BPA Exposure May Last For Generations

Researchers found the chemical in a series of mice generations

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

The debate over the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used chemical in plastic containers, will likely continue for some time but the evidence of its effects continues to pile up.

The latest study comes from researchers writing in the journal Endocrinology who say they have found exposure to low doses of BPA during pregnancy had trans-generational effects on mice.

In other words, a female mouse exposed to BPA during gestation had offspring that displayed different social behaviors, previously associated with BPA exposure. The research found the offspring and succeeding generations of offspring all showed the effects of BPA, including anxiety, aggression and cognitive impairments.

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New Insights Gained Into Causes Of Anorexia

New technology examines whys and wherefores of eating disorder

By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com

New imaging technology provides insight into abnormalities in the brain circuitry of patients with anorexia that may contribute to the puzzling symptoms found in people with the eating disorder.

In a review paper published on line in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Walter Kaye, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues describe dysfunction in certain neural circuits of the brain which may help explain why people develop anorexia in the first place, and behaviors such as the relentless pursuit of dieting and weight loss.

"Currently, we don't have very effective means of treating people with anorexia," said Kaye. "Consequently, many patients with the disorder remain ill for years or eventually die from the disease, which has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder."

A better understanding of the underlying neurobiology -- how behavior is coded in the brain and contributes to anorexia -- is likely to result in more effective treatments, according to the researchers.

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