Caution urged for kids' anti-obesity drugs
Published: May 8, 2008 at 3:05 PM
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 8 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists are urging caution in giving children anti-obesity drugs, saying the medications might interfere with neural development.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory say the new class of drugs -- such as rimonabant (trade name Acomplia) -- work by blocking the same receptor cells in the brain that bind to compounds found in marijuana. Known collectively as cannabinoids, the compounds are also produced naturally by the body.
The scientists said they found blocking cannabinoid receptors in laboratory mice suppressed the adaptive rewiring of the brain that is an essential task of maturation.
"Our finding of a profound disruption of cortical plasticity in juvenile mice suggests caution is advised in the use of such compounds in children," said Professor Mark Bear, lead author of the study.
The work is reported in the journal Neuron.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory say the new class of drugs -- such as rimonabant (trade name Acomplia) -- work by blocking the same receptor cells in the brain that bind to compounds found in marijuana. Known collectively as cannabinoids, the compounds are also produced naturally by the body.
The scientists said they found blocking cannabinoid receptors in laboratory mice suppressed the adaptive rewiring of the brain that is an essential task of maturation.
"Our finding of a profound disruption of cortical plasticity in juvenile mice suggests caution is advised in the use of such compounds in children," said Professor Mark Bear, lead author of the study.
The work is reported in the journal Neuron.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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In this image from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, Cyclone Nargis is pictured when it was a Category one hurricane located 370 miles west of Yangon, Myanmar on May 1, 2008. Tropical Cyclone Nargis flooded the region on May 4, 2008. The death toll from the cyclone and its aftermath is feared to hit or exceed 100,000 lives. (UPI Photo/NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team)
NASA satellite images show Tropical Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar
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