend or family member retires, is diagnosed with a serious illness or loses a spouse. Suddenly, this individual’s world is altered, sometimes seemingly beyond recognition. He has reached a fork in the road; will he get stuck or find a way to regroup and move on? In a new book, “The End of Old Age,” Dr. Marc Agronin, a geriatric psychiatrist, calls this moment an “age point” — an event that disrupts an older person’s life and challenges the person’s ability to cope while also offering the potential for new growth. (Graham, 3/8)
